/ Branding
What are brand guidelines and do I need them?
A document specifying how your brand is used: logo rules, colours, type, imagery and tone. Needed as soon as anyone else makes your materials.
/ 01
The short version
Guidelines exist to stop a printer, signmaker or freelancer inventing their own version of you.
/ 02
What actually matters
- • Logo versions, minimum sizes and clear space.
- • Colour values in HEX, RGB, CMYK and Pantone.
- • Typography hierarchy with examples.
- • Photography style and what not to do.
- • Tone of voice with real before/after examples.
/ 03
The bit most people get wrong
A ten-page practical document gets used. A sixty-page brand bible gets filed and ignored.
/ 04
What to do next
If you don't have guidelines, write a one-page version today: logo files, colours, fonts, tone.
/ 05
Where RIOT fits in
We're a small Colchester studio helping UK SMBs get brand guidelines right without agency waste or freelancer flake. If you've read this far and you want a second opinion on your specific setup, book a 20-minute call and we'll tell you honestly whether it's worth doing anything at all.
We work with clients across Essex, Suffolk, London and the wider UK — and remotely with brands abroad. No lock-in, no monthly retainer minimums, no pretending your problem is bigger than it is.
/ FAQs
Common questions
What do guidelines cost?
£250–£1,000 for a small business document.
Who needs a copy?
Printers, signmakers, web developers, anyone making materials.
Still not sure?
Book a free 20-minute call — we'll answer your specific version of this question with no sales pitch.
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