What Is a Brand Book and What Should It Include
Basics4 minInnovialabs editorial team
In short
A brand book is a document that describes a brand's identity and the rules for using it — from mission and tone of voice to logo, colors, fonts and real-world applications. A logobook covers only the logo, and a guideline covers only visual usage rules.
The short answer
A brand book is the reference document for everyone who represents a brand: designers, marketers, developers, contractors and printers. It answers two questions: who we are (values, character, how we speak) and how we look (logo, colors, fonts, imagery and how to apply them).
Its job is consistency. When an agency makes a banner, a developer builds a landing page and a sales manager prepares a presentation, the result should look and sound like the same company.
Sections of a brand book
1. Brand platform
- Mission, values and positioning in a few clear sentences.
- Target audience: who the brand talks to.
- Brand character: for example, "expert but friendly", "bold and direct".
This section is short, but every visual and verbal choice later refers back to it.
2. Logo
- Main version and alternative versions (horizontal, vertical, icon only).
- Clear space around the logo, usually defined through a part of the logo itself.
- Minimum size for print and screens.
- Color versions: full color, monochrome, inverted on dark backgrounds.
- Misuse examples: stretching, recoloring, adding shadows or outlines, placing on busy photos.
3. Color palette
- Primary and secondary colors with values in HEX, RGB, CMYK and, if needed, Pantone.
- Proportions: which color dominates and which are accents.
- Acceptable combinations and contrast rules for text.
4. Typography
- Font families for headings and body text, with weights in use.
- Hierarchy: sizes and line heights for headings, subheadings, body, captions.
- Fallback fonts for systems where the brand font is unavailable, and licensing notes.
5. Graphic elements and imagery
- Patterns, shapes, icon style, illustration style.
- Photo style: lighting, composition, what to avoid.
6. Tone of voice
- How the brand writes: formal or casual, short or detailed, with or without humor.
- Do and don't examples: the same message written well and badly.
- Words and phrases the brand uses and avoids, plus rules for each language if the brand is multilingual.
7. Applications
Examples of the identity in real use: business cards, letterheads, presentations, social media posts, website, app icon, merchandise, signage, packaging. These pages show how the rules work together and save time for everyone who makes new materials.
Brand book vs logobook vs guideline
| Logobook | Guideline | Brand book | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope | Logo only | Visual identity rules | Brand as a whole |
| Contents | Logo versions, clear space, minimum size, misuse | Logo, colors, fonts, graphics, layouts | Platform, values, tone of voice plus all visual rules and applications |
| Answers | "How do we use the logo?" | "How do we design materials?" | "Who are we and how do we look and speak?" |
| Typical case | Startup with a fresh logo | Company producing many materials | Established brand, rebrand, franchise |
The terms are used loosely in practice: some agencies call a visual guideline a brand book. When ordering one, agree on the list of sections, not on the name.
How to make it useful
- Keep it practical. Show examples more than you describe them.
- Provide source files: logo in vector formats, color values ready to copy, fonts or links to licenses, templates.
- Make it easy to find. A shared online page or folder is often more useful than a large PDF nobody opens.
- Update it when the brand evolves, and mark the version and date.
- Connect it to digital work. For products and websites, the brand book feeds the design system, which turns colors and fonts into tokens and components.
Common mistakes
- Only the logo is described, while tone of voice and applications are missing.
- Rules exist but there are no ready templates, so everyone improvises.
- Colors are given only for print, without screen values or contrast notes.
- The document is beautiful but too long to use day to day.