Conventional thinking says they’re for articulating your brand in a consistent way to enjoy a huge advantage over more fragmented competitors.

But thankfully, more and more brands are recognising that there’s a real benefit in being open to common-sense flexibility within their existing guidelines.


Think of it as a sort of defined play area for responsible designers or ‘brand guardians’ to express the balance between emotional engagement and consistency, in fresh and vibrant ways.

And why not? After all, they’re your guidelines!

Older, more established brands, are following the trend of becoming more open and expressive; enabling themselves to adapt their tone and address multiple audiences without ever drawing the brand too far from its focus.

In the old days, the equation for brand consistency went something like this:? familiarity became trust and from trust came acceptance and allegiance.

The pitfall for rigid adherence to this behavioural equation was that, over time, it promulgated apathy and brand ennui.

It’s fair to say that we’ve come full circle, (if your brand guidelines permit circles, that is).

Now consumers? expect brands to be invitational; to actively encourage them to join in and interact, rather than directives on what to and what not to do. Brand behemoth, Coca Cola, provides a good example of this new flexibility is Coca Cola.

Back in the day, this iconic brand stamped its red and white self all over the globe with predictable results. Now, as a sponsor of the Championship Football League, Coca Cola logos match themselves to those of the home teams across Britain. Behold - Norwich City FC, above.

This is a great example: the visual brand is alive, responsive and adaptive to the audience being addressed.

Here’s another example.