Style Guide
If you are thinking of designing your website yourself, you must know what a style guide is. I assure you that your work will get very complicated if you don’t create a style manual for your brand. You may end up burned and with a website that does not have the image you expected.
A style guide is a manual that defines the identity of your brand, its colors, fonts, or the tone in which you are going to address your clients. In short, all the necessary elements to build a solid image.
What if I don’t have one? Most likely, your website will end up being a mix of elements without coherence between them. I imagine that is not what you want for your business, right? That is why I have prepared a list with 5 points to define your brand’s image.
Table of Contents
1. Define your Audience
The first thing you must do before starting the design phase is to identify your ideal client. It is a crucial decision that many people overlook and that you should not forget.
Don’t worry. It is normal to have doubts at first. Think about the being who may be interested in consuming your content (your ideal customer) and talk to him.
Please do not make the mistake of covering all audiences, thinking that it will be better because it is not. Focus on a well-defined audience and try to capture their attention. Your business will be much more successful this way.
2. Choose your Brand Colors
Now that you know your audience, it will be much easier for you to build a brand capable of capturing their attention. The next step to achieve this will be to choose the right colors for your website. Create a palette of a maximum of 4 colors and respect it at all times.
Try not to make weird mixes. There are tools like Adobe Color CC that will help you create a combination quickly and easily. Remember that the colors you select should reflect the character of your brand. You have to feel comfortable with them and transmit values that identify you.
3. Select the Fonts
The world of fonts is immense, and if you start browsing through it, you will indeed find millions of fonts that you want to use in your project. Please do not do it. Choose a clear and straightforward letter that does not distract people’s attention. Your visitors have to remember the text they have read, not that the blog’s letter was very cool.
I always recommend not choosing more than two fonts for the design of a website. The first, for titles and headlines, can be a little more risky and striking. The second, for the texts of pages and articles, should be a letter that facilitates reading and does not attract special attention.
4. Images with the Same Style
Creating a mood board with images representing you or your company can help you define the design you want for your website. The tones and spirit they reflect must be consistent with your brand and content.
In the mood board, you must apply the color palette and the chosen fonts, in addition to looking for a type of photography with which you identify: light backgrounds, blurred edges, vintage aesthetics, etc.
5. Choose your Words Wisely
How are you going to address your readers? In a severe and informal tone you, there are many ways to connect with your audience, but without a doubt, words are your great weapon.
Define your style and not change it because it will differentiate you from the competition. For example, if you look at my articles, you will see that I always write informally, addressing directly a specific person. This is not by chance. Think about how you want to talk to your readers and still use the same tone.