# What is Brand guidelines?

> Brand guidelines are a short document setting out how your business should look and sound: logo use, colours, fonts and tone of voice.

- Source: https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/brand-guidelines
- Publisher: Nerdsharks (Exeter, Devon, UK)
- Updated: 2026-09-26

Also called: brand book, style guide, brand identity, visual identity.

Brand guidelines, sometimes called a brand book or style guide, write down the rules for presenting your business so it looks the same everywhere: website, van, uniforms, business cards and social media.

For a small business they can be very simple: your logo files, two or three colours with their exact codes, one or two fonts, and a few notes on how you talk to customers.

Large agencies sometimes produce enormous brand documents. A local business rarely needs more than a page or two, as long as someone actually follows it.

## Why it matters for a small business

Looking consistent makes a small business look established. When the website, van livery and Google profile all match, customers remember you and trust you more. It also saves time and money every time you get anything printed or designed.

**Example:** A plumber's one-page brand guide lists the navy and orange colour codes, the logo in two versions, and the font name. The sign-writer, the web designer and the printer all get the same sheet.