the importance of brand guidelines

The importance of brand guidelinesTips on how to ensure they are followed

At Shikatani Lacroix, we design compelling purchase

moments that connect in the blink of an eye. Shikatani

Lacroix is a multidisciplinary branding and design firm with

expertise in corporate identity, naming, packaging, retail,

brand strategy, wayfinding and communication design. Our

philosophy and strategic design approach, the Blink Factor,

hones in on that instant when a consumer makes a decision.

Everything we do is geared to owning the “at purchase”

moment. We forge customer connections that build trust

and drive sales, while measuring ROI, developing growth,

and increasing brand loyalty.

About the authorRyan Talag, Account Coordinator at Shikatani Lacroix

As an account coordinator at Shikatani Lacroix, Ryan works

with retail and corporate brands such as Second Cup

International and TD Bank Group. A graduate of

Communications, Culture & Information Technology at the

University of Toronto, Ryan conducts research and analysis

for client projects and presentations.

Prior to joining SL in 2012, Ryan did a work term in the

Middle East as a brand strategist for The Brand Union in

Dubai, U.A.E., where he worked on the following brands:

Riyad Bank and Dettol.

White paper | October 2013 | Guidelines | 1

The answer to all

As a successful brand grows to serve customers

through multichannel avenues (packaging, online, retail and customer service), it is essential that all

aspects of the brand follow a consistent model.

Additionally, just like an orchestra working in

harmony to play a symphony, all internal and external stakeholders of the brand need to

understand this unity through all modes of the

brand’s communication. This in turn leads to a stronger performance in the company’s respective

industry.

SL’s recent white paper on brand coherence includes

a quote that effectively summarizes this notion:

“Companies with greater portfolio coherence (that is, those whose business units have mutually reinforcing

capabilities that distinguish the company as a whole)

outperform their peers in terms of operating margin.” – Traci Entel, Booz&Co.

This is where the importance of brand guidelines

comes into play. When corporate branding or

packaging and retail design is executed, it is crucial that a cohesive set of brand standards is developed.


“Companies

with greater

portfolio

coherence

outperform

their peers in

terms of

operating

margin”– Traci Entel, Booz&Co.

What’s so great about brand standards?

For starters, they establish and protect the integrity

of the brand identity through consistent visual

representation of the brand; and consistency over time is essential in building strong brand equity.

Before we dive into the different ways you can

onboard brand guidelines, first let’s glance over

some key details found in brand identity guidelines.

The brand story

Before delving into the guidelines’ technical specs, it

is important that every stakeholder involved with the

brand – from brand managers to packaging printers – has an understanding of the brand’s overarching

story. The introductory sections of the brand guidelines should communicate these aspects.

This includes such things as:

• brand essence (the core point of difference that

clearly defines the organization and how it fits a specific consumer need)

• brand card (a promise of performance and a

summary of the interaction, attitudes and experience of its brand equity)

• brand position (defines the target group, the

unique needs the organization is providing, and the credible reason why the organization can meet

these needs)


• brand personality/tone and voice (identifies the key characteristics that define the organization in

humanistic terms, similar to how you would define

an individual. The brand personality sets the tone and manner by which the organization

communicates with its key audience)

Why is it important for everyone to understand

this?

Creatively, the essence of the brand will be

integrated into all artistic elements of each brand touch point. If a brand focuses on being high quality,

optimistic and reliable, a graphic designer will choose to use a particular method of

gradients, colours and shapes to

illustrate that. Furthermore, a photographer will understand why

she must execute a certain style (i.e., capturing genuine and emotionally

engaging real-life moments).

Even from a technical perspective,

the brand essence will be referenced when working with logo-safe zones

(clear open space), signage

dimensions, photo lighting, gradients, etc.

Once every person involved with the brand

understands the brand story (the values deeply

engrained in the core of the organization), they will effectively integrate this knowledge into their work.


Setting the standards

Now that the brand story has been established, the advertisers, designers, signage manufacturers,

packagers, copywriters, and everyone in between

need to know the technical standards and specifications.

This wonderful portion of the guidelines includes all

the specs, such as exterior signage measurements

(width = x ft), headline sizes (x = ¼ of first letter),

safe zones (margin around a graphic element),

minimum size, Pantone colours, along with an entire

design system overview and hierarchy of communication.

By this point, a copywriter will not only know which

specific fonts to use and where, but also why that

font has been chosen, thanks to the aforementioned brand story. In other words, a copywriter would

know why a friendly sans serif font is used instead of a formal typeset, and a photographer/photo editor

would understand why emotional black and white

imagery is a better choice over bright and colourful stock images.


“Successful

branding

programs are

based on the

concept of

singularity...to

create in the

mind of the

prospect the

perception that

there is no

other service on

the market

quite like your

offering.”- Al Ries and Laura Ries, 22

Immutable Laws of Branding

How to ensure guidelines are followed

What good is it to have an incredible set of

guidelines that covers every detail about your brand if it is not put to good use? The following are some

recommendations for getting everybody on your

team on board.

Online Portal1. Easy accessAn online portal is an effective way

for all individuals to access your

brand identity guidelines. With a special login and password, this

information can be kept safe and secure while the proper parties,

including third party vendors, can

gain access.

2. Many partiesThere are instances when so many

different people doing a wide range of

jobs will need the guidelines. From an advertising copywriter a few city blocks away to the signage

installer who desperately needs measurement specs for an international store on the other side of the

world, all parties will be able to retrieve this valuable

information.


3. Efficient updates

Things are always changing. As a brand evolves, certain pieces may need adjustments along the way,

such as a new standard for sizing or updated legal

copy. Subsequently, these changes may not be effective immediately, as organizations need some

transition time between changes (e.g., changing photography standards for ad campaigns). Here, an

early notification of “things to come” can be

broadcast on the host site, informing all parties of what lies

ahead.

Hand ’em out/meet up1. In your faceIn a digital world, sometimes it’s

more salient and effective to have

good, old-fashioned printed handouts or a face-to-face

meeting with your intended audience so that they cannot

easily ignore the messaging.

In package design meetings, there

is usually a discussion regarding artwork and layout. Through the complexities of colour standards, sizing

and materials, it is often fundamental to be able to

refer to brand guidelines on the spot. Therefore, it is important that the guidelines are distributed and that

all involved parties receive a copy.

Something to keep in mind is the importance of

proper and effective distribution. Depending on the company size and various locations, online portals or

FTP sites can prove to be most beneficial.


Final thoughts

The truth is, even if you live and breathe a brand, it is very difficult for a single person to remember every

intricate detail of your brand standards. Certain

details simply do not come up often enough to register in your brain without reference. As there are

many levels of communication within a brand, every touch point must integrate the same brand essence

to achieve complete brand coherence.

Once the brand story and personality are established

in the brand guidelines, it is imperative that all parties develop a high-level knowledge of this information.

From here, everyone on the creative and technical

sides, from the advertising and social media departments to the packaging printers, will have a

clear comprehension of the brand and how it should be properly communicated.


For more information, contact:

Jean-Pierre Lacroix, President

Shikatani Lacroix

387 Richmond Street East

Toronto, Ontario

M5A 1P6

Telephone: 416-367-1999

Email: [email protected]


the importance of brand guidelines

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