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Brand Identity • Template

Brand Imagery Style Guide Template

Imagery is one of the fastest ways to look “on-brand” (or “random”). This template helps you define a few rules so your website and social look consistent even when you’re moving fast.

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Copy/paste template

Keep it simple: define the “feel,” the subject focus, and a few do/don’t rules.

Template

BRAND IMAGERY STYLE GUIDE (TEMPLATE)

1) What should our imagery FEEL like? (3 words)
- Example: “Warm, honest, energetic”
- Our 3 words: ____________________________

2) Primary subject focus (what we show most)
- People (customers/team) / Product / Place / Process / Results
- Our primary: ____________________________

3) Photography rules
- Lighting: natural / bright / moody / high-contrast
- Color tone: warm / cool / neutral
- Composition: clean / busy / close-up / wide / lots of negative space
- Backgrounds: solid / real environments / textured
- Do: ___________________________________
- Don’t: _________________________________

4) “Do / Don’t” examples (write 3 of each)
DO:
1) ______________________________________
2) ______________________________________
3) ______________________________________

DON’T:
1) ______________________________________
2) ______________________________________
3) ______________________________________

5) Graphic style (for icons, illustrations, patterns)
- Icon style: outline / filled / mixed (choose one)
- Stroke weight: thin / medium / bold
- Corners: sharp / rounded
- Shapes: geometric / organic
- Texture: flat / grain / subtle gradients

6) Where we use imagery
- Website: hero, about, services, testimonials
- Social: posts, stories, ads
- Email: newsletter, promos

7) Checklist before publishing
- Does this match our 3 words?
- Does it match our lighting/tone rules?
- Does it match our icon/graphic style rules?

Examples (so it feels concrete)

Local service business

Feel: Clean, trustworthy, calm
Do: Real photos of the team at work, bright natural light, clean backgrounds
Don’t: Overly staged stock images with fake “smiling call center” vibes

Boutique retail

Feel: Premium, minimal, warm
Do: Neutral backgrounds, soft shadows, close-up texture shots, consistent angles
Don’t: Busy backgrounds and inconsistent filters

Fitness studio

Feel: Energetic, gritty, motivating
Do: Action shots, contrast, real sweat, strong composition
Don’t: Generic “perfect” stock photos that feel fake
Next: icon style guidelines

Pro tip: consistency beats "perfect"

Small businesses don't need a giant design system. You need repeatable rules that you can follow every week.

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