What is a brand book and what are the benefits of having one?

A logo is an essential element in any business. It appears on advertising materials, products, envelopes, letterhead, and more.

When you commission a logo, the person responsible for the project may ask you about a brand book. Before you answer the question: do I need a brand book
, find out what it is all about. What is it for?

See also: Product and service logo design.

• A brand book is a manual that shows how to use a logo correctly in different situations.
• A brand book contains specific guidelines and clear information on how to use the logo and what cannot be done with it, which guarantees that it will be used in a manner consistent with the creator's concept.
• Brand books vary in size, depending on the level of detail.

What is a brand book?

Your logo will be used not only by you as the owner of the company or the person responsible for marketing. It will be used by company employees and external parties, such as subcontractors. Why does a brand need a brand book? So that everyone who uses the logo is aware of how to do so. Therefore, it can be said that a brand book is simply a manual for using the logo.

In practice, it is mainly used by third parties who are responsible for creating websites, printing leaflets or advertisements. Thanks to the information contained in it, these companies will know how to use the logo correctly in various materials on which it is to appear.

Creating a professional brand book can be time-consuming – the more complex the project, the more difficult it may be to implement and, at the same time, the more demanding its preparation.

What should a brand book contain?

After the logo has been created, the next step for a professional graphic designer is to develop a brand book. However, it will not always contain exactly the same information – its content depends, among other things, on the specifics of the industry, but there are some elements that should be included in it.

Of course, creating such a book is not necessary, but it certainly makes it easier to achieve image consistency – the logo will look as expected on all materials. What should a brand book contain? Here is the information that is most often found in it:

• The origin of the logo – this is usually the first element in the manual, although it is often omitted. This section may include information about the meaning of the logo, the company's goals and mission, as well as data that will be needed when registering a new trademark with the Patent Office.
• Basic and alternative versions of the logo – most often, the logo is presented in the brand book in horizontal and vertical versions, on a light and dark background. As for the alternative version of the logo, this section should include information about its possible use together with a slogan, in a single colour or in shades of grey.
• Logo design – the brand book contains information about the dimensions of individual elements, as well as their proportions. It is important to specify the minimum dimensions at which the logo will be easily recognisable and clearly visible to the recipient. The manual may include minimum dimensions for different versions of the mark. In order to present the details of the graphics, a construction grid may be used to show the logo and its proportions.
• Protective field – this is the space around the logo that cannot be violated. Maintaining this space ensures that the mark is clearly legible. No content or graphics may be placed on this part of the logo. We also distinguish the basic field of the mark, which is used to determine, for example, the distance of the logo from the edge of the document. The protection field and the basic field may be the same, but they do not have to be.
• Colour scheme – a precise definition of the colours that can be used, e.g. in the CMYK scale. The brand book must also describe the font, its version and its use in a given logo variant. This is very important information for those who will be creating further elements for the brand based on this graphic symbol.
• Modifications – i.e. rules for introducing various changes, for example in terms of effects or colour schemes.

Brand book – summary

Do I need a brand book?
Definitely yes. Such a document can be very extensive, but it will enable the creation of a consistent visual identity for the brand. A paper or electronic logo usage manual is essential for the work of a professional graphic designer.