How to Create Brand Guidelines: What to Include in Your Brand Book (With Checklist)
Short answer
Brand guidelines are the rulebook for how your brand looks and sounds everywhere. A practical brand book includes your positioning and personality, tone of voice with examples, logo usage and clear space, colour codes, typography, imagery and photography style, layout and template examples, Arabic and English usage rules, and dos and don'ts. Keep it short enough to use, store it where the team works, and give templates so people do not have to start from scratch.
Key takeaways
- ✓Consistency builds recognition and trust.
- ✓Show examples, not just rules.
- ✓Include Arabic usage if you market in the Gulf.
- ✓Templates make guidelines actually get used.
What to include
| Section | Contents |
|---|---|
| Brand foundation | Purpose, positioning, audience, personality |
| Voice | How you sound, words to use and avoid, examples |
| Logo | Versions, clear space, minimum size, misuse examples |
| Colour | Primary and secondary colours with exact codes |
| Typography | Fonts for English and Arabic, sizes, hierarchy |
| Imagery | Photography style, illustration, icons |
| Layouts | Social posts, ads, presentations, packaging |
| Arabic usage | Right-to-left layouts, Arabic fonts, translation rules |
| Dos and don'ts | Visual examples of right and wrong |
Want this applied to your brand?
We will find the psychology behind your lost sales and show you what to fix first.
Book a Growth AuditWhy consistency matters
People recognise brands by repeated, distinctive cues such as colours, shapes and phrases. Every inconsistent post weakens that memory. Strong guidelines help a growing team, freelancers and agencies produce work that looks like one brand.
Making guidelines stick
- Keep the core guide short; link to details.
- Create templates in the tools your team uses.
- Run a short onboarding session for new staff and agencies.
- Review new work against the guide before publishing.
- Update the guide once or twice a year.
See how to name your business, brand positioning and branding costs in Dubai. Husbar builds brand identities and guidelines; book a Growth Audit.
A simple outline you can follow
- Brand story: who you serve, what you promise and why you exist.
- Positioning and personality: three to five words that describe how you sound and behave.
- Logo: versions, minimum sizes, clear space and what not to do.
- Colours: primary and secondary colours with exact codes for print and screen.
- Typography: fonts for headings and body text, in English and Arabic.
- Imagery: photo style, illustration rules and examples.
- Voice and tone: writing examples for ads, social posts and customer service.
- Templates: social posts, presentations, email signatures and documents.
Mistakes to avoid
- Making a beautiful PDF that nobody opens. Put templates where your team works.
- Forgetting Arabic typography and right-to-left layouts.
- Being so strict that the team cannot create content quickly.
- Never updating the guidelines as the brand grows.
If you are starting from scratch, define positioning first; see brand positioning for small businesses and how to name your business.
Share the guidelines in a short onboarding session with every new team member and agency partner. Ten minutes walking through real examples of right and wrong usage does more than a long document sent by email.
What are brand guidelines?+
A document that defines how a brand looks and sounds, including logo, colours, fonts, imagery and tone of voice.
How long should brand guidelines be?+
Long enough to be clear, short enough to use. Many small brands work well with a concise guide plus templates.
Do I need Arabic in my brand guidelines?+
If you market in the Gulf, yes: include Arabic fonts, layouts and translation rules.
Who should use brand guidelines?+
Everyone creating for your brand: team, freelancers, agencies and partners.
Can Husbar create our brand guidelines?+
Yes, as part of brand identity projects.
Can I create brand guidelines myself?+
Yes. Start with a simple version covering logo, colours, fonts and voice, then expand as you grow.
How often should brand guidelines be updated?+
Review them when your brand, products or audience change, and add new templates as needed.
Should brand guidelines include social media rules?+
Yes. Add examples of good posts, approved templates, tone of voice for comments and replies, and how to use Arabic and English together.
Sources
- Sharp, B. (2010). How Brands Grow. Oxford University Press.
- Husbar branding projects.
Team Husbar
Husbar Editorial
Team Husbar is the strategy, psychology and research team at Husbar, a psychology-led growth agency headquartered in Dubai. Together we have worked with 100+ brands over 10+ years.
Want this applied to your brand?
We will find the psychology behind your lost sales and show you what to fix first.
Book a Growth Audit