Brand Canvas

Most SMEs don't have brand guidelines set out for their company, because, well, they have more important things to do - like looking after their customers. The Brand Canvas Template solves this problem by making it easier than ever to bring the key elements of your brand together in one place.

The Canvas will help you maintain standards in all of your marketing content by acting as a one-stop shop for your logo, fonts, colors, email signatures, document templates and, most importantly, your core value proposition.

Fully Customizable

The canvas has space for all the key brand elements, ready to be tailored to your business - company boilerplate, brand values, fonts, logos, colours and even your own document templates.

Easy To Use

Simply download the Brand Canvas template, and in 10-15 minutes you will have it complete. There is even a step-by-step guide on the next page.

Consistency = Professionalism

This tool helps you to achieve one of the 3 C's of great marketing; consistency. Now all your staff can work from the same principles when putting together company communications.

Guide to Using the Brand Canvas Template

Simply download the template file (.docx format), fill in the fields with your company details and save as a PDF. This can then be sent to staff to ensure your business, and your brand, is consistent across all communication touchpoints.

Below are step-by-step instructions to fill out the Brand Canvas template correctly.

Brand Canvas Template 1Step 1. Modify Styles & Colors

The first thing to do is to update the styles ribbon to your chosen fonts (Home / Styles, right click and click Modify).  Then right-click each of the color boxes (Section 5) and fill each with your brand colors. To fill this out properly, you will need to choose:

  • Font(s) for each header size and body text
  • Color for each header size and body text
  • Color for Primary, Secondary, Support and Call to Action use

We will come back to these sections later.

Brand Canvas Template 2
Step 2. Restrict Editing
Once you are happy with your Headings, Body Text, colors etc., click Review / Restrict Editing. In the pane that opens check the box for '2. Editing Restrictions' and choose 'Filling in forms'. Click 'Yes, Start Enforcing Protection'. This will turn the canvas into a form, making it easy to fill out the rest.

 

Brand Canvas Template 3Step 3. Start Inserting Your Details

The first field is your company name in the header - type in your company name and make the  brand canvas your own! From there it is a case of following the sections 1 - 7. The first one is looking for your company boilerplate copy and the second your brand values. Simply click the text boxes and replace with your own.

Step 4. Your Logos

The first box is for your standard logo and the second for a one-color version that can be used on media with color backgrounds. You can then indicate the ideal location for the logo on documents using Document Position.

 

STEP 5. FONTS & COLORS

If you completed the first step then the fonts will have auto-updated. Simply insert the details (font, color, size) in the grey text area. Same again for colors - just write over the grey text.

STEP 6. EMAIL SIGNATURE & TEMPLATES

For the signature put in your own details and your logo. (When we click 'Stop Protection' at the end you can hyperlink the logo and LinkedIn follow button to your website and LinkedIn respectively).

In Templates & Links, list all of your document templates, again you can hyperlink directly to their location on your company intranet when we're done.

 

STEP 7. SAVE & EXPORT

Once your happy with your Brand Canvas, click 'Stop Protection'. Then copy the email signature table to your email provider of choice. You can hyperlink your email signature and templates at this time.

Finally click File / Export / Create PDF/XPS - and voila! You're done, and your Brand Canvas is ready to go to all staff, and help to deliver slick marketing communications.