Why Create Branding Guidelines for a Trial

The short answer: branding guidelines are the clearest way to show a client you understand their business. On my trial, the client asked for a newsletter. I made branding guidelines too, so the client could see that I really understood their brand, and so my newsletter would actually fit it. That proof is what helped win the job.

It works on two levels. First, the guidelines make your actual deliverable better, because now it truly matches the brand. Second, they are a visible artifact that says, before the client even reads your work, that you took their business seriously. Most applicants do only what is asked. The guidelines are how you quietly outwork them.

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