Brand Guide

What do you stand for — visually, verbally, and emotionally?

A brand guide is not a logo file. It's the set of constraints that make every touchpoint feel like the same person is speaking. Without it, your landing page says one thing, your email says another, and your pitch deck looks like three different companies.

Business Alignment

Question	Answer
Venture name	[name]
Positioning complete? (from template 9)	YES / NO
ICP defined? (from template 3)	YES / NO
What conviction level is this brand?	HIGH / MEDIUM / LOW / NONE
What would make this brand wrong?	[market shift, ICP change]

Procedure

1. Start with the Positioning Statement (template 9). The brand expresses the position — it doesn't replace it.
2. Choose the archetype that earns trust with your ICP. Not the one you like — the one they trust.
3. Define voice from the archetype. Write 5 sample sentences in-voice before committing.
4. Pick colours and type that reinforce the archetype. Every choice must answer "why this?"
5. Define what NOT to do. Constraints are more useful than aspirations.
6. Test: show 3 assets (email, social post, landing page) to someone. Do they feel like the same company?

Brand Archetype

Which archetype earns trust with your ICP? Reference: Brand Archetypes.

Question	Answer
Selected archetype	[e.g. Sage, Creator, Explorer, Ruler, Caregiver...]
Why this one for this ICP?	[specific reason tied to ICP's hidden fear/aspiration]
What would the wrong archetype be?	[and why it would fail with this ICP]

Voice

Dimension	We Are	We Are Not	Example Sentence
Tone	[e.g. direct, warm, confident]	[e.g. corporate, aggressive, casual]	[actual sentence in voice]
Vocabulary	[e.g. plain language, industry terms OK]	[e.g. jargon, buzzwords, acronyms]	[actual sentence in voice]
Perspective	[e.g. first person plural, peer-to-peer]	[e.g. third person, expert-to-novice]	[actual sentence in voice]
Humour	[e.g. dry, understated]	[e.g. sarcastic, slapstick, none]	[actual sentence in voice]
Emotional register	[e.g. optimistic, grounded]	[e.g. fearful, hype-driven, detached]	[actual sentence in voice]

Voice Test

Write the same message three ways. Only one should feel right:

Version	Text	Feels Right?
Too formal	[same message, overdone]
In voice	[same message, in brand voice]	YES
Too casual	[same message, underdone]

Visual Identity

Colours

Role	Colour	Hex	Why
Primary	[name]	#[hex]	[what it communicates]
Secondary	[name]	#[hex]	[what it communicates]
Accent	[name]	#[hex]	[used for CTAs and highlights]
Background	[name]	#[hex]
Text	[name]	#[hex]

Contrast check: Primary text on background must meet 4.5:1 WCAG AA ratio.

Typography

Role	Font	Weight	Size Range	Why
Headings	[font name]	[bold/semibold]	[range]	[what it communicates]
Body	[font name]	[regular]	[range]	[readability + personality]
Mono/Code	[font name]	[regular]	[range]	[if applicable]

Logo Usage

Context	Format	Minimum Size	Clear Space
Web	SVG	[px]	[spacing rule]
Print	PDF/EPS	[mm]	[spacing rule]
Social	PNG	[px]	[spacing rule]
Favicon	ICO/SVG	32x32	N/A

Photography Style

Dimension	Direction	Reference
Style	[photography / illustration / mixed]	[link to visual art direction template]
Subject matter	[people / products / abstract / metaphor]
Mood	[from visual art direction preset]
What to avoid	[stock photo aesthetic, AI artifacts, etc.]

Do and Don't

Do	Don't
[specific positive example]	[specific negative example]
[specific positive example]	[specific negative example]
[specific positive example]	[specific negative example]
[specific positive example]	[specific negative example]

Application Checklist

Every touchpoint should pass:

Touchpoint	Matches Voice?	Matches Colours?	Matches Type?	Feels Like Same Company?
Landing page
Email signature
Social post
Pitch deck
Invoice/receipt

Market Context

Factor	Consideration	Country Reference
Cultural norms	[colours/symbols that mean different things in your market]	[country page link]
Competitor visual language	[what the category looks like — and how to stand apart]
Regulatory	[any restrictions on claims, colours, symbols in your jurisdiction]	[country page link]

Sentence Test

"[Venture] looks like [visual description], sounds like [voice description], and makes [ICP] feel [emotion]. The archetype is [archetype] because [ICP reason]."

Gold Standard

A completed brand guide summary for the hypothetical TradeBooks:

TradeBooks looks like clean, dark interfaces with high-contrast trade-orange accents — no clipart, no stock photos of smiling people in hard hats. Sounds like a smart tradesperson who happens to understand accounting — direct, no jargon, slightly dry humour. Makes trade business owners feel like someone finally built something for them specifically. The archetype is Sage (trusted expert) because trades owners don't want flashy — they want someone who knows what they're doing.

Voice: "Your Placemakers receipts are coded. Your GST return is ready. That took 4 minutes instead of 4 hours." Not: "Unlock the power of AI-driven financial automation for your enterprise."

Colours: Dark charcoal background (#1a1a2e), trade-orange accent (#e85d26), white text. High contrast for dusty phone screens on job sites.

Typography: Inter for body (clean, modern, readable at small sizes). Headings in Inter Bold. No serif — too formal for trades.

Do/Don't: Do show real trade scenarios (invoice from Placemakers, bank feed from ANZ). Don't use generic "business" imagery. Do use NZ-specific references. Don't use American spelling or USD.

Questions

If someone saw your landing page, your email, and your invoice side by side with no logo, would they know it's the same company?

• Which element of the brand guide would your ICP notice first — and is that the element you've spent the most time on?
• If your competitor copied your colours and fonts, what would still be distinctly yours?
• What brand constraint feels most restrictive right now — and is that the one protecting you from drift?