/46-brand-guideline-global

name: 46-brand-guideline-global
description: "Use when brand VISUAL rules have to be created or updated — brand personality, color system, typography, logo usage, imagery and visual tone, component rules, accessibility contrast, standard asset sizes, and file naming. It is the source document every design skill and the Brand Hub reads. Trigger on 'brand guideline', 'brand book', 'style guide', 'brand standards', 'our designs all look different', 'update the brand palette'. Also use when the user has a logo and nothing written down. Not for — how the brand SOUNDS in writing, see `35-brand-voice-global`; positioning and the message, see `58-positioning-global`; briefing one asset, see `42-image-brief-global`; scoring a design, see `47-design-review-global`."
metadata:
  version: 1.0.1
  category: strategy
license: MIT
triggers:
  - "brand guideline"
  - "brand book"
  - "brand identity"
  - "style guide"
  - "brand standards"
  - "brand palette"
  - "update the brand guide"
output: "File .md — brand guideline in 8 parts: foundation, color, typography, logo, visual style, components, standard sizes, naming. It is the source of truth for skills 42-50 and for the Brand Hub in 34-ai-marketing-os-global."
related:
  - product-marketing-context-global
  - 34-ai-marketing-os-global
  - 30-design-master-global
  - 42-image-brief-global
  - 45-design-tool-brief-global
  - 47-design-review-global
  - 49-html-email-template-global

Brand Guideline (Global)

A brand guideline is not a beautiful document to archive — it is a daily working tool. A good one lets everyone produce on-brand work without asking the lead. This is the foundation document: every design skill (42-50) and the Brand Hub read from it.

Information gathering

Read `.agents/product-marketing-context-global.md`, the logo files, and any existing brand material. If information is missing, ask up to 4 questions:

1. **New or an update?** If an update: what changed recently (new logo, new palette, new tone)? 2. **Scope?** Digital only, print, or both — and which platforms must it cover (Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, website, email, design tools)? 3. **Who uses it?** Designers only, or content and the wider team? 4. **What assets exist?** Logo files (SVG/PNG), confirmed color values, chosen fonts — send everything available. If colors or fonts are not settled, this skill will propose 2-3 directions with rationale.

Principles

1. **A guideline is a living document** — update it whenever a brand decision changes, and stamp the last-updated date. 2. **Every rule states when to use it and when not to.** A rule without context gets ignored. 3. **Conflicts between the guideline and a brief go to the lead,** never resolved unilaterally. 4. **New designers read it before touching any asset.** 5. **Every exception is documented.** There are no silent exceptions. 6. **The guideline feeds the Brand Hub:** once approved, push this file into the Brand Hub (`34-ai-marketing-os-global`) so every role and agent reads one source. 7. **Accessibility is part of the brand, not an afterthought.** In the US and EU it is frequently a legal requirement, not a preference.

Workflow

1. Lock the brand foundation

Three precise adjectives plus three adjectives to avoid, and the feeling a viewer should have when they see the work. If positioning is not settled, read `09-customer-insight-global` and the existing positioning first.

2. Lock the color system and typography

From the logo and the personality, set the palette (primary, secondary, background, text) and the fonts ([heading font], [body font], plus a fallback). Every color carries usage rules and a contrast check.

3. Define logo, visual style, and components

Logo versions and don'ts; photography, icon, and background style; components (button, card, tag, divider) so every asset stays consistent.

4. Standardize sizes, naming, and file organization

Asset size table by channel, naming convention, folder tree. Then set up the brand kit in the team's design tool.

Output structure

File name: `brand-guideline-[brand-name]-[YYYYMMDD].md`. Bracketed values are placeholders — fill them with the brand's real colors and fonts. The illustrative palette below is a neutral EXAMPLE only; replace it.

# Brand Guideline — [Brand name]
Last updated: [date] | Owner: [name] | Version: [x.y]

## Part 1 — Brand foundation
Brand personality: [Brand] is [three precise adjectives] — not [three adjectives to avoid].
(Example only: "Sharp, Practical, Empowering — not Corporate, Fluffy, Generic")

Brand voice in visual work:
- Seeing our design, a viewer should feel: [...]
- A viewer should never feel: [...]

## Part 2 — Color system
Primary palette:
| Name | Hex | RGB | Use when | Do not use when |
|------|-----|-----|----------|-----------------|
| [primary color] | [hex] | [rgb] | Headings, CTAs, dominant grounds | Ground for long-form body text |
| [secondary color] | [hex] | [rgb] | Accents, highlights, figures, icons | Large-area backgrounds |
| [background color] | [hex] | [rgb] | White ground, cards, content areas | — |

Secondary palette:
| Name | Hex | Use when |
|------|-----|----------|
| [strong text color] | [hex] | Body text and headings on light grounds |
| [muted text color] | [hex] | Subtext, captions, metadata |
| [light background color] | [hex] | Light section grounds, cards, tags |
| [gradient] | [primary] to [secondary] | Hero, CTA section, covers |

(Illustrative example only — replace with the real brand values: primary navy #0F4C81, secondary amber #F2A104.)

Approved combinations:
- [primary color] ground + light text
- Light ground + [primary color] heading + [secondary color] accent
- Gradient [primary to secondary] + light text
- [light background color] + [primary color] text

Forbidden combinations:
- [secondary color] as a large-area background
- Light text on [light background color] (insufficient contrast)
- Three or more dominant colors in one asset
-