Already familiar to many businesses but often missing especially from small associations, brand guidelines are an association's reference point for using its own visual identity and brand across all visual communication. In concrete terms, the guidelines take the form of a multi-page PDF that typically includes the logo and the rules for its use, fonts (typefaces), colours and their colour codes, and possibly also specified colour combinations and primary colours. In addition, the guidelines may include graphic elements and instructions on how to use them, as well as what kind of photographs should be used alongside the visual identity.
Without brand guidelines, an association's visual identity can easily become inconsistent and confusing. If, for example, the website, newsletter, and social media posts differ strongly from one another, it's likely that the communication will be hard to recognise as coming from the same source. A recognisable and memorable brand is built gradually, as the same visual identity is repeated consistently across different channels over a longer period of time.
Accessibility begins with the visual identity
Undefined colour choices and missing instructions on the use of images can easily lead to accessibility problems. These can include poor colour combinations or placing text over images without considering readability and accessibility. On a website this can mean violating accessibility criteria 1.4.3 or 1.4.11, which are AA-level accessibility requirements. The contrast between body text and background must be at least 4.5:1, and for large text and graphic elements at least 3:1.
Well-made brand guidelines define the colours and how they're used: which colours are suitable for text, which only for decoration, and which combinations work together. This way accessibility isn't left as a problem to be patched up afterwards, but is built into the visual identity from the very start. Image guidelines, in turn, can advise that text should not be embedded directly into an image (a screen reader won't read it) and that text placed over an image should be separated from the background, for example with a dedicated colour box.
Brand guidelines are a tool
Brand guidelines aren't just a beautiful document that gets dug out of the depths of a cloud service whenever a web designer asks for it. Used correctly, the guidelines also steer the visual identity of, for example, social media communication. The guidelines make life easier for producers, communications and marketing coordinators, and everyone else who works on communication.
The guidelines' colour definitions, fonts, and elements can be uploaded and saved into tools such as Canva, which makes following the guidelines correctly and systematically easier and faster. In Canva these are saved into a Brand Kit, from which the colours, fonts, and logos are available in all designs.
Guidelines first, then the visual design
Acquiring brand guidelines before a website redesign is highly recommended. In an earlier post I wrote that a website's visual design should be built around the content. Following the same logic, it's important that the brand guidelines are also ready before website design begins. It's theoretically possible for a website's visual identity to serve as the inspiration for the brand guidelines, but my strong recommendation is to do the process the other way around. When the visual identity is created from the starting points of the organisation's values, target audience, core activities, and their goals, the results are often better and reflect the organisation's authentic character.
If your association's or business's visual identity needs more clarity, or if you're planning a website redesign, I'd be glad to help build brand guidelines that are both consistent and accessible. Get in touch and let's raise the level of your communication together.