glossary

Brand guidelines

delivery & projectsreviewed by the Forge team · 8 June 2026

A document defining how a brand should look and sound - logo use, colours, typography, tone of voice - so it stays consistent everywhere.

For example, an agency delivers brand guidelines covering logo spacing, the colour palette, fonts and voice. Whoever creates for the brand next - in-house or another agency - can keep it consistent without guessing.

Why it matters to agencies: brand guidelines are a high-value deliverable that protects the work after the agency hands it over, and a natural anchor for ongoing or retainer work. Clear guidelines reduce revisions, keep quality consistent, and make the brand easy to extend - including under white-label delivery.

What brand guidelines cover

  • Logo usage and spacing
  • Colour palette
  • Typography
  • Imagery and iconography style
  • Tone of voice
  • Dos and don'ts, with examples
common questions
What are brand guidelines?

A document defining how a brand should look and sound - logo use, colours, typography, tone of voice - so it stays consistent everywhere.

What do brand guidelines include?

Logo usage, colour palette, typography, imagery style and tone of voice - the rules that keep a brand consistent across everything.

Why are brand guidelines important?

They keep a brand consistent across teams and channels, reduce revisions, and protect the work after the agency hands it over.

Are brand guidelines a one-off or ongoing deliverable?

Often delivered once, but they anchor ongoing work - many agencies maintain and extend them under a retainer.

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