6-Step Framework
Step 1: Define
These answers will guide how your typography and color choices reflect your brand’s personality, improve communication, and create a cohesive user experience.
Knowing what you’re using now helps identify gaps or inconsistencies that need fixing.
2: How do you want your brand to feel when someone sees your colors or typography?
Your color and font choices set emotional cues, whether that’s innovative, luxury, bold, or fun.
3: Are there any colors or fonts you love, or dislike, for your brand?
Preferences guide the design direction and help avoid choices that don’t fit your brand identity.
4: Who is your primary audience, and how should your design system speak to them?
Considering industry norms and accessibility ensures your design resonates and is inclusive.
5: Where do you use your brand most often?
Websites, apps, emails, or print all have different requirements, knowing this helps optimize the system.
6: Are there accessibility concerns we should consider in your visual system?
Issues like font readability or color contrast are critical for user experience and compliance.
7: Do you have existing brand materials or references we should match or align with?
Consistency across materials builds trust and brand recognition.
8: What kind of visual consistency are you hoping to improve?
Whether it’s text hierarchy, color application, or font pairing, clarity here focuses your design efforts.
9: If someone saw your color and font choices alone, with no logo, what should they feel about your brand?
Your design system should communicate your brand’s essence instantly and clearly.
10: How will you and your team use this design system once it’s created?
Understanding usage, whether for in-house teams or external agencies, guides how detailed and flexible the system needs to be.
Step 2: Clarify
Your visual system should be more than just aesthetic, it should serve the function of your brand and reinforce your identity at every touchpoint. This step ensures your choices are rooted in purpose.
- Identify what tone your typography and colors should express (e.g., clean and professional, bold and energetic, warm and human).
- Clarify the platforms your system needs to support. For example: print, web, mobile, packaging, etc.
- Document any visual constraints, must-haves, or style guidelines already in place.
“We are a [business type] that serves [target audience]. Based on the following answers, help us define the tone, aesthetic direction, technical needs, and constraints for our brand’s font and color system.” [Paste your 10 answers here]
Step 3: Structure
This step turns your creative direction into a practical, reusable design system. The goal is to create visual harmony and hierarchy, so that anyone designing for your brand has a clear starting point.
- Choose 2–3 brand fonts (e.g., primary, secondary, accent) and define usage rules for each.
- Select 5–7 brand colors: primary, secondary, accent, neutrals, and background.
- Define typography hierarchy: headline styles, body copy size, button labels, and callouts.
- Create contrast and accessibility rules to ensure legibility across light and dark modes.
“We are a [business type] that serves [target audience]. Help us build a full brand typography and color system — including font pairings, size rules, color palettes, and usage hierarchy for web and print.”
Step 4: Embed
A great visual system is only powerful if it’s accessible and consistently applied. This step ensures that everyone who touches your brand knows how to use your typography and colors correctly.
- Add the full system to your brand guidelines, with visual examples and HEX/RGB/CMYK values.
- Create a typography and color “starter kit” for design teams, partners, and developers.
- Set up brand presets in design software to speed up execution and reduce mistakes.
“We are a [business type] that serves [target audience]. Help us build a documentation and rollout plan for our typography and color system so our internal and external teams use it consistently.”
Step 5: Show
This is where your new system goes live. Every touchpoint, digital or physical, should now reflect your updated typography and color rules for a cohesive and recognizable brand experience.
- Audit your website, social media, emails, and pitch decks for outdated fonts or off-brand color use.
- Apply your system to landing pages, printed materials, product packaging, and video content.
- Standardize all new assets to follow the hierarchy and style structure you defined.
“We are a [business type] that serves [target audience]. Create an asset audit checklist and rollout guide to apply our new brand typography and color system across all public-facing platforms.”
Step 6: Review
Your font and color system should evolve with your brand, but in a controlled, strategic way. This step ensures you revisit it regularly and keep the system fresh, consistent, and functional.
- Review your typography and color system every 6–12 months or after a rebrand.
- Assess consistency across all channels and correct any visual drift.
- Consider adding seasonal or campaign-based palettes to support marketing goals.
“We are a [business type] that serves [target audience]. Create a review checklist we can use every 6–12 months to assess and optimize our brand typography and color system.”
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