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How to build the ultimate brand with 5 style guide steps

Build the Ultimate Brand With 5 Style Guide Steps

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To help you dive into designing your brand, our friends at FedEx are sponsoring our Design Your Brand Identity Online Class! Get a head start on designing your brand with five style guide must-haves!

1. ESTABLISH YOUR CORE VALUES

Take some time to think about the core values that make your brand important + unique. Bring up these descriptors throughout your style guide to ensure that you\u2019re telling a cohesive story.

Take some time to think about the core values that make your brand important + unique. Bring up these descriptors throughout your style guide to ensure that you’re telling a cohesive story.

2. CHOOSE YOUR COLORS

Color does so much to set the tone of your brand! Group colors into primary and secondary color palettes for more versatility. Make sure that they\u2019re not competing or cancelling out each other.

Color does so much to set the tone of your brand! Group colors into primary and secondary color palettes for more versatility. Make sure that they’re not competing or cancelling out each other.

You’ll want to list your final colors as swatches in CMYK (for print), RGB (for web) and Pantone (for spot color matching) in your style guide.

3. CHOOSE YOUR FONTS

Your primary fonts are the statement fonts you use in headlines, subheadings + titles to draw attention to the content. Secondary fonts are used for body copy, CTAs (calls to action) + legal copy.

Your primary fonts are the statement fonts you use in headlines, subheadings + titles to draw attention to the content. Secondary fonts are used for body copy, CTAs (calls to action) + legal copy.

NOTE: That there’s a difference between fonts for print and for web. When building your site, you’ll want to choose web fonts or universal fonts as opposed to fonts meant purely for printing.

4. DESIGN IN LOGO VARIATIONS

When designing a logo, you\u2019ll need a few variations \u2013 a full color version, a black logo on white, an all white logo on a black or color background, a print (CMYK) version and a web (RGB) version.

When designing a logo, you’ll need a few variations – a full color version, a black logo on white, an all white logo on a black or color background, a print (CMYK) version and a web (RGB) version.

How do you want your brand imagery to look? Consider lighting (High contrast or natural lighting?) and the emotions you want to convey (Chaotic or minimal? Playful or serious?)

How do you want your brand imagery to look? Consider lighting (High contrast or natural lighting?) and the emotions you want to convey (Chaotic or minimal? Playful or serious?)

Take a stab at forming your own brand style guide and check out our FREE Design Your Brand Identity Online Class sponsored by FedEx through December 31, 2016! http://go.brit.co/2fAiB6g

The creator of this guide has not included tools