46 Brand Guideline Global

# Brand Guideline — [Brand name]
Last updated: [date] | Owner: [name] | Version: [x.y]

## Part 1 — Brand foundation
Brand personality: [Brand] is [three precise adjectives] — not [three adjectives to avoid].
(Example only: "Sharp, Practical, Empowering — not Corporate, Fluffy, Generic")

Brand voice in visual work:
- Seeing our design, a viewer should feel: [...]
- A viewer should never feel: [...]

## Part 2 — Color system
Primary palette:
| Name | Hex | RGB | Use when | Do not use when |
|------|-----|-----|----------|-----------------|
| [primary color] | [hex] | [rgb] | Headings, CTAs, dominant grounds | Ground for long-form body text |
| [secondary color] | [hex] | [rgb] | Accents, highlights, figures, icons | Large-area backgrounds |
| [background color] | [hex] | [rgb] | White ground, cards, content areas | — |

Secondary palette:
| Name | Hex | Use when |
|------|-----|----------|
| [strong text color] | [hex] | Body text and headings on light grounds |
| [muted text color] | [hex] | Subtext, captions, metadata |
| [light background color] | [hex] | Light section grounds, cards, tags |
| [gradient] | [primary] to [secondary] | Hero, CTA section, covers |

(Illustrative example only — replace with the real brand values: primary navy #0F4C81, secondary amber #F2A104.)

Approved combinations:
- [primary color] ground + light text
- Light ground + [primary color] heading + [secondary color] accent
- Gradient [primary to secondary] + light text
- [light background color] + [primary color] text

Forbidden combinations:
- [secondary color] as a large-area background
- Light text on [light background color] (insufficient contrast)
- Three or more dominant colors in one asset
- Any color outside the palette without approval
- Neon or oversaturated colors that break the brand tone

## Part 3 — Typography
Primary fonts: [heading font] (headings) / [body font] (body). Fallback: [fallback font], sans-serif.

| Style | Weight | Size range | Used for |
|-------|--------|-----------|----------|
| Display | Black 900 | 48-72px | Hero headline, large figures |
| H1 | Bold 700 | 36-48px | Page or post headline |
| H2 | Bold 700 | 24-32px | Section heading |
| H3 | SemiBold 600 | 18-22px | Card heading |
| Body | Regular 400 | 14-16px | Paragraphs |
| Caption | Regular 400 | 11-13px | Metadata, timestamps |
| CTA | Bold 700 | 14-16px | Button text |

Typography don'ts:
- No fonts outside [heading font] / [body font] / fallback
- No ALL CAPS for long paragraphs
- No justified text
- No body text below 13px (print) or 14px (mobile)
- One typeface family, many weights — do not mix families

## Part 4 — Logo usage
| Version | Use when | File |
|---------|----------|------|
| Full logo (color) | Header, cover, first slide, landing page | SVG + PNG @2x |
| Full logo (light/reversed) | On dark grounds or [primary color] | SVG + PNG @2x |
| Icon only (color) | Watermark, favicon, story, avatar | SVG + PNG @2x |
| Icon only (light) | Dark grounds, small sizes | SVG + PNG @2x |

Rules:
- Minimum clear space 16px on every side — never crop tight
- Minimum width 80px (below that it loses definition)
- Place on a light ground or [light background color] — never on a busy photograph

Logo don'ts: no rotation, no stretching or squashing, no added shadow/outline/glow, no colors outside the approved versions, no placement that muddies the mark.

## Part 5 — Imagery and visual style
- Photography: [tone — for example warm, natural, candid but professional] — no filters that fight the brand tone
- Prefer real people; avoid generic stock that dilutes the brand
- Never use images carrying another source's watermark
- Icons: [line / filled rounded] — single-color in [primary color] or [secondary color]
- Backgrounds: [approved grounds] — no busy patterns; keep flat, maximum two blended colors
- Watermark logo stays subtle in a corner

## Part 6 — Component rules
Primary button: fill [primary color], light bold 15px text, radius [x]px, padding 12x24px, hover ~10% darker
Secondary button: transparent, 1.5px border [primary color], text [primary color], hover fill [light background color]
Card: light ground, 1px soft border, radius 12px, soft shadow, padding 24px
Tag/badge: ground [light background color], text [primary color] 12px medium, pill radius, padding 4x12px
Divider: 1px soft neutral (roughly 8% black)

## Part 7 — Standard asset sizes
Social: square feed 1080x1080 (1:1), portrait feed 1080x1350 (4:5), story/reels/TikTok 1080x1920 (9:16), Facebook cover 820x312, LinkedIn post 1200x627, Pinterest pin 1000x1500, YouTube thumbnail 1280x720
Meta ads: feed 1080x1080, story 1080x1920 (keep content ~14% off the top and bottom edges), carousel 1080x1080 (2-10 cards), link banner 1200x628
Documents: slide 16:9 1920x1080, A4 portrait/landscape, email width 600px
(Full table with safe zones and resize strategy: read `50-asset-resize-global`.)

## Part 8 — Accessibility, dos and don'ts, file organization
Accessibility (WCAG 2.2 Level AA):
- Body text contrast at least 4.5:1 against its background
- Large text (18pt / 24px, or 14pt / 18.66px bold and above) at least 3:1
- UI components, icons, and graphical objects carrying meaning at least 3:1
- Never convey meaning by color alone — pair it with a label, icon, or pattern
- Minimum 14px display type on mobile; captions on all video
- Note: accessibility is legally enforced in many markets (ADA and Section 508 in the US, the European Accessibility Act in the EU) — treat AA as the floor, not the goal

DO:
- Use generous whitespace — do not fill every gap
- Keep hierarchy obvious: H1 dominant, supporting text smaller and lighter
- Keep text legible on a phone (>=14px)
- Keep spacing consistent on an 8px grid
- Pick one alignment and hold it
- Preview on mobile before sending for approval
- Put the logo on every asset

DON'T:
- More than three colors in one asset
- Text over busy imagery with no overlay
- Fonts or colors outside the guideline without approval
- JPG exports below 85% quality

Naming: [Brand]_[Campaign]_[AssetType]_[Size]_[Version]_[Status]
Status tags: _DRAFT / _REVIEW / _APPROVED / _ARCHIVED
Folders:
/[Brand]/Brand Assets/ (logo, fonts, icons)
/[Brand]/Campaigns/[CampaignName]/Assets/Working|Final|Archived/

Brief from the lead
  -> Designer confirms objective, audience, platform, mood
  -> Concept MVP (HTML or fast draft — 30 minutes max)
  -> Lead approves the concept
  -> Production in Canva / Figma / Adobe Express against this guideline
  -> Export at the correct sizes, named to convention
  -> Save the source link into the asset library, files into shared storage