5 signs that you might need a brand book
1. Your brand is just your logo.
Either:
You think that this is all there is to your brand, or
That’s all you’ve had the chance to create.
Whether through being quick and scrappy in the beginning, or came from you being a startup and not having the funds, you’ve focused on getting your logo designed, rather than your brand.
You’re so proud of the shiny new face of your brand, and rightly so (I’m sure it looks awesome, don’t worry).
But here’s the thing.
That face is one dimensional.
You can pop that bad boy anywhere, and yes, it’s your stamp. But that’s all it is.
To people who don’t know your brand, it’s like holding a shoulders-up photograph of a stranger - you don’t know anything about them.
You don’t know how they talk, what they wear, how they move, what their voice sounds like.
Yes, you might be able to guess a few things from looking at what you have, but that’ll always be guesswork.
So, when you put your logo out into the world without having your brand defined, you’re pushing something that’s unrefined, indecisive, and - likely - inconsistent.
2. You have a single version of your logo.
When browsing on our phones, we’ve all come across those brand who have a tall, or a square logo, used in that teeny tiny space in their website header.
You can’t quite make out the letters, but you’re pretty sure you’re on the right site.
(You check the URL just in case).
I know you love your logo just how it is, but squashing it into that little space isn’t doing it justice, and isn’t creating a good brand experience for your customers.
It gives the impression that you don’t quite care enough, which simply isn’t true!
In most cases, your brand should have at least:
A square logo
A horizontal, or landscape logo
A logo mark
This way you’re prepared, and your logo will look considered and well designed in whatever space it’s used in.
3. You don’t know what your brand colours and / or fonts are.
Yes, you might use consistent fonts and colours (hats off to you if so - you’ve made a great start!) but the question is - why.
Consider the personality of the font you’ve chosen (and yes, that is a real thing). Is it warm, smart, indie, or playful?
Now look deeper into the typography - having letters closer together makes something feel more like a hug, but having them too close makes it feel claustrophobic.
Having the letters tracked out gives it a lot more breathing room, so feels airy - but doesn’t work well for large bodies of text as it makes it difficult to read.
As does everything in capitals.
Our eyes read the shapes of the words, rather than every single letter, and capitals mean that we can’t do this.
And on.
And on.
The same goes for colour - what are the colour psychology implications? And - do they pass colour contrast accessibility.
4. Your website, emails and logo don’t feel united.
Perhaps you’re working with multiple designers, or perhaps you’ve just picked each style based on how you were feeling that day. You’re not alone - this is what most people do. But most brands aren’t recognisable.
By having a Brand Book that you can pass between the different people working on your brand, everyone will be using the same styles, and therefore your brand will always feel consistent.
All of your brand’s outputs should feel like one voice, with a recognisable look and feel. Meaning that whether a user comes to your website via an email blast, or to your Instagram page having seen your logo on a blog post, they’ll always feel like they’re interacting with the same brand.
You’ll feel familiar, and they’ll feel at home.
Win win.
5. You’ve just never really thought about it.
And that’s OK!
New businesses and brands go through a process of evolution - you prioritise one thing at a time.
But - I hate to be the one to tell you - your customers can tell that you’ve never really thought about it.
So, if you want your customers to take your brand seriously, they’ve gotta believe that you’re taking it seriously.
Put the time in, do the work, and get yourself a brand book.