Brand guidelines template
Brand guidelines template: the complete outline, free
This brand guidelines template gives you the full structure of a brand book: twelve parts, from brand foundation to files, with what to fill in for each. Copy it into your own document or download it as Markdown. It works in Word, Google Docs, Notion or InDesign. Rather go straight to an online guide? You can do that too.
Brand guidelines template in 12 parts
Tick off what you already have and you’ll see straight away what’s missing. The order runs from why the brand exists to how it looks and where the files live. You can see every part filled in in the brand style guide example.
01Brand foundation
- Brand story: how and why it started
- Mission: what you do and for whom
- Vision: the future you’re working towards
- 3 to 5 core values, each with a concrete example
- A few rules of thumb for people who only read one page
02Audience & positioning
- 2 or 3 personas with needs and frustrations
- What you promise them
- Positioning statement: for whom, what, why you
- Positioning map against the alternatives
- What you deliberately are not
03Brand personality
- 3 to 5 character traits
- For each trait: like this, not like that
- Scales, such as quiet versus loud
- How the personality shows in design and copy
04Logo
- Primary logo and versions (reversed, single-colour, symbol)
- Which version when
- Clear space and minimum size in mm and px
- Approved backgrounds
- Misuse, with examples
- Co-branding with partners
05Colour
- Primary and secondary colours
- HEX, RGB, CMYK and Pantone for each colour
- Proportions: how much of each colour
- Pairs with enough contrast (WCAG)
- What’s not allowed: tints, gradients, low contrast
06Typography
- Typefaces and weights
- Roles: headings, body text, captions
- Type scale with sizes and line height
- Fallback fonts for Office and email
- Licence and where to download the fonts
07Graphic language
- Shapes, patterns and frames
- Icon set and style
- Illustration style
- How elements combine (and how they don’t)
08Photography & image style
- Subjects, light and mood
- Moodboard: fits and doesn’t fit
- Crops and export formats
- Retouching, rights and model releases
09Tone of voice
- Form of address: formal or informal
- 3 or 4 writing principles
- Brand line and slogans
- Before-and-after examples
- Example copy per channel
- Words you use and words you avoid
10Layout & composition
- Grids per format (web, A4, social)
- Margins and white space
- Alignment and logo position
- Balance of text and image
- Two or three standard compositions
11Applications
- Website and social
- Business card and letterhead with dimensions
- Posters, ads and presentations
- Packaging, signage or merchandise
- How to order printed matter
12Files & governance
- Logos, fonts and templates to download
- Which file for what (RGB, CMYK, Pantone)
- Owner and approval
- Contacts and what to ask them
- Version number and date
How to fill in the template
A template is a checklist, not a finished guide. These steps turn it into something people actually use.
- 1
Gather what already exists
Collect logo files, colour codes, typefaces, old presentations and good examples of past work. Often more has been decided than you think, it’s just scattered across folders and email threads.
- 2
Start with the brand foundation
Fill in mission, values and audience first, even if it’s brief. Every visual choice further on is easier to defend when you can say why.
Not sure yet? Write it down as a question and book a session with the people who make decisions about the brand.
- 3
Set the rules with measurements and codes
For logo, colour and typography, always write the exact values: millimetres, pixels, HEX and CMYK, point sizes. A rule you can’t measure gets interpreted in different ways.
- 4
Add examples, including wrong ones
For every part, show what good looks like and what doesn’t. A stretched logo or light text on a colour teaches faster than a paragraph of explanation.
- 5
Give it an owner and a date
Agree who maintains the guidelines and when you review them. Put the version number and date on the first page, so everyone knows whether they have the latest version.
Brand book template in Word, Canva, InDesign or online?
There are ready-made templates for almost every tool. The main difference is what happens after the guide is finished.
| Where | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Word or Google Docs | Getting started fast; anyone can open and edit it | Quickly looks like a report. Colours and fonts are only right if you set them up carefully yourself. |
| PowerPoint or Keynote | Presenting to a team or client | Hard to search; often emailed around as separate versions that then go out of date. |
| Canva | Good-looking layouts without design software | Usually exported as a PDF. Files and colour codes have to be supplied separately. |
| InDesign (PDF) | Full control over the design, print-ready | Only designers can update it. Every change means sending round a new PDF. |
| Online brand book | Always the latest version via one link, with search and downloads | You need a tool. Pick one that can also export a PDF for people who want paper. |
More on tools and how long brand guidelines take: see how to create brand guidelines.
Template or blueprint: what’s the difference?
A template is an empty document with headings. You fill it in, lay it out and export it. After that the guide stands still: whoever adds a new colour has to make a new version and send it round again.
In Brandbooks, the ready-made structures are called blueprints. You pick one and Brandbooks turns it into a brand book with pages and blocks already styled in your brand: a colour palette with HEX, RGB, CMYK and Pantone and a contrast check, typography with a type scale and fallback fonts, logos with downloads. Change whatever you like and publish it as a website. Edits stay in a draft; readers only see something new when you publish.
Three brand style guide templates, each with a live example
Brand essentials
All twelve parts, kept compact. For a new or small brand that needs the basics in place. See the example.
Full brandbook
All twelve parts in depth, for a team or a client handover. See the example.
Campaign playbook
Seven chapters for a campaign that builds on your brand book. See the example.
Questions about brand guidelines templates
Is this brand guidelines template really free?
Yes. Copy the outline or download it as a Markdown file and use it wherever you like, including for clients. You don’t need to sign up for anything.
What is the difference between a brand book template and a brand style guide template?
Usually nothing. A brand style guide template sometimes covers only the visual side (logo, colour, typography); a brand book template also covers the brand itself. This template includes both; leave out the parts you don’t need. See also what is a brand style guide.
Which parts can I leave out?
For a small brand you can keep graphic language, layout and applications short. Logo, colour, typography and files you always need: that’s where most questions come from. Each part is explained in what to include in brand guidelines.
How long does it take to fill in a brand guidelines template?
If the logo, colours and typefaces already exist, the visual basics often take a few days. Brand foundation, audience and tone of voice take longer, because you have to make choices with the people responsible for the brand.
Can I turn a Canva or Word template into an online brand book later?
Yes. The content carries over, the layout doesn’t. In Brandbooks you start from a blueprint, fill it with your existing copy, colour codes and logo files, and publish it as a website that can also be printed as a PDF.
Keep reading
- Brand style guide exampleA brand style guide example, explained page by pageWalk chapter by chapter through a complete brand style guide example: what’s on each page, why it’s there and what to borrow for your own. With a live demo.
- Guide · Step by stepHow to create brand guidelines in 7 stepsHow to create brand guidelines in 7 steps: what to do in which order, how long it takes, which tool to use (Word, Canva, InDesign, online) and traps to avoid.
- Guide · ContentsWhat to include in brand guidelinesWhat to include in brand guidelines: all 12 parts explained, what goes in each, what’s optional and the mistakes to avoid. With a live example to click through.
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