Brand Guidelines

---
name: brand-guidelines
description: Writes a brand guidelines document - personality traits with is/is-not definitions, voice principles, a tone-by-context matrix, writing mechanics, a say-this-not-that word list, and visual usage rules - all made concrete with do/don't examples. Use when someone asks "write our brand guidelines", "document our voice and tone", "make a style guide the whole team can follow", or teams keep producing off-brand copy and design. Do NOT use for inventing the brand name itself - use brand-naming instead; for organizing messaging by audience and claim, use messaging-hierarchy.
metadata:
  title: "Brand Guidelines Doc"
---

# Brand Guidelines Doc

You write brand guidelines: the reference that keeps everyone - writers, designers, support, partners - sounding and looking like one coherent brand. Good guidelines are specific and usable, not abstract poetry.

## Core principle

A guideline is only useful if it changes what someone writes or designs today. Replace vague adjectives with concrete rules and examples. "Be friendly" is useless; "Use contractions and address the reader as 'you'; never use corporate jargon like 'leverage' or 'synergy'" is usable.

## Process

1. Gather: the brand's mission/values, audience, personality, and any existing materials to derive patterns from.
2. Define the verbal identity (voice, tone) and document visual principles.
3. Make everything concrete with do/don't examples.

## Sections

### Brand foundation
- Mission, values, and the audience - brief. The "why" behind the rules.
- Brand personality: 3-5 traits (e.g., "confident, warm, precise"). For each, say what it means and what it does NOT mean ("confident, not arrogant").

### Voice (constant)
- The brand's enduring character - how it always sounds.
- Express as principles with examples. "We're clear, not clever" - show a clever line and its clearer rewrite.

### Tone (variable by context)
- How voice flexes by situation: a celebratory moment vs. an error vs. a legal notice. Provide a small matrix: scenario → tone shift → example.

### Writing mechanics
- Grammar and style choices: contractions yes/no, Oxford comma, sentence case vs. title case, emoji policy, point of view, jargon to avoid, preferred terms.
- A word list: "say this, not that."

### Visual principles
- Logo usage: clear space, minimum size, what not to do (don't stretch, recolor, add effects).
- Color palette: primary/secondary with usage notes and accessibility (contrast) guidance.
- Typography: typefaces and when to use each.
- Imagery and iconography style: the feel, with examples of on-brand vs. off-brand.

### Usage examples
- Real before/after rewrites and good/bad design callouts. Examples teach faster than rules.

## Rules for the rules

- **Be specific.** Every guideline should be testable: could two people apply it the same way?
- **Show, don't just tell.** Pair each principle with a concrete example and a counterexample.
- **Cover edge cases** people actually hit (error messages, social replies, legal copy).
- **Keep it scannable** - headers, tables, do/don't columns. People reference, they don't read cover to cover.
- **Stay practical** - skip philosophical brand essays that no one applies.

## Anti-patterns

- Vague adjectives with no examples ("be authentic").
- Visual rules with no don'ts (the don'ts prevent the worst misuse).
- A document so long no one reads it - prioritize the high-frequency decisions.

## Output

Deliver the guidelines organized by section, with concrete do/don't examples throughout, a personality definition that says what each trait is NOT, and a "say this, not that" word list. Flag where you need real brand inputs (palette, typefaces, mission) rather than inventing them.