What a brand guide should actually contain
Most brand guides are too long to read and too vague to use. Ours fit on twelve pages.
By Mariam Adel | 30 May 2026 | 1 min read
A brand guide has one job: help someone who was not in the room make a good decision. Most guides fail because they document everything and explain nothing.
Twelve pages, five sections
- The idea. One page on what the brand stands for, in plain words.
- The logo. Versions, spacing and the three mistakes people make.
- Type and colour. What to use for headlines, body and small print.
- Photography. Light, framing and what we never shoot.
- Voice. How the brand sounds, with before and after examples.
Show the wrong way
The most useful pages in any guide show what not to do. A stretched logo or a clashing colour teaches faster than a paragraph of rules.
- Identity
- Process
Mariam Adel
Creative director
Mariam founded Sunday Thought after ten years in agency brand teams. She leads strategy and art direction on every project.
