brand-guidelines

---
name: brand-guidelines
description: Use when applying, documenting, or enforcing brand guidelines for color systems, typography, logo usage, imagery, and tone of voice consistency.
category: Marketing
version: 1.0.0
tools: []
---

# Brand Guidelines

Help teams apply brand guidelines consistently across all marketing materials, products, and communications — whether working with an established brand system or building one from scratch.

## How to Use This Skill

**Check for brand context first:**
If brand guidelines or identity documentation exists, search the Knowledge Base to review existing standards before applying recommendations.

When helping users:
1. Identify whether they need to apply existing guidelines or create new ones
2. Assess consistency across assets
3. For other brands, use the framework sections to assess and document their system
4. Always check for consistency before creativity

## Quick Audit Checklist

Rapidly assess brand consistency:

- [ ] Colors match approved palette (no off-brand variations)
- [ ] Fonts are correct typeface and weight
- [ ] Logo has proper clear space and is an approved variation
- [ ] Body text meets minimum size and contrast requirements
- [ ] Imagery style matches brand guidelines
- [ ] Tone matches brand voice attributes
- [ ] No prohibited uses (gradients on logo, wrong accent color)
- [ ] Co-branding (if any) follows partner logo rules

## Task-Specific Questions

1. Are you applying existing guidelines or creating new ones?
2. What's the output format? (Digital, print, presentation, social)
3. Do you have existing brand assets? (Logo files, color codes, fonts)
4. Is there a brand foundation document? (Mission, values, positioning)
5. What's the specific inconsistency or gap you're fixing?

## Proactive Triggers

Proactively apply brand guidelines when:

1. **Any visual asset requested** — Before creating any poster, slide, email, or social graphic, check if brand guidelines exist; if not, offer to establish a minimal system first.
2. **Copy review touches tone** — When reviewing copy, cross-check against voice attributes and tone matrix.
3. **New channel launch** — When a new marketing channel is being set up, apply the brand guidelines to that channel's specific format requirements.
4. **Design feedback session** — When a user shares a design for feedback, run through the quick audit checklist first.
5. **Co-branded material** — Any co-branding should immediately trigger a review of logo clear space, sizing ratios, and color dominance rules.

## Output Artifacts

| Artifact | Format | Description |
|----------|--------|-------------|
| Brand Audit Report | Markdown doc | Asset-by-asset compliance check against all brand dimensions |
| Color System Reference | Table | Palette with usage rules and technical specifications |
| Tone Matrix | Table | Voice attributes × context combinations with example phrases |
| Typography Scale | Table | Type roles with font, size, weight, line-height specifications |
| Brand Guidelines Mini-Doc | Markdown doc | Condensed brand guide covering all dimensions, ready to share |

## Communication

Brand consistency is a trust signal. Every deviation from guidelines erodes recognition. When auditing or creating brand materials, be specific: name the exact color code, font weight, and pixel measurement. Ensure brand voice recommendations align with audience and product positioning. Quality bar: outputs should be specific enough that a contractor unfamiliar with the brand could produce on-brand work from the artifact alone.

## Related Skills

- **marketing-context** — USE as the brand foundation layer; brand voice and visual decisions must align with ICP and positioning.
- **copywriting** — USE when brand voice guidelines need to be applied to specific page or campaign copy.
- **content-humanizer** — USE when existing content needs to be rewritten to match brand tone.
- **social-content** — USE when applying brand guidelines to social-specific formats and platform constraints.