Design manual

With a design manual
you avoid deviations &
achieve consistency,
creating a more
professional look

Imagine your brand was a human being. What clothes would the brand wear?

Would you know how often the brand wears a shirt and whether the shirt is tucked in or not? Does the brand want a recognizable clothing style? If the answer is no, you probably need a design manual.

A design manual is not just a set of logo and color rules – it’s your brand’s visual DNA. It creates structure, recognizability and direction so you communicate consistently and professionally across media.

When everyone in your organization works from the same visual guideline, your brand becomes vibrant and strong. You build trust, pride and a look that lasts – both digitally and physically.

Let’s take a closer look at why a design manual is so important and how it can elevate your brand.

Et velkendt brand i menneskeform, med en tøjstil der stemmeroverens med brandidentiteten

(A personification of a well-known brand, hint: A half-eaten apple.)

Writer

Writer

21/10/2025

Frederik Bjerre Andersen
Brand Strateg
fa@brandsurface.dk

What is a design manual?

A design manual (also called a brand manual or brand guideline) is your company’s visual identity in writing.

It defines how your brand looks and feels – from colors and fonts to logo usage, image style and tone of voice.

In short:

It is your visual identity in one placeso that everyone who communicates on behalf of your company does so with the same look and quality.

A design manual can contain many different points, but a standard looks like this:

  • Logos, variants and placement guidelines
  • Color palettes with CMYK, RGB and HEX codes
  • Typography for print and digital platforms
  • Examples of layout and use of images
  • Guidelines for tone, mood and communication

Hos Brandsurface we work with design manuals that not only look good – but works. They are designed to make life easier for everyone who designs, writes, prints or communicates on behalf of the brand.

Why is a design manual important - 6 reasons why

1. Consistency creates recognizability

A brand without guidelines quickly loses its shape.
When the colors change, the logo is squeezed at an angle and the typography changes from brochure to website – you lose what matters most: Recognizability..

According to studies, consistent branding can consistent branding can increase brand recognition by up to 80%..
It’s no coincidence that strong brands like Rynkeby, Lego and Carlsberg use meticulous design manuals. They know that consistency breeds trust – and trust breeds sales.

At Brandsurface, we help companies to define and maintain their visual identityso the brand appears professional and credible – every time.




2. It makes design work easier and faster

With clear guidelines in place, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel over and over again.
The design manual will be a practical tool that ensures everyone – from graphic designer to marketing coordinator – is working to the same standards.

What it means:

  • Less time spent on proofreading and approvals
  • Fewer misunderstandings between departments and suppliers
  • Consistent quality across materials

In a nutshell:
You save time, avoid mistakes and look more professional.
It is effective communication in practice – and exactly what we help our customers achieve.




3. It creates pride and ownership internally

A brand isn’t just about how the world sees you – it’s also about how you see yourself.
When employees know the brand’s visual identity, they become proud ambassadors. They understand what the company stands for and how to express it.

In Brand Surfaces own design manual it says:

“Being part of Brand Surface is about constant development and striving to be creatively inspiring.”

That sentence sums up what a good design manual does:
It unites everyone around a common visual narrative and makes it easy to live the brand

4. It ensures quality across media

Today, your brand lives everywhere – on screens, packaging, business cards and social media.
Without a design manual, you quickly end up with a visual mess where each medium has its own style.

A well-designed manual takes into account both print and digitalso the look and feel is preserved regardless of platform.
At Brandsurface we use e.g. Alright Sans for print and Ubuntu online – two fonts that play well together but work best in separate contexts.
It’s all about quality and attention to detailthat ensures the brand always looks sharp.

5. It leaves room for creativity

It may sound paradoxical, but a fixed framework unleashes creativity.
When everyone knows the visual rules of the brand, designers and marketers can work freely within them – without the brand losing its context.

As we say at Brandsurface:

“We create solutions that stand out – without compromising the brand identity.”

A good design manual doesn’t limit, it steers creativity in the right direction.
The result? Campaigns and materials that vary in expression but still feel like “you”.



6. It makes it easier to scale and grow

As your business grows, more people need to be able to work with the brand – internally, externally, maybe even internationally.
The design manual serves as a common reference pointthat ensures the brand retains its common thread, no matter who’s behind the keyboard.

At Brandsurface we help many companies develop cross-media design manualsthat work in both print and digital contexts.
This makes it easier to grow – without losing your identity.



How to build an effective design manual

As a minimum, a professional design manual should include:

  1. Brand mission and values - so everyone understands the purpose.
  2. Logo and tagline - including distance, location and minimum size.
  3. Color palette - with CMYK, RGB and HEX codes.
  4. Typography - for headlines, body text and digital formats.
  5. Layout principles - so that composition and hierarchy are consistent.
  6. Tone of voice and image style - to match the language and mood.
  7. Examples in practice - such as presentations, social media graphics and packaging.

At Brandsurface we often deliver the design manual as a living, digital documentso the guidelines are always accessible - and can be easily updated as the brand evolves.

A design manual should live - not gather dust

A design manual is not a static document, but a constantly evolving tool.
Your brand changes – and so should your manual. New platforms, audiences or product lines require adjustments.

A design manual is more than a collection of logos and color codes – it’s the heart of your visual identity.
It ensures recognizability, strengthens quality and builds trust – both internally and externally.

All in all, it makes communication easier and more consistent and gives you a more professional look – something that all sizes of business can benefit from.