When I build a brand guide for a client, one of the most overlooked sections is the Imagery Style. People get excited about logos, fonts, and color palettes, but when it comes to photos and graphics, things get vague. And vague is dangerous—because vague opens the door to inconsistency.
If you want your brand to look sharp across social media, websites, print, and presentations, you need more than “let’s just pick nice pictures.” You need rules. That’s where the Imagery Style section comes in.
What Questions Should It Answer?
Think of this section as the answers to the questions your team (or your future self) will ask when creating content:
- What kind of images fit our brand? Are we showcasing candid, behind-the-scenes shots, or polished product photography?
- What mood do we want people to feel? Energetic, luxurious, approachable, adventurous?
- How should images be treated? Do we use filters, LUTs, or color grading? Do we keep things warm and natural or moody and cinematic?
- What’s off-limits? Stock photos that feel fake? Busy graphics? Overly trendy filters?
- How should we compose our shots? Do we want negative space for text? Consistent framing? A specific point of view?
When you answer these questions, your team suddenly knows how to create and choose visuals that actually belong to your brand.
What Needs to Be Included
The Imagery Style section usually breaks down into five parts:
1. Photography Guidelines
This is where you spell out the rules of your photos:
- Subject matter (people, products, environments).
- Composition (rule of thirds, negative space, or tight close-ups).
- Lighting (bright and airy, natural light, or dramatic shadows).
- Editing style (approved filters, LUTs, or presets).
2. Illustrations & Graphics
If you use illustrations, icons, or overlays, explain what style belongs to the brand. Maybe it’s minimalist line drawings, maybe it’s bold vectors, maybe it’s hand-sketched textures. The key is to define it clearly.
3. Tone & Mood
Every image carries emotion. Your brand might lean toward joyful, adventurous, sophisticated, or calming. Write that down. Then pair it with approved editing tones—warmth, coolness, contrast—that reinforce the feeling.
4. Practical Tips
Give your team real-world advice:
- Crop ratios (1:1 for Instagram, 16:9 for YouTube, vertical for stories).
- Where to leave space for headlines.
- Accessibility notes (make sure text is legible over images, avoid low-contrast backgrounds).
5. Examples (The Secret Ingredient)
This is where the magic happens. Don’t just describe what you want—show it. Include side-by-side examples:
- Approved “good” photos that nail your style.
- “Bad” examples that show what to avoid.
- Before/after edits demonstrating the proper filter.
Your team will thank you.
Why This Matters
Imagery is the fastest way people recognize a brand. You can have the best logo in the world, but if your Instagram feed is all over the place, people won’t take you seriously. A strong Imagery Style section removes the guesswork and keeps your brand looking like it belongs in the same family—no matter who’s creating the content.
When you document it, you’re not just making rules. You’re giving your team creative confidence. You’re saying: This is who we are. This is how we look. And this is how the world will remember us.
✨ If you’re building your own brand guide, don’t skip this section. In fact, make it one of your favorites. Because once your imagery is aligned, your whole brand starts to feel unstoppable.
Here is a link to a worksheet you can fill out to help you define what goes in your image style guide.
