Modern companies in Tashkent, regardless of their scale, have at least once thought about creating or changing a brand book or guideline in order to comply with global trends and conduct a successful rebranding, i.e. changing the company's brand book: from the brand itself and corporate style, to changes in the product itself.
The terms “brand book” and “guideline” are familiar to many, but sometimes their meanings are confusing. Let’s look at each of them and consider whether it is possible to create it yourself, taking into account the needs of your company in Tashkent.
Brand book or guideline?
A brand book is also called a “brand book” and originates from the English words “brand” and “book”. A brand book combines everything related to a company: from its origins to its development plans for the future.
Most often, brand books of large world-class companies are quite large and contain detailed information. Smaller companies create simple brand books or get by with a description of the corporate style. A brand book can be called a kind of instruction, a corporate handbook of the company.
On the Internet, you can find a sufficient number of explanations of the term. Despite the differences, there are common similarities and common features:
- Obviously, this guide describes in detail the history, mission, values, corporate culture, customer service system of the company, the desire to move forward and develop;
- The corporate style is described carefully. Not a single detail of the corporate style related to colors, logo, fonts should be missed;
- Creating a well-developed and detailed description allows an organization to stand out from its competitors;
- A well-developed visual corporate style should be associated with the given brand by every person living on the planet;
- An expanded description of the audience, language of communication, in other words, tone of voice, style of writing articles, brandline, and so on.
Everything related to the brand is recorded and used within the company. The information specified in the brand book is like instructions and notes that the company uses repeatedly throughout its existence.
Corporate identity or guideline (guidline can be literally translated as “leading/guiding line”) – one and the same thing.
Indeed, the directions are described and indicated in detail.
While an organization may not disclose missions, values, development strategy, etc. to potential customers, it is impossible to hide the corporate identity. Why? Because it specifies the rules of what and how to do when creating a logo, printed materials, stationery products, social media design, and much more. For designers, it is a guiding star leading to the intended goal. Let's take a closer look at what exactly is included in the guideline.
Mainly described:
- Use and spelling of the company name, including correct pronunciation. It also indicates whether it is possible to write lowercase letters, capital letters, letters of different font sizes, font size, font, spelling with or without quotation marks. Another important nuance: spelling of the name in Cyrillic, Latin;
- Logo. Logo is an important element of recognition. It should be unique, easy to remember and associated only with a specific company. Careful development leads to great success. Creating a logo is not that easy. Often, development is expensive and takes a lot of time, but it is worth it. Corporate identity helps designers work with the finished digital product easier and faster and use it in various materials in accordance with the specified colors, fonts, sizes, indents, dimensions. As an example, we can cite small brochures or business cards. For each printed document, the conditions for placing the logo are prescribed. For example, on a brochure, it can be 30 mm in size and located in the right corner, with indents on the sides of 0.5 cm; for business cards - 15 mm, located on the left or in the middle with indents on all sides of 35 mm. The sizes are arbitrary. It is necessary to indicate whether it is permissible to use the slogan and logo together, to prescribe all possible options for acceptable and unacceptable sizes, distances, etc.
- Fonts or typography. Another point that is important for the corporate style of the brand book is the font. It should have a distinctive feature, showing individuality, be easy to read, and not strain the eyes.
The rules of use for different versions of texts, the angle of inclination, bold, italic, underline and their differences are prescribed. There must be one main font. Several additional ones can be added. Some companies use one font, for example, Roboto. A description of a second or more fonts will be a good addition, for example, to dilute the text font on pictures for social networks.
The description should indicate the distances between letters (kerning) and lines (leading) allowed in texts;
- Color palette. Color, like font, is an integral part of the company style. At the stage of working with color, the main color and additional colors and their combinations are determined. As a rule, not just the name of the color is written, but the hex code, Pantone value, CMYK (for printing), RGB, description of the shade itself. The same is done with additional colors.
Thus, working with color will reduce the time spent thinking about choosing a shade, which will significantly speed up the work of designers.;
- Pictures or illustrations. Illustrations are not always given attention. It is worth considering how much of a priority pictures, photographs, art, illustrations are for the business. Of course, it is best to provide for the possibility of creating a single style in artistic images. Illustrations in corporate colors preserve a well-thought-out individual style.
If the company has previously worked with certain illustrators, artists and other creative professionals whose style is in complete harmony with the company's values, they should be listed.
It would not be a bad idea to add the works of authors indicated in the lists or who are appealing to the company’s visuals, for a simplified reference.
- Icons have become firmly established in the design of digital products, so they should be prescribed. A variety of symbols chosen without compliance with the brand book and guidline can lead to an imbalance in the composition. The work done will have to be corrected. And this requires additional time and money.
- You can also specify the presence of a moodboard and mockup. A moodboard is a kind of designer collage of pictures and photographs illustrating the visual style of a product both on mobile devices and in presentations. Such collages are often used to understand the mood and direction of the chosen topic. It is usually used at the beginning of the conception of a presentation and similar documents.
A mockup is a full-size version of a design to demonstrate the final version of a product. A kind of prototype model.
- Branded merch. Merch can be different: from keychains to clothing (T-shirts, pants) and accessories (gloves, scarves, belts). There is a lot of room for imagination, but the company's style should stand out, be legible, match the color palette, fonts, and perhaps a specific material chosen (for example, eco-materials).
Developing a guideline significantly simplifies the work of designers, saves time on explaining the choice of colors, fonts, and layout. In part, the restrictions seem strict, but they help maintain the corporate style. This information, as a rule, is provided only to highly specialized specialists.
What is included in a brand book?
In addition to the corporate style, the brand book describes in detail the following:
- Target audience. Information about the potential target audience should contain general information: from age to location, purchasing power, lifestyle and other necessary information for product development and launch on the market;
- Communications. Today, the concept of "tone of voice" is quite common. What characterizes communication with clients, partners directly, in social networks - communications. That is, interaction using text or speech. The tone of voice affects the mood of the company, shows the attitude towards those with whom the organization cooperates. For example, in social networks, clients can be addressed as "you" (friendly) or "you" (respectfully, officially). It is also important for tone of voice to know and understand your audience, since different communication, jokes, work with objections, written responses are built for different age groups;
- Souvenir products. "Souvenirs" are most often developed for partners. The list includes: mugs, pens, notepads, gift bags, stickers;
- I would like to separately note the design of business cards, internal documents, external documents, letters, invitations. They are also designed in corporate colors, certain fonts are used, the text is arranged according to a certain pattern - everything that is prescribed in the corporate style;
- External design. This design may include outdoor advertising, office interior, building exterior, signs, even fabric texture. Ideally, include samples of fabric, leather, paper materials.
Features of brand book and corporate identity development in Tashkent
The development of a brand book and corporate identity in Tashkent has its own unique features that are associated with regional cultural, linguistic and market characteristics. Creating a successful brand in Tashkent requires understanding these aspects and taking them into account when developing a brand book. Here are some of them:
Cultural diversity: Tashkent is a multinational and culturally diverse city. When developing a brand, it is important to take this multicultural environment into account and create a brand that is inclusive and recognizable to all local communities.
Example: A restaurant specializing in Uzbek and Kazakh cuisine can use a brand book with elements reflecting traditional Uzbek and Kazakh ornaments to attract local customers.
Language adaptation: Uzbek and Russian are official languages in Tashkent, and they play an important role in communication with clients. The brand book should be adapted to these languages, and also take into account the features of the Cyrillic and Latin alphabets.
Example: A retail store can include bilingual lettering and logos in its brand book to make information easy to read and understand in both languages.
Historical and cultural symbols: Tashkent has a rich history and cultural heritage. Including local historical symbols and elements in the brand book can strengthen the connection with local customers.
Example: A travel company could use images of Tashkent's historical monuments in its brand book to highlight its connection to the region's cultural riches.
Color palette: Choosing a color palette is important in brand development. Considering local preferences and associations with colors can help a brand better connect with local audiences.
Example: A store specializing in national clothing might use traditional Uzbek colors such as blue and green to attract customers who value national traditions.
It is important to remember that the development of a brand book and corporate identity should be consistent with the business strategy and goals of the company, but taking into account regional characteristics can make the brand more attractive and recognizable in Tashkent.
How is a brand book created?
A quality brand book requires a lot of time. Every detail should be described and worked out in detail. The work on creating a brand book is a team effort of such specialists as marketers, salespeople, designers, and brand managers. At some points, senior management is involved. The development takes place in several stages. At each stage, there is a step-by-step discussion of the sections, what requirements the company puts forward, what goals it pursues, what questions or problems the clients solve, what the company wants to see in the end.
When the final approval stage is over, the implementation, presentation, and description of the brandbook value begins. After the final presentation, the brand book can be presented on a printed medium or digitally (both options are acceptable). The printed medium looks like a book, sometimes has a simple design reminiscent of an A4 ring binder.
Of course, a brand book is forever. The enormous work done will be useful for many years, even if rebranding occurs in a few years.
Conclusion
A brand book, as a set of rules, allows a company to think through its corporate style globally, describe the audience, communications of each stage, the style of souvenir products, and layouts. It should be understood that there is no single correct option for creating a brand book. As they say, everything is individual, depends on imagination, business requirements, and its positioning in the world, country, and city.
It is better to involve professionals in the development, providing the necessary information and requirements. The creation of a brand book should be approached very responsibly, because such instructions will serve not only one employee, but also contractors for a long time
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