AT THE CORE

Section 1: Our brand
Your brand’s personality. It is here where you tap into your brand’s DNA to explain that special something unique to you – what your organisation stands for – your values, USP’s, heritage, future vision, mission, strapline and so on.

Make this section interesting and inspiring, use graphical shapes to pull out important information, introduce images, and think about a timeline to illustrate your story so far. Keep your text to a minimum; remember you are expecting people to retain important information so say what you need to say but don’t be concerned about word counts.

Section 2: Communication
Know your audience. How you communicate is an essential part of the brand story. You will no doubt have a wide range of audiences who you are connected to that are interested in what you do and say. Therefore, it is important to think about what you are saying and how you deliver it. This section addresses key areas to follow when delivering any communication, either written, verbal or visual. It will help guide you in language, expression, selection of imagery, method of delivery – how to focus on and achieve the desired outcome.

A note of caution… From the moment you answer the phone, greet a visitor or write an email, people are judging your brand. Think about this and make yours a five star experience – every time.

Section 3: Brand identity
More than just a logo. This section of the guide provides clear and practical rules for communicating your brand visually, interpreting your brand strategy and architecture. Applicable to all your internal and external communications, these rules convey your brand essence through distinctive and memorable visual identity.

Everyone involved within the organisation needs to understand and follow these guidelines. They will help when creating communications material. A brand identity consists of a series of elements that work together in a unique, yet consistent way. Learning how to use these elements takes skill, experience and a thorough understanding of the reasons and outcomes required.

Section 4: Design examples
Putting it into practice. This section provides visual examples of the brand in action. Some pages may show examples of bespoke designs that can be commissioned; others might be examples of layouts to follow when preparing an internal communication such as the “dreaded” PowerPoint presentation. Templates may also be found here.

By following these brand design guidelines, every piece of communication and marketing material will help create and improve your brand image in the eye of whoever you are communicating with. Using the power of words, images, colour and experience, will bring your brand’s story to life across all communication touch points.