One thing that every business can benefit from is consistency. This is especially crucial when you are trying to create a strong brand. If everyone in your company is presenting your company in different ways then you are sure to confuse current and potential clients. You want your company to be known for its style and strong image. It is important to have a set of rules that everyone can follow in order for communication to remain the same across all mediums. One easy way to create this consistency is through the use of style guides.
Style guides could also be considered business procedure manuals. Essentially, a style guide is a set of guidelines that dictates how all business communication should be handled. This would include business cards, logos, emails, promotional and marketing materials, and other business documents. Other things that might be included in a style guide are pre-formatted templates and designated text guidelines.
Style guides can answer a number of different questions including what the font styles and sizes should be. They can also standardize the formats for headers and footers as well as designate company colors. Other things to consider are margin specifications, alignments, border sizes, spacing, bullet points, and languages. You might also put out some of the common terminology and keywords that should be included in the text of marketing materials.
Pixels & Press can help you develop a style guide that implements easy to follow business procedures but leaves room for growth and further development.