If our team could wave a magic wand for every website we've designed, the first thing we'd wish for is that they would each come with a brand guide before we build them. More often than not, the majority of our clients don't even have a brand guide for their company. If you can create a brand guide for your site, you'll have achieved more than most and both you and your web designer will thank you for it.
By leading your website design with your brand guide in tow, you'll be able to streamline your website's design, reinforce your brand's identity and ensure that there is consistency throughout your website - from its colors, fonts, logos, and imagery. Your website will be unified and cohesive to ensure that your website visitors have a wonderful user experience that establishes trust and familiarity with your brand.
Elements of a Simple Brand Guide:
1) Logo Design
2) Color Palette
3) Typography
4) Imagery & Photography
5) Voice & Tone
The goal is pretty simple - for each of the 5 elements, gather each of them in a single document or set of documents to be readily accessible at any time. It's best to save them on your computer as a PDF so that it's easy to read and easy to share. And if you aren't able to make one on your own, a graphic designer can help you create one pretty easily! (We may know someone... 😉).
When you get ready to embark on a new website design for your business - whether you are building it yourself or handing it off to a web developer, having all of these elements together is a great way to make the web design process easier on yourself, as every build will require each of these elements throughout the process. Your brand guide will be a fantastic reference throughout the lifecycle of your website's build, as well as your brand's journey.
From start to finish, your new brand guide will ensure consistency, reinforce brand identity, and streamline the design and development process, resulting in a cohesive and impactful online presence for your brand.