How do you build a brand identity guide for a school?

Konsept VİP Fen Bilimleri's logo, colours and type looked different in every channel. Here is how we fixed that with a single guide, step by step.

As an institution grows, so does its logo. One colour on a poster, a different typeface on Instagram, a squeezed logo on a business card… That was exactly the situation when I started working with Konsept VİP Fen Bilimleri: the logo, colours and typeface were used slightly differently in every channel. What they needed was not a new logo, but rules that would make the existing one look the same everywhere.

1. Fix the logo itself first

The first page of the guide is about the logo. I settled two things there:

Proportions and clear space. Once the space around the logo is defined, nothing on a poster or social media visual can crowd it.
Versions. Not every logo fits every space. I created vertical, horizontal and tagline versions, plus single-colour and white versions. Which version goes on a dark background or in a one-colour print is no longer up for debate.

2. Build the colours from the institution’s own two

The institution already had its burgundy and navy; the problem was that these colours appeared in different shades in every design. I built the main palette on these two colours and derived the supporting colours from their tints. Now, when a new campaign visual is made, the question “which blue?” simply doesn’t come up.

3. One type family for the whole hierarchy

I chose the Montserrat family and set which weight to use at every level, from headlines to footnotes. Using a single family means everything, from a social media post to a printed brochure, speaks in the same voice.

4. Test the rules on real work

A guide that stays on paper is no use. So I applied the rules first to the business card design: that’s where I could see whether the logo version, colours and type levels really work together. Then I collected everything into a single brand identity guide.

Who is the guide for?

Its real value is for everyone who works on the brand after me. Whoever runs the institution’s social media, the print shop, or another designer can look at the same file and arrive at the same result. For schools and similar institutions that produce new posters, announcements and campaigns every term, it’s the simplest way to keep their look from drifting apart.

If you have a similar need, you can see the whole project below or get in touch with me directly.