We talk a lot about protecting your company’s brand in terms of intellectual property, but what about in terms of general use? Does your company have brand standards or guidelines, and are they shared with all employees? Brand standards are a set of design guidelines or rules that encompass the look and feel of your marketing materials, including your logo, fonts, colors, etc. While there are generic guidelines for each tool in a marketer’s belt, you must create the specific limitations as they pertain to your brand. Here are just a few examples:

Logo

Your logo must never be altered or redesigned for a specific format or size. If you have different versions of your logo that are approved, make sure everyone is aware of what is approved, and keep the files in an easily accessible folder.

Graphics

The key to maintaining brand standards are met is to make sure you are consistent. Size, shape, over all aesthetics should be considered when discussing how graphics will be represented with your brand.

Colors

This is one of the most important aspects of your brand that you must maintain vigilant about keeping consistent. You should have different formats of your color so that you can easily find an approved version. For instance, you should have CMYK and RGB colors listed in your brand standards, so designers do not have to search for them on their own.

Fonts

Depending on your organization, fonts may play several roles within your brand. You may have one set of fonts for your marketing materials, and another set for internal and external communications. Either way, in order to achieve a consistent message, all employees should be aware of approved fonts.

Overall Aesthetics

While you may have in house graphic designers or outsource this service, it is important that everyone understands the overall ‘theme’ of your company. If you’re bright and happy- make sure that your messaging reflects that. If you your company is serious, you need to be more aware of the coloring and graphics in your marketing materials. This goes for any illustrations and photos- they should maintain a consistent voice of what you are trying to convey.

There should be one person who is responsible for ensuring all brand standards are met. Typically this would fall to a brand manager or marketing employee, but could also be human resources or operations. Funneling everything through one person keeps the brand consistent and correct.

Once your brand guidelines have been decided, distribute them to all employees so that they are aware of the standards associated with the brand. Also inform them of the contact person to discuss any situations where the brand may be used in order to ensure proper compliance.

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About the Firm:

Klemchuk LLP is a litigation, intellectual property, transactional, and international business law firm dedicated to protecting innovation. The firm provides tailored legal solutions to industries including software, technology, retail, real estate, consumer goods, ecommerce, telecommunications, restaurant, energy, media, and professional services. The firm focuses on serving mid-market companies seeking long-term, value-added relationships with a law firm. Learn more about experiencing law practiced differently and our local counsel practice.

The firm publishes Intellectual Property Trends (latest developments in IP law), Conversations with Innovators (interviews with thought leaders), Leaders in Law (insights from law leaders), Culture Counts (thoughts on law firm culture and business), and Legal Insights (in-depth analysis of IP, litigation, and transactional law).