Brand Guidelines

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What are Brand Guidelines?

Brand guidelines in user experience design (UX design) are a set of standards that define how a brand should represent itself in digital products. Designers use them to ensure consistency in the use of brand elements such as colors, typography, logos and imagery. They help keep a cohesive brand identity across different digital touchpoints, to boost user recognition and trust and align designs with brand values and messaging. 

A screen showing two images, one representing guidelines to follow and the other showing how not to show four items.

© NN/g, Fair Use

Why Are Brand Guidelines Important in UX Design?

These guidelines are a vital way for brand designers to make a cohesive and impactful brand identity. They’re carefully crafted documents that don’t just dictate the visual aesthetics—like color palette and typography. They encompass the brand's tone of voice, core values and overall user experience, too. The main benefits for brands are that solid guidelines: 

1. Assure Consistency and Recognition

These guidelines are crucial to keep things consistent across all user interfaces (UIs) and experiences. They help make sure that every element—from the typography and color palette to the layout and logo—is uniform. This consistency helps users recognize and become familiar with the brand—and it nurtures a solid sense of reliability and predictability in user interactions. 

2. Build Trust and Credibility

When designers present a cohesive visual and communicative style to users, they build trust between their brands and their target audience. Users are far more likely to believe in the professionalism and reliability of a brand that consistently gets its message and values out across all platforms. 

AI Designer, Ioana Teleanu explains important dimensions about trust and design in the age of artificial intelligence (AI): 

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3. Streamline Design Processes

Brand guidelines simplify the design process for UX/UI designers—and that’s because they provide clear directives on the aesthetic and functional aspects of brand elements. This doesn’t just speed up the design process. It reduces discrepancies and confusion among team members, too. What’s more, it makes sure that everyone is on the same page. As a result, the final product is a well-integrated user interface—and one that aligns perfectly with the brand’s identity. 

A screenshot of Amazon.com's landing page.

Amazon’s highly recognizable brand is more than just the sum of the parts of—for example—the look and feel of buttons. Amazon’s guidelines help to keep this trust high and long-term customer loyalty in place.

© Amazon, Fair Use

4. Maintain Brand Integrity

Designers who stick to their brand’s guidelines help keep themselves safe from diluting their brand’s identity through inconsistent application—a hazard that can confuse users and diminish brand equity. Guidelines help guide designers so that their work clearly communicates their brand's core values and identity—and that they preserve these across all user touchpoints. 

An image representing several customer touchpoints.

These are some simple examples of customer touchpoints—places of interaction with a brand rather than channels, which are planned points of interaction.

© Rosenfeld Media, Fair Use

What are Examples of Brand Guidelines in UX Design?

1. Logo Usage

The logo is a paramount symbol of identity. For instance, Medium's meticulous design of its logo, wordmark and symbol showcases how important consistency and recognition in branding are. Each element—carefully constructed for visual harmony—has to remain unaltered to preserve the brand's integrity. Similarly, the way whitespace and margins appear makes sure that the logo breathes freely—and it’s something that helps keep prominence and readability across various platforms. 

Medium's logo.

© Medium, Fair Use

2. Color Palette

The color palette is a critical aspect of a brand's visual identity. It guides the design of all brand assets. It's not just about aesthetics; the right color combinations can evoke emotions and convey messages, too. For example, TikTok and Spotify have specific color schemes that align well with their brand values and really resonate with their target audiences. TikTok's guide emphasizes the general feel of the app. Meanwhile, Spotify's vibrant duotone colors are popular and appeal to users, which demonstrates how color can enhance user experience. 

A screenshot showing a Spotify screen, featuring the playing of a user's music selection on the web.

Spotify’s color use is part of its brand identity—and a vital way for users to know and trust they are, indeed, on Spotify.

© Spotify, Fair Use

3. Typography

Effective typography is essential for designers to make UIs that are readable and engaging. Designers have got to choose the right typefaces and organize them to optimize usability and get the brand's voice across accurately. For instance, the differentiation between serif and sans-serif fonts is something that has an impact on readability and mood—and it influences the user's perception of the brand. A well-defined typographic guideline makes sure that there’s consistency across all digital products. What’s more, it boosts the overall user experience. 

A screen showing Amazon's guidelines for third-party advertisements.

For example, typographical considerations also manifest in brand usage guidelines for third-party digital display ads.

© Amazon, Fair Use

4. Imagery and Visual Style

Imagery includes icons, illustrations, photographs and data visualizations—and it plays a massive role in carrying the brand’s identity and personality. It's not just about choosing appealing images, though. It’s about making sure that these are in line with the brand's storytelling and emotional connection with its audience, too. For example, when brands pick consistent characteristics for photographs and illustrations, they can create a really cohesive visual experience—and it’ll be one that reinforces each brand's message. 

5. Tone of Voice (TOV)

The tone of voice in UX design extends far beyond the visual elements—and it really embodies how a brand communicates its personality through written and spoken words. Brands have got to find the right balance between being professional and personal, humorous and serious—depending on the context and the user's emotional state. For instance, a brand might take on a warm and reassuring tone to present itself genuinely and speak trust and professionalism to its target audience—like new parents looking for babysitters. This shows how a consistent and appropriate tone of voice can really establish trust and guide users through the product—and make the digital experience that much more engaging and memorable. 

Screen of 4 images and texts featuring MailChimp's style.

MailChimp’s brand guidelines cover how to bring offbeat humor and a conversational voice together in content.

© Arek Dvornechuck, Fair Use

What are Best Practices for Designers to Follow with Brand Guidelines?

Designers should stick to their brand’s established guidelines—ones that have proven to work well. Alternatively, they might be involved in a startup or consulted to create a brand’s style guide. Or they might have a voice in a rebranding process. There, they can have some influence on what those guidelines look like. In any case, designers should:  

1. Maintain Consistency Across Platforms

Brand guidelines make sure there’s a uniform appearance across all digital and physical platforms—to reinforce brand recognition and trust. So, designers should help create—or follow—a comprehensive brand style guide that’s accessible to all team members. The guide should have specific rules for verbal, written and visual communication. And regular updates to the guide should keep the team well in line with the brand identity. This will make sure there are smooth transitions between platforms—for a seamless multi-channel experience. 

2. Make Sure There’s Thorough Documentation

A detailed set of brand guidelines serves as a blueprint to represent the brand to the world—with key elements like logo usage, color palette, typography, imagery and tone of voice. And a brand style guide summarizes these guidelines. Brands should share it with clients and collaborators to keep confusion and inconsistency from happening. It’s got to include clear guidelines on how to adapt brand elements to meet platform-specific requirements and limitations. For example, there could be a section to address responsive design—or a variant for how the brand’s logo might appear: 

Screen showing two ways to show Asana's logo.

From Asana’s brand guidelines.

© Asana, Fair Use

It’s especially vital to make sure that the brand guidelines are easy to understand and implement. Clarity and simplicity can help all stakeholders—both internal and external—stick to the guidelines more effectively. 

Watch as CEO of Experience Dynamics, Frank Spillers explains responsive design: 

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3. Collaborate with Stakeholders

Effective brand guidelines are the result of collaboration among all stakeholders who are involved in brand representation—and that includes internal teams, external partners, agencies and freelancers. If designers give everyone the same set of guidelines, they’ll help make sure that all materials that others produce for the company do actually reflect the brand identity—and consistently so. It's important to involve stakeholders in the creation of brand guidelines, as it will make sure that they’re practical and comprehensive. Regular communication and collaboration with stakeholders are essential things to keep the guidelines so relevant and effective. 

Author, Speaker and Leadership Coach, Todd Zaki Warfel explains important points about dealing with clients: 

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4. Conduct Regular Updates and Reviews

Brand guidelines aren’t static; they’ve got to evolve with the brand. And regular reviews based on market trends, customer feedback and internal insights make sure that the guidelines do remain in line with business goals and brand values. It's important to get relevant stakeholders involved in the review process—and update guidelines as needed to reflect changes in branding strategies, messaging, visual identity and communication channels. This continuous process calls for monitoring, feedback and improvement to keep the brand fresh, relevant—and competitive, too. 

It's essential to establish metrics—as well as feedback loops—to monitor just how effective the brand guidelines actually are. When brands and design teams get feedback in from both internal and external sources, they can work to improve the guidelines—and continuously so. 

Design Director at Societe Generale CIB, Morgane Peng explains important aspects of how some stakeholders may view design-related topics: 

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Special Considerations and Potential Risks with Brand Guidelines

It’s important to also be aware of the following points regarding branding and guidelines: 

1. Understand Flexibility vs. Rigidity

Brand guidelines have got to strike a delicate balance between consistency and adaptability. While strict adherence may make sure there’s a unified brand identity, too much rigidity can stifle creativity—and it can keep a brand back from being able to evolve with market trends. Brands have got to provide clear directives while they give some leeway or flexibility for creative interpretation. It’s best to make sure that guidelines are there as a supportive framework—and not as a restrictive set of rules. 

2. Ensure Accessibility

Accessibility is an absolutely critical aspect of brand guidelines—and it’s one that brands mustn’t overlook. They’ve got to make sure that all communications are accessible to people with disabilities, and incorporate standards like WCAG 2.1 to guide how they make websites, mobile apps and other digital content. That includes the points that they’ve got to provide alternative text for images, make sure there’s sufficient color contrast and offer content in multiple formats to accommodate various disabilities. 

Watch our video to understand why accessibility is a vital concern for brands and design: 

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3. Balance Creativity with Consistency

To maintain brand consistency and foster creativity at the same time is a challenging—but essential—task. Brand guidelines should define core elements like logos and color schemes. They should, however, allow room for innovation in secondary elements as well. This balance helps brands stay relevant and engaging—without losing their identity. Regular updates and assessments of brand guidelines are crucial things to adapt to changing consumer preferences and market conditions. 

4. Adapt Guidelines for Global Markets

Global brands face the challenge of how to adapt their guidelines to fit diverse cultural, legal and linguistic contexts—and not compromise their core identity. This process is known as glocalization—and, to practice it, brands have got to understand local preferences and modify their brand elements accordingly. Plus, they’ve got to simultaneously keep their overall brand consistency. Brands must avoid cultural stereotypes and work closely with local experts to make sure that their messaging is, indeed, appropriate and resonant in each market. 

Watch as Author and Human-Computer Interaction Expert, Professor Alan Dix explains the need to design with culture in mind: 

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As the best brand guideline examples show, UX brand guidelines are vital tools for designers to combine great-looking visual design elements in highly user-friendly interfaces and beyond. They can bring their brand’s personality to life in product designs that follow brand guideline color palettes and toe the line creatively with the brand guideline sheet. An active finger on the pulse of the industry and customer habits will also help to keep their brands relevant and capable of reliable support from marketing campaigns, too.   

Overall, both brands, including marketing personnel, and designers, including graphic designers, must be aware that brand guidelines are significant far beyond aesthetic considerations. While the looks and sounds are indeed vital parts for users and customers to recognize, trust and have expectations about the brands they follow, designers need to expand the scope of how they represent their brands so that these companies and organizations appear in the best possible light at every touchpoint and across all channels. In this sense, web design plays a kind of customer service role in bolstering trust, for example. That’s key to forging a strong bond between customer and popular, successful brand.  

Screen featuring two images and text representing Urban Outfitters.

Urban Outfitters’ brand guidelines help reflect the brand’s minimalist aesthetic, focusing on such areas as typography and calming color palette.

© Georgina Guthrie, Fair Use

Learn More about Brand Guidelines

Take our Service Design: How to Design Integrated Service Experiences course. 

Read our piece, Customer Journey Maps — Walking a Mile in Your Customer’s Shoes

Consult The Role of UI/UX Design in Branding: How to Create a Consistent Brand Identity by David Ephraim for additional important information. 

Read Building Brand Guidelines: Creating Consistency Across Marketing Channels by Hailey Friedman for further insights. 

Go to Defining Your Product’s Voice and Tone for the Best UX by Merav Levkowitz for more information. 

Read 12 Branding Style Guide Examples For Your Inspiration for more examples and helpful information. 

Consult 36 Great Brand Guidelines Examples by Simon Andrys for further insights and examples. 

Go to Mastering the art of brand guidelines (with examples) by Georgina Guthrie for more details. 

See 21 Brand Style Guide Examples I Love (for Visual Inspiration) by Karla Hesterberg for additional information. 

Read 12 Branding Style Guide Examples For Your Inspiration by uBrand for further examples, including Spotify and Starbucks.  

Questions about Brand Guidelines

How do brand guidelines differ from a brand book?

Brand guidelines outline specific rules for presenting a brand consistently across various platforms and media. They include details about logos, color schemes, typography, imagery and tone of voice—and they’re a practical tool for designers, marketers, and anyone involved in creating brand materials to ensure uniformity and coherence.  

A brand book—though—provides a comprehensive overview of a brand's identity—encompassing its mission, vision, values, personality and positioning. It narrates the brand's story, explaining its purpose and the emotions it seeks to evoke.  

So, while brand guidelines focus on the "how" of brand presentation, the brand book focuses on the "why." For example, brand guidelines might specify the exact color codes for a logo and the fonts to use in different contexts. The brand book, however, would explain why those colors and fonts were chosen—and how they reflect the brand's identity and values.  

Watch our Master Class Beyond Design: Practical Tips for Freelancing & Creating Your Brand with Nakita M. Pope, Chief Chick and Principal Brand Strategist of Branding Chicks. 

Author and Human-Computer Interaction Expert, Alan Dix explains about emotions and usability as core elements in design: 

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What are the key components of brand guidelines?

Here are key ones 

  1. Logo usage: Defines the correct and incorrect ways to show the logo—includes size, spacing and placement. 

  1. Color palette: Specifies the brand's official colors—and includes exact color codes for print and digital use. 

  1. Typography: Outlines the fonts to use in various contexts—detailing sizes, weights and styles for headings, body text and other elements. 

  1. Imagery: Gives guidelines on the style and type of images that reflect the brand's identity. 

  1. Tone of voice: Describes the brand's communication style and personality—including examples of preferred language, tone and messaging. 

  1. Application examples: Shows practical examples of how to apply the guidelines across different media—like business cards, websites and advertisements. 

Watch our Master Class The Tone Of Typography: A Visual Communication Guide with Mia Cinelli, Associate Professor of Art Studio and Digital Design, University of Kentucky.

Watch as Arielle Eckstut and Joann Eckstut, Leading Color Consultants and Authors, explain six tips for choosing colors: 

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Who is responsible for creating and maintaining brand guidelines?

The brand manager or marketing team usually creates and maintains brand guidelines. They work with designers and other stakeholders to make sure that the guidelines reflect the brand's identity accurately. 

It all starts when the brand manager—who oversees the development of the brand guidelines—get input together from various departments, including design, marketing and product teams. Designers play a crucial role—and contribute their expertise in visual elements, such as logos, color schemes and typography. They make detailed specifications for these components to ensure consistency. 

Once the brand guidelines get established, the marketing team makes sure of their implementation across all platforms and materials. They regularly review and update the guidelines to keep them current and relevant.  

Watch our Master Class Beyond Design: Practical Tips for Freelancing & Creating Your Brand with Nakita M. Pope, Chief Chick and Principal Brand Strategist of Branding Chicks. 

Author and Human-Computer Interaction Expert, Professor Alan Dix explains about emotions and usability as core elements in design: 

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What are the best practices to define brand colors?

Here are some good ones: 

  1. Research and analysis: Study competitors' color choices—to differentiate your brand. Analyze your target audience to understand their color preferences and cultural significance. 

  1. Color psychology: Pick colors that are in line with your brand's personality and evoke the desired emotions. For example, blue often represents trust and professionalism, while red can stand for excitement and passion. 

  1. Color palette: Create a primary color palette with one or two main colors that represent your brand, and then add a secondary palette with complementary colors. 

  1. Consistency across media: Define exact color codes for different media—including CMYK for print, RGB for digital and HEX for web.  

  1. Accessibility: Make sure your color choices meet accessibility standards. Use tools to check color contrast ratios—and make sure there’s high readability for all users, including those with color blindness. 

  1. Documentation: Include detailed specifications and usage examples in your brand guidelines—and show how to apply the colors in different contexts, such as logos, backgrounds and text. 

Watch this video to understand more about why accessibility is such a vital design concern: 

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Watch our Master Class How To Use Color Theory To Enhance Your Designs with Arielle Eckstut and Joann Eckstut, Leading Color Consultants and Authors, who are among the most definitive authorities on color in the United States. 

How should one handle typography in brand guidelines?

Try these steps: 

  1. Choose brand fonts: Pick primary and secondary fonts that reflect your brand's personality—and be sure these fonts complement each other and maintain readability. 

  1. Specify font styles: Define the styles for each font—and that includes weights (e.g., bold, regular), sizes and any variations (e.g., italics). Give clear examples of how to use these styles in different contexts—such as headings, subheadings and body text. 

  1. Outline usage rules: Establish rules for font usage—including line spacing, letter spacing and alignment. Specify when to use each font and style to keep a good consistency going. 

  1. Include hierarchy: Create a visual hierarchy for text elements—and define which fonts and sizes to use for headings, subheadings and body text to guide users in creating organized and readable content. 

  1. Give examples: Show examples of correct—and incorrect—typography usage.  

  1. Ensure accessibility: Ensure your typography choices meet accessibility standards—with legible fonts and appropriate contrast ratios to make text readable for all users. 

Watch our Master Class The Tone Of Typography: A Visual Communication Guide with Mia Cinelli, Associate Professor of Art Studio and Digital Design, University of Kentucky. 

Watch this video to understand more about why accessibility is such a vital design concern: 

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What role do imagery and photography play in brand guidelines?

Imagery and photography play a crucial role in brand guidelines by visually representing the brand's identity and values. They help convey emotions, tell stories and create a strong visual impact—and here’s how: 

  1. Consistency: Imagery and photography guidelines make sure that all images align with the brand's style and message—so they give a cohesive look across all marketing materials, websites and social media. 

  1. Emotional connection: Images evoke emotions and help build a connection with the audience. And from using consistent imagery, the brand can evoke specific feelings—and reinforce its identity. 

  1. Quality standards: Brand guidelines define the quality and style of photos to use. This includes specifications for lighting, composition, color tones and subject matter. 

  1. Brand storytelling: Photography can tell the brand's story by showcasing products, services and experiences. 

  1. Diversity and inclusivity: Guidelines can ensure that imagery reflects diversity and inclusivity—representing different demographics and promoting a positive brand image. 

Read our Topic Definition of Storytelling to understand more about this important tool in design. 

Watch our Master Class How to Design for Neurodiversity: Inclusive Content and UX with Katrin Suetterlin, UX Content Strategist, Architect and Consultant. 

What are the consequences of not adhering to brand guidelines?

There are some negative consequences of ignoring or not sticking to brand guidelines effectively—and these can harm a brand's image and effectiveness, such as: 

  1. Inconsistency: If the brand's appearance becomes inconsistent, this inconsistency confuses the audience—and weakens brand recognition. 

  1. Diluted identity: The brand can lose its unique personality and voice—making it harder to stand out in a crowded market. 

  1. Unprofessional image: Inconsistent use of logos, colors and fonts makes for an unprofessional image—and this lack of cohesion suggests a lack of attention to detail and can reduce trust in the brand. 

  1. Weaker emotional connection: Consistent imagery and messaging help build an emotional connection with the audience. Ignoring guidelines disrupts this connection—and makes it harder to engage with and retain customers. 

  1. Increased costs: Deviating from established guidelines often leads to more revisions and corrections—an inefficiency that drives up costs and brings delays in production and marketing efforts. 

Watch our Master Class The Tone Of Typography: A Visual Communication Guide with Mia Cinelli, Associate Professor of Art Studio and Digital Design, University of Kentucky. 

Author and Human-Computer Interaction Expert, Professor Alan Dix explains about emotions and usability as core elements in design: 

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What tools and software are best for creating brand guidelines?

You can use tools and software—and these include the following: 

  1. Adobe InDesign: Adobe InDesign offers powerful layout and design features. You can create detailed and visually appealing brand guideline documents. 

  1. Canva: Canva provides an easy-to-use platform with templates for creating brand guidelines. It's ideal for those without advanced design skills. 

  1. Figma: Figma allows for collaborative design, making it perfect for teams. You can create and share brand guidelines in real-time. 

  1. Sketch: Sketch offers a robust platform for designing and documenting brand guidelines. It’s especially popular for UI/UX design elements. 

  1. Microsoft PowerPoint: PowerPoint is a versatile tool for creating brand guidelines. It's easy to use and share with stakeholders. 

  1. Google Slides: Google Slides offers a collaborative environment for creating brand guidelines. Multiple team members can edit and review the document simultaneously. 

Each of these tools provides unique features that can help you create professional and comprehensive brand guidelines. Choose the one that best fits your needs and skills. 

Watch our Master Class The Tone Of Typography: A Visual Communication Guide with Mia Cinelli, Associate Professor of Art Studio and Digital Design, University of Kentucky. 

Watch as Arielle Eckstut and Joann Eckstut, Leading Color Consultants and Authors, explain six tips for choosing colors: 

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How detailed should brand guidelines be for effective usage?

Brand guidelines should be detailed enough to ensure consistency and clarity but not overly complicated. Effective brand guidelines typically include the following: 

  1. Logo usage: Give clear rules for logo placement, size, spacing and color variations—and give examples of correct and incorrect usage. 

  1. Color palette: Specify the exact color codes (CMYK, RGB, HEX) for all brand colors—and show how to use primary and secondary colors together. 

  1. Typography: Define the fonts for different uses (headings, body text, etc.)—and include sizes, weights and spacing rules. 

  1. Imagery and photography: Outline the style and tone of images that reflect the brand—and give examples and specify quality standards. 

  1. Tone of voice: Describe the brand's communication style—and include in that the preferred language and tone, and examples for various contexts, too. 

  1. Application examples: Show how to apply the guidelines across different media—like websites, business cards and advertisements. 

Watch our Master Class How To Use Color Theory To Enhance Your Designs with Arielle Eckstut and Joann Eckstut, Leading Color Consultants and Authors, who are among the most definitive authorities on color in the United States. 

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Watch our Master Class The Tone Of Typography: A Visual Communication Guide with Mia Cinelli, Associate Professor of Art Studio and Digital Design, University of Kentucky. 

How do brand guidelines accommodate different cultural contexts?

Brand guidelines accommodate different cultural contexts when they incorporate flexibility and sensitivity to cultural nuances. 

  1. Color sensitivity: Different cultures perceive colors differently—so it’s important that guidelines specify alternative color palettes that respect cultural preferences and don’t offend any group. 

  1. Language and tone: Adjust the tone and language to suit the cultural context.  

  1. Imagery and symbols: Use images and symbols that resonate positively with the target culture—and don’t use imagery that may have negative—or unintended—connotations in certain regions. 

  1. Local references: Incorporate local elements and references to make the brand feel more relatable and authentic in different cultural contexts. 

  1. Examples and case studies: Provide examples of how to adapt the brand for various cultural contexts. And show case studies or successful adaptations to guide users. 

Watch as Author and Human-Computer Interaction Expert, Professor Alan Dix explains the need to design with culture in mind: 

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Copyright holder: Tommi Vainikainen _ Appearance time: 2:56 - 3:03 Copyright license and terms: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Copyright holder: Maik Meid _ Appearance time: 2:56 - 3:03 Copyright license and terms: CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons _ Link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Norge_93.jpg

Copyright holder: Paju _ Appearance time: 2:56 - 3:03 Copyright license and terms: CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons _ Link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kaivokselan_kaivokset_kyltti.jpg

Copyright holder: Tiia Monto _ Appearance time: 2:56 - 3:03 Copyright license and terms: CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons _ Link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Turku_-_harbour_sign.jpg

 

Watch our Master Class How To Use Color Theory To Enhance Your Designs with Arielle Eckstut and Joann Eckstut, Leading Color Consultants and Authors, who are among the most definitive authorities on color in the United States. 

What is the role of brand guidelines in a rebranding process?

Brand guidelines play a crucial role in a rebranding process, too, by providing a clear framework for the new brand identity. 

  1. Consistency: Brand guidelines make sure that all elements of the new brand—like logos, colors and typography—stay consistent across various platforms and materials. 

  1. Clarity: They offer detailed instructions on how to implement the new brand identity—lessening the chances of confusion and making sure that everyone involved understands the changes. 

  1. Alignment: From defining the brand’s new vision, values and messaging, guidelines help align all communications with the updated brand strategy. 

  1. Efficiency: Clear guidelines streamline the rebranding process—namely, by providing specific directions, which saves time and resources. 

  1. Training: They serve as a training tool for employees, and so help them understand and apply the new brand identity correctly. 

  1. Monitoring: Guidelines help monitor the implementation of the new brand, and make sure that all changes do adhere to the new standards. 

Watch as CEO of Experience Dynamics, Frank Spillers explains three UX techniques to improve customers’ experience and enhance a brand’s ROI: 

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Read our piece, Customer Journey Maps — Walking a Mile in Your Customer’s Shoes

What are some highly cited scientific articles about brand guidelines and UX design?
  1. Roto, V., Lu, Y., Nieminen, H., & Tutal, E. (2015). Designing for User and Brand Experience via Company-wide Experience Goals. In Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 2277-2282). ACM.  

This paper discusses the importance of aligning user experience (UX) and brand experience across an organization. It argues that delivering a consistent brand experience calls for a company-wide effort, involving collaboration between experience designers and marketing teams. The authors propose defining company-wide experience goals that guide the design of all customer touchpoints—and ensure a cohesive brand and user experience. They present a case study from a company that implemented this approach, showing how it can lead to a stronger, more unified brand perception. The paper highlights the need for UX researchers and practitioners to consider brand experience alongside user experience—as both are crucial for creating a holistic, positive experience for customers and stakeholders. 

  1. Hassenzahl, M. (2008). User experience (UX): Towards an experiential perspective on product quality. In Proceedings of the 20th International Conference of the Association Francophone d'Interaction Homme-Machine (pp. 11-15). ACM.  

This highly cited paper introduces the concept of user experience (UX) as a holistic approach to understanding and designing for the subjective experiences of users interacting with products or services. It argues that traditional usability measures are insufficient—and it proposes a framework for considering the experiential aspects of product quality, such as hedonic qualities, emotions and the creation of positive memories. This paper’s been influential in shaping the field of UX and emphasizing how important it is to design for meaningful experiences beyond just functionality. 

What are some highly regarded books about brand guidelines in UX design?
  1. Kapferer, J. N. (2012). The New Strategic Brand Management: Advanced Insights and Strategic Thinking (5th ed.). Kogan Page.  

This book—while not directly about UX branding—is a widely recognized and influential work on strategic brand management. It covers topics such as brand identity, brand positioning and brand equity, which could be relevant to understanding how UX design and branding strategies intersect. The book gives a comprehensive framework for managing brands effectively—which are applicable to integrating UX principles into branding efforts. 

  1. Rappa, C. (2023). UI/UX & Branding Visuals with AI (The Full Dev Cycle Collection) [Kindle Edition].  

This publication explores the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the design process—specifically focusing on the use of Midjourney, an AI platform for creating applications, branding elements, and logos. It aims to help designers streamline their workflow by leveraging AI for tasks such as prototyping, UI improvement, and system optimization. The book highlights the creative possibilities that AI can unlock, enabling designers to explore new avenues for branding and visual design. 

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Literature on Brand Guidelines

Here’s the entire UX literature on Brand Guidelines by the Interaction Design Foundation, collated in one place:

Learn more about Brand Guidelines

Take a deep dive into Brand Guidelines with our course Service Design: How to Design Integrated Service Experiences .

Services are everywhere! When you get a new passport, order a pizza or make a reservation on AirBnB, you're engaging with services. How those services are designed is crucial to whether they provide a pleasant experience or an exasperating one. The experience of a service is essential to its success or failure no matter if your goal is to gain and retain customers for your app or to design an efficient waiting system for a doctor’s office.

In a service design process, you use an in-depth understanding of the business and its customers to ensure that all the touchpoints of your service are perfect and, just as importantly, that your organization can deliver a great service experience every time. It’s not just about designing the customer interactions; you also need to design the entire ecosystem surrounding those interactions.

In this course, you’ll learn how to go through a robust service design process and which methods to use at each step along the way. You’ll also learn how to create a service design culture in your organization and set up a service design team. We’ll provide you with lots of case studies to learn from as well as interviews with top designers in the field. For each practical method, you’ll get downloadable templates that guide you on how to use the methods in your own work.

This course contains a series of practical exercises that build on one another to create a complete service design project. The exercises are optional, but you’ll get invaluable hands-on experience with the methods you encounter in this course if you complete them, because they will teach you to take your first steps as a service designer. What’s equally important is that you can use your work as a case study for your portfolio to showcase your abilities to future employers! A portfolio is essential if you want to step into or move ahead in a career in service design.

Your primary instructor in the course is Frank Spillers. Frank is CXO of award-winning design agency Experience Dynamics and a service design expert who has consulted with companies all over the world. Much of the written learning material also comes from John Zimmerman and Jodi Forlizzi, both Professors in Human-Computer Interaction at Carnegie Mellon University and highly influential in establishing design research as we know it today.

You’ll earn a verifiable and industry-trusted Course Certificate once you complete the course. You can highlight it on your resume, CV, LinkedIn profile or on your website.

All open-source articles on Brand Guidelines

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Simply copy and paste the text below into your bibliographic reference list, onto your blog, or anywhere else. You can also just hyperlink to this page.

Interaction Design Foundation - IxDF. (2024, July 16). What are Brand Guidelines?. Interaction Design Foundation - IxDF.

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