The fi ne art of style guide design The fi ne art of style guide design

licensing
licensing
“Style guides” continued from page 19
designs are printed now. But what you save on budget, you may lose
in effectiveness. Hard-copy guides can benefi t from unique production
techniques like foil printing, specialized inks and textured paper
that may inspire more creative product design, says Metzger. “With
a printed guide, you have a tactile experience. It helps to hold it in
your hands and peruse it at your leisure to get a brand overview.”
If you do decide to go the printed route and if you have some room
in your budget, it doesn’t hurt to add bells
A character scale chart
is a key element of the
pre-pack, a style guide
sneak-peek that longerlead
toy and promo
partners work with
and whistles. For Foster’s Home for Imaginary
Friends, Cartoon Network Enterprises
created a die-cut style guide in the shape of
the house where the characters live. And
inside the book, each product category
was contained in a different and appropriate
room. So applications for party goods,
for example, were housed in the Party Room. The guide’s innovative
approach earned CNE style guide awards from both HOW and Communication
Arts magazines last year.
But Hyperdesign’s Metzger points out that all the fancy printing
apps in the world mean zilch if a guide loses sight of its core
purpose, which is to provide licensees with the info and assets they
need to produce high-quality product that upholds the integrity of
the brand it stems from.