You put a lot of time and effort into creating your style guide.

But completing it is just the beginning. Style guides are meant to be shared if they are to be effective.

Who should you share your style guide with?

• Everybody in your company (especially new hires as part of an onboarding process)
• Partners who help with your communication efforts (agencies, consultants, PR firms, web developer’s, printers, designers and writers of all stripes).

Sharing it is not enough though. If the style guide ends up buried in your company drive or on a shelf it is worthless. Nobody is following it.

What does it look like when your people aren’t following your style guide? Here is what we’ve seen:

• Old ”pre-style guide” templates are still being used
• You notice logos that look similar to your company logo, but the type is in a different font
• Your company email signature is inconsistent with some using the approved signature, some have modified it, others have made up their own – ouch!

All are not in compliance with the style guide.

If you look at the best brands, be they small, medium or behemoth companies, they all are consistent in their communications.

Consistency makes them memorable in a sea of companies that are not.

Our advice:  Remember that creating a style guide is only the first step. Managing its execution and creating consistency is what mattes. That’s  what keeps your brand on track and off the rails.