Have you noticed how some brands on various platforms have different looks? Starting from the fonts to the colours used, many brands out there don’t understand the value of uniformity. This results in consumer confusion, often times making the brand look unprofessional, due to what is understood as ineffective branding.
A brand book is the instruction manual for the brand, the guideline which outlines the history, the visual styles, voice, aim and mission of the brand; it is also referred to as the ‘brand guidelines.’
So why is a brand book so important?
As opposed to a rulebook or guideline of how the company functions, the brand book provides creative guidelines into modes of creative communication, adopted by the company at large. First and foremost, research is conducted on the history and aim of the brand. Based on this, it is provided with an identity, in a varied tangent to that of competitors.
Though the importance of the brand book are at times over looked, it is understood and established as an integral component of brand communication. Within the brand book, individuals and clients alike can get a clear idea on the mission and values of the brand. Further to this, the use of logo, imagery, typefaces and copywriting instructions are all laid down.
Let us put what is a dynamic website in a simpler way this time; Facebook, Twitter-like social media platforms are dynamic websites.
So what is the main purpose of a brand book? Why is it so important for the success of your brand?
First and foremost, the brand book ensures the establishment of marketing consistency. How confused do you think your customers are going to get if at one instance your brand uses one logo and at another instance a varied logo design is used? Imagine for a second, a retail brand, where the logo on the shop entrance is varied to the logo on products, which is also a varied design to the logo on the billboard advertisement used to market the brand. Further to fueling mass confusion, the practice seems unprofessional and gives the wrong idea to clients and customers. By sharing the brand book amongst all individuals in the company and the partners involved, the consistency of the brand and the values of the brand are clearly established. This provides the level of communicational consistency which is required to ensure that all parties understand the creative elements involved, related to the brand itself, ensuring design consistency.
With the ability to maintain consistency established, the brand will be able to build the level of credibility required to uphold the trust of customers and users. This eventually leads to loyalty, and brand loyalty is very important; highlighted as a key component in the success of the brand. Brands which are inconsistent on the contrary result in the customer base often time being confused, often fearing from approaching the brand twice. Due to all creative instructions being laid down on the brand book, it makes it easier for any creative team to perform at a more effective rate. This will greatly decrease the time which is required in deciding the direction of the project, further increasing the efficiency of project outcomes. The brand book directly assists in the increased overall efficiency of the creative process, further enhancing brand communication and performance. Whether it is a marketing video, infographic or animation that is based on to market the brand, the brand book will have all the necessary instructions to enable more efficient content production. This coupled with effective social media marketing, including Facebook, Instagram, Google and Youtube will enable optimized presence on the web; enabling an effective digital marketing strategy to portray your brand message.
With client retention ensured due to uniformity and consistency of design, the brand can now expect greater client satisfaction, not to mention customer retention; thus resulting in greater profits and overall success of the brand.
We at JGSW provide branding services for small and large businesses alike. Visit the Creative and Branding section of our website and contact us to discuss the various services and packages offered by us. We are well experienced in crafting brand books, so come find us, optimize your brand identity and increase client retention.
