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Marketing Academy · Field Work●Brand Strategy
All projects·From: Visual Identity Systems
MiniBuild the Asset· 30 minutes

Building a One-Page Brand Guidelines Sheet

Zomato

Objective: Compress the lesson's five pillars into a single-page, actionable guidelines sheet for a real product launch, the minimum viable version a freelancer or new hire could actually follow.

You're supporting Zomato's marketing team on a new sub-brand launch (a quick-commerce vertical) that has no documented visual system yet, only a logo file from the design team.

Given only a logo and one brand color, build the one-page guidelines sheet covering the two highest-leverage decisions the lesson recommends starting with: primary color and heading font, plus a minimum-size rule for the logo.

Before you start

What you'll need

Free path (everything below is enough to finish)

Canva
FreemiumBuild the one-page sheet and pull HEX/RGB/CMYK values

Free tier color picker and layout tools cover a one-page sheet completely

The process

2 steps

Step 01 of 02

Starting a visual identity system with the two highest-leverage decisions

The lesson's tip callout says if you have nothing and need to start today, pick your primary brand color and heading font first, these two decisions carry the highest leverage.

Given only Zomato's existing sub-brand logo and one hex color from the design team, what heading font pairs with it, and what's the minimum clear-space rule for the logo?

Canva— Canva's Brand Kit panel, or a blank design if no Brand Kit access.

Procedure

  1. Enter the given primary hex color into a new Canva design
  2. Test 3 heading font options against the logo, pick the one that doesn't visually compete with the logo's own shape
  3. Set a minimum logo size rule (e.g. never smaller than 24px on digital) and a clear space rule (padding equal to the logo's cap height)
  4. Write both rules directly under the logo on the sheet
Sample output
Primary color: #FF6B35
Heading font: Poppins SemiBold (geometric, doesn't compete with the logo's rounded mark)
Minimum logo size: 24px digital / 0.5in print
Clear space: padding equal to the height of the 'Z' in the wordmark

Healthy

The chosen font's weight and shape visually complement the logo instead of fighting it for attention in the same layout.

Unhealthy

Picking a heading font because it looks trendy, without testing it next to the actual logo file.

What this means

A font choice untested against the real logo is a guess, not a decision.

So what do I do about it?

SymptomActionEffort
The heading font and logo look mismatched on the first real assetRe-test 2 more font options directly against the logo before finalizing30 min
YouYou can do this yourself, no engineering access required.

Step 02 of 02

Specifying color in multiple formats for print and digital

The lesson's Color System pillar requires every color specified in HEX, RGB, and CMYK, since 'close enough' costs recognition exactly when you need it most.

Your primary color is #FF6B35 for digital. What's the CMYK equivalent the print team needs, and why can't they just guess it from the hex?

Canva— Canva's color picker shows HEX, RGB, and CMYK simultaneously when you select a color swatch.

Procedure

  1. Select the primary color swatch in Canva and open the color picker
  2. Record the HEX, RGB, and CMYK values shown
  3. Add all three values to the guidelines sheet under the primary color swatch
  4. Note that a print vendor converting HEX to CMYK themselves can shift the color visibly
Sample output
Primary color
HEX: #FF6B35
RGB: 255, 107, 53
CMYK: 0, 58, 79, 0

Healthy

All three color formats are documented before the first print asset (business card, packaging insert) goes to a vendor.

Unhealthy

Sending only the hex code to a print vendor and letting them auto-convert, risking a visibly different orange on physical materials.

What this means

A hex-only spec is a digital-only spec. Print always needs its own documented value.

So what do I do about it?

SymptomActionEffort
Printed packaging looks like a different orange than the appGet the CMYK value from design before approving any print run5 min
YouYou can do this yourself, no engineering access required.

Final deliverable

A one-page brand guidelines sheet: primary color in HEX/RGB/CMYK, heading font choice with rationale, and logo minimum-size plus clear-space rules.

See a reference example
Sample output
Swiggy Instamart, One-Page Guidelines (excerpt)

Primary: #FC8019 / RGB 252,128,25 / CMYK 0,49,90,1
Heading font: Circular Std Bold
Min logo size: 20px digital
Clear space: 1x the icon's width on all sides

Success criteria

You're done when you can:

  • Primary color is documented in all 3 formats, not hex alone
  • Heading font choice is tested against the actual logo file before being finalized
  • Logo minimum-size and clear-space rules are both present with specific numeric values