We explain what a brandbook is and how it can help improve your company's sales.
If you do not know the answer to the first question of this title, it is more than certain that you need an update of concepts in your company. The Brandbook, formerly called 'Style Manual', is a document, usually in PDF format, containing all those elements that are part of your brand and that help to understand your corporate identity.
So, what is a Brandbook? There is no specific standard, but you can establish all the components you think are necessary to identify your brand. Generally, in matters of visual identity, this guide usually contains logo, corporate colors, design standards, drafting rules and the different types of typefaces used in the company.
However, these criteria may vary depending on the type of company. That is to say, a Brandbook for a web page, where technical and aesthetic aspects must be included, will not be the same as a Brandbook for a written media, which will focus on other details such as headlines, layout for printing or spelling rules.
A first general step in creating the Brandbook is to answer the 3Ws: Why, What and How.
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Why does my company exist?
In many cases this question is solved with a brief summary of the history and foundation. As well as an explanation of the whole naming process : what were the other options, why were they discarded?
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What does my company do and what does it do?
How does it do it? In other words, what differentiates it from the rest? It is essential to value the brand and highlight its achievements in order to enhance its reputation. It is also essential to clearly define the objectives in a concise and effective manner.
When these questions have been solved, there will be one last one:
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How do we want our target to perceive us?
It is essential to define the target audience, the people to whom the brand's actions are addressed and how they themselves receive the visual or linguistic stimuli emitted by the company.
The Brandbook is usually something internal that employees take into account in order to achieve uniformity of style when publishing. In the end, the style guide serves to maintain brand coherence, editorial unity and a unique sense for everyone. It is also very useful when it comes to developing brand strategies and communication plans, as it facilitates and speeds up the work.
What benefits do I get with the Brandbook?
There are several benefits of creating a Brandbook, but the most important is the aforementioned corporate identity. When writing and applying , we must be aware that our brand identity, our values and what they represent are all there, in that guide. It is essential to understand that a good brand management would not be understood without an excellent style manual that defines what we are and why we are.
These questions, already defined within the guide, also lead to the brand unit. This means that another benefit of applying a Brandbook is that it helps to have a unique identity and facilitates identification by the user, who will easily recognize the brand.
However, in the long term it will not only be the specific target but also at the level of external communication with other companies, since the brand will gain in positioning and above all recognition, even among the competition.
The latter can be achieved through social networks, so it is very valuable to add all company accounts within the Brandbook.
Now that you know what a brandbook is, and you can answer the question that heads this text, you will have realized how important it is to build this document to have a defined and consolidated brand in the market, and therefore how much you must take care of every detail that identifies your company.
If you want to see examples of cool brandbooks here you can see them or you can see our branding and creative design company.
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