2. CONTENTS
This brand standards document
explores the message, visuals, and
expression of your brand.
• Brand Message
• Design & Visuals
• Words & Content
• Live Your Brand
BRAND GUIDELINES HEIDI HOUSTON
3. MOOD BOA R D
The moodboard was
curated to express the
“mood” of the brand and
to inspire the visual
decisions. In the visuals,
we are combining a sense
of joy & happiness with a
feeling of simplicity &
luxury. The joy comes
through in the rich,
saturated colors. The
luxurious balance is shown
in the abundant white
space and high-quality
images.
5. POSITION
CORE IDEA
Heidi Houston is an apparel and lifestyle brand that sells sleep and resort
wear for women. The clothes are comfortable enough to sleep in, and
elegant enough to wear when you invite your girlfriends over for breakfast.
YOUR GOAL
Our goal is to launch the brand in a unique position in the market. The brand
aesthetic is Kate Spade meets Tory Burch meets Burberry.
HOW YOU ARE DIFFERENT
Your products give women a chance to indulge in something luxurious that
fits into their busy lives. When they would love to have weekly spa dates or
monthly resort vacations, the other demands of their time (working, being a
mother, etc.) means they don’t get to as often as they’d like.
Your style is also distinctive. Instead of a reserved all-neutral color palette,
your clothing and brand features bold pops of color.
THE END RESULT
When your dream customers buy your products, they feel like they are taking
care of (and treating!) themselves. The beautiful items become a treasured
part of their daily lives. Each night when they wear Heidi Houston, they are
reminded to slow down, treasure the quiet moments, and indulge in a little
luxury.
BRAND GUIDELINES HEIDI HOUSTON
Brand Message
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6. PERSONALITY
INNOCENT & ENTERTAINER
PERSONALITY ARCHETYPES
Your mission is to give women a simple way that they
can add some happiness luxury to their day. You give
them a way to take care of themselves without adding
an extra “to do” to their list
When they encounter your brand, your audience
FEELS: uplifted, happy, deserving, taken care of, joyful,
put-together, confident, pampered.
You are:
• Positive, optimistic
• Considerate, good mannered
• Cheerful
• Honest, earnest
• Self-assured
BRAND GUIDELINES HEIDI HOUSTON
Brand Message
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7. POINT OF
VIEW
SIMPLE IS THE NEW BLACK.
Our lives are already unnecessary complex. Find joy and
happiness in the quiet moments: coffee with your love or a
friend, settling in with a glass of red wine after a long day, and
slipping into your favorite pajamas.
DRESSING WELL IS A FORM OF SELF LOVE.
(AND GOOD MANNERS.)
Instead of rolling out of bed in a tattered T-shirt from high
school, wear something in your quiet moments that feels
amazing. Start & end your day with confidence and a small
piece of luxury.
The way we treat ourselves is reflective of how we expect to
be treated by others. When you choose to love yourself, the
whole world loves you a little more, too.
“LUXURY” DŒSN’T NEED TO BE TIME-
CONSUMING.
Sure, hour-long massages and 3-hour pedicures are
wonderful, but who has time for that every week? Fit more of
what makes you happy into your life without all the time
commitment.
BRAND GUIDELINES HEIDI HOUSTON
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9. UNFAIR
ADVANTAGE
YOUR ‘UNFAIR ADVANTAGES’ ARE:
• You are part of your target demographic, so
you know what they want. Build a brand that
you love and others like you will fall in love,
too.
• You have the right partners. By bringing in
experts in manufacturing and branding, you
get to focus on the product design and
business strategy.
• You embody your brand’s point of view and
ethos.
BRAND GUIDELINES HEIDI HOUSTON
Brand Message
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11. LOGO
Visual Identity
The logo is an iconic symbol. As
your brand grows, people will
recognize your mark.
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12. Visual Identity
The watermark for your brand
gives you an alternate symbol to
use in addition or in lieu of your
regular logo. It adds a nice
design variety to images, social
media graphics, and print
materials.
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LOGO ALT
13. PRIMARY COLORS
Visual Identity
The colors mix the two ideals of the brand
- pops of deep saturated color to instill a
sense of joy - mixed with the subdued
neutrals to add a sense of luxury and
balance.
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14. SECONDARY COLORS
Visual Identity
The colors mix the two ideals of the brand
- pops of deep saturated color to instill a
sense of joy - mixed with the subdued
neutrals to add a sense of luxury and
balance.
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15. PATTERN
Visual Identity
The logo mark creates a pattern that can be
used in backgrounds, or printed on tissue
paper in your packaging.
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16. TYPOGRAPHY
Visual Identity
Vanitas is a light, yet refined headline font that
exemplifies the simple elegance of your brand.
Avenir is a simple sans-serif to be used as your
body font. Very sparingly, Autumn Chant adds a
sense of casual joy and personality.
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17. FONTS IN
ACTION
HEADLINE LEVEL 1
This is a description paragraph. It explains the purpose
of the page and describes the title to the left.
1. Example
2. Example
3. Example
4. Example
“This is a quote from a very impressive person.”
-Important Person
HEADLINE LEVEL 2
This is a description paragraph. It explains the purpose
of the page and describes the title to the left. This is a
description paragraph. It explains the purpose of the
page and describes the title to the left.
• Example
• Example
• Example
Visual Identity
Main font color: #000000
Links: #B22062
Be sure to use Vanitas in a large enough font
to keep it legible and easy to read. Avenir can
be used in a variety of styles (italic, bold,
underline) to call attention to different
messages. Only use Autumn Chant on
graphics or small visual elements - not as a
part of your regular website text.
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19. IMAGE
DO’S
Visual Identity
BRAND GUIDELINES HEIDI HOUSTON
Quiet moments Connecting with friends
On vacation (or mini-vacation at home) Images of women in your target market
When choosing images for your
brand, pick ones like these.
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20. IMAGE
DON’TS
BRAND GUIDELINES HEIDI HOUSTON
Luxury your target audience can’t
relate to
Too serious
Focus on partner relationship over self/
friends
Other people’s clothes
When choosing images, avoid
ones like these.
Visual Identity
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21. GRAPHICS
BRAND GUIDELINES HEIDI HOUSTON
The social media templates evoke a sense of
luxury, but keep the joyful colors that are your
brand’s signature.
Visual Identity
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22. GRAPHICS
BRAND GUIDELINES HEIDI HOUSTON
The web templates are an example of how your
fonts, colors, and logos can be used together
on your website
Visual Identity
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23. PACKAGING
BRAND GUIDELINES HEIDI HOUSTON
When you deliver your products, you want to
create an experience similar to opening a
present. Getting your clothing in the mail
should be an event to look forward to.
Visual Identity
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25. TONE OF
VOICE
BRAND GUIDELINES HEIDI HOUSTON
Your brand communication should be brief, simple, and
positive. Instead of long-winded complicated messages,
simplify to a short “sound bite” or “catch phrases.” Your tone
should sound like an eternally optimistic best girlfriend.
You’ll sound:
• Positive, happy
• Self-assured
• Hopeful
• Personal
• Natural (regularly used language)
• Simple (short words, short phrases)
Not:
• Cynical, jaded
• Serious
• Distant
• Formal
• Complicated
• Elevated
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26. WORD BANK
• Pajama party
• Happy time
• Treat yourself
• PJ’s
• Quiet moments
• Enjoy
• You deserve…
• Happy luxury
• Escape
• Get happy
• Love yourself with a little luxury
• Squeeze in
• Feel good ...
• Look good
• Make your morning happy
• Color yourself happy
• Burst of color
• Bright & happy
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Brand Communication
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27. TAGLINE YOUR TIME FOR LUXURY.
OTHER OPTIONS:
• Slip into happy
• Happy go luxury
• Squeeze in time for happy
• Luxury you have time for
• Love yourself with a little luxury
BRAND GUIDELINES HEIDI HOUSTON
Brand Communication
Your tagline is a “catch phrase” that
describes your work to others at a glance.
It can also be used as your main headline
on your website.
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28. STORIES
ORIGIN STORY
Tell the story of how you noticed you were wearing your hubby’s
old T-shirts to bed and waking up feeling disheveled, and
embarrassed to get surprised by a friend stopping by when you
were still in PJ’s (or running out to grab the mail.)
CLIENT STORIES
Start to gather testimonials from your friends, family, target clients
about the products. Focus on how they feel wearing them. Also,
the feel of the fabric, happy colors, and perhaps what they like to
do when they are wearing them. (Read a book, enjoy a quiet cup
of coffee, drink wine, unwind after a busy day…)
POINT OF VIEW
Tell stories that illustrate your points of view…
• Dressing well is a form of good manners (talk about friends
coming by for brunch, waking up on vacation, etc.)
• Simplicity is wonderful (share the ways that you like to clear
some moments for yourself, how you practice “self love” or self
care.)
• Luxury doesn’t need to be time-consuming. Similar to
simplicity, share ways that you add luxury into your life that is
doable and realistic (as opposed to weekly 3-hour massages,
vacationing every month, etc.)
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Brand Communication
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30. ACTION
STEPS
PHOTOSHOOT
Get your best girlfriends together, rent out a beautiful AirBNB and
schedule a professional photographer. The custom images you get of
your product are going to be crucial.
WEBSITE
Set up your eCommerce site to accept orders. Focus your product
descriptions on the emotion behind the product (feeling good, looking
good) and the real-life situations they might be using them (settle in with
a glass of red, invite your girlfriend over to breakfast).
PRESS KIT/PITCHES/INFLUENCER MARKETING
Instagram partnerships/ads, traditional press
• Travel bloggers
• Lifestyle bloggers
• “Celebrities” (local or otherwise)
LIFE EVENT MARKETING CAMPAIGNS
Pay attention to the times in people’s lives that would increase demand
for your product. Think about honeymoons, “vacation season,” gift
seasons, etc. It would make sense to align marketing campaigns with
either specific times of the year or choosing specific target markets (ie
women who like “The Knot” FB page to target honeymoon ads to). Pay
attention to what other apparel/luxury good brands promote at specific
times of the year.
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31. BRANDEMIES
IDEA ENEMIES
• Being too busy to take care of yourself
• Luxury is only for people who have lots of time
NOT TO DO LIST
• Position your product as ONLY for resorts/
special occasions. It’s meant for everyday
luxury.
• Take your brand “too seriously” in images,
copy, etc.
• Devalue your brand by running lots of sales/
discounts
WE ARE NOT
• A “stuffy” or pretentious luxury brand
• Mass-produced, cheaply made, generic
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Brand Communication
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