Brand Standards – Citizens National Bank

Citizens National Bank approached the Mitchell Graphics creative team with the challenge of creating a cohesive brand standards guide that would guide them in their marketing messaging.

As team members at their eight locations across lower Northern Michigan create and communicate messages, this document offers a reference to assure the colors, logos, fonts, and images reflect that of the organization as a whole – they are not simply a financial institution – they are a community partner, catalyst, and all around awesome place to work.

What Are Brand Standards?

Brand standards are a set of rules and guidelines that protect the look and feel of your organization. They provide a standardized approach to creative work in order to uphold the integrity of the brand. Simply put, the brand standards are far more important than the logo itself.

So what is included in the brand standards manual? The answer is, it varies. These guides range from basic guidelines to extremely thorough rules with concrete examples of what the brand is and is not supposed to look like. The staples of a brand standards manual include rules around: logo use, fonts, colors, and imagery. Great brand standards go beyond these basics to provide even more clarity and uniformity to the brand. Despite the level of detail included in this manual, it must remain easy to navigate and understand.

It is important that employees, contractors, and all who touch the brand understand that closely following the standards is critical to the brand experience and creating a brand that has a long and successful life. There is no better way to protect your enormous investment into your brand than to develop thorough brand standards.