Style Guide
A reference document defining a brand or product's visual rules — colors, typography, logo usage, spacing, and tone — for consistent application.
A style guide codifies the visual and verbal rules of a brand or product: the exact color values, type scale, logo clear-space, imagery style, and often the tone of voice. It exists so that anyone — a new designer, a marketer, an agency — can produce on-brand work without guessing.
A style guide is narrower than a design system: it documents rules and assets but not the interactive, coded components. It is often the first artifact to come out of a brand identity project and the reference every later deliverable checks against.
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Related terms
Brand IdentityThe complete system of visual and verbal elements — logo, color, type, voice — that expresses what a company is and sets it apart.Design SystemA single source of truth for a product's UI — reusable components, tokens, patterns, and guidelines that keep design consistent and fast.Visual DesignThe discipline of aesthetics and communication in an interface — typography, color, imagery, and layout working toward clarity and brand.