# Brand Guidelines

> Creates comprehensive brand identity systems including logo concepts, color palettes, typography scales, imagery direction, and voice/tone guidelines. Use when establishing a new brand, evolving an existing brand identity, or creating brand standards documentation. Do NOT use for general graphic design without a brand strategy context.

- Skill: `knuckles-team/brand-guidelines` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add knuckles-team/brand-guidelines`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/knuckles-team/brand-guidelines/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Design & Media
- License: MIT
- Author: Knuckles-Team (https://skillmd.com/u/knuckles-team)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/knuckles-team/brand-guidelines

---

# Brand Guidelines Creation

Build coherent brand identity systems that express a company's values, personality, and positioning through visual and verbal language.

---

## Brand Identity Components

A complete brand guideline covers:

1. **Brand Foundation** — mission, values, personality, positioning
2. **Logo System** — primary mark, variations, clear space, minimum sizes, misuse
3. **Color Palette** — primary, secondary, neutral, and semantic colors with hex/RGB/CMYK
4. **Typography Scale** — typefaces, weights, sizes, line heights, hierarchy rules
5. **Imagery & Iconography** — photography direction, illustration style, icon system
6. **Voice & Tone** — brand personality, writing principles, do/don't examples
7. **Usage Examples** — applying the system across touchpoints

---

## Process

### Step 1: Brand Discovery

Before creating visual systems, understand the brand foundation:

- **Mission & Values**: What does the brand stand for? What problem does it solve?
- **Audience**: Who is the primary and secondary audience? What do they care about?
- **Personality**: If the brand were a person, how would they speak and act? (e.g., confident but approachable, innovative but trustworthy)
- **Competitive context**: How should this brand differentiate visually and verbally?
- **Existing assets**: Are there any locked assets (logo, colors) that must be preserved?

### Step 2: Color Palette

Build a systematic palette:

```
Primary Color
  - Primary 500 (main brand color): #hex
  - Primary 400 (lighter, hover states): #hex
  - Primary 600 (darker, pressed states): #hex

Secondary Color
  - Secondary 500: #hex
  - Secondary 400: #hex
  - Secondary 600: #hex

Neutrals
  - Gray 50 (backgrounds): #hex
  - Gray 100–900 (body text, borders, surfaces): #hex values

Semantic Colors
  - Success: #hex
  - Warning: #hex
  - Error: #hex
  - Info: #hex
```

Color rules to define:
- Minimum contrast ratios (WCAG AA: 4.5:1 for body text)
- When to use primary vs secondary vs neutral
- Dark mode variants if applicable

### Step 3: Typography Scale

Select 1–2 typefaces and define the complete scale:

```
Display (headings h1–h3):
  Font: [Typeface Name], [Weight]
  Sizes: 48px / 36px / 28px
  Line height: 1.1–1.2

Body:
  Font: [Typeface Name], Regular / Medium
  Sizes: 16px (base), 14px (small), 12px (caption)
  Line height: 1.5–1.6

Monospace (code):
  Font: [Monospace Font]
  Size: 14px
```

### Step 4: Voice & Tone Guidelines

Define the brand's verbal personality:

**Brand personality traits** (pick 3–5):
- e.g., Direct, Warm, Expert, Playful, Trustworthy

**Writing principles:**
- Use active voice
- Keep sentences under 20 words for key messages
- [Brand-specific rules]

**Tone variations by context:**
- Customer support: more warm, empathetic
- Marketing copy: more energetic, aspirational
- Product UI: more direct, helpful, brief

**Do/Don't examples:**
```
✅ "Get started in 5 minutes" (direct, benefit-focused)
❌ "Users are able to begin the onboarding process" (passive, wordy)

✅ "Something went wrong. Let's try again." (warm, collaborative)
❌ "Error 500: Internal Server Error" (cold, technical)
```

### Step 5: Logo System Guidelines

Document logo usage rules:

- **Primary logo**: full color on white/light backgrounds
- **Reversed logo**: white on brand-color or dark backgrounds
- **Monochrome**: single-color version for constrained contexts
- **Clear space**: minimum clear space = [X] height of logo
- **Minimum size**: [X]px digital / [X]mm print
- **Misuse**: show 5–6 common errors (don't stretch, don't rotate, don't add effects)

---

## Output Format

Deliver brand guidelines as a structured markdown document with:
- Section headers for each component
- Color swatches shown with hex codes
- Typography examples with visual hierarchy
- Do/Don't tables for voice/logo usage
- Clear, scannable layout for design and marketing teams