When a company (or brand) has an established identity system and corresponding guidelines, some people believe that producing a communications piece should be quick and easy. Unfortunately, that simply isn’t the case.

Even the most well thought out identity system and thorough guidelines can’t take every type of communications piece into account. Yes, they establish a considerable amount of information (i.e., the logo/brand mark, business papers/stationery system, certain literature, advertising, signage, etc.), but with each new piece comes new aspects that must be considered, including the audience, objective and message(s).

Identity systems and guidelines are developed to help maintain consistency in the qualities that make a brand unique. Any tactic that is inconsistent can compromise the integrity and overall image, message and/or presence of a brand. Identity systems and guidelines should be designed in a way that allows application across a wide range of tactics while also allowing for originality, creativity and impact. They’re not a cookie-cutter solution to all your communications needs. After all, a new project is also a great opportunity for new problem solving.

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With summer winding down, merchandisers are beginning to focus their efforts on the two top retail seasons that lie ahead — Halloween and “the holidays.” Because consumers are inundated with many retail options during this time period, it is essential that you optimize your in-store brand presence. But this can be tricky: a retailer may require you to adhere to its seasonal brand guidelines during these times periods. So how can you make that work to your advantage?

A few things can work in your brand’s favor during this busy time of year. Retailers’ seasonal events are starting earlier than ever, allowing more time for seasonal promotions. An early start also provides consumers with gift and decorating ideas weeks or months in advance, thus planting seeds for when they are ready to make their purchases. Both of these can work to your benefit: your brand will be in stores longer, gaining more visibility and awareness. This can be key to success during this season, especially when the channel’s seasonal and/or permanent graphics take precedence over your brand.

As we have learned at Go East, as you work with a channel over time, you will be able to gauge how strictly you need to follow the channel’s guidelines. However, clear, concise merchandising efforts year-round will help to ensure that consumers recognize your brand whatever the season, but especially during the busiest times. And if you develop your seasonal merchandising campaigns early in the season, you will be able to hit the shelves as strongly as possible. As a result, you’ll likely be top of mind over other brands that didn’t join the effort as quickly.

What are some key factors you deem important when creating artwork for seasonal periods of the year?

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At Go East, I have a reputation for being willing to stretch guidelines. Perhaps it’s because I became a designer in the early 80s and the coolest thing going at the time was the introduction of MTV and its willingness to morph and animate its logo during commercial breaks. In contrast to the lockdown identity practices of the 70s, using a brand mark as the primary vehicle of the brand’s creative expression was a refreshing, innovative and brilliant strategy. Even today, decades later, they encourage everyone to creatively interpret their logo.

Don’t get me wrong, I neither recommend nor encourage designers to muck around with identities just for the heck of it. Building equity in a logo is hard enough these days, even with some standards in place, especially for global brands.

My concern is when brands seek consistency at the cost of differentiation and impact. Guidelines are meant to clarify  the foundational elements of an identity or trade dress for designers. They are not meant to take the place of creativity nor should they be implemented in an effort to eliminate designers from creating marketing or promotional strategies.

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Is there an expiration date or a steadfast rule as to when brand guidelines should be updated? In the strict sense no, but as your brand grows, so should your brand guidelines. In fact, while there isn’t a specific timeframe that determines when this document should be updated, there are circumstances that will demand updates.

Think of the brand guidelines document as a fluid, flexible road map for your brand. As people begin working with your brand guidelines, new communication needs will arise and new tactics will be created. To accommodate them, your brand guidelines will need to expand.  The following are a few more examples of situations that would warrant an update:

• New brand positioning
• New design elements, e.g. stationery, literature, promotional items
• Rapid business expansion that causes your business model to change
• Change in your target market or audience
• Corporate mergers or acquisitions
• Product or channel diversification

For example, consider FedEx and Kinko’s. These two companies merged a few years ago, forming FedEx Kinko’s. As the two companies merged, a new brand guidelines document was needed to clearly and concisely guide communications for the newly formed brand. Most recently, FedEx Kinko’s has become FedEx Office. This brand transformation again necessitated an update to the brand guidelines document. 

When these types of changes happen in an organization, deadlines loom and it is easy to loose track of critical brand details. So while guidelines don’t come with explicit expiration dates, it is essential that someone in your organization is dedicated to keeping up with your brand as it grows, making sure your brand’s guidelines reflect this growth.

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In our quick one-question poll, 44 percent of those polled indicated that “inconsistent use” was their biggest challenge when it came to brand guidelines. Below are six considerations that may help address this problem: 

1. Make sure the guideline document is distributed to appropriate audiences — not only  to the agency that helped create the guidelines, but also to other agency partners, including your PR firm. In addition, make sure appropriate personnel INTERNALLY have easy access to it.
2. Speaking of easy access, consider a dynamic location for the guidelines, such as a mini sitelet. This will allow you to update the guidelines easily and your partners to easily access the most recent information. The bonus of a sitelet is that you’ll be able to include downloadable assets (logos, imagery, templates, etc.). The easier you make it for your teams to access the guidelines, the more likely they are to follow them.
3. Instead of tossing the guidelines up on your Web site and sending out a global e-mail announcing that they are there, consider presenting them with an impactful presentation. It will not only get everyone in the know, but also gives you the opportunity to unveil new logos, etc. and talk both about the strategy that went into developing the guidelines as well as the importance of using guidelines. In essence, it lets your teams see your excitement and puts a face to the work — so they buy into the guidelines and they know whom to approach with questions.
4. Many times we find that a brand’s own worst enemy is the person closest to the guidelines! If you break the guidelines, why should others follow them? Make sure everything you do is in compliance! And share examples of completed work so your team can start to see actual implementations.
5. On the subject of compliance: Consider how literally you want your guidelines to be interpreted. For example, if your guidelines call for the brand mark to be placed vertically on the left side of the page, what should a person do when there is a very horizontal tactic? Isn’t the most important thing to make sure the brand mark is highest in priority on the page? Would it make sense to use the brand mark horizontally and larger rather than vertical and small? Sometimes the answer is yes — and sometimes it’s no.
6. That said, make sure you have reasonable expectations about how the guidelines should be used. For example, it’s more valuable to include key messages for a brand or product than specific “approved” copy points. It’s just not possible to predict all the tactics your brand will create. Providing guidance with key messages helps a marketer or agency work within the guidelines to create the best solution for the specific need.

Let’s face it, a guideline document is just that — a guideline. The important thing to remember is they exist to maintain the integrity of the brand. Communicating your passion for the brand and creating strong guidelines will help you build equity and recognition — and that’s what is all about, right?

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There are a range of brand guidelines. Some are meant as “guides” to be used loosely, while others are “rules” that must be followed exactly.

Packaging guidelines are good examples of when you must say yes to the most stringent use of guidelines. Yes to an exact size of the logo. Yes to the same style and placement of photography. Yes to the distance between information.

Following these rules can be challenging at times, especially when the size of the packaging changes. However, when there’s consistency, it’s easier for consumers to find what they are looking for on the shelf.

The following examples show that, even with color changes, the products clearly belong together. Without guidelines or “rules” I’m afraid to know how inconsistant and unshoppable these products would be. Would consumers know that a specific product comes in multiple flavors or with different options? They might simply buy the first product they see or recognize — a missed opportunity either way — or even skip over that brand altogether if they couldn’t easily find what they wanted.

Guidelines or “rules” and the consistencies they offer can directly affect a brand’s ability to sell multiple products to the same consumer. Who knew that a set of rules could hold so much power?

Clorox image courtesy of McLean Design
Lays and Tostitos images courtesy of Landor Associates

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Identity standards are an essential guide and reference that establish the details for creating and upholding an effective brand presence. The term “guidelines” is most commonly used, but, to me, it implies only parameters; I prefer the word “standards.”

The presentation of a brand must constantly convey a coordinated, cohesive and consistent appearance; the term “standards” not only refers to these aspects, but also nods to the caliber of work that is expected.

Although there should be several items that are absolute and unquestionable, the complete package shouldn’t be severely rigid; that is not the intent. Flexibility is integral to all standards.

Yet leaving considerable territory uncharted leaves the landscape ambiguous and open for interpretation. This ambiguity allows opportunities to dilute and compromise a unified presence. Details concerning the brand platform, personality, values, promise, logo/brand mark, typography, color palette, imagery, copy/tone of voice and overall style must be addressed. Outlining these items (and potentially others) will greatly aid the harmonious existence between all communications tactics that are produced. 

Identity/brand standards are developed to provide assistance in maintaining cohesion in the presentation of the qualities that make a brand unique. They need to be designed in a way that allows application across a wide range of tactics, while also allowing for originality, creativity and impact.

Clearly defining the aforementioned aspects will greatly reduce the potential for confusion or uncertainty — not only for those who develop the communications, but also for the intended audience. Any tactic that is inconsistent can compromise the integrity and overall image, message and/or presence of a brand/identity.

A positive and lasting impression can only be created through proper compliance to the established rules and qualities that are outlined in identity/brand standards. The key message in standards manuals is consistency: consistency builds cohesion; consistency builds loyalty; consistency builds equity. Consistency builds brands.

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I bet that YOU know the importance of brand guidelines and the benefits of following them, but do you think your colleagues do? 

Business theater may be extreme, but I’ve seen success in a dramatic unveiling of a brand platform to key corporate leadership players. Why not capitalize on the type of excitement that can be generated in a real, live, face-to-face setting? It’s sure to be much more impactful and memorable than e-mailing the team a note that says, “The guidelines are finally done and everyone must follow them … see attached pdf.”

Yawn.

Take charge of the moment … indeed, of your hard work … and get people excited. Help them understand the strategy behind the guidelines and the importance of using them, because it’s important to remember that while you’ve likely been immersed in the guidelines project for months, your colleagueas may only be tangently aware, if at all, that you were even working on the project.

So, while you can recite your brand platform by heart, your collegues may not even know what a brand platform is. Fun, personable materials can be created and distributed at a launch party to help everyone understand  what is at stake.  Don’t be afraid to show your enthusiasm for the brand! Talk about why guidelines are important and what each person’s role in following them entails.

Then, have a cookie and a drink. You did good.

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