Your logo is more than just a pretty picture. It’s the face of your brand. It tells people who you are, what you stand for, and why they should care. But here’s the deal — if you don’t set rules for how your logo should be used, it might end up in some strange places, distorted, or surrounded by colors that make it cry inside.
TLDR: Your logo needs a set of brand guideline sections to keep it looking fresh and professional. These sections explain how to use the logo, where not to use it, what colors go with it, and more. Think of it like a logo instruction manual. It helps people treat your logo with the respect it deserves!
1. Logo Versions
First things first—your logo probably isn’t a one-size-fits-all masterpiece. You’ll need different versions for different uses. For example:
- Full-color horizontal logo – usually the main one people use.
- Stacked version – good for square spaces or social media.
- Black and white – for print work or monochrome needs.
- Icon or symbol – just the image part of your logo without the text.
Each one plays a part, and your guidelines should show them all.
2. Clear Space
This section answers the question, “How close can other stuff be to my logo?”
You don’t want your logo feeling crowded or smushed against other elements. So, you set clear space rules — a little invisible bubble around your logo that no one is allowed to invade. Often, it’s based on the height of a letter in your logo or the size of the icon.
Think of it like personal space. Respect it.
3. Minimum Size
Sometimes smaller isn’t better. Your logo needs to stay readable, even when tiny.
In your guidelines, include the minimum size your logo should ever be shown. This ensures it stays crisp and clear, no matter the platform. For print, this might be in millimeters or inches. For digital, use pixels.
Nobody likes a blurry or unreadable logo, right?
4. Logo Don’ts (The No-No Zone)
So important it deserves its own section: What not to do with your logo.
Logos have boundaries. They shouldn’t wear wild colors, get stretched like pizza dough, or be placed on backgrounds where they disappear.
List out those “don’ts” loud and proud. Some examples:
- Don’t stretch or squish it.
- Don’t rotate it.
- Don’t put it on colors that make it hard to see.
- Don’t change the fonts or icons.
Bonus: include visuals of messed-up logos to really drive the point home. Make it a “what not to wear” for logos. People love that stuff.
5. Color Palette
This is your logo’s best fashion advice.
List the exact colors your logo uses, including:
- HEX codes (for web)
- RGB values (for screens)
- CMYK values (for print)
Include primary colors and sometimes secondary accent colors if the logo ever appears in different formats. This keeps everything consistent and beautiful. No more guessing if that’s “company red” or just “kinda red.”
6. Typography
Your logo might include a special font. And when branding is done right, the font continues throughout your brand, tying everything together.
In this section, lay out:
- Which typeface is used in the logo
- Which fonts can be used with it (for headings, body text, etc.)
- How to use the fonts (like size, spacing, and hierarchy)
For example, “Always use Montserrat Bold for headlines and Lato Regular for body text – never Comic Sans, ever.”
7. Backgrounds and Placement
Where does your logo go? On what kind of backgrounds?
Here, explain how to place your logo on light vs. dark backgrounds. You might need variations like:
- A white version for dark backgrounds
- A color logo for light backgrounds
- A single-color version for complex images
This avoids awkward moments where your gorgeous logo gets lost in the chaos of an image or clashes with a bad backdrop.
8. File Types and Usage
It’s 2024, and file formats are still confusing.
Give users a cheat sheet with which file types to use and when:
- SVG – Best for web and scalability
- PNG – For transparency and smaller images
- JPG – Great for simple web or social media posting
- PDF/EPS – Perfect for print and large-scale work
This prevents people from stretching low-quality JPEGs on billboards or dropping PNGs into strange programs.
9. Brand Voice and Usage Context (Optional but Powerful)
This isn’t strictly about the logo, but it gives everything context.
Toss in a section about your brand’s personality and tone. Is it fun and quirky? Serious and authoritative? This helps designers and marketers understand the vibe of the brand when using the logo.
You can add sample phrases, social media posts, or mock ads here. It all helps make your brand feel like… well, you.
10. Contact Info (Just in Case)
Not everyone knows what to do with a logo guideline. So, leave them a lifeline!
Include an email or phone number they can reach out to if they have questions, or if they need a weird file variation you haven’t included yet.
Better safe than brand-wrong, right?
Wrap It Up
Your logo is a superstar, and every superstar needs a manager. That’s exactly what brand guidelines are — the superstar manual.
They make sure your logo is shown the right way, in the right place, every time. Clean, consistent, and always bringing its A-game.
So go ahead — make those guidelines. Your logo will thank you!