A brand bible is a record of resources and style points that help you keep your branding consistent across the board. Here are a few things it needs to cover.
When it comes to creating a great brand, one element that cannot be emphasized enough is consistency. With consistency comes authenticity, trust, and recognizability. People aren’t going to know what your business is really about if your message keeps changing. They might not even be able to tell it apart from the competitors out there. A brand bible is a record of resources and style points that help you keep your branding consistent across the board. Here are a few things it needs to cover.
The brand story
Every brand needs a story. The story can be about the passion and inspiration that led to its creation. It can be about the values the drive the way that the business is run. The brand story can even be about the unique value proposition that you have for your audience. Take your time to find out your brand story and make sure that it is key to your future branding efforts.
The logo
Every good business needs a good logo. However, how you use your logo can change depending on the visual style of the environment, the medium that is in use, or otherwise. As such, it’s good to have a section dedicated to different looks and formats for your logo, especially in mediums relevant to your marketing methods. Your logo might need to look different in Twitter posts than it does in a newspaper, for instance.
The imagery
This is what most of the brand bible is going to be dedicated to. It will include not only your logo but also the color schemes you use for the business, regular photos used (which might include profile pictures for staff members/founders and pictures of the office) and the types of image that you want to use, based on what kind of message you want to spend. Finding brand imagery can take time and money if you don’t want to rely on widely available stock photos.
The typography
Do not let it be underestimated how important good typography is. The fonts that you choose can help your branding stand out even more and make text-heavy images a little more distinct. The best fonts are legible but also bring with them plenty of personality. Different elements can also convey different kinds of tones. A font with serif is likely to look more formal and serious than a sans serif one, for instance. Put thought into what kinds of typography you use.
The voice
How do you make sure that you’re bringing the personality that you want, be it in an advertisement, a blog post, or a social media engagement? Nailing your brand voice might mean thinking about how formal or informal you want to be, which audience you’re addressing, and even a list of words or phrases you will or won’t use.
The above is just a set of examples of what should be in your brand bible. Any time you develop new branding, take a look at the visual and creative elements that went into it. They could be worth adding in there.
