Branding

Oct '24

How to implement brand guidelines and get buy-in from your team

Tom Bradley in Branding

Woman shocked whilst looking at her phone

At Root Studio, we often hear the same story: businesses invest time, money, and energy into creating beautifully thought-out brand guidelines, only to find them gathering dust while their team creates off-brand, inconsistent content. Sound familiar?

If your brand guidelines are treated like a suggestion rather than the rule, you’re not alone - but there’s good news. With the right approach, you can turn your guidelines into a valuable, well-used tool that keeps your brand shining consistently across every touchpoint.

Let’s walk through how to implement brand guidelines that not only stick but also get enthusiastic buy-in from your team. We'll explore why brand consistency is so important, what your guidelines should include, and practical tactics to ensure your team embraces them.

Why Brand Consistency Matters

First, let’s talk about why brand consistency is a non-negotiable. Think of your brand as a person - what would happen if that person showed up in different clothes, speaking with different accents every time you met them? Confusing, right? The same goes for your brand. Whether it’s a social media post, a brochure, or an email newsletter, your brand needs to look, feel and sound consistent. It’s how you build trust, recognition and loyalty.

Without consistency, your brand becomes diluted. Customers won’t remember you, or worse, they’ll get mixed messages about who you are. That’s why guidelines exist - to give everyone, from your in-house team to external agencies, a clear roadmap for how to represent your brand correctly every single time.

What Should Your Brand Guidelines Include?

So, what exactly should go into a set of brand guidelines? Think of it as the ultimate playbook for your brand. Here's a quick checklist:

  • Logo Usage: How and where to use the logo, size restrictions and what not to do (like stretching or recolouring it).

  • Colour Palette: The exact colour codes (hex, RGB, CMYK) that represent your brand. This is vital for keeping everything from websites to business cards looking cohesive.

  • Typography: Which fonts to use, in what sizes and where.

  • Imagery and Photography Style: A guide to the type of visuals that align with your brand (e.g., minimalist, high-contrast, vibrant).

  • Tone of Voice: How your brand should “speak” across different platforms. Friendly and informal? Professional but approachable? This keeps the messaging on-point no matter who’s writing.

  • Templates and Layouts: Approved layouts for marketing materials, social media graphics or presentations.

The more detail, the better. If a team member is creating something that represents your brand, they should be able to turn to the guidelines and know exactly what to do.

Make Brand Assets Accessible to Everyone

If you want people to follow the guidelines, make it easy. There’s nothing worse than trying to track down the right logo file or approved font at the last minute. By making your brand assets easily accessible, you eliminate the hassle and ensure everyone has the right tools at their fingertips.

Consider setting up a shared digital hub where team members can download what they need, whether it’s logos, templates, or even stock images. This simple step can save hours of frustration and, more importantly, reduce the temptation to "just wing it" with off-brand assets.

Branded Templates: Empower Your Team

Here’s where things get really fun - branded templates. We all know the drill: you want your team to create their own content, but the idea of someone whipping up a rogue PowerPoint with Comic Sans gives you nightmares. The solution? Pre-approved templates.

Branded templates for presentations, social media, email signatures, and internal documents allow your team to create without the risk of wandering off-brand. These templates give them the flexibility to work independently while staying within the visual boundaries of your brand. It’s a win-win: they get creative freedom and you get peace of mind knowing your brand is still looking sharp.

Digital vs PDF Guidelines: Why Going Digital is the Future

Gone are the days of a static PDF brand guidelines document that’s outdated the minute your logo gets a tweak. Digital brand guidelines are the way forward, and here’s why:

  • Easily Updated: No more reissuing new PDFs every time a change is made. With digital guidelines, updates happen in real-time and everyone always has access to the most current version.

  • Centralized Access: Instead of digging through emails or shared drives, your team can go to one place for everything they need - logos, fonts, templates - all downloadable on-demand.

  • Interactive Elements: Digital platforms can include videos or interactive modules that explain tricky concepts like logo placement or tone of voice. It's way more engaging than a static document.

  • Consistency Across Teams: If you have a large team (or multiple teams), digital guidelines make it easier to ensure that everyone, from marketing to HR, is singing from the same hymn sheet.

At Root Studio, we’re big fans of digital brand guidelines because they simplify the process of keeping your brand consistent across the board. With just one click, your entire team can access everything they need, from anywhere.

How to Get Buy-In from Your Team

You’ve got your shiny new guidelines, but how do you get your team to actually use them? Here are a few tried-and-tested tactics to ensure your brand guidelines become part of your team’s everyday routine:

  • Explain the "Why": People are more likely to follow the rules if they understand why they exist. Hold a short workshop or create a fun explainer video that shows the value of brand consistency - how it helps the company grow, improves customer recognition and makes everyone’s lives easier.

  • Make It Fun: Gamify the process. Challenge your team to a "brand audit" where they assess whether internal documents or marketing pieces are on-brand. Or create a competition for the most creative (but brand-consistent) social post using the new templates.

  • Appoint Brand Champions: Identify key players across departments who will help champion the cause. They can act as a point of contact for any branding questions and help others stay on track.

  • Regular Refreshers: Keep brand guidelines top of mind with regular reminders. This could be a quarterly check-in, a fun newsletter, or simply updating your digital hub with new assets or templates.

Conclusion: Consistency is Key to Brand Success

At the end of the day, brand guidelines are more than just a set of rules - they’re a toolkit for maintaining the integrity and power of your brand. When used properly, they can elevate your business, help you stand out in a crowded market and create a seamless brand experience for your customers.

So, whether you’re just starting to build your brand or you’re refining your existing one, remember this: consistency isn’t boring - it’s essential. And with the right guidelines, accessible tools, and team buy-in, your brand can knock the socks off the competition.

Need help creating or implementing your brand guidelines?

We’d love to chat! At Root Studio, we specialise in everything from brand development to creating killer branded templates. Get in touch today to create a plan that keeps your team on-brand and your business looking sharp!

Thanks for reading

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