A brand style guide, also known as a corporate style manual or corporate style guide, is a graphic-focused document with predefined design and graphic standards for general use by company personnel and associated contractors.
Graphic style guides encourage consistency in visual branding across an organisation’s marketing media, and play a key role in ensuring a uniform brand message to the market.
Style guides are typically built and designed around each brand’s key requirements.
Do I need a "style guide"?
Even a simple 3-4 page document will stipulate the key colour ranges and basic philosophy behind the brand. This helps an organisation with a standard reference point for the company philosophy and the use of colour and style across different media. It is an important starting point for a solid, successful company identity.
Style guides can range from a small multi-page document to corporate grade guides determining brand ethics and philosophy, graphic composition, typography, sub brands and their adaptability to public space, signage, client environment, corporate stationery and clothing, to give but a few examples.