Brand guidelines (also called a brand style guide) set out how your company looks and
sounds: the logo and how to use it, the exact colour codes, the fonts, the tone of voice, the kind of images you use,
and who approves anything new. This free Word template has a section for each, with tables for colour values, text
contrast and before-and-after wording.
It's for companies whose proposals, vans, slides and social posts all look slightly different. The aim is a short
document that staff, designers and printers can follow without having to ask.
What's in the template
Brand guidelines
Company
Brand owner
Answers brand questions and approves exceptions
Version
1.0
Last updated
Where the files are
Folder link
1. Who we are
Question
Our answer
What we do, in one sentence
Who we do it for
Three words for our personality
What we never want to look or sound like
2. Logo
Version
File names
Use it on
Main logo, full colour
White or light backgrounds
Reversed, white
Dark backgrounds and plain areas of photos
Single colour
Engraving, embroidery, one-colour print
Icon only
Social media profiles, website icons
Clear space: at least [the height of the icon] on every side
Smallest size: [__] mm wide in print, [__] pixels on screen
Position: [e.g. top left on documents]
Do
Don't
Use the supplied files
Redraw, retype, recolour or stretch the logo
Place it on a plain area
Put it over a busy photo or pattern
Use the reversed version on dark colours
Add shadows, outlines or other effects
3. Colours
Role
Name
HEX
RGB
CMYK
Pantone, if used
Use it for
Primary
#______
Logo, headings
Secondary
#______
Panels, icons, charts
Accent
#______
Highlights, used sparingly
Text
#______
Body text
Background
#______
Pages and slides
Use only text and background pairs that pass a contrast check, and list them here.
Text colour
Background
Contrast ratio
OK for
4. Typography
Use
Brand font and weight
Size
Fallback in Word, email and slides
Headings
Body text
Captions and small print
5. Tone of voice
We are
But not
Write this
Not this
House style: e.g. British English, sentence-case headings, numbers as figures
Words we use, and words we avoid
6. Imagery
Photography: [e.g. our own people and sites, natural light]
Illustrations and icons: [style and colours]
Images to avoid
Rights: only images we own or hold a licence for, with each licence on file
7. Templates
Template
Where to find it
Owner
Email signature
Letterhead and documents
Slide deck
Proposal or quote
Social media graphics
Signs, vehicles and workwear
8. Approvals
What
Who approves
Turnaround
Our logo used by partners or suppliers
Adverts, press releases and new web pages
Signs, vehicles and workwear
Anything not covered here
9. Version history
Version
Date
What changed
Approved by
1.0
First issue
How to write brand guidelines
Gather what already exists: logo files, the colours and fonts actually in use, and your best and worst
recent pieces side by side.
Sort out the master files first. Ask your designer for a vector logo (SVG or EPS) and transparent PNGs of
every version in section 2.
Record each colour in every format you need: HEX and RGB for screens, CMYK for print, and Pantone if your
printer works to it. Copy values from the design files, never from a screenshot.
Check every text and background pair for contrast and list only the pairs that pass (see below).
Name a fallback font that's already installed with Office and email, for letters and slides.
Write the tone of voice from real sentences, rewriting lines from your own emails and website the way
you want to sound. Take section 1 from the positioning in your
marketing plan.
Build the everyday templates (email signature, letterhead, slides, proposals) and store them where people
already look.
Name an owner and an approvals route, then send the guidelines to staff, designers, printers and
signwriters.
Colour contrast: what the accessibility guidelines ask for
Brand colours often fail when used for
text. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), as set out on the US government's Section508.gov, ask for a
contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 between normal text and its background, and 3:1 for large text (18 point, or 14 point
bold). Colour also shouldn't be the only way information is shown, so charts and status labels need words or patterns
too.
Record the ratio for each pair in section 3. A pale accent that fails as text can still work for backgrounds
and decoration.
Example: a fictional insurance broker
Extracts from the guidelines of a fictional 90-person broker
that insures small businesses. The ratios are calculated for these exact colours.
Text
On
Ratio
OK for
Navy #1B2A41
Chalk #F7F5F0
13.25:1
All text
Teal #1F6F78
White
5.83:1
All text
White
Coral #E8684A
3.23:1
Large text only, such as 14 point bold button labels
Navy #1B2A41
Coral #E8684A
4.48:1
Large text only: just short of 4.5:1
Coral #E8684A
Chalk #F7F5F0
2.96:1
Not for text
Part of their tone of voice section:
We are
But not
Write this
Not this
Plain
Simplistic
"Your policy covers tools stolen from your locked van overnight."
"Cover is provided in respect of theft from a secured vehicle during the hours of darkness."
Confident
Pushy
"We'll compare three insurers and explain the differences."
"Don't miss out! Lock in today's price now!"
Warm
Over-familiar
"Sorry for the wait, Mr Patel. Here's where your claim stands."
"Hiya! Quick update on that claim of yours!"
Common mistakes
A polished PDF nobody opens. Staff follow templates, not manuals; get the email signature and slide deck
right and most of the rest follows.
Colour codes that don't match between website and print.
Brand colours that fail as text, typically a light accent used for small print.
Tone of voice as adjectives. "Friendly, professional, innovative" fits every company; example sentences
don't.
No owner, so exceptions get approved by whoever is asked.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between brand guidelines and a style guide?
Often nothing: both names are used
for the same document. Where a company keeps both, the brand guidelines cover logo, colours, fonts and imagery, and a
writing style guide covers spelling, grammar and word choice. This template covers the essentials of both.
Do brand guidelines protect our logo?
Not legally; they only tell people how to use it. In the UK,
registering a trade mark with the Intellectual Property Office lets you take legal action against anyone using your
brand without permission, and use the ® symbol.