How to Create Brand Guidelines Teams Actually Use (2026 Guide)

TL;DR

• Most brand guidelines fail because they're comprehensive but impractical — teams can't find what they need when they need it

• Living Figma files or Notion docs outperform static PDFs for teams that need frequent access

• Include only what gets referenced repeatedly: logo rules, colour codes, typography specs, and voice principles — skip the brand story essay

• Structure guidelines differently for in-house teams vs. external freelancers vs. agencies

• Test your guidelines with 5-10 real design requests before considering them finished

• The best brand guidelines are 15 pages of useful content, not 60 pages of comprehensive content

You've spent weeks crafting comprehensive brand guidelines. Fifty-three pages. Beautiful mockups. Detailed explanations of your brand essence, values, and visual metaphors. You send it to your designer with the brief for next week's campaign assets.

They ask you: "Which blue should I use?"

You realise they haven't opened the document.

We've seen this pattern play out hundreds of times across our 125+ clients at DesignGuru. The uncomfortable truth is that most brand guidelines — the ones that take months to create and cost thousands to produce — become expensive Google Drive decoration. Not because they're bad, but because they're built for approval presentations, not daily use.

This article shows you how to create brand guidelines that your team will actually open, reference, and follow. Not guidelines that win design awards. Guidelines that work.

Why Most Brand Guidelines End Up Ignored

The problem isn't that your team doesn't care about brand consistency. It's that your guidelines weren't designed for how design work actually happens.

Here's what we've observed processing over 7,600 design requests: designers need answers to specific questions in under 30 seconds. "Can I use the logo on a dark background?" "What's the hex code for the primary brand colour?" "How much white space around the logo?" These micro-decisions happen dozens of times per project.

Your 60-page brand guidelines PDF requires them to:

1. Find the file in Slack/email/Google Drive

2. Download or open it

3. Navigate to the relevant section

4. Read through explanatory text to find the actual specification

5. Return to their design tool

This takes 3-5 minutes. Do that ten times per project, and you've added an hour of friction. So they don't do it. They guess, use what they remember, or copy from the last asset they designed.

The three reasons brand guidelines fail:

Reason 1: They're optimised for stakeholder approval, not practitioner use. Brand guidelines often need to justify the strategic thinking behind decisions to get executive buy-in. This means pages of brand philosophy, mood boards, and strategic rationale. None of which helps a designer choose between two font weights at 11pm on Thursday.

Reason 2: They confuse comprehensive with useful. The instinct is to document everything. Every possible logo variation. Every potential use case. Every brand colour including tertiary accent shades that will be used twice in the next five years. Comprehensive feels safer. But it makes finding the frequently-needed information significantly harder.

Reason 3: They're static documents in a dynamic workflow. Your designer works in Figma. Your video editor lives in Premiere. Your freelance copywriter writes in Notion. Your brand guidelines are a PDF in Google Drive. The friction of switching context means they only open it when absolutely forced to.

One of our clients — a fintech startup with about 40 employees — came to us with a beautifully designed 70-page brand book created by their previous agency. We asked their marketing manager how often she referenced it. "Honestly? I screenshot the colour codes into Slack once and we've been working from that for eight months."

What Actually Needs to Be in Brand Guidelines

Start by asking the right question. Not "what should comprehensive brand guidelines include?" but "what decisions does my team need to make repeatedly?"

For most businesses, that's a surprisingly short list:

Logo specifications:

• Primary logo file (and where to download it)

• Minimum size (in pixels and physical dimensions)

• Clear space requirements (show it, don't just write "equal to the height of the 'G'")

• Approved backgrounds (light, dark, and one example of what NOT to do)

• Colour variations (full colour, black, white)

• What to do in the situations that actually come up: "Can I put this on a photo?" "Can I stack it vertically if I'm tight on space?"

Colour system:

• Primary brand colours (name, hex, RGB, CMYK — include all of them)

• How to use them (which is dominant, which is accent, what you'd use for a CTA button vs. a heading vs. body text)

• Accessible colour combinations (if your brand colours fail WCAG contrast requirements, specify approved alternatives for text)

• One clear example of a colour palette in use

Typography:

• Primary typeface for headings and body copy

• Where to download/access fonts

• Approved font weights and when to use them

• Hierarchy: what size/weight for H1, H2, body, captions

• Fallback fonts for systems that don't support your primary choice

• Letter spacing and line height if your brand typeface needs adjustment

Voice and tone:

• Three specific examples of brand voice in action (not aspirational adjectives like "friendly yet professional")

• What you say vs. what you don't say (concrete examples)

• How voice adapts by channel (if it does)

Photography and imagery style:

• Three examples that are "on brand"

• Three examples that are "off brand" (this is surprisingly useful)

• Specific direction: "Bright, natural lighting with people in mid-action" is more helpful than "authentic and energetic"

That's it for most brands. Everything else is either:

• Used so infrequently it can live in a separate document

• Better determined on a project-by-project basis

• Overthinking

We worked with a B2B SaaS company that reduced their brand guidelines from 45 pages to 12. Their design request turnaround time improved measurably because designers stopped having to hunt for specifications. Sometimes less documentation means better adherence.

How to Structure Guidelines for Different Team Types

Your brand guidelines need different structures depending on who's using them. A junior in-house designer who works on your brand daily has different needs than a freelancer you've hired for a one-off project.

For in-house teams (small, using your brand constantly):

Make it a living document in the tool they already use. If your team works in Figma, your brand guidelines should be a Figma file with a components library. If they work in Canva, build templates with locked brand elements. The goal is zero context switching.

Structure it by task, not by brand element:

• "Creating a social media graphic" (pulls in relevant logo, colours, fonts, image style)

• "Designing a presentation" (different specs, different templates)

• "Building an email" (HTML-friendly constraints)

One logistics company we work with has a Notion page that's literally titled "Quick Brand Specs — No Fluff." It's one page. Four sections. Their team references it constantly because they can find what they need in 10 seconds.

For external freelancers and agencies (project-based, onboarding repeatedly):

Assume they haven't read anything. Your brand guidelines need to be:

1. Immediately downloadable (not behind a login)

2. Self-contained (includes all assets, not links to other drives)

3. Organised by deliverable type

Create a simple "start here" page:

• Logo files: [download link]

• Colour codes: [specified clearly]

• Fonts: [download or specify web-safe alternatives]

• Three examples of recent work that represents the brand well

Everything else can live in secondary pages they'll only access if needed.

For design agencies (experienced, working on high-stakes projects):

They want the strategic rationale. Include:

• Brand positioning and key messages

• Target audience insights

• Competitive context

• Detailed usage examples across multiple contexts

But still structure it so the nuts-and-bolts specifications are immediately accessible. Put the philosophy and strategy in a separate "Brand Strategy" section they can read for context.

Format and Access: The Unsexy Stuff That Determines Success

A technically perfect brand style guide in the wrong format is still a failure. We've seen this repeatedly: companies invest heavily in beautiful PDF brand books that never get opened because they're impractical.

PDF works when:

• You need to send guidelines to external partners who won't access a live link

• You're working with print vendors who need a fixed reference

• Guidelines change rarely (mature brands with established systems)

PDF fails when:

• Your team needs quick reference during active work

• You're updating guidelines frequently (growing or rebranding companies)

• You have remote teams working asynchronously

Living documentation works when:

• Your team needs frequent access

• You're still figuring things out and expect changes

• You want usage analytics (see what people actually reference)

Platform options we've seen work:

Figma: Best for design-forward teams. Build a "Brand System" file with components, colour styles, and text styles. Designers can literally copy elements directly into their work. We use this for about 40% of our clients.

Notion: Best for cross-functional teams. Marketing, design, and content can all access it easily. Toggle sections allow you to hide detailed information until needed. Can embed images, videos, and Figma files.

Google Slides/Docs: Don't dismiss this. It's immediately accessible, everyone knows how to use it, and it's searchable. One e-commerce client runs their entire brand guidelines from a Google Slide deck that's pinned in their Slack channel.

Dedicated brand management platforms (Frontify, Brandfolder): Worth it if you're a larger organisation with multiple sub-brands or complex asset management needs. Overkill for most companies under 100 employees.

Accessibility rules:

1. If someone has to ask where the brand guidelines are, they're not accessible enough

2. Pin the link in your Slack workspace. Add it to your company wiki. Include it in new hire onboarding

3. If you're using a living document, check the analytics after a month — which sections are actually viewed? If no one's opening certain sections, they're probably not necessary

Building Guidelines That Evolve

Your brand guidelines should not be finished.

The best brand style guide we've worked with belongs to a recruitment agency. It's a Notion doc that's explicitly labeled "Updated monthly based on real projects." They review it quarterly, cut anything that hasn't been referenced, and add specifications for new formats as they emerge.

Your guidelines should include:

• Version number and last updated date

• A named owner responsible for maintenance

• A clear process for requesting updates

The quarterly review process that works:

1. Review recent design work — Look at the last 20-30 brand assets you've created. Do they follow the guidelines? If not, why not? Were the guidelines too restrictive, unclear, or missing needed specifications?

2. Survey your team — Ask: "What brand decision did you struggle with this quarter?" and "What did you have to look up multiple times?" The answers tell you what needs clearer documentation.

3. Audit actual usage — If you're using a living document platform, check which sections get viewed. If no one's opened "Brand Values Deep Dive" in four months, move it to an appendix or delete it.

4. Update and announce changes — Don't silently update guidelines. Let your team know what changed and why. "We've clarified logo usage on photography based on questions from the last three campaigns."

One pattern we see repeatedly: companies create brand guidelines during a rebrand, then never touch them again. Three years later, they're full of outdated specifications for channels that no longer exist and missing guidance for new formats that have become essential.

Your guidelines should be a living reflection of how you actually use your brand, not a historical record of how you thought you would use it.

The 48-Hour Test: Validating Your Guidelines Before Launch

Before you declare your brand guidelines complete, run this test: give them to someone who hasn't seen them before (ideally someone junior or external) and ask them to complete 5-10 real design tasks using only the guidelines.

Tasks like:

• Create a social media post announcing a new feature

• Design an email header for the monthly newsletter

• Build a simple one-page PDF sales sheet

• Add our logo to a partner's co-branded landing page

• Create a presentation title slide

Watch what happens. What do they struggle to find? What do they have to ask you about? Those are the gaps.

We run this test with every client's brand guidelines before we start working with them. Roughly 80% of the time, we find at least three critical specifications that are either missing, unclear, or buried in the wrong section.

Common discoveries:

• Logo files are provided, but not in the format needed for the task (e.g., PNG provided but they need SVG for web)

• Colour codes given in hex only, but print projects need CMYK

• Typography specified but no guidance on hierarchy (which font size for different heading levels)

• Image style described in abstract terms ("vibrant, authentic") but no concrete examples

After the test, revise based on actual friction points. Then test again with a different person. You want your guidelines to work for someone who's never used them before, because that's exactly who'll be using them every time you hire a new freelancer or onboard a new team member.

Common Brand Guidelines Components (and What to Actually Include)

Let's break down each standard component with specific, practical guidance.

Logo Usage

What to include:

• Master logo file in vector format (SVG or EPS) with download link

• Minimum size in pixels (for digital) and millimetres (for print)

• Clear space requirement shown visually with measurements

• Approved colour variations: full colour, black, white, single-colour

• Incorrect usage examples: stretched, rotated, recoloured, crowded, low resolution

What NOT to include:

• Lengthy paragraphs about logo meaning or design rationale

• Twenty different logo variations you'll never use

• Overly complicated mathematical formulas for clear space

Practical specification example: "Minimum logo size: 120px wide (digital) or 25mm wide (print). Clear space equals the height of the 'G' in DesignGuru on all sides. On photographs, use white logo on dark overlay or black logo on light overlay — never directly on busy images."

Colour System

What to include:

• Primary brand colours with all values (name, hex, RGB, CMYK, Pantone if applicable)

• Colour hierarchy (which is dominant, which is accent)

• Usage guidance (not just codes)

• Accessible colour combinations for text

• Secondary or tertiary colours (only if you genuinely use them regularly)

What NOT to include:

• Brand colours you created "just in case" but never actually use

• Extensive colour theory about why you chose these colours

Practical specification example: "Primary: Ocean Blue (#0066CC, RGB 0/102/204, CMYK 100/50/0/20). Use for CTAs, key headlines, and primary UI elements. Never use at less than 50% opacity. For body text on white backgrounds, use Charcoal (#2D3436) instead — Ocean Blue fails WCAG contrast requirements."

Typography

What to include:

• Primary typeface family and weights available

• Download link or system font alternatives

• Type scale (sizes for H1, H2, H3, body, captions)

• Line height and letter spacing if your typeface requires adjustment

• Web-safe fallback fonts

What NOT to include:

• The full history of the typeface

• Aesthetic descriptions without specifications

Practical specification example: "Headings: Montserrat Bold (fallback: Arial Black). H1: 48px/52px line height, -0.5px letter spacing. H2: 32px/40px. Body: Open Sans Regular 16px/24px (fallback: Arial). Download fonts: [link]. For email and systems that don't support web fonts, use Arial throughout."

Voice and Tone

This is where most brand guidelines become uselessly abstract. "We're professional but approachable" means nothing.

What to include:

• Three specific before/after examples showing brand voice vs. generic copy

• Concrete word lists (words we use, words we avoid)

• Channel-specific adaptations if your tone changes between LinkedIn and Instagram

What NOT to include:

• Aspirational adjectives without examples

• Brand personality archetypes that don't translate to writing style

Practical specification example:

We write: "This won't work for you if you need 24-hour turnaround times."
We don't write: "Unfortunately, our service may not be optimally aligned with your requirements at this time."

We write: "Our designers have completed 7,600+ projects since 2023."
We don't write: "We're passionate about design and committed to excellence."

Words we use: straightforward, practical, works, clients, designers
Words we avoid: leverage, synergy, solutions, stakeholders, resources

Photography and Imagery Style

What to include:

• 3-5 approved examples with specific visual characteristics noted

• 3-5 rejected examples showing what's off-brand

• Practical direction: lighting, composition, subject matter, colour treatment

What NOT to include:

• Abstract mood descriptors without visual reference

• Extensive lists of every possible image type

Practical specification example:

On brand: Natural lighting, people in motion or mid-conversation (not posed), bright colours, shot at eye level, urban or modern office settings.

Off brand: Stock photo aesthetic (obvious posing, fake enthusiasm), dark or moody lighting, corporate boardroom settings, staged product photography.

Maintaining Guidelines Without Becoming a Bottleneck

You don't want to become the brand police. But you also don't want your brand to drift into inconsistency.

The lightweight governance model that works:

1. Designate a curator, not a gatekeeper. One person (probably you) owns the guidelines and ensures they're updated. But they're not the approval point for every design decision.

2. Create self-service tools. The more you can templatise common formats, the less individual guidance needed. We've seen companies create Canva templates, Google Slides templates, and Figma component libraries that make it nearly impossible to go off-brand accidentally.

3. Run monthly "brand reviews" not to critique work but to identify patterns. Are people consistently getting a certain element wrong? That's a documentation problem, not a skill problem.

4. Make asking questions easy. Have a Slack channel or designated point person. If people are afraid to ask because it'll be seen as not following guidelines, they won't ask — they'll guess.

One SaaS company we work with has a brilliant system: their brand guidelines include a "Brand Decision Tree" flowchart. "Need to create a graphic? → Social media or website? → Event promo or product feature? → Use template [X]." It routes people to the right resource without requiring expertise in the brand system.

Conclusion

Creating brand guidelines is not the same as creating brand guidelines that work.

The difference is empathy for how your team actually operates. They're not trying to disrespect your brand when they use the wrong blue or stretch the logo. They're trying to ship work quickly in tools you haven't made it easy to be consistent in.

The best brand guidelines we've seen are:

• Short enough to actually be read

• Structured around real tasks, not theoretical brand elements

• Accessible in the tools people already use

• Updated based on real usage patterns, not kept as pristine documents

Start with the minimum viable brand guidelines: logo specs, colour codes, typography, and three good examples. Launch it. Watch how it gets used. Iterate based on actual friction points. In three months, you'll have guidelines that are genuinely useful, not just impressively comprehensive.

If you're building or rebuilding brand guidelines and want a perspective from a team that's executed thousands of design requests across hundreds of brands, we're happy to walk you through how we think about brand systems. We've seen what works and what ends up ignored. You can also explore our portfolio to see examples of how consistent brand application works across different formats, or learn more about how our unlimited design subscription works if you need ongoing support maintaining brand consistency without hiring in-house.