What should a startup brand book include?
A brand book should answer the questions your team asks consistently: which logo to use, which colors and fonts, how to write, and what good looks like. For an early startup, that can fit on one or two pages. As the team grows, it becomes a full guide with templates, so people can make things on their own without the brand drifting.
The essentials, at any stage
- Logo: the versions, clear space, minimum sizes and what not to do.
- Color: the palette with values for screen and print, and how much of each to use.
- Type: the fonts, sizes and how they work together.
- Voice: a few sentences on how the brand speaks, with examples.
What to add as you grow
- Mission, values and positioning, so new hires understand why the brand looks and sounds the way it does.
- Graphic elements, illustration and icon styles.
- Photography and video direction.
- Examples across real uses: the website, decks, social, email, packaging and events.
- Templates your team can edit, like decks, social posts and one-pagers.
How long should it be?
Long enough to answer real questions, and no longer. A seed-stage company is often well served by a one- or two-page brand sheet. A Series A company usually needs around 15 pages. A company with several products or teams may need 30 pages or more, plus separate guides for specific kinds of work, like video, events or packaging.
Keep it alive
The best brand books are used, not filed. Keep them somewhere easy to find, update them when the brand learns something new, and pair them with templates so the right choice is also the easiest one.
Examples
Our past work includes brand books for Sofar Ocean, Covariant, and Kilter. Every Studio Massenzio brand project ends with a brand sheet or a brand book, depending on the level. See our Offerings page or start a conversation.
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