Public or Private Brand Guidelines
Some brands publish their guidelines for anyone to read. Others keep them behind a link only the team and partners know. Which is right depends on who needs to see them. This article helps you choose between public or private brand guidelines, and explains how each works in Melon Cut.
The case for public guidelines
Public guidelines are useful when people outside your company regularly work with your brand:
- Press and bloggers can find the correct logo and name spelling without emailing you.
- Partners, sponsors and resellers can follow your rules without asking.
- Freelancers and agencies can start work on their own.
- Customers and fans can see what you stand for.
A public page also shows that the brand takes itself seriously. It becomes a place people go to for the right files, so fewer wrong versions circulate.
The case for private guidelines
Private suits you when:
- The brand is new and still changing.
- It contains plans not yet announced, such as a rebrand or product name.
- Only a handful of people ever need it.
- You want to finish it before showing anyone.
Nothing is lost by starting private. You can decide later.
How it works in Melon Cut
Every brand in Melon Cut Guidelines starts on Free. Free is the full editor, but the guidelines are private: they open only from their own link, they are not in the directory, and the brand has no username. Anyone you send that link to can see the guidelines. Nobody else will find them by searching.
A paid plan for that brand gives it a public page in the directory at meloncut.com/{username}, where {username} is the name you choose. See the pricing page for plans.
Questions to ask yourself
- Would I be happy if a competitor read this?
- Do outsiders often ask me for logos or colors?
- Is everything in the guidelines already public knowledge?
- Is the brand stable enough to be the official version?
If you answer yes to the second, third and fourth, public is a good fit. If the first worries you, stay private or remove what is sensitive first.
A middle path
Many brands start private, use the link with a designer or printer, and go public once the guidelines settle. Remember that a link can be forwarded, so do not put anything in a private set that would be harmful if it spread. For sharing with a person, see Share Brand Guidelines with a Designer.
Prompts to help you decide
List the sections of a typical brand guidelines document and mark which are safe to publish and which a company might keep internal, for a bakery chain planning a new logo.
Write a short public introduction for our brand guidelines page that tells press where to find logos and how to spell our name.
Review the wording before publishing.
In Melon Cut
Start in Melon Cut Guidelines on Free, finish your guidelines, then decide. Either way, Melon Cut Design can use the brand when you name it with @.