How to Build a Brand Style Guide Inspired by Hubspot Examples

A clear brand style guide is essential for consistent marketing, and the best Hubspot examples show exactly how to design one that every team member can follow. This tutorial walks you through the core elements and practical steps so you can build or improve your own guide with confidence.

What Is a Brand Style Guide?

A brand style guide is a reference document that explains how your brand looks, sounds, and behaves across every channel. The detailed brand books often highlighted by Hubspot typically include:

• Logo usage rules and placement
• Color palettes and usage ratios
• Typography, spacing, and hierarchy
• Imagery, iconography, and illustration styles
• Brand voice, tone, and messaging rules
• Examples of correct and incorrect use

Without this guide, every designer or copywriter may interpret your brand differently, leading to confusion for your audience.

Key Lessons from Hubspot Style Guide Examples

The original article on the Hubspot marketing blog showcases many brands that document their guidelines clearly. Several patterns show up repeatedly in those Hubspot examples.

1. Put Your Brand Story Up Front

Strong guides begin with a short story: who you are, what you stand for, and why you exist. This context helps every rule feel purposeful, not arbitrary.

• Summarize your mission and vision in a few lines.
• Explain your core audience and what they care about.
• Connect your visual and verbal style to that audience.

2. Make Rules Simple and Visual

The best Hubspot-featured guides use clear visuals instead of long explanations. Show, don’t just tell.

• Add side-by-side “Do” and “Don’t” examples.
• Use color swatches, logo grids, and spacing diagrams.
• Keep descriptions concise and free of jargon.

3. Design for Non-Designers

Your style guide should be friendly for marketers, writers, and partners who may not have design training.

• Avoid complex theory; focus on practical rules.
• Use plain language and short paragraphs.
• Include downloadable assets and templates when possible.

Step-by-Step: Create a Style Guide Like Hubspot’s Best Examples

Use the following process to create or refine your brand documentation. Adapt each step to your organization’s size and resources.

Step 1: Define Your Brand Foundations

Before you lay out fonts or colors, clarify the strategic layer. Many brands featured by Hubspot start with foundations such as:

• Purpose: Why your company exists.
• Values: Principles that shape decisions.
• Positioning: How you differ from competitors.
• Personality: Human traits that describe your brand.

Write these as short, skimmable statements and include them in the opening pages of your guide.

Step 2: Document Logo Usage Rules

Create a dedicated logo section that covers everything a partner or new hire needs to know.

• Primary and secondary logo versions
• Minimum sizes and clear space
• Approved background colors and placements
• Incorrect uses, such as stretching or recoloring

Each rule should come with a visual example to eliminate confusion.

Step 3: Build Your Color System

The brand guides highlighted in Hubspot content often rely on a disciplined color palette to keep assets cohesive.

1. Choose a small set of primary brand colors.
2. Add a limited group of secondary or accent colors.
3. List HEX, RGB, and CMYK codes for each color.
4. Explain when to use primary vs. secondary colors.

Include contrast guidance to maintain accessibility, especially for text on backgrounds.

Step 4: Set Typographic Rules

Typography shapes the tone of your communication. A simple but specific rule set works best.

• Define primary and secondary typefaces.
• Set rules for headings, subheadings, and body text.
• Specify font sizes, line spacing, and alignment.
• Provide examples of common layouts or components.

Consistent type rules across channels keep everything feeling unified and professional.

Step 5: Clarify Imagery and Illustration Style

Brands in the Hubspot roundup show that imagery is just as important as copy. Use your guide to explain:

• Preferred photography style (candid, studio, lifestyle, etc.).
• Icon styles (outline, filled, colorful, or monochrome).
• Illustration approach, if applicable.
• Image do’s and don’ts, with concrete visual examples.

When possible, include links to a shared image library or asset folder.

Step 6: Define Brand Voice and Tone

The marketing article referenced by Hubspot emphasizes that strong verbal identity is as important as visual identity. Capture voice and tone clearly so your writers can stay aligned.

• Describe your voice in three to five adjectives.
• Clarify how tone shifts by channel or situation.
• Offer sample headlines, tweets, and email lines.
• Include lists of preferred words and phrases.

Common frameworks use “We are / We are not” statements to keep messaging on track.

Step 7: Add Real-World Use Cases

Bring everything together with practical examples that mirror your actual marketing channels.

• Brand-compliant landing pages and email layouts.
• Social media posts that reflect your voice and visuals.
• Presentation slides and one-pager designs.

These examples turn abstract rules into concrete patterns your team can reuse.

How to Organize and Share Your Hubspot-Inspired Guide

Once your guide is drafted, you need a distribution plan. Many brands showcased by Hubspot host their guidelines online for easy access.

Choose a Format

• Live website or microsite
• Shareable PDF hosted in the cloud
• Internal wiki or knowledge base

Whichever format you choose, ensure it is easy to update and link from onboarding materials.

Keep It Up to Date

Set an owner for your brand documentation and schedule recurring reviews.

• Review quarterly for visual updates or new channels.
• Collect feedback from designers, writers, and sales.
• Track common questions and clarify the guide accordingly.

Next Steps and Helpful Resources

To go deeper into creating strategy-backed brand guidelines and marketing systems, you can explore specialist resources such as Consultevo for additional insight on scalable processes.

For visual inspiration and more real-world brand style guide examples, study the full collection on the Hubspot marketing blog. Use those examples alongside the steps above to craft a guide that keeps your brand consistent, recognizable, and easy for every team member to execute.

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