The One Thing Missing From Your Brand Guidelines (That’s Wrecking Your Videos)

Here’s the thing no one tells you when you start throwing money at video…Most brands have a beautiful brand guide for their logo, photography, tone of voice etc.They have clear rules for how their fonts should look on their website, in print and on social media.They might even have a tone of voice guide that says, “Don’t be too formal, we’re friendly, like a best friend!”

And then they go and slap out videos that look like they were made by three different people on three different time zones, using three different fonts they found in 3 different versions of the brand guide.

Wait… What’s a Video Style Guide?

If you’ve never heard of it, don’t worry.Most businesses haven’t.But they should.

A Video Style Guide is basically your brand guide’s cooler, faster-moving sibling.It makes sure every piece of video content you put out, from your top-performing ad content to that behind-the-scenes Reel actually looks and feels like you.Not just a video. Your video.

What Actually Goes Into a Video Style Guide?

Here’s what I put in when I build these for brands and what I need as a non-negotiable when I’m editing video for brands:

Logo rules

Does your logo pop up at the start? End? Does it animate in? Or do you keep it subtle?

Subtitles

Font, colour, placement. Boring? Maybe. But your captions are often the only thing people see when they’re doom-scrolling with the sound off.

Other titles

What are your rules for other titles on your video. I need it all, kerning, line spacing… give me everything you’d give a graphic designer.

Openers

Do you start with a cold open? A hook? Or do you bury the good bit 15 seconds in? (Hint: Don’t do that.)

Colour palette: Exact Hex codes for your brand colours and when and when not to use them

Color grading

Warm and bright? Cool and moody? Do you use LUTs or filters? Your color vibe sets the mood. Don’t leave it to whoever’s editing that day.

Aspect ratios

Square, vertical, horizontal. Who gets what and where?

Music

Bouncy indie? Electronic? Absolute ban on cheesy ukulele stock tracks? (I support you.) Music and sound can be the biggest make or break in a video.

What to avoid

The weird fades. The random Canva graphics. The five-minute drone intro no one wants to watch.

Reference examples

Real videos that nail the vibe so your team knows what good looks like.

Why Bother?

Here’s why:Consistency builds trust.Trust builds recognition.Recognition builds sales.

Your audience should instantly know it’s you, whether they see you on TikTok, LinkedIn, or hidden in the middle of an Insta Reel. And cold audiences should see something familiar if they come back and see you again.

Why Most Brands Don’t Have One

They’re so busy making sure their static brand looks perfect, they forget video is often the first place people actually meet them.

Video is where you grab someone’s attention, make them like you, and convince them to click.

So why treat it like an afterthought?

If You Do Nothing Else. Do This

Don’t overcomplicate it.Your first video style guide can be one page.

• Pick your title style and stick to it.

• Agree your intro/outro rules.

• Collect a handful of videos you love as examples.

• Share it with everyone making your videos.

  
  

Your future self will thank you and so will any video editor you hire.

Next time you hire a freelancer or brief your in-house team, you won’t spend six emails saying “Can you just move the logo?” or “Wrong yellow, we don’t use that yellow!”

Final Thoughts

Good video makes people stop scrolling.Good branded video makes them remember who stopped them.

If you don’t have a Video Style Guide yet, write one. Or message me. I’ll share my plug-and-play template, or build you one that makes your next 50 videos look exactly like you want them to.

Need this for your team? Email me. I love helping brands tidy this up.

My name is Kay. I edit videos for brands to help them tell their story and grow. From performance-led ads to strategic product launch videos and everything in between, grow you business with high-impact video that sells and connects with the right people at the right point in your funnel.