How can you keep your brand at the heart of your business?
Brand Book
A brand book (also visual identity guidelines, brand manual, style guide) is a document that details a company's visual identity, along with rules and guidelines for any public-facing communications.

Brand guides set forth rules for (and how to use) the logo design system, typeface/font, color palette, pattern/style, layout composition/imagery, illustrations, icons, and tone, along with the brand's mission, vision statement, positioning, and values.
Challenge
You can imagine a colleague joining your team and needing to use a particular font or place the company logo in a specific position. With the brand book, your colleagues will know exactly what to apply for. Your marketing team will know what tone of voice to use, and your management team will be aware of exactly what to do or not to do.

Without a set of established rules, everyone within your company can make and present whatever they think fits; as a result, they will express their own personality rather than showing the brand's identity.
Changing the company's design style or communication approach will make the brand look and feel confusing; distorting messages may result in long-term damage to the brand's value or reputation; the brand's identity and credibility will be diluted.
Solution
There are two main reasons for having a brand book: consistency and personalization.

Defining your brand guidelines will help you ensure that every segment of your company follows guidelines co-agreed by the brand consultant, brand department and the main directive board.

Every internal and external marketing activity, as well as marketing campaign, marketing communication, product and service provide relies on brand books.
Case Study
Holtmann Since 195O

Two images, one message, and more market share.

Holtmann Group (Holtmann GmbH & Co. KG, Mesomondo GmbH and Expomondo GmbH) has been an integrated service provider for trade shows and events since 1950, headquartered in Langenhagen, Germany.
Holtmann is one of the leading trade fair and event service providers in Germany and the world.

In 2018, as Holtmann Design- and Brand Consultant, along with rebranding and brand strategy transformation, the definition and design of a distinct image and identity was put on the agenda.

After three months of deep research and analyzing more than 100 international trade fair and event companies in Germany, we found about 30 companies that use the word Messe+Event in their subclaims, title or slogan. More than twenty companies also had black and white in their corporate colors.

My suggestion was to define a brand architecture and create a new (sub) brand with a completely different and unique image, as well as to develop Holtmann with a completely fresh approach.

Holtman Since 195O was born as a symphony of orange and white as a main color, silver and anthracite as the accent color. Traditional Holtman but, instead of black and white, a combination of gray, anthracite and orange was chosen as the accent color.

There were no other trade fair and event companies in Germany at that time using such a corporate color combination. Our goal was to create a new, relevant brand with an emphasis on design rather than construction. There are two distinct images that are created in the minds of the audience; one, the serious color of anthracite and white symbolizing the company's seventy years of experience; and the other, an orange and white combination symbolizing a young and ambitious approach to gaining market share. Read more...
FAQ
Here is an overview of the most frequently asked questions about brand book.
Let's talk about your brand
How can a brand book help you build a better brand?

We invite you to attend our Brand Workshop in order to achieve better results. The goal is to gain a better understanding of you, your brand, and your brand vision. This will enable us to provide you with the most effective brand strategy, brand design, and brand growth.
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