Brand Guidelines for Small Business: What to Include
Brand guidelines for small business are a short set of rules for how your logo, colours, fonts and words appear everywhere. They keep your look consistent when several people, printers or agencies work for you. This guide shows what to include and how to check it.
Why brand guidelines matter
People recognise a business by repetition. If your logo changes shape, your colours shift and your tone jumps between pages, the business looks careless.
Guidelines solve this. They record the decisions once, so a new employee, a printer or a designer can follow them without asking you each time.
Brand guidelines for small business: what to include
A useful guide can be short. Aim for a handful of pages that cover these items.
Your logo, in its approved versions.
The colours, with exact codes.
The fonts and how to use them.
The way you write, known as brand voice.
Example uses on a page, a social profile and a document.
Add more only when you find people getting something wrong, so the guide stays short enough that people actually read it.
Logo usage rules
Show the logo in full colour, on light and dark backgrounds and in one colour. Include a small version for places like social profile pictures.
State clear space around the logo, a smallest size, and what must not be done. Typical examples are stretching it, changing its colours, adding effects or placing it on a busy picture. A page of right and wrong examples saves many arguments.
A brand colour palette
Choose a main colour, one or two supporting colours and neutral shades for text and backgrounds. Record each colour as a code for screens and, if you print, a print reference.
Limit the palette. Too many colours weaken recognition and make pages harder to design. Explain which colour is for buttons and links, so they look the same across the site.
Check colour contrast
A beautiful palette is useless if people cannot read it. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines set a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5 to 1 for normal text, and 3 to 1 for large text, at level AA. See the W3C explanation of contrast minimum.
Check your text and background pairs with a contrast checker before you fix the palette. The ratios are strict thresholds, so a result just under the line does not pass.
Fonts and type
Pick one font for headings and one for body text. Choose fonts you are licensed to use on the web and in print. Record sizes for headings, body text and small print.
Keep a fallback font for places where yours cannot load. Readability matters more than personality in body text, particularly for older readers and small screens.
Brand voice
Voice is how you sound. Describe it in three or four words, such as plain, warm and direct. Then show a few sentences written in that voice and a few that break it.
A voice guide helps every writer on your team, including anyone you hire later. It also helps when you use tools to draft text, because you can check the result against the guide.
Protect your name and logo
Branding is also a legal asset. In the UK, a trade mark can cover words, sounds, logos and colours. A mark cannot simply describe the goods or services it covers. It may also be refused if it is too similar to an existing one. See GOV.UK on what you can register as a trade mark.
Search for similar names before you invest in a logo. Seek legal advice if the name is central to your business.
Mistakes to avoid
Small firms repeat the same few errors when they build a brand.
Copying a competitor's look too closely.
Using a different logo file on every platform.
Choosing pale text colours that fail the contrast check.
Letting every team member pick their own fonts.
Writing the guide once and never opening it again.
Images and icons
Photographs and icons carry as much of your brand as the logo. Describe the style you want, such as real people at work, bright natural light and plain backgrounds.
Say what to avoid. Generic stock images that could belong to any firm weaken trust. Record where approved pictures are stored, and who may add new ones. If you use illustrations or icons, keep one style across the whole set.
How to roll the guidelines out
A guide only works if people use it. Put it somewhere easy to find, send it to everyone who creates material for you and tell suppliers it is the standard.
Review it once a year. Add examples of mistakes you have seen. Update it when the brand changes, and mark the date on the cover.
How we help
Our branding team creates the logo, identity and guidelines as one package, and delivers files for web, print and social media. See branding and logo design for what is included.
A brand also needs a home online. Our web development services apply your guidelines to a website, and our guide to what a custom website costs helps you plan the budget.
Sources
- Understanding Success Criterion 1.4.3: Contrast (Minimum), W3C
- Register a trade mark: what you can register, GOV.UK
Designed & developed by LAMTANS Technologies LLC, USA — part of the LAMTANS Group
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Frequently asked questions
How long should brand guidelines be?
Short is fine. Four to ten pages cover most small firms.
Do I need guidelines if I work alone?
They still help. They keep your own work consistent and make hiring easier later.
Can I make guidelines myself?
Yes, for the basics. A designer helps most with the logo and colour choices.
What file format should I share?
A PDF is easy to share. Keep an editable copy for updates.
How often should I update them?
Review once a year, or whenever the brand changes.