This week, we were given the task of taking a brand and producing brand guidelines for them based on what we see across their platforms/products etc.
What are brand guidelines?
They are a set of rules and instructions on how the brand should be presented. This can include rules on their logo, colours, typography, images, advertisements, tone of voice, word bank etc. This helps people who are not designers understand why things are the way they are. It also keeps a consistent look and feel throughout a brand.
Audible
Audible is a company owned by Amazon which provides digital audiobooks.
Brand story
“We are a company whose entrepreneurial spirit has defined us since our founding in 1995. We are pioneers and inventors who are not afraid to disrupt the status quo, and we apply that innovative approach to everything we do—from revolutionizing an art form to enacting positive change in the cities and countries in which we operate.”
They are very much proud of where they came from and their history. On their website they have a timeline of significant moments in their brand journey. This makes them seem trustworthy and dependable as the audience can see they have been around for a long time.
Brand message/tone of voice/word bank
“Audible is the leading creator and provider of premium audio storytelling, offering customers a rich destination for insight and inspiration to enhance their daily lives.”
Their overall tone of voice comes across as modern, new, exciting, and innovative, using words such as “cutting edge technology”.
They have “people’s principles” which show how they want to act towards their customers:
- “Be customer obsessed”: They always want to hear the voice of their customers to make their lives better.
- “Imagine and invent before they ask”: This goes back to them being innovative and creating new and exciting things.
- “Articulate the impossible and move fast to make it real”
- “Study and draw inspiration from culture and technology”
- “Activate caring”
Word bank:
- Improve/enhance
- Meaningful
- Cutting-edge
- Passionate
- Innovation
- Advanced
- Entertainment
- Education
- Storytelling
Logo
When displaying the wordmark and logo on a white background, use the dark grey colour shown below. When displayed on a dark background, use white. The logo must remain the yellow colour. It can not be placed on a background colour which makes it hard to read. The spacing between the letters must remain the same and not be distorted.
The logo should be high resolution, the correct colour and not distorted.
Colour pallet
This is the colour pallet that should be used for the logo and other elements of the brand. This includes, the app, website, advertising, social media etc.
Typography
The typography for the website and other elements of the brand is Arial. It is simple, easy to read and should remain consistent throughout all text. Headings should be displayed in bold to make them stand out. Underlined elements in yellow.
- Body font size: 15px
- Line height: 1.75
- Colour: #4c4c4c
Imagery
All images are our own and they should be HD and not pixilated or distorted in any way. Images on our website must be displayed in a rectangle. Not to be placed in circles, triangles etc. Any text placed over images should be clear and easy to read in terms of colour, size and typography.
