Brand Guidelines • How-to
Brand Guidelines Rollout Plan (30/60/90)
Guidelines don’t work because they exist. They work because people use them. This plan helps you roll out guidelines across your team and freelancers without slowing down.
The rollout plan
This is designed for small teams. It’s not about meetings—it’s about preventing rework and drift.
Days 1–30: Make v1 usable (and find the leaks)
Create a guidelines v1, centralize assets, and stop the biggest consistency breaks.
Tasks
- Create v1 guidelines (keep it short)
- Centralize assets (one folder + one doc link)
- Pick one icon set and one font pairing
- Standardize your primary CTA button style (website + landing pages)
- Run a quick consistency audit (identify top 3 issues)
Success looks like
- You have a single source of truth
- New assets match the same logo/colors/fonts
- Your website buttons and typography feel consistent
Days 31–60: Train the team (and lock the process)
Make consistency easier than inconsistency by adding a lightweight workflow.
Tasks
- Assign a “brand owner” (one accountable person)
- Create a simple RACI (who approves what)
- Create templates: social, deck, email signature, invoice header
- Run a 30-minute team training (how to use guidelines)
- Create a “brand request” checklist for new assets
Success looks like
- Team knows where to find assets
- Approvals are clear (no confusion)
- Templates reduce rework and drift
Days 61–90: Audit + improve (make it scale)
Add a monthly QA loop so consistency stays strong as you grow.
Tasks
- Do a monthly brand QA check (website + social + email)
- Fix the top 3 consistency issues each month
- Improve the guidelines doc based on real usage (not theory)
- Add examples: do/don’t screenshots, approved templates, correct logo usage
- Onboard freelancers with a “brand starter kit”
Success looks like
- Consistency improves month-over-month
- Freelancers ship on-brand faster
- Your brand looks “designed” across channels
Freelancer onboarding “starter kit”
If you send freelancers this starter kit, you’ll save time and reduce inconsistency immediately.
Starter kit checklist
- Guidelines link (v1)
- Logo files (SVG/PNG/PDF) + icon/mark
- Palette (primary + accent + neutrals) + CTA color
- Fonts (heading + body) + sizes
- 3 imagery examples (do) + 3 (don’t)
- Templates (social/deck/email signature)
Want a “v1 guidelines” doc today?
Use the interactive Brand Guidelines Template. Then run the Consistency Audit Tool to find what to fix first.