A brand standards guide (BSG) is a useful and necessary tool for any business. It lays out the specific colors, fonts, logos, taglines, even messaging used in your brand. They also work to create the brand recognition your company needs to be successful. Brand recognition is one of the best ways to convert potential buyers into customers. People are more likely to interact with something they feel comfortable with something they recognize. That is why consistency is key when it comes to building your brand. The more recognizable your brand is to a customer, the more likely they are to engage with your brand and make a purchase.
Maintaining consistency in brand design and messaging may seem simple or unnecessary to some. But something as small as a different color in a logo can throw off your entire brand. A brand standards guide is one document that lays out and provides samples of all of your brand colors, which fonts to use, and messaging. Having one allows every internal and external person dealing with your brand to be on the same page when it comes to your brand. Here are a few of our client favorites.
You can see examples of this in companies around the world. For example, Nike has established great brand recognition. They use the same swoosh, the “Just do it” tagline and color palette in everything they do. Their brand is so recognizable that even if you are shown just one of the branding elements listed above, you are likely to know it is related to Nike. They have established brand recognition and continue to do so with their clothing, sports sponsorships and commercials.
We also utilize a brand standard guide here at Michigan Creative. Our guide has allowed us to build brand recognition and remain consistent in our messaging across all platforms. The brand standards guide is how every person in our company knows our brand. Sometimes it’s the small things like business cards, email signatures, social media messaging, and much more that can slip through the cracks and leave your audience confused. We’ll say it again: Stay consistent!
Your brand deserves proper messaging, design, and consistency. A great stepping stone to achieving that is with a brand standards guide. Not sure where to start? Reach out to us here at Michigan Creative. Whether it’s a rebrand or even just some assistance with brand recognition and consistency, we are happy to help. Also, feel free to subscribe to our newsletter, The Creative, to catch the latest branding and marketing trends.