Introduction: Why Online Brand Guidelines Are Essential
In my two decades of working in branding, I’ve seen how easily a brand can lose its way without proper guidelines. A consistent brand presence isn’t just about looking professional—it’s about building trust with your audience. But here’s the thing: traditional brand manuals, those clunky PDFs, are no match for today’s fast-paced, digital-first world.
Online brand guidelines have changed the game. They’re dynamic, easy to update, and accessible to anyone who needs them. In this article, I’ll share 20 outstanding examples of online brand guidelines that are not only beautifully crafted but also practical tools for teams to use every day.
Why Online Brand Guidelines Matter
The Digital-First Landscape
Today, most brands live online. Your website, social media, and apps need to look and feel consistent. Online guidelines help teams stay aligned by providing a clear framework for visuals, tone, and messaging across platforms.
Seamless Collaboration Across Teams
Branding is a team effort. Designers, marketers, and external collaborators all need easy access to the latest assets and rules. Online guidelines make this seamless. They’re shareable, updatable, and keep everyone on the same page without endless emails or outdated files.
5 Online Brand Guidelines That Set the Standard
Square
Why I Love It:
Square’s guidelines are clean, simple, and highly functional. You can quickly find what you need without getting lost in endless sections. One standout feature is the ability to share specific sections with your team, saving time and hassle. Their motion guidelines are also well-documented with interactive elements to make concepts clear.
Duolingo
Visit Duolingo Design Guidelines
Why I Love It:
Duolingo’s personality shines through in their guidelines. They’ve done an amazing job explaining tone and writing style—two elements that are critical for a brand that thrives on humor and relatability. Their illustration rules are also crystal clear, helping teams bring their quirky characters to life.
Red Hat
Visit Red Hat Brand Guidelines
Why I Love It:
Red Hat includes a “What’s New” section that keeps everyone updated on changes—a small but powerful addition. Their templates are also ready to download, which removes guesswork and speeds up workflows.
Florence
Visit Florence Brand Guidelines
Why I Love It:
Florence’s guidelines are straightforward and to the point. They include clear “Do and Don’t” examples, which I always find helpful when rolling out brand rules to a new team. Their tone of voice section is also thoughtfully designed.
Canva
Why I Love It:
Canva’s guidelines are a blend of creativity and functionality. They’ve gone beyond the basics to include sonic branding and motion principles. Their use of animation to explain how elements should interact is brilliant.
The Smarter Way to Manage Brand Guidelines from 2025
I’ve spent years creating brand guidelines for clients, and that experience inspired me to develop Sameness. Sameness is a tool built to simplify how teams create, manage, and share their brand guidelines online. It’s designed for creatives, marketers, and agencies who want an easy way to maintain consistency while saving time.
Key Features of Sameness:
Effortless Setup: Create online brand guidelines without needing technical expertise.
Dynamic Updates: Update guidelines in real-time to ensure everyone always has the latest version.
Customizable Access: Control who sees what with password-protected pages.
Asset Organization: Store and organize all your brand assets in one place for easy access.
Team Collaboration: Share specific sections with team members or collaborators for quick reference.
With Sameness, you can focus on building your brand while we handle the logistics of keeping it consistent.
15 More Online Brand Guidelines to Explore
Seeing how Sameness simplifies managing brand guidelines while keeping costs low is hard to top. That said, let’s take a look at a few other brands and their online guidelines. Below are examples of how teams have crafted solutions to streamline collaboration, focus on accessibility, and even add a touch of creativity to make their guidelines stand out.
Zendesk: Interactive tools for onboarding.
Starbucks: Story-driven and community-focused.
Salesforce: Global design standards with inclusivity at the core.
IBM: Comprehensive and accessible for global teams.
Mozilla: Focuses on open-source branding principles.
QuickBooks: Balances simplicity and functionality.
Brainly: Friendly, engaging, and easy to navigate.
Bukalapak: Detailed visual and messaging guidelines.
Monday: Encourages collaboration with accessible tools.
Audi: Beautiful visuals for a luxury brand.
Deezer: Strong use of motion and interactivity.
Reddit: Clear focus on tone and community-driven content.
Klarna: Bold and modern design rules.
DevRev: Developer-first branding with a clear structure.
Mixcloud: Community-focused branding done right.
Build Your Guidelines With The Future in Mind
These examples show the variety of approaches brands can take to online guidelines. From minimalism to community-driven principles, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. The key is to craft guidelines that serve your team’s unique needs while staying true to your brand’s identity.
If you’re exploring ways to streamline your process, keep an eye on Sameness. Currently in its waitlist phase, Sameness is designed to help teams create online brand guidelines that are easy to use, update, and share. Sign up for the waitlist today, and be ready to elevate your brand consistency when it launches. Let’s keep building better brands together!
Join our waitlist now to be one of the first to try it out and get exclusive early access before we launch.