Brand guidelines template for agencies
Brand guidelines are the deliverable that keeps a brand consistent long after you hand it over - logo, colour, type and voice, with the rules that stop it drifting. It's what your creative brief builds toward. Copy it below, or host a living version in a branded client portal.
0/3 filled - the rest of the [prompts] you finish in your copy.
BRAND GUIDELINES - [Brand name] Prepared by [Agency name] for [Client name] [date] 1. BRAND ESSENCE - In one line: [what the brand stands for] - Personality: [three or four adjectives] - Audience: [who it speaks to] 2. LOGO - Primary logo: [where/how it's used] - Variations: [secondary, icon, mono] - Clear space: [minimum space around it] - Minimum size: [e.g. 24px / 10mm] - Don'ts: [don't stretch, recolour, add effects, place on busy backgrounds] 3. COLOUR | Use | Name | HEX | When to use | |------------|-------------|---------|------------------------| | Primary | [name] | [#0000] | [main brand colour] | | Secondary | [name] | [#0000] | [accents] | | Neutral | [name] | [#0000] | [text / backgrounds] | 4. TYPOGRAPHY - Headings: [typeface, weights] - Body: [typeface, weights] - Fallbacks: [system fonts] - Hierarchy: [H1/H2/body sizes] 5. IMAGERY & ICONOGRAPHY - Photography style: [warm, real, candid…] - Iconography: [line weight, style] - What to avoid: [stock cliches, etc.] 6. VOICE & TONE - We sound: [confident, plain-spoken, not corporate] - We say / we don't say: [examples] 7. DOS & DON'TS - Do: [keep it simple, lead with the logo, use the palette] - Don't: [recolour the logo, mix typefaces, crowd the layout] 8. ASSETS & CONTACT - Where the files live: [link] - Questions: [contact]
pick a version, copy it, or download as .docx or .pdf — then make it yours.
How to fill it in
Lead with the essence
A line on what the brand stands for guides every later decision - put it first so the rules make sense.
Show the logo don'ts
People learn the logo rules fastest from what NOT to do - stretched, recoloured, cluttered. Show the misuse.
Give colours a job
Don't just list hex codes - say when each colour is used, or the palette gets applied at random.
Make voice concrete
'We say / we don't say' examples teach tone better than adjectives ever will.
Keep it usable
A tight guide people actually open beats an exhaustive one they don't. Link the asset files, too.
A filled-in brand guide (excerpt)
A realistic, filled-in version - so you can see what good looks like before you start.
BRAND GUIDELINES - Acme Roasters Prepared by Northwind Studio for Acme Roasters 25 Apr 2026 1. BRAND ESSENCE - In one line: better coffee, made simple for independent cafes. - Personality: warm, expert, unpretentious, dependable. 2. LOGO - Primary: the wordmark + bean mark; mono version for one-colour use. - Clear space: the height of the "A" on all sides. Min size: 24px. - Don'ts: don't recolour, stretch, or place on busy photography. 3. COLOUR | Use | Name | HEX | When | |----------|-----------|---------|-----------------| | Primary | Roast | #F4805D | brand, buttons | | Neutral | Cream | #FAF6F1 | backgrounds | | Ink | Bean | #1A1614 | text | 4. TYPOGRAPHY - Headings: Space Grotesk (700). Body: Inter (400/600). [Sections 5-8 as in the template - imagery, voice, dos & don'ts, assets.] 6. VOICE & TONE - We sound: warm, plain-spoken, confident. We don't do hype or jargon.
Common mistakes
- Listing colours as hex codes with no guidance on when to use each.
- Showing the logo but not the misuse - so people stretch and recolour it.
- Describing voice with adjectives instead of 'we say / we don't say' examples.
- A 60-page brand book nobody opens, instead of a tight, usable guide.
- No link to the actual asset files, so the team rebuilds them wrong.
Guidelines they'll actually follow
A brand guide as a static PDF gets saved once and ignored. Forge can host a living version in a branded client portal - logo files, colours and rules in one place the client's whole team can reach - so the brand stays consistent without you policing it.
Frequently asked questions
What should brand guidelines include?
The brand essence, logo usage and clear space, the colour palette with values, typography, imagery and iconography, voice and tone, and clear dos and don'ts.
How long should brand guidelines be?
As long as needed to keep the brand consistent - a tight one-to-ten-page guide that people use beats a 60-page book nobody opens.
What's the difference between brand guidelines and a brand strategy?
Strategy is the thinking (positioning, audience, promise); guidelines are the rules for applying it - logo, colour, type and voice.