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Brandx — for business branding

Brand and Strategy

Write the rules down, or watch the brand drift.

A practical guidelines document — and the templates that make following it easier than ignoring it.

Typical timeline
3–5 weeks
Growth stage
Build

The problem this solves

Guidelines usually fail for one of two reasons. Either they do not exist, so every new supplier reinvents the brand, or they exist as a beautiful 90-page PDF nobody opens because it answers questions no one is asking. What people actually need is: which colour for this, what size, and where do I get the file.

Who this is for

Organisations where more than one person or supplier produces branded material — which in practice means almost anyone with a marketing team, an agency, a printer and a sales department. Particularly valuable before onboarding new vendors or opening a second location.

Deliverables

  • Logo usage: lock-ups, clear space, minimum sizes and the misuses that actually happen
  • Colour system with roles, accessible pairings and print references
  • Typography for Latin and Devanagari, with a working type scale
  • Photography and illustration direction with approved and rejected examples
  • Layout, grid and spacing rules
  • Tone of voice with real before-and-after examples
  • Application standards for digital, print, film and signage
  • Asset library with everything downloadable in the right format

How we run it

  1. 01

    Audit

    We collect what has been produced recently and find where the brand has already drifted. Those drifts tell us which rules are missing.

    You receive

    Application audit with drift examples

  2. 02

    Rule definition

    Rules are written to answer real questions from real people. Anything that would not change a decision is left out.

    You receive

    Draft rule set

  3. 03

    Documentation

    Designed as a working reference — searchable, with the answer visible before the rationale.

    You receive

    Guidelines document

  4. 04

    Enablement

    Templates and an organised asset library, so the compliant option is the fastest one.

    You receive

    Template pack and asset library

Tools and platforms

  • Figma or PDF documentation, depending on how your team works
  • Shared asset library with versioned downloads
  • Canva or Figma templates for non-designers
  • WCAG contrast validation for every published pairing

Commissioning this

Three ways to buy this work.

As part of a monthly plan, inside a custom plan built around your quantities, or as a standalone project quoted in a written proposal.

What the fee does not cover

  • Identity design itself — this documents an existing system
  • Hosting fees for the brand hub
  • Type licences
  • Ongoing design production

Available add-ons

  • Hosted brand hubA password-protected web hub for assets, templates and rules. Hosting is billed separately at cost.
  • Supplier briefing sessionA working session with your printers and vendors so specifications are understood before the first job.

Frequently asked questions

How long should brand guidelines be?
As long as it takes to answer the questions people actually ask, and no longer. A focused twenty pages that gets used beats ninety pages that does not. We size the document to the number of people and suppliers who have to follow it.
Can you write guidelines for an identity you did not design?
Yes, and it is common. We audit what exists, document what is working, and flag where the current system contradicts itself — you then decide whether to codify it or correct it first.
How do we stop people ignoring the guidelines?
Make the compliant route the easy one. Most non-compliance is not defiance, it is somebody at 9pm who cannot find the right file. Templates and an organised asset library fix more of this than any policy does.

Related services

  • Complete Brand IdentityThe full identity system — mark, typography, colour, imagery, layout and applications — designed together so it holds up in use.
  • Logo DesignStandalone logo design with the full file set, built to survive every application it will actually meet.
  • Brand StrategyThe full strategic foundation — audience, positioning, messaging, architecture and tone — written so the whole team can apply it without asking.

Ready to talk about brand guidelines?

A working session, not a sales call. We will tell you if this is not the thing you need.