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Magnus Hedemark
74b8370fa7
Create comprehensive brand identity documentation for any brand: - 7 markdown templates: brand-card, strategy, visual-id, voice, application, governance, asset-inventory - brand-book CLI: init, compile (--artifact selector), validate, preview — all with --json and --dry-run support - generate script: brand-card, mockup, swatch, moodboard, logo-bg image prompts (reference-image-aware) - 6 reference files: canonical components, gold-standard analysis, artifact hierarchy, format comparison, template schemas, image generation patterns - 12/12 tests passing PR co-authored by: Jasper (AI agent on behalf of Magnus Hedemark) Signed-off-by: Magnus Hedemark
6.0 KiB
6.0 KiB
Brand Documentation Formats: Comparison & Selection Guide
Brand identity documentation comes in multiple formats. The right choice depends on team size, update frequency, technical sophistication, and audience.
Format Options
1. Online Brand Guidelines (Web/Frontify/Zeroheight)
Best for: Growing to enterprise teams that update frequently (>2x/year)
| Factor | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Update speed | Instant — single source of truth updates for everyone |
| Asset delivery | Embedded downloads — no separate file hosting needed |
| Searchability | Full-text search + deep-linkable sections |
| Interactivity | Video, interactive examples, click-to-copy color codes |
| Governance | Roles, permissions, analytics, version history |
| Cost | Platform subscription ($500-$5K/yr) or custom development |
| Technical skill | Medium — content management, no coding required |
| Offline access | No |
Examples: Bang & Olufsen (Frontify), Trustpilot (Frontify), Sinch (Frontify), IBM, Cash App
2. PDF Brand Book
Best for: Small teams, agency deliverables, static identities that rarely change
| Factor | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Update speed | Slow — re-export from InDesign/Figma, re-upload, renotify |
| Asset delivery | Static — files must be downloaded separately |
| Searchability | Limited — reader search only, no cross-linking |
| Interactivity | None — static pages |
| Governance | Manual version control (filename conventions) |
| Cost | Design tool subscription only |
| Technical skill | Medium — InDesign/Figma/Illustrator |
| Offline access | Yes — downloadable, printable |
Examples: Most agency client deliverables, some small-company brand books
3. Notion / Google Docs / Wiki
Best for: Early-stage startups, internal-only documentation
| Factor | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Update speed | Fast — anyone can edit |
| Asset delivery | Embedded previews + download links |
| Searchability | Native platform search |
| Interactivity | Comments, embeds, checklists |
| Governance | Page-level permissions |
| Cost | Free to low (<$50/user/mo) |
| Technical skill | Low |
| Offline access | Limited |
Examples: Early-stage startups before they invest in a formal brand portal
4. Figma / Design Tool Libraries
Best for: Design-team-internal documentation tightly coupled to design tools
| Factor | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Update speed | Fast — design tokens in component libraries |
| Asset delivery | Direct — designers consume in tool |
| Searchability | Figma search |
| Interactivity | Interactive components, prototyping |
| Governance | Figma permissions, library publishing |
| Cost | Figma subscription |
| Technical skill | High — requires design tool proficiency |
| Offline access | Limited |
Examples: Design system teams that keep brand documentation inside their tooling
5. CLI-Generated / Markdown + Compiler
Best for: Developer-friendly teams, vault-based knowledge management, open-source projects
| Factor | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Update speed | Fast — edit markdown, recompile |
| Asset delivery | Referenced by path, compiled in |
| Searchability | grep/full-text search on markdown |
| Interactivity | None in markdown; HTML output can include CSS |
| Governance | Git-based — PRs, version tags, changelogs |
| Cost | Free |
| Technical skill | Medium — markdown + CLI |
| Offline access | Yes — plain text files |
Examples: This skill's output format, designlang's generated brand books
6. Brand Card Image (Single Visual)
Best for: Press kits, social media, stakeholder presentations, quick reference
| Factor | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Update speed | Slow — regenerate when identity changes |
| Asset delivery | Single image file |
| Searchability | None — it's an image |
| Interactivity | None |
| Governance | Manual |
| Cost | Free |
| Technical skill | Low — use the generate script |
| Offline access | Yes |
Examples: Nous-branding card, groktopus-branding card, most press kit brand sheets
Decision Matrix
| Your situation | Recommended format | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Solo founder, pre-revenue | Brand card image + Notion | Fast, free, covers 80% of needs |
| Small team (<10), one brand | Brand card + PDF | Simple to produce, easy to share |
| Growing team (10-50), multiple channels | Online guidelines + spec docs | Single source of truth, instant updates |
| Agency delivering to client | PDF brand book + design source files | Client expects a deliverable, source files enable future edits |
| Developer-facing product brand | CLI-generated markdown + design tokens | Devs prefer markdown; tokens integrate with code |
| Enterprise, global, many partners | Online guidelines (Frontify/Zeroheight) + compiled brand book PDF | Access control, analytics, partner self-service |
| Open source project | Markdown + generated brand card | Git-based, low barrier, low cost |
Hybrid Approach
Most mature brands use multiple formats for different audiences:
| Audience | Format | Depth |
|---|---|---|
| Executive / board | Brand card image + strategy memo | One-pager |
| Design team | Figma library + online guidelines | Full spec |
| Engineering team | Design tokens + markdown spec | Structured data |
| Marketing / content | Online guidelines + voice spec | Practical rules |
| External agencies | Compiled brand book PDF | All-in-one reference |
| Press / partners | Brand card image + press kit | Visual summary |
Format Transition Path
Startup Growing Scaling Enterprise
────── ─────── ─────── ─────────
Brand card → Brand card → Online guidelines → Online guidelines
Notion/Google Docs + spec docs (markdown) + compiled PDF + design system tokens
+ Figma (design team) + asset inventory + global localization