Brand guidelines template
A short, printable brand style guide that fills itself in from your logo, colours and fonts. Edit any text on the page, then save it as a PDF to share with printers, freelancers and staff.
Northwind brand guidelines
Logo versions
Use the full-colour logo wherever possible. Use the reversed version on dark backgrounds and photos, and the one-colour version when printing in a single ink.
Clear space and minimum size
Keep an empty margin around the logo equal to the height of the symbol (marked “x”). No text, images or edges may enter this area.
Minimum size: 25 mm / 100 px wide. Below this, use the symbol on its own.
Please don't
Colour
RGB 217, 72, 28
CMYK 0, 67, 87, 15
4.3:1 on white
RGB 242, 177, 52
CMYK 0, 27, 79, 5
1.9:1 on white
RGB 42, 26, 20
CMYK 0, 38, 52, 84
16.7:1 on white
RGB 249, 242, 240
CMYK 0, 3, 4, 2
1.1:1 on white
Use roughly 60% neutral, 30% primary and 10% accent. Keep the accent for buttons and highlights. Body text is always the Text colour on a light background.
Typography
Headings: Montserrat
Aa Bb Cc 123
Body: Karla
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Set body text at 16px or larger with 1.5 line spacing.
Both fonts are free under the SIL Open Font License and can be downloaded from Google Fonts.
Voice & tone
We sound: friendly, clear and confident. We write like we talk to a customer at the counter.
- Use short sentences and everyday words.
- Say “we” and “you”.
- Be specific: prices, times and names beat adjectives.
Want this written for your brand? Generate your brand voice with AI and it appears here.
Contact for brand questions: hello@yourbusiness.com
What goes into brand guidelines (and why)
Brand guidelines, also called a brand style guide or brand book, exist so that anyone producing something for your business gets it right without asking you. For a small business, the four pages above cover almost everything:
- Logo versions so nobody puts a dark logo on a dark photo.
- Clear space, minimum size and misuse so the logo is never squeezed, stretched or crowded.
- Colour codes in HEX for screens and CMYK for print, so the brand colour stays the same colour everywhere.
- Typography so your website, menus and flyers look like one business.
- Voice so your social posts and emails sound like you.
Questions people ask
What should brand guidelines include?
At minimum: the logo and its versions, clear space and minimum size, what not to do with the logo, the colour palette with HEX, RGB and CMYK codes, the typefaces and how to use them, and a short section on voice and tone. This template covers all of these on a few printable pages.
How long should a brand style guide be?
For a small business, two to six pages is plenty. Big companies have 100-page books because many teams use them; you need something a freelancer reads in five minutes.
How do I use this brand guidelines template?
Make your logo in LogoStudio (or use the sample), optionally generate your brand voice on the brand kit page, then fill in the editable fields on this page. Click “Print / save as PDF” and choose “Save as PDF” in the print dialog.
Is this template free?
Yes, completely, without an account. Everything stays in your browser.
What is logo clear space?
The minimum empty area around the logo where no other text or graphics may go. A common rule is to use the height of a recognisable part of the logo, such as the symbol or a capital letter, as the unit. It keeps the logo from looking crowded.