Let’s assume that you have gone to some trouble and expense to produce a beautiful logo, website and prospectus – even gone the whole hog and invested in a purposeful brand identity and development programme. By now, you will have come to appreciate the importance and value of a great logo, good design, typography and layout.
How annoying, then, when a well-intentioned member of staff rides roughshod over all that and produces a document, e-newsletter, poster or PowerPoint that looks totally different!
The answer is to produce a set of Brand Guidelines which:-
(a) explains the importance of sticking to an established set of rules and
(b) explains precisely how to do it.
A set of Brand Guidelines is a printed or digital document that can be sent to everyone involved with the marketing of your school, be they professionals used to adhering to brand guidelines, or enthusiastic ‘amateurs’ who might find themselves producing something outside of your marketing team’s remit.
It should also be made easily available to all office and teaching staff; in short anybody who produces documents that are seen or used by anybody either inside or outside of your school.
The guidelines will include when and how to use the School’s logo, including how to size and locate it, the typefaces and colours to be used for headings and backgrounds, the treatment and content of photographs and specimen layouts. Any pre-agreed variations required for different departments or schools within the same group can also be included.
A successful communications strategy relies on its individual parts coming together to create a whole. Understandably, this may not be obvious to the uninitiated who may very well regard such considerations to be an irritating and unnecessary distraction. Nevertheless, the importance of brand guidelines cannot be over emphasized and some education and explanation may be required amongst those involved.
A good set of Brand Guidelines is an excellent start.
The team at Smarter Reach is always on hand to discuss and explore these options.
