A brand style guide is the rulebook for how your brand looks and sounds. It’s the document that ensures everyone – your team, your contractors, your future designer – uses your brand correctly. Most web developers and any creative professional will ask immediately: ‘can I have a copy of the style guide or brand guide’ (same thing) because it’s their rulebook as well.

Without one, your brand drifts. Different people make different decisions. Consistency breaks down. Trust erodes.

I’ve attached the DISBRANDED style guide as an example. This is what we hand over to clients at the end of a branding exercise. 

What a brand style guide includes

1. Logo usage

  • Primary logo and variations
  • Clear space rules (how much space around the logo)
  • Minimum size
  • What not to do (stretch, recolour, add effects)

2. Colour palette

  • Hex codes (for digital)
  • RGB values (for screens)
  • CMYK values (for print)
  • Pantone references (for physical printing, if needed)

3. Typography

  • Font names and where to download them
  • Heading hierarchy (H1, H2, H3 sizes)
  • Body text size and line spacing
  • Colour usage rules for text

4. Photography and imagery style

  • What kinds of images to use
  • What to avoid
  • Filters and editing style

5. Voice and tone (covered in Module 3)

6. Examples

  • Show correct usage across different applications

How to create one without a designer

Canva has a free Brand Kit feature that lets you store your colours, fonts and logos. It’s not a full style guide but it’s a practical starting point for small teams. It’s great for quick mockups. 

Setting up a brand kit in Canva

If you’re using Canva, the Brand Kit feature (available on Canva Pro) allows you to lock in your brand colours, fonts and logos so they’re always available and always correct.

Here’s how to set it up:

  1. Go to Brand Kit in your Canva account
  2. Upload your logo files (all versions – PNG with transparent background)
  3. Enter your hex colour codes to create your brand colour palette
  4. Set your heading and body fonts

Once configured, your brand colours appear in the colour picker whenever you’re designing. Your brand fonts appear in the font menu. Your logo is available to drop into any design with one click. You can’t accidentally use the wrong shade of blue or forget your heading font.

For teams with multiple people creating content, the Brand Kit also ensures consistency across everyone’s work – not just yours.

For a more comprehensive guide, Google Slides or a simple PDF works perfectly.

Exporting your graphics correctly

The last step before publishing is exporting at the right format and quality for the intended use.

PNG – use for graphics with text, logos, transparent backgrounds, or anything that needs to be sharp at any size. Best for social media graphics, website images, presentations.

JPEG – use for photographs where file size matters. Social media photos, email images.

PDF – use for anything going to print (brochures, flyers, business cards). Send to your printer.

Always export at the highest quality setting available unless file size is a specific constraint (such as email). Social media platforms compress images on upload – start with the highest quality and let the platform do its compression.

Always check the exported file before publishing. Open it. Look at it. Make sure it looks exactly as intended. Check on mobile. Check the text is readable. Check the logo is correct. Then publish.

Exercise

Create a one-page brand reference sheet with your logo, colours (with hex codes), and fonts. This is the starting point for your style guide.

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