Are
you looking to start a business but don’t know where to
begin when it comes to the design of your brand identity? A style guide is key
for creating a strong, cohesive look and feel for your business. As a designer,
it can be daunting trying to come up with all the right elements needed for
this kind of document. That’s why an AI
Headshot Generator is essential to get more inspiration.
To help kickstart your creative juices and get inspired, we have
compiled 17 inspiring style guides from leading startups in various industries.
These comprehensive resources offer insight into how each company went about
designing their logo, fonts, colors palette and more – giving you tips on how
you can develop yours too! So let’s dive in…
What is a style guide and why is it
important for your brand identity?
A style guide is critical for establishing and maintaining a
consistent brand identity. It provides guidelines around language, tone, and
design to create a cohesive experience for your audience across all
touchpoints.
For startups in particular, a style guide helps convey a
professional image as you grow and scale. It standardizes things like logo use,
color palettes, terminology, voice and tone, and more so that multiple people
can contribute to your brand in an aligned way. With a style guide, you can
strengthen brand recall and recognition, which is essential to winning
customers and standing out in a crowded market. Overall, a style guide is key
to refining and protecting your brand as you evolve.
World-renown brands have one thing in common. They all have a
great style that anyone can recognize, even from afar. A simple guide that
contains all the specifics of your brand style is one of the keys to doing the
same in your niche. You will have stunning designs that speak of your brand
with a style guide.
17 inspiring style guides for startups
to help you create a unique brand voice
A style guide is essential for startups to establish a
consistent and unique brand voice. An effective style guide defines the tone,
voice, and rules around how a brand communicates across all channels. For
startups, a style guide helps to cut through the noise and stand out to
customers.
We analyzed 17 inspiring style guides from successful startups
to highlight key elements like word choice, formatting, imagery, and more that
you can leverage to craft your own powerful style guide and shape your brand
identity.
Take
a look at these style guides examples to encourage you to make your own:
1.
Medium
Aside from typography and colors, you can see that the company included details
about its purpose and product principles as the primary factors to consider
when making its designs.
2.
NASA
Yes, NASA has a complete brand guide on its logo and other branding elements.
They call it the “Graphics Standards Manual,” and it describes logo placements,
colors, and different branding rules.
3.
Wolf
Circus Jewelry
The complete brand guide of this company is all about maintaining an elegant
appearance. Along with the logo variations, color palette, and typeface, its
style guide includes its mission statement and product details. They also have
another set of guides that is exclusive to advertisements.
4.
Scrimshaw
Coffee
The brand uses a five-code color palette to achieve a relaxed, friendly, and
modern look. Its brand guide specifies the secondary logos that can be used
depending on the design.
5.
Ollo
The company provided a brand guide but what is unique about it is that it encourages
designers to be creative when using their style. Of course, they have specified
the typeface and color codes to adhere to Ollo’s branding.
6.
Netflix
Who does not recognize Netflix? The company emphasizes its logo and provides a
public brand guide for its treatment.
7.
Skype
As one of the world’s favorite video chat apps, Skype is keen on product phrasing
and logo placement, as described in its brand guide.
8.
Alienware
The sleek aesthetics is what make this brand distinct. Their style guide is categorized
according to voice, design, photography, and partnerships.
9.
I Love
New York
Despite having a simple style, the I Love New York Brand offers a thorough narrative
about its mission, vision, story, and target audience. There is, of course, an
informative guide about its logo positioning and other brand essentials.
10.
Espacio
Cultural
The elaborate color palette of this cultural center may be intimidating, but it
does have a fantastic brand guide to refer to. The guide has a breakdown of
every color code and logo placement, so it will be easy to create a design for
the center.
11.
Spotify
You might say that Spotify has a simple style, but the green icon has three
color codes and a few logo variations.
12.
NJORD
Even a minimalist style, like this one from NJORD, needs a brand guide to keep
the logo and color palette uniform for web and print use.
13.
Jamie
Oliver
Like how a chef is meticulous with his cooking, Jamie Oliver’s style guide is
comprehensive.
14.
University
of the Arts Helsinki
Instead of a traditional branding guide, the University of the Arts Helsinki
style guide is like a creative branding album.
15.
Herban
Kitchen
The brand guide for Herban Kitchen has a color and texture palette. The
guidelines also show how storefronts should look from the outside.
16.
Urban
Outfitters
This brand is quite known for having a Californian vibe in its style.
Everything about their branding and brand philosophies is included in their
brand guidelines.
17.
Love to
Ride
This brand has a visually-pleasing style guide that details all its logos,
imagery, and nine color codes.
How to create a style guide that
reflects the tone of your brand
A style guide establishes the tone and voice of your brand and
ensures consistency across all communications. When creating a style guide for
your startup, focus on reflecting your brand personality. If your brand is fun
and quirky, incorporate an informal tone with colorful language. If your brand
is sleek and modern, adopt a minimalist style guide with a concise yet
compelling writing style. Include specific examples to illustrate your tone and
cover all types of content, from blog posts to email marketing. A strong style
guide helps you connect with your audience in an authentic way and gain brand
recognition through a consistent experience across touchpoints.
Tips on how to use language and visuals
in the style guide that matches your brand’s personality
A startup’s style guide is essential to crafting a consistent
brand identity. Everything from the language and tone of voice to the visual
elements like colors and logos should align with your brand’s personality. For
example, if your brand is playful and casual, incorporate an informal writing
style and bright colors in your style guide. If your brand is more serious and
professional, opt for formal language and a minimalist design with neutral,
high-contrast colors. Pay close attention to the finer details like specific
word choices or spacing between elements to create a style guide that
authentically represents your brand.
Conclusion
In conclusion, developing a style guide is an essential
part of setting up a successful business and creating a strong, unique brand
identity. When it comes to building your style guide, you should invest in
language and visuals that define the heart of your brand. Having a
comprehensive style guide will help you attract customers to your products or top online branding services and set you
apart from the rest. Moreover, making sure to keep it updated regularly will
help ensure that all employees stay on the same page in terms of company
culture and messaging—ultimately, taking your brand to the next level. By
following these tips for creating an amazing, memorable style guide, you can
confidently pursue excellence in customer experience, forever aligned with your
core values.
