---
name: Brand Guidelines
slug: brand-guidelines-6
category: Writing
description: Brand Guidelines defines the company voice, visual system, and writing rules for branded content. Use it before drafting marketing copy, docs, or social posts that need to match the brand.
github: "https://github.com/getnao/sylph/tree/main/.claude/skills/brand-guidelines"
language: JavaScript
stars: 195
forks: 57
install: "npx degit https://github.com/getnao/sylph/tree/main/.claude/skills/brand-guidelines ~/.claude/skills/brand-guidelines"
installs_to: ~/.claude/skills/brand-guidelines
source_path: .claude/skills/brand-guidelines/SKILL.md
collection_size: 25
category_size: 1227
collection_url: "https://dirskills.com/collections/getnao/sylph"
added: 2026-09-05T05:31:12.779Z
last_synced: 2026-09-05T05:31:12.779Z
canonical_url: "https://dirskills.com/skills/brand-guidelines-6"
---

# Brand Guidelines

Brand Guidelines defines the company voice, visual system, and writing rules for branded content. Use it before drafting marketing copy, docs, or social posts that need to match the brand.

**Install:**

```bash
npx degit https://github.com/getnao/sylph/tree/main/.claude/skills/brand-guidelines ~/.claude/skills/brand-guidelines
```

## README

# Brand Guidelines

The canonical reference for [your-company]'s brand identity. Load this before creating any branded content.

## MCP connectors

None required. This skill operates on local repo files only.

## Personality traits

| Trait | What it means | What it's NOT |
|-------|--------------|---------------|
| **Direct** | Say it plainly, skip the preamble | Blunt or rude |
| **Technical** | Grounded in real engineering | Jargon-heavy or gatekeeping |
| **Warm** | Peer-to-peer, peer conversation | Corporate or sycophantic |
| **Opinionated** | Take a clear stance, back it up | Arrogant or dismissive |
| **Playful** | Light touches of humor, not forced | Goofy or unprofessional |

## Writing rules

1. **No em dashes** - never use --- or --; replace with `-` or `:`
2. **No ghostwriter tells** - avoid "had a blast", "banger", "nails it", "game-changer"
3. **First person** - "we" for the company, "I" for the CAO's personal content
4. **Short sentences** - cut filler, tighten every line, one idea per sentence
5. **Specific over generic** - numbers over adjectives, examples over claims
6. **CAO's name** - always spell the CAO's name correctly (check CONTEXT.md)

## Tone spectrum

| Context | Tone | Example |
|---------|------|---------|
| LinkedIn post | Conversational, peer-to-peer | "Here's what broke when we..." |
| Blog article | Technical, teaching | "The query runs in 200ms because..." |
| Substack | Reflective, leadership journey | "Three months in, the numbers say..." |
| Sales email | Warm, direct, concise | "Saw your team ships dbt models - we built [your-product] for exactly this" |
| Product docs | Clear, precise, minimal | "Run `[your-cli] init` to connect your warehouse" |
| Slack community | Casual, helpful, brief | "Just shipped this - let us know what you think" |

## Visual system

### Colors

| Name | Hex | Usage |
|------|-----|-------|
| Primary Black | `#1A1A1A` | Primary text, headings |
| Primary White | `#FAFAFA` | Backgrounds |
| Accent Blue | `#2563EB` | Primary accent, CTAs, links |
| Secondary Gray | `#6B7280` | Secondary text, borders |
| Light Gray | `#F3F4F6` | Card backgrounds, code blocks |

### Typography

| Element | Font | Weight |
|---------|------|--------|
| Headings | Inter | 600 (Semi-bold) |
| Body | Inter | 400 (Regular) |
| Code | JetBrains Mono | 400 |

### Logo

- Primary: horizontal lockup (icon + wordmark)
- Icon only: for small sizes (favicons, avatars)
- Minimum clear space: 1x icon height on all sides
- Never stretch, rotate, recolor, or add effects

## Asset locations

| Asset | Location |
|-------|----------|
| Logo files | `brand/assets/logo/` |
| Color palette | `brand/assets/colors/` |
| Font files | `brand/assets/fonts/` |
| Templates | `brand/assets/templates/` |
| Slide deck template | Canva template `[your-canva-template-id]` |
| Social media templates | `brand/assets/social/` |

## Self-improvement

After the CAO corrects brand usage in any content:

1. Identify which guideline was violated or missing
2. If the correction reveals a rule not captured here, add it to the appropriate section
3. If a tone example is outdated, replace it with the corrected version
4. Update `brand/_insights.md` with the pattern (what was wrong, what the CAO wanted)
5. If the correction applies across channels, update the Writing rules or Tone spectrum tables