If some time ago we talked to you about , we continue in the field of design to explain how to create a corporate identity manual for your brand. And the fact is that if you want to improve the image of your business and achieve greater results, in addition to a good logo, you will need a corporate identity manual that defines the basic rules of your company in terms of communication.
What is a corporate identity manual
The corporate identity manual is a document that contains the main lines of the elements that define your brand, and how they should be used. It is essential that all the people who work around your brand (internally or externally) have a reference guide and know how to use corporate graphic elements correctly.
Although each manual can (and should) have its own sections, there are a series of basic elements that every style guide should have, and which we detail below.
What should a corporate identity manual include?
1. Definition of the brand and its philosophy
Most corporate identity manuals begin with a theoretical introduction to the brand they are dealing with, and its main values. In a few paragraphs, you must explain what your business is about and what its philosophy is.
2. The logo
The logo is the heart of the corporate identity manual. Starting from the logo, all the graphic executions of the brand are defined. In the part dedicated to the logo you must create, in turn, different sections:
- Logo. Your manual must include the logo created, and a brief explanation about it and its relationship with what it represents.
- Construction of the logo. In this subsection you must represent the logo on a grid and detail its proportions and measurements. The intention of all this will be that the logo always looks the same, regardless of whether it is increased or reduced in size.
- Minimum logo reproduction sizes
- Colors. We must extract the information about all the colors used in the logo, both the main ones and the secondary ones. Generally, the colors are accompanied in this subsection by their information: Pantone, with their same versions in RGB, CMYK and equivalent for the web.
- Black and white version of the logo.
- Chromatic versions. How the logo can vary chromatically depending on the background where it is placed, or based on a certain application of it.
- Uses not allowed of the logo. It is important to define a series of uses that are not allowed for the logo (disproportions, impossible colors, etc.).
3. Typography
A very important section is the one that This is, those Typographic fonts used in the logo and its variants (stationery, etc).
Each typographic family must be represented, defining the sizes that will be used: whether it is on the web, in stationery, other applications, etc. It is also interesting to show the font colors, as well as the use of bold or italics. The more chewed up the information is at this point, the easier its subsequent application will be.
4. Stationery
The style guide will have to reflect everything related to the image for corporate cards, folders, sheets in different sizes, envelopes, invoices, etc. All the stationery part must have a homogeneous style, go along the same lines, although perhaps the most important thing is the creativity applied from the logo.
5. Audiovisual uses and social media
In the digital age, it is essential to define a series of rules for the use of your logo for different (sizes, for example), as well as the behavior of the logo before photographs or videos.
6. Other applications
Many brands have company vehicles, uniforms, even merchandising. You must define this type of application of the logo previously, and capture its design and correct use in the manual.
With these basic sections you can configure your style map -Let’s call it that- whose main purpose is to lead your entire team to do things well as far as the graphic part is concerned. It is important to enter as many details as possible to avoid errors later, and to give the corporate manual a coherent and clear design.
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