Brand Guidelines for a New Business

By Melon Cut ·

A new business has no history to copy from. That is both the problem and the opportunity. Brand guidelines for a new business can be written before the first sign is painted, which means your first customers meet a brand that already looks like itself. Here is the order that works, starting with what you need on day one.

Before the guidelines: answer four questions

Write one or two sentences for each.

  1. What do we sell, and to whom?
  2. Why would someone pick us over the alternative?
  3. What three words should customers use to describe us after meeting us?
  4. What do we refuse to be?

If you can't answer these, don't design anything yet. Every later choice depends on them.

Day one: the minimum

You can open the doors with just this:

  • The name, spelled and capitalized one way.
  • One logo with a light and a dark version.
  • A main color and a neutral.
  • One font for everything.
  • A one-line description of the business.

Write each as a decision. Not "something blue" but a specific color code. Store them in one place and use only these.

First month: add what you notice

As you make real things, the gaps appear. You will need an accent color for buttons, a second font for headlines, an answer to "do we use emojis?" and a rule for how the logo goes on photos. Add each rule the first time you face the question. That keeps the guidelines practical.

First quarter: write down the voice

By now you have written enough to hear how you sound. Gather a dozen real messages, captions and replies. Mark the ones that feel right. What do they share? That is your voice. Write three traits with examples. See How to Write a Brand Voice.

Mistakes new businesses make

  • Copying a competitor's look. You become forgettable.
  • Choosing everything at once, then ignoring it. Start small and follow it.
  • Making the logo before knowing the business. The logo should fit the answers above.
  • Skipping the file system. Keep the originals in one place from day one.
  • Changing too often. A brand needs repetition to be recognized.

Test on the first three posts

Make an opening announcement, a product photo and a story, using only your guidelines. If they feel like one brand, you're in good shape.

Create an opening announcement post for a neighborhood bike shop called Spoke & Co, sunny storefront with bikes outside, space at the top for a headline: "We open Saturday".

Write three short captions for the opening post in a friendly, direct voice. No exclamation marks.

Check the dates and the address on anything before it is posted.

In Melon Cut

Start your brand in Melon Cut Guidelines. It begins on Free: the full editor, private, opened from its own link, not in the directory. Fill it in as you go, then name it with @ in Melon Cut Design. For a scaled-down approach to the whole job, read Brand Guidelines for Small Business. Prices and plans are on the pricing page.

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