Guidelines are useful when the people who produce your materials can answer a question in a minute. A good set covers the following.
- Logo versions for light and dark backgrounds, with clear space and a minimum size.
- Colours with exact values for screen and print, so a banner and a business card match.
- Typefaces for headings and body text, and what to use when they are not available.
- Misuse examples: stretching, recolouring or placing the logo on busy backgrounds.
- Photography and graphics style: what your images should feel like.
- Tone of voice in a few lines, with examples of how you write.
- Templates and file locations, and who approves anything new.