How to Create a Brand Style Guide in 4 Easy Steps

Do you have a brand style guide for your business? This is actually a super important document to have because it will save you so much time and money. If you’re not sure where to even begin with creating your very own brand style guide, this is exactly where you should be. Creating this guide is one of the best things you can do for yourself, no matter where you’re at in your business. And this post will cover how to create a brand style guide in 4 easy steps. Let’s get started!

 

 

I have worked with several different brands that hire my agency to build their brand. (From creating their brand messaging to what their website looks like.) And time and time again I’ve seen these businesswomen come in who are unsure of what their business means to their audience and what it should look like. But once we’ve helped them create their brand style guide, they leave feeling sure of what their brand means and a confident business owner who takes their brand seriously. This is what I want for you.

So, what exactly is a brand style guide? It’s basically a document that stores all of your brand assets. This includes your logos, fonts, colors, and brand messaging all in one place. This style guide will be the master guide you (and eventually your hired help) will refer to whenever you are creating content to represent your brand online. 

 

 

How to Create a Brand Style Guide in 4 Easy Steps

Your brand style guide can be as beautiful and as simple as you need it. But the fact is you just need to have it. Starting here (along with nailing down your brand messaging) is what helps you cut all of the noise and get down to the roots of what your business really is. 

 

Step #1: Nail Down Your Brand Messaging

I always start here with every single client. Knowing the base of where all of your content comes from gives so much direction and confidence with every single piece of content you create. If you missed my last post on creating a solid brand message that sells, you can check it out HERE. 

But your brand messaging is basically who you serve, what their problem is, and how your product will solve their problem. There’s a whole formula for this, so check out my post for the full details! Once you have this created for your business, you will feel like a whole new business owner! 

 

 

Step #2: Do a Pinterest search and pin things that you want as part of your brand style guide.

Pinterest is a great tool when it comes to deciding what you want your visual brand to look like. So, go to Pinterest and start searching for brand color palettes, brand fonts, and logos and see what pops up. 

Create a new board titled, “Brand Style Guide” (or whatever you want to call it) and pin all of the ideas that resonate with you. This new board will be your starting point for choosing what to include in your brand style guide. I recommend choosing 3-5 colors and 2-3 fonts, so make sure you find enough options so you can nail it down after your brainstorming session. 

 

Step #3: Think about how you want your brand to feel.

I know I want my brand to have some authority and strength to it, but I also want it to be approachable. So, I think about how I can bring this about in a visual way. Depending on how you want your brand to look and feel, think about what colors, fonts, etc. will help encompass that feeling for your audience. 

When choosing fonts, it’s OK to have a script type font but make sure it is easily legible. If it’s hard to read people are less likely to read your content. And I always like to pair a script font with another font that is bold and clear. That way it gives good contrast and you have a few fonts that will go well with any type of content you produce. 

When it comes to logos, you can always create a logo for free on Canva. This site is a great starting place for business owners. My team also put together some designer brand bundles you will absolutely love. They include fonts, colors, logos, supporting elements, and templates. There are 5 different bundles for you to choose from, so you can pick one that fits most with your brand style. Check them out HERE. 

Once you’ve decided on all the different elements you want to put in your brand style guide, put it all in one place. This could be a PDF or even on a Google doc. It can be super simple, you just want to have all of this info in one place, so it’s easy to refer to when wanting to create content, revamp your website, etc. 

Again, your Brand Style Guide should include:

• Brand Messaging
• Fonts (2-3)
• Colors (3-5)
• Logo

 

 

Step #4: Look at your online platforms and see how to implement your brand style guide.

Once you’ve completed your brand style guide, you’re going to look at your website, Instagram, TikTok, and any other social platform and see how you can implement your brand style guide throughout each one. 

And then you can get ahead by making some templates for Instagram, your email marketing, etc. using your brand style guide. This takes some work in the beginning, but once it’s all set up it makes everything go so much smoother and faster. If you’d rather skip the work and just check this off your list right now, we have some templates you can purchase HERE where all you have to do is plug in your colors and fonts and they are ready to go for you!

 

 

How to Create a Brand Style Guide in 4 Easy Steps

Alright, friends, this was my best advice on how to create a brand style guide in 4 easy steps. If this sounds like a ton of work that you feel you don’t have the time to do–don’t worry. My team and I can do this for you. Reach out to my team HERE and we can get started with helping create the brand style guide of your dreams. It never hurts to get some professionals on your side and give you something amazing that you didn’t have to do yourself. 

So creating this brand style guide is lesson #2 in my Business Mom School. Lesson #1 was perfecting your brand messaging. If you haven’t signed up for Business Mom School yet, click HERE. It’s completely free, and you’ll be sent a weekly email with some links to watch 1-2 videos, listen to a podcast, and complete some worksheets. Every single item will help you know how to represent your business online. It’s going to be so amazing and we need you here with us! Sign up now!