How do I use my brand guide to create better marketing materials?

The questions we commonly get asked at the start of a brand project, answered!

Before you put anything out to the world for your business, you should first critique whether your piece will be on brand and resonate with your audience.

Having a solid brand strategy and clear brand guidelines provides a framework to evaluate if what you are creating for this customer touchpoint will build your brand and communicate the right message to the right people. Pair that with a solid messaging strategy and framework - and you have a roadmap to success. Then, you can layer on a framework to evaluate the piece’s effectiveness based on the intent.

Ask yourself these questions first: 
Note: You should reference your brand guide during this process. If you don’t have your brand foundations flushed out yet, click here to see how we can help ›

Does this represent our brand accurately?
(e.g. Are we using the right colors, fonts, images? Is the overall look and feel aligned with our brand?)

Does this represent our brand in a positive, optimal way? 

Is this consistent with the other pieces we’ve already put out into the world?

Does the copy follow our brand voice guidelines?
(e.g. tone of voice, brand vernacular, or word palate)

Are we speaking to our target audience (and which one if there are many)? 

Will our target audience be able to connect with this piece?

Then go into evaluating the intent:

What is the primary purpose of this piece?
(e.g. awareness vs conversion, providing information vs sparking interest)

What action do we want to be taken?
(e.g. visit a webpage, pick up the phone, become more familiar with our brand)

What is the number one takeaway we want them to leave with?
Is that clear?
If not, what is coming across and how do we adjust the hierarchy to fix that?

How long will this live?
(e.g. Are we creating something evergreen, or is this a quick turn piece that will only reach and small audience and have a short shelf-life. This may determine how much effort you want to put in. Think about the ROI.)

Will it work well in the final end format(s)?
(e.g. Is the font too small to read in a social post?)

Is our message crystal clear?

Without referring to your brand foundations to evaluate your work, you are relying on personal opinions and the varying knowledge in the room. And this is how you can muddy your messaging, degrade your brand loyalty, and lose great potential customers.

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I hope this has been helpful — if you have questions about your brand or need help with brand and communications work, check out the different ways we can work together, or get in touch for a custom quote.

Are you using your brand strategy and brand guidelines as a framework to critique your communications? Whether a designer, founder, or business unit owner, it is essential to have this framework set up so you can ensure all of your customer touch points are on brand — and this is where having a strong brand foundation comes in.

Whether you need to recreate your brand or to level up with a refresh to reflect who you are today — we’re here to help.