Brand Manual (Design Manual)

What does it mean

The brand manual is a basic strategic document of the brand, which defines the rules of its visual and verbal communication. It is a set of instructions that determine how the brand should look, sound, and appear at all touchpoints – from the website to corporate clothing. Its main goal is to ensure absolute visual consistency and professional presentation of the brand in every situation.

More info

A well-crafted brand manual eliminates visual chaos. Without it, it often happens that designers use different shades of the company color, incorrect fonts, or distort the logo. The manual precisely specifies allowed and prohibited manipulations with the logo, defines the hierarchy of fonts (typography), and determines the way of using graphic elements.

In the digital age, we increasingly encounter interactive manuals (for example, in the Figma tool), which allow teams easy access to all logos, icons, and colors directly in the cloud. This significantly speeds up the work of marketers and developers.

Brand manual as protection of your investment in visuals

Investment in a new visual identity is valuable only if it is adhered to. The brand manual acts as a guardian of this investment.

Connecting the manual and corporate identity

• Long-term consistency: Whether you are working with an internal team or an external agency, the manual ensures that your identity remains consistent even after years.

• Work efficiency: Designers and graphic artists don't have to "reinvent the wheel" with every new social media post. They have precisely set boundaries, which speeds up creation.

• Building trust: Brands that look identical in every channel appear much more trustworthy and stable to customers than those that constantly change their visuals.

• Easy onboarding: Thanks to the manual, new employees or partners immediately orient themselves on how your brand communicates.

What a professional brand manual contains

1. Logo manual: Rules for logo usage, protective zone, and definition of color variants.

2. Color scheme: Precise definition of the color palette for digital (HEX, RGB) and print (CMYK, Pantone).

3. Typography: Selection of primary and secondary fonts for different types of documents.

4. Visual style: Rules for using photos, icons, illustrations, and graphic patterns.

5. Tone of Voice: (Optionally) Definition of the tone of communication and the way the brand addresses the audience.