Description
When you reach out to an advertising agency, they will ask if you have prepared (or have prepared) a Brand Book. It will assist your creative team, or their creative team, in providing all the necessary visual tools and media and/or collateral without having to come back every week bothering you for approval. The problem for the average startup is that these books tend to be relatively expensive.
In my experience, to ensure consistency of messaging, I suggest that you have at your side a document called The Elemental Brand Guidelines – no more than 10 pages in length. It will provide your initial group of employees and partners a comprehensive understanding of your vision and how it should be applied and communicated, visually and verbally, whether as content upon your website or in a speech given at a trade show.
This document outlines in a simple manner how your company needs to be perceived by your targeted consumers. When the time is right for you, it then forms the foundation of the Brand Book your ad agency (or internal creative team) will need as your company expands and the messaging begins to reach new audiences in different territories around the world, whether online, on television, radio stations or in print media.
Elementally, you and your employees need these guidelines in order to speak in concert with each other and communicate consistently the values and principles of your defined brand, which, in brief, differentiates your company from the competition and helps to position your offering in the marketplace as one that can be trusted, and thus attract and retain customers over the long-term.
SCOPE:
- Consultant will review existing collateral and related documents
- Consultant will explore and explain creative options
- Consultant will provide input and clarify specific issues
- Includes 3-4 live meetings with Client typically lasting 15-20 minutes
OUTPUT:
- An Elemental Brand Guidelines, easily understood, delivered within a few weeks
- The text-only document (no logos or graphics) will be provided in PDF format
ASSUMPTIONS:
- Client will provide constructive feedback and guidance in meetings
- Client will review and accept the plan within 5 days of final submission
- Out-of-scope or additional requests will require a separate Engagement
- Includes up to 4 rounds of revisions based on Client feedback
