Does your association have a brand? Of course it does. How strong do you think your brand is portrayed? If you are like many associations, you probably have volunteers working to market and promote your association. Do those volunteers use consistent branding in their pieces? Odds are you may find them all using wonky fonts, unusual colors, bad imagery, etc. – which can muddy your organization’s brand and make it unfamiliar to its members and weaken its potential. Remember, your association has a preconceived value based on how it looks.
One of the best ways to help combat issues with identity is to create a style guide for your organization. A style guide is a way to distinguish brand standards and guidelines for anyone involved in the branding and marketing of your organization. It will give everyone a set of guidelines to follow and adhere to.
Style Guides Include, but are not limited to:
- Logo / Brand Marks
- Fonts / Typography
- Color Palettes
- Imagery / Photography Style
- Voice and Tone
- Icons
- Print Guidelines
- Digital Guidelines
- Social Media Policies
- Templates
- Core Purpose, Mission Statement and Values
If your organization is struggling with keeping a consistent brand, I suggest you look at creating a style guide. You can start with the most basic of topics, such as logo use, fonts and colors and then build it up over time.
Creating and designing style guides is one of many things the IntrinXec Creative Team can help your organization with. If you are interested in learning more, get in touch with Severyn Skoug, the creative director at IntrinXec Management. 952.564.3065 or sskoug@Intrinxec.com.
I would also like to take a moment to promote our game DiceBreaker. The DiceBreaker game is designed specifically to help association leaders and volunteers get to know each other through a fun, interactive game. Find Out More and learn how to get a copy!
