Virtually all reputable marketing firms will finish your branding project by presenting your organization with a “Brand Guide” to follow. You may ask yourself: “what do I do with this slickly designed (and slightly overwhelming) piece?” Well, first of all, it is recommended that you assign someone — or a team of someones — to fully understand what they are holding. Countless hours and dozens of conversations have gone into developing just the right message, visuals, brand voice and feel to help you reach your target audience. The guide is the culmination of all that work; don’t let it be for nought. The concept of a brand guide in and of itself though is quite simple. Brand guidelines are a set of rules that dictate how all elements of a brand should be applied. Designers will present you with a detailed outline of your brand’s preferred colors, fonts, logos, photo styles, layouts and so on, and how each are to be used. They will also provide several different electronic versions and file formats of your logo and any brand graphics used. A representative from the firm or agency that did your rebrand should work with you to explain the implementation and importance of adhering to each of these elements. Make sure you distribute copies of your guide internally with your institution. Also, provide a PDF version of your brand guide to any outside firm or vendor you choose to hire before they start work on a project and be sure that they have a clear understanding of the look and feel of the existing brand.