A 10-page identity system built from scratch for a Mazda specialist garage in Swindon — covering colour, typography, logo usage, tone of voice, and imagery direction.
The Brief
The logo was done, the website was live, and the client had a clear visual direction. But without a written rulebook, none of that is protected. Colours get changed, fonts drift, the logo ends up squashed on a flyer — and the brand quietly falls apart.
The brief was simple: document everything. Capture every decision — why the orange, why Montserrat, how the logo works at small sizes — and package it into something the client could hand to a printer, a sign-maker, or a social media manager and trust they’d get it right.
It also needed to be a polished deliverable in its own right. Not an internal notes doc. Something that looked and felt as considered as the brand it was describing.
Deliverables
Brand name, essence, personality, and tone of voice defined and documented.
Seven core values and a clear vision statement for consistent internal and external messaging.
Correct and incorrect usage, clear space rules, dark and light background versions, placement examples.
Full palette with hex, RGB, CMYK, and Pantone references for every colour across print and digital.
Typeface hierarchy — Montserrat Bold for headlines, Montserrat Regular for subheadings, Canva Sans for body.
Photography style guide: close-up, high-contrast, low directional light — the visual language of the brand spelled out.
Full Scope
Brand Colour
The primary colour does the heavy lifting. Vibrant burnt orange commands attention and signals the brand instantly. Deep charcoal grounds everything. The supporting greys keep layouts balanced without softening the brand’s edge.
Approach
Good brand guidelines don’t just describe what to do — they explain why. Every section of this manual opens with the rationale behind each decision, so whoever picks it up next — a printer, a sign-maker, or a future designer — understands the thinking, not just the spec.
The photography direction is a good example. Saying “use dark, high-contrast images” isn’t enough. The manual specifies close-up over wide shots, directional light over flat studio light, raw metal and worn tools over posed setups. That level of detail is what actually keeps a brand consistent in practice.
The document itself was designed to the same standard as the brand. Layout, hierarchy, spacing — it all follows the same visual rules it’s describing. A brand guidelines manual that doesn’t look like the brand is its own contradiction.
Services Used
Related Project
This brand guidelines manual was produced as part of a full end-to-end package for First Class Services Automotive — which also included the website build, logo redesign, and SEO setup. View the full project for the complete picture.
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