Heart on Paper: The Style Guide

Business, despite what it can turn into, the greed that can invade it, the corruption that lurks always, the ruin it may reap, or the lives it can destroy, came, at the very least at some point in its infancy, from someone’s heart.

Every business was at one time, someone’s dream, a physical manifestation of their mission, vision, and values.

Remembering these roots, the core of good business, what is the backbone of companies that change the world, is tantamount to helping you and your professional relationships stay consistent and in constant progress. Being that it is so vital to remember all the things that make up your company, it is critical for you to create a ‘style guide’.

A style guide is simple: it is a physical, portable, and personal tool that you can use to clearly define everything about your company. It should have goals, values, mission, the story, key customers, key messages, a promotional calendar, vision, and product information. It will be a physical representation of everything your company is about, clear as day, presented in visual and written elements.

It will serve as a guide for ethical decisions, design projects, even marketing campaigns. It acts like a super definition of everything you want the company to be—past, present, and future. Done right, a style guide becomes a living document that keeps everyone aligned with the core of what your company stands for.

It is an invaluable tool and one with enormous internal motivational powers. It is your heart—your business, on paper. Take it with you always.

Need help getting started on your own Style Guide? Ride Like A Penguin