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Brand guidelines in Pune and Mumbai that your team will actually use.
Most brand guidelines are opened once and forgotten. We create guidelines that explain the thinking behind every rule, come with templates people can use straight away, and keep your brand recognisable as more people use it. They matter most when people in more than one city, or more than one agency, produce work in your name.
Brand guidelines
Why brands drift without guidelines.
For the CEO
Every office and agency uses a different version of us.
As a company grows, more people make things with the brand. Without clear rules, the brand slowly becomes several brands.
For marketing
We spend hours fixing other people’s work.
When nobody knows the rules, every presentation, post and brochure needs correcting. Guidelines and templates move that effort to the start.
For sales
Our materials look like they come from different companies.
Buyers notice inconsistency, and they read it as a sign of how you might run their project.
For partners and agencies
We keep guessing what you want.
Clear guidelines let new agencies, printers and distributors get it right the first time.
You need brand guidelines if…
These are the signs a brand has outgrown memory and good intentions.
- Several versions of your logo and colours are in use.
- Each team or agency interprets the brand differently.
- New hires ask where the templates are, and nobody knows.
- Presentations and proposals look different every time.
- You’re about to launch a new identity, product or market.
- Your brand voice changes depending on who wrote the text.
Tick the ones that sound familiar.That’s worth a conversation →
What brand guidelines should include.
Good brand guidelines answer two questions for anyone making something with your brand: what should this look and sound like, and why? These are the sections we include, adjusted to what your team actually makes.
| Section | What it covers | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Brand foundations | Purpose, positioning, audience and personality | Gives every rule a reason, so people can handle new situations |
| Logo | Versions, clear space, minimum sizes, misuse | Keeps the most recognisable asset intact |
| Colour | Primary and secondary palettes, values for print and screen, contrast rules | Makes the brand recognisable and accessible |
| Typography | Typefaces, hierarchy, sizes and fallbacks | Creates consistency across documents and screens |
| Imagery and graphics | Photography style, illustration, icons, patterns | Stops the brand drifting into generic stock imagery |
| Tone of voice | How the brand writes and speaks, with examples | Makes words as recognisable as visuals |
| Applications | Presentations, documents, social, signage, packaging | Shows the brand in the places people actually use it |
| Templates and assets | Editable files and a shared library | Turns rules into something people can use today |
Brand guidelines, brand style guides and brand books.
The names overlap. A brand style guide usually covers visual rules: logo, colour, typography and imagery. Brand guidelines go further and include positioning and tone of voice. A brand book often tells the brand’s story to inspire employees rather than instruct them.
What matters more than the name is whether people use it. Guidelines that only list rules get ignored. Guidelines that explain the thinking, show good and bad examples, and come with templates get used, because they make people’s work easier.
Guidelines are one part of a wider system. If your brand needs to scale across products, sub-brands or markets, our brand systems work covers the architecture and governance behind the guidelines.
What they aren’t
- A logo sheet
- A 120-page PDF nobody opens
- Rules without reasons
- A substitute for a clear brand idea
How we create brand guidelines.
We start from how your brand is really used, then document what will help people most.
01
Audit
We collect what your teams, agencies and partners are producing today and find where the brand breaks down.
You get: A clear view of what needs fixing.
02
Settle the decisions
We resolve inconsistencies in logo, colour, type and voice, so the guidelines describe one brand.
You get: Agreed rules, with the reasons behind them.
03
Write and design
We create the guidelines with examples of the brand done well and badly.
You get: Guidelines people can follow without asking.
04
Build templates
Presentations, documents, social formats and other templates your team uses most.
You get: Rules turned into ready-to-use files.
05
Roll out
We walk your teams and agencies through the guidelines and set up a simple way to keep them current.
You get: A brand that stays consistent as you grow.
Brand guideline mistakes that cause drift.
Documenting a brand that isn’t finished
Guidelines can’t fix a weak or unclear identity. Settle the brand first, then write the rules.
Making them too long
If people can’t find the answer in under a minute, they will guess. Put the essentials first.
Rules without examples
Showing the brand applied, and misapplied, teaches faster than any description.
Never updating them
Brands evolve. Guidelines need an owner and a simple way to change.
What you get.
Everything is yours, in formats your teams already use.
- Brand guidelines as a shareable web page or PDF
- Logo, colour and typography specifications
- Tone of voice guidance with examples
- Editable templates for everyday materials
- An organised asset library
- A walkthrough for your teams and agencies
Written by the person who knows the brand.
Our Branding lead writes and designs the guidelines personally, and works with your teams so the rules fit how they actually work.
What we’ll need from you
- Your current brand files and materials
- Examples from teams and agencies
- Time with the people who use the brand most
- One person to approve decisions
Questions about brand guidelines.
What should brand guidelines include?
At minimum: the brand’s purpose and positioning, logo use, colour, typography, imagery, tone of voice and examples of the brand applied. Good guidelines also include templates and the reasoning behind each rule, so people can make good decisions when a situation isn’t covered.
What is the difference between brand guidelines and a brand style guide?
The terms are often used interchangeably. A style guide usually focuses on visual rules such as logo, colour and type. Brand guidelines are broader and also cover positioning, voice and how the brand should behave.
How long does it take to create brand guidelines?
It depends on how much of the brand is already settled and how many templates you need. You get the scope and timeline in writing before work starts. If we are creating the identity too, the guidelines are part of that project.
Can you create guidelines for an existing brand?
Yes. We audit how the brand is used today, settle the inconsistencies, then document the rules and build templates so the brand stays consistent from now on.
What format will the guidelines be in?
Usually a shareable web page or PDF, plus editable templates and asset libraries. We choose the format your team will actually open, not one that sits in a folder.
Can you create brand guidelines for a business with branches in Pune and Mumbai?
Yes. That’s exactly where guidelines earn their keep: when people in different cities, or different agencies, produce work in your name. We’re based in Pune and work with clients in both cities online.
How many versions of your brand are out there?
Let’s bring them back together and keep them that way.
Or write to us at info@3anomaly.com