Brand Books 101: What Are They and How to Build Them
This training walks through every section of the Brand Book in MarketScale Studio, from logos and hex codes to voice guidelines and lower-third templates.
Transcript
Everyone has a brand and BrandBooks unlocks your brand right inside of MarketScale Studio. This is one of the simplest ways to reduce revisions in your edits. Every editor who touches your content, whether they've worked on your videos for years or are working on one of your projects for the very first time will reference this. The clients who take the extra time to fill out their brand book thoughtfully tend to have the smoothest production cycles and the strongest results, not because they overexplain, but because they provide the right details. So let's walk through how to fill out your company's brand book the right way. Let's start with logos. We don't need every file type or every variation you've ever created. What we need is one transparent PNG of the logo you want used consistently. At minimum, include a dark version and a light version. If you have a letter mark or an icon that we'll use often include that too. Logos must be transparent PNG files. JPEGs do not support transparency. And don't forget about the notes section. If your logo must live in the bottom right, top left, centered, or within a certain safe margin, make sure to clearly state that. Editors should never have to guess which logo to use or where it belongs. Next color. You'll see sections for primary and secondary colors. Primary colors are what we use most in your videos. Just enter the hex codes. If certain colors are used only for specific types of content, leave a short no. We don't need thirty colors. Right? We just need the ones that matter most for your videos. Now, fonts. Fonts are critical for consistency. Clearly name the font and I strongly recommend one headline font and one body font. For headlines, bold typically works best on screen. For body text, go two weight steps lighter than your headline. If your headline is bold, your body should be regular or light. That contrast creates hierarchy. And don't forget, be sure to attach the font files if you have them. And even better, if your font is an Adobe font, make sure to paste the link directly into BrandBooks so editors can sync it instantly into Creative Cloud. Next, graphic elements and imagery. This includes icons, texture, and just overall visual style. Keep it intentional. Provide examples and a short description of how your brand approaches visuals. Bright and airy, dark and cinematic, corporate and polished. A couple clear sentences here make a big difference. Voice and tone defines personality. Are you formal, conversational, technical, playful? If you have full brand guidelines, them. But inside the brand book, summarize what matters most for video, including voice over style, pacing, or terminology preferences. Even better if you can provide the page number inside of that brand guideline. If you have legal or compliance requirements, make sure to clearly state them. If you attach documentation, tell us exactly where to look, including the page number for intros and outros. Ideally each series or podcast has one of each MP four files can be previewed in the platform. MLB files cannot be, but they can be uploaded and downloaded. If you upload alternate versions into the platform, make sure to label them clearly and explain when they should be used. If a specific show or brand needs a distinct identity, that's when we create a separate brand book. For music, upload licensed tracks or briefly describe your preference. Next is templates. This is where you'll upload any files containing lower thirds, mogrts, or other on screen graphics. These may be in Photoshop or Illustrator format or even as motion graphic templates, and you should make sure to zip them before uploading. The key thing to remember is that these files should all be editable. For example, if you upload a lower third template, it should be in a format that allows the editor to easily update details like the speaker's name and title to match the edit they're working on. And finally, examples. If you have one or two approved videos already, attach them. There is nothing more helpful than showing an editor exactly what right looks like. So here's the bottom line. Your brand book protects your brand at scale. It produces revisions. It eliminates guesswork, and it keeps every piece of content aligned. No matter how many videos you produce or podcasts or how many different editors work on them. The client who gets the most out of MarketScale Studio are clear, intentional, and consistent. So take a few extra minutes to fill out your brand book the right way. And once it's set, you can ensure that your brand stays consistent across every video, and we'll take it from there.
Overview
In this five-minute training, MarketScale contributor Erik Hollen walks through the Brand Book feature inside MarketScale Studio, explaining what each section requires and why it matters. The video covers everything from logo file specifications and color palettes to font sourcing, graphic style notes, legal requirements, and production assets like intro and outro MP4 files. Clients who invest time in completing their Brand Book thoroughly set the foundation for faster turnaround times and more consistent output across every editor who works on their content.
What Is This?
A Brand Book in MarketScale Studio is a centralized reference document that captures all of a client's visual, tonal, and legal brand standards, giving every editor and producer a single source of truth before any content is created or revised.
What You'll Learn
- Prepare and upload logo files in the correct formats, including transparent PNG and separate dark and light versions
- Locate and enter accurate hex color codes that reflect your official brand palette
- Identify headline and body fonts and link Adobe font sync sources for editor access
- Describe your visual style and graphic element preferences in a way production teams can apply immediately
- Define your brand's voice, tone, and any compliance or legal language requirements
- Upload intro and outro MP4 files, specify music preferences, and provide editable lower-third templates
Key Insights
- A complete Brand Book reduces the number of revision cycles because editors receive clear direction before production begins, not after the first draft is delivered
- Logo files should be provided in multiple versions — transparent background, dark-background optimized, and light-background optimized — to cover every placement scenario
- Font links tied to Adobe Fonts ensure that every editor working on your content uses the exact typeface you specified, eliminating substitution errors
- Voice and tone guidance is as important as visual standards because it shapes how narration, on-screen text, and interview framing align with your brand identity
Deep Dive
The Brand Book inside MarketScale Studio functions as a production brief that never expires. Rather than communicating brand standards through scattered email threads or one-off calls, clients document everything in a structured format that the entire MarketScale production team can reference at any point in the content lifecycle. This consistency becomes especially valuable when multiple editors touch a single account over time or when content volume scales up.
Visual assets form the foundation of the Brand Book. Logos should be uploaded as high-resolution transparent PNGs, with separate files optimized for both dark and light backgrounds. Hex color codes should come directly from official brand style guides rather than being sampled from existing marketing materials, where colors can shift due to compression. Font entries should include direct links to Adobe Fonts when available so that editors can sync typefaces to their systems without relying on local file transfers.
Beyond visual elements, the Brand Book captures the subtler aspects of a brand's identity. The voice and tone section helps editors understand whether a brand communicates with formal authority, conversational warmth, or technical precision. Legal and compliance notes flag language that must appear in certain content types or words and phrases that must be avoided entirely. These fields protect clients and reduce the likelihood of costly post-production corrections.
Production assets like branded intro and outro MP4 files, music style preferences, and editable lower-third templates give editors everything they need to build content that looks and sounds native to the brand from the first frame to the last. When these assets are uploaded and documented in the Brand Book, production teams spend less time tracking down files and more time focused on storytelling.
Frequently Asked Questions
What file format should logos be uploaded in for the Brand Book?
Logos should be uploaded as transparent PNG files to ensure clean placement on any background. It is best practice to provide at least two versions — one optimized for dark backgrounds and one for light backgrounds — so editors always have the right asset available without modification.
What happens if I leave sections of the Brand Book incomplete?
Incomplete Brand Books require editors to make judgment calls or pause production to request missing information, both of which slow down turnaround times. Clients who complete every section thoughtfully experience fewer revision cycles because editors have clear direction before work begins.
How do I provide font information if my brand uses Adobe Fonts?
You can paste the direct Adobe Fonts sync link for each typeface directly into the corresponding font field in the Brand Book. This allows any editor on the MarketScale platform to sync the exact font to their system, ensuring consistent typographic rendering across all deliverables.
Related Topics
After completing your Brand Book, explore the Asset Library section of MarketScale Studio to learn how to organize and store approved brand assets for quick access during production. You may also want to review the Platform Navigation training series to understand how the Brand Book connects to other workflow tools, including project briefs and content approval settings.
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