3 brand style guides I’ve used in the past 24 hours
and why they work well…
What is a style guide?
A brand guideline, brand style guide, brand identity book, they’re all the same. This guide governs the composition, design, and general look-and-feel of a company’s branding. Style guides can include things like a logo, typography, color, website specs, advertisement information, and similar marketing collateral.
This is a great resource I found of a list of useful and well designed style guides | Written by Karla Cook
I couldn’t decide which style guides were the best (there are so many), so I decided on brands that I’ve used in the past 24 hours. Those include:
NETFLIX. See what’s next.
Netflix’s style guide is short, sweet and to the point.
Netflix does not have an actual book (in PDF form), but rather a site showing their style guide. This is a nice change from the usual because I feel as though they’re able to show off their style even more. For example, the banner image used at the top of the page is really neat.
They describe themselves as having an,
“arc of a vintage CinemaScope and the signature Netflix red, our wordmark is iconic.”
This iconic wordmark is even downloadable! Making things super easy for the user.
View their full style guide here.
SPOTIFY. Music for everyone.
Spotify’s style guide is pretty similar to Netflix’s style guide. It is quick, easy and useful.
Spotify’s style guide has no fluff, making navigation through the guide super easy and fast.
Like Netflix, Spotify does not have an actual book. This makes things uncomplicated when trying to understand their brand. There are even clickable links for downloading assets.
View the full style guide here.
MEDIUM. Where words matter.
Medium’s style guide is consistent, clean, and interesting.
Consistency is key in layout design. One detail I especially enjoyed was the repetitive logo placement in the top left hand corner of each page. Even on pages with a full bleed image, the logo stays consistent, without being too distracting.
Medium’s entire brand is very clean. This makes them inviting for tons of audience members, and easily followable and legible. It’s as though you’re looking at a beautifully organized picture book, except you’re reading about Medium.
Medium has always been interesting to me.
“Medium taps into the brains of the world’s most insightful writers, thinkers, and storytellers to bring you the smartest takes on topics that matter. So whatever your interest, you can always find fresh thinking and unique perspectives.”
That alone, holds so much power, but their style guide is intriguing as well. They have a beautiful balance of imagery and text all the while providing important information.
View their full style guide here.
