I found that the main elements that should be covered in these guidelines include:
- Voice and tone
- Logos
- Colour pallet
- Typography
- Imagery
Before creating my own brand guidelines, I thought it was important to look at another example to give me an idea on how to lay it out and what to include.
Netflix
I found that the brand guidelines for Netflix are quite short and don’t go into a lot of detail. This has shown me that I don’t need to over-complicate things by adding unnecessary details as this makes it harder to follow and understand. Instead, I should just include what is essential.
They give some details on their primary logo. This is the logo they want to be used where possible. They talk about how they use the red on black logo to create a cinematic feel.
They give some information on their secondary logo which is the letter “N”. This consists of two colours which they provide the hex code for. The two tones of red give it dimension and makes it different from the full Netflix logo.
It’s important to include where the logo can be used. If someone were to put their wordmark on a different coloured background, this will mess up the consistency. Using a different colour has the potential of making the wordmark hard to read. Instead, it is either displayed on black or white because this is what people know and what works.
Their guidelines also give examples of exceptions on when the colour of the wordmark can change. An example can be seen below where it is used as a watermark on a video. I think it is important to show this as it shows people when it is or isn’t appropriate.
They also give examples of what to avoid. This makes it clear what they don’t want their brand to look like. I think this is important for consistency and their tone of voice.
Providing these rules lets people know how and why they should use different things to give the brand a consistent feel. I like how simple they have kept the guidelines as it makes it much easier to follow. This is something I will consider when creating my own.
Looking at this example has given me inspiration for what I should include in my brand guidelines and how I should lay it out. I made a mind map of the things I should include:
