David Airey

Qualities to achieve in identity standards

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David Airey
in ,

Christopher Doyle styleguide colour variations

Strategic
Focus on why it is important and what the company is trying to achieve, not just how to do it.

Visual
Demonstrations are often more effective than lengthy text.

Easy-to-understand
Develop content that is engaging and avoid unnecessary jargon.

Short
20 pages of useful information may be more effective than 50 pages. Don’t include filler, such as unnecessary information on how to create a business card, when templates are more effective.

Respectful
Understand who will be using the standards and don’t insult their intelligence.

Balanced
Identify the appropriate balance between structure and flexibility. Too much flexibility results in complete chaos, too much structure results in lifeless communications.

Digital
For interim standards, create pdf files that can viewed online, emailed or downloaded and printed the standards can eventually be established as an online identity resource. Most printed sets of guidelines are expensive, become outdated and out of print. (GE printed up 2,000 copies of their 400 page standards in 1987, none were available after the first year.)

Scalable
Digital files that can be expanded or revised help to establish that identity management isn’t a static or one time event.

Good advice.

I lifted the colour variations image at the top from one of my favourite guideline manuals — Christopher Doyle Identity Guidelines 2008 (the link points to a PDF file approximately 1MB in size). Doyle was worthy winner of a yellow pencil at the 2009 D&AD Awards for his efforts.

Comments

3 responses to “Qualities to achieve in identity standards”

  1. Mark McCorkell Avatar
    Mark McCorkell

    I have never had to do a really complex, long guideline before except for when at University. I have only really needed to do simple, 1 or 2 page guidelines to give a general overview on how to use a logo.

    But I’m working on Identity stuff today, so this is quite interesting!

    Reply
  2. Amanda Vlahakis Avatar
    Amanda Vlahakis

    Having read a few identity guidelines (public sector are the worst), I have to say, I’d certainly appreciate less words and more visuals to get the point across as QUICKLY as possible.

    Nothing makes me more depressed than starting a project reading a 20 page document about something so simple to express such as: Use these font and these colours please. 20 pages?! Good Lord.

    Having read said 20 pages or worse … I end up thinking… errm so 20 pages to just tell me use that font and those colours and make sure it’s never any smaller than xx size.

    A bit of balance and flexibility is always appreciated yes from the designers standpoint of course 🙂

    Reply
  3. Phuong Kagan Avatar
    Phuong Kagan

    Hi David,
    I have been reading some guidelines for creating identities. All the guidelines are very helpful, professional and dynamic. But to me honestly, it is still something that I cannot get right away. It is like when teacher tells me something and although I understand it I cannot do the same as she said… or maybe I do not understand… or may be I need to practice more everyday to understand deeply all what she said.

    As I have seen many times your works, if anything can be well done it is because of hard work (writing down the ideas, sketching). Understanding what clients want (not myself) this is the hardest part I think. Making communication always be very helpful to get the common between desinger and clients. And of course, that makes your own identity.

    I love my job in graphic design. I have worked with passion but I think it may be not enough to satisfy all my clients. I am feeling stuck and confused now, wondering what I miss in my working process. Maybe I still do not understand what I have been doing as much as I suppose.

    Reply

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