Brand guidelines review
Brand guidelines shape everything a company publishes. We review proposed guidelines before they are approved, and give you recommendations your marketing firm can act on.
Fixing a color pairing in a guideline document costs far less than fixing it in every product that follows it. This page explains how a review before approval works.
Who this is for
- Marketing and brand leaders about to approve new or updated guidelines.
- Agencies and marketing firms preparing guidelines for a client.
- Digital teams who will have to apply the guidelines to websites and products.
When teams usually get in touch
A brand refresh or new guidelines are close to approval, and you want to catch accessibility problems before they are baked into every template, campaign and product.
What is in scope
- Review of the proposed color palette and the color pairings the guidelines recommend.
- Review of typography guidance, such as sizes, spacing and weights, for digital use.
- Review of guidance on imagery, graphics, motion and text alternatives.
- Review of tone and writing guidance where it affects how easy content is to understand.
How we approach it
- Agree which guideline documents and digital applications are in scope.
- Review the guidelines and the examples in them, noting where guidance would lead to barriers when applied.
- Prepare recommendations in terms your marketing firm can apply, including accessible alternatives where a proposal is a problem.
- Walk through the recommendations with you and, if helpful, with the marketing firm.
Likely deliverables
Exact deliverables are agreed when we scope the work. They may include:
- Annotated recommendations tied to specific parts of the guidelines.
- Color pairing guidance showing which combinations to use, and for what.
- Suggested accessible alternatives where a proposed element is a barrier.
- A short briefing for the marketing firm.
Limitations
- Brand decisions stay with the brand's owners. We recommend; we do not redesign the brand.
- A review of the guidelines does not guarantee that everything later produced from them will be accessible.
- It is not legal advice, a certification, or a guarantee of compliance or of any particular outcome.
What helps us scope
- The draft guidelines, with any supporting files such as color and type specifications.
- Where the brand will be applied, for example website, product, print or video.
- Who is approving the guidelines, and by when.
- The marketing firm's contact, if they should be part of the discussion.
How scoping starts
Scoping starts with a free introductory conversation about the guidelines, your timeline and who needs to be involved. If it looks like a fit, we agree the scope together before any work begins.
Questions teams ask
Will accessibility requirements limit our brand?
They constrain some choices, such as color pairings and text sizes, but rarely the brand as a whole. The recommendations show where flexibility exists and where it does not.
Can you work with our existing marketing firm?
Yes, if you want that. Recommendations are written so the firm can apply them, and a joint walkthrough is part of the method.
Do you review the finished website or campaign?
This offer focuses on the guidelines before rollout. Reviewing finished work is a different scope that we can discuss.
Have a project in mind?
Start with a free introductory conversation about what you are building, buying or publishing. If it looks like a fit, we agree the scope together before any work begins.