Style Guide
The rulebook for applying a brand consistently.
A style guide (or brand guidelines) documents how to use a brand's identity — logo usage, color values, typography, spacing, imagery, and tone of voice. It keeps every team member and partner consistent.
For digital products, the style guide and the design system overlap: the brand rules feed directly into design tokens and components.
Key characteristics
- A reference documenting how a brand's visual and verbal elements should be used.
- Covers logo usage, colour, typography, imagery and tone of voice.
- Keeps output consistent across teams, agencies and time.
- A focused subset of a fuller brand or design system.
Example
A style guide specifies the minimum logo clear-space, the exact brand hex codes and that copy should "sound like a knowledgeable friend" — so freelancers stay on-brand.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a style guide and a design system?
A style guide documents brand rules (logo, colour, type, voice). A design system goes further with reusable coded components, tokens and interaction patterns for building products.
Why does a brand need a style guide?
It ensures everyone — internal teams and external partners — represents the brand consistently, which builds recognition and trust over time.
Related terms
Need this done, not just defined?
I design and build it — Framer sites, product UI/UX, and more.