Is This the End of Brand Guidelines or Just Time to Rethink Them?

Visual consistency is powerful. You know it, I know it, and social media knows it. That's why those brand recognition games (where you guess the company from a sliced-up logo) keep doing the rounds. They work because, like it or not, we’re hardwired to spot patterns. Consistent branding builds familiarity and familiarity builds trust.

But here’s the rub. In today’s fragmented, fast-moving digital landscape, the question isn’t whether brand recognition matters. It’s whether traditional brand guidelines are still the right tool for the job.

Consistency Pays. Literally.

We’ve known anecdotally for years that consistency matters, but the numbers now back it up. Brands that present themselves consistently across all touchpoints can see up to a 33% increase in revenue. In fact, 68% of businesses say consistency contributes to at least 10% of their revenue growth, with an average uplift of 23% reported when consistency is maintained.

Despite this, just 30% of companies say their brand guidelines are widely used and recognised internally. Almost half (47%) admit to creating off-brand content on a regular basis. So where’s the disconnect? Chances are, it’s not a lack of intent. It’s that static, bloated brand guideline PDFs aren’t fit for modern marketing reality.

The Problem with Pixel Policing

Old-school brand guidelines break brands into pieces: logos, colour palettes, type hierarchies, spacing rules. Back when marketing was mostly billboards, brochures and banner ads, that made sense. But the world’s moved on. Your brand now shows up on TikTok, Teams, Threads and places your guidelines probably haven’t even heard of yet.

In this landscape, successful brands aren’t following the rules. They’re following a rhythm. They understand how their identity lives and breathes across a system, not just how it looks in a mockup. It’s less about consistency of execution and more about consistency of intention.

Guidelines vs Reality

Modern CMOs and brand leads face a dilemma. Stick with detailed guidelines and risk slowing teams down. Or loosen the reins and risk chaos. Neither’s ideal.

Today’s marketers are juggling content for platforms with wildly different formats, constraints and cultures. A prescriptive brand guideline that tries to cover every possible scenario quickly becomes overwhelming. On the flip side, guidelines that are too high-level leave creators second-guessing everything. The result? Confusion, inconsistency and a lot of Slack messages asking: “Can we do this in brand?”

A Better Way: Dynamic Brand Systems

Forward-thinking organisations are moving away from static PDFs towards dynamic brand systems. Think of it less like a rulebook and more like a shared mindset. These systems prioritise core principles like voice, tone, behaviour and visual personality, while giving teams the freedom to adapt based on context.

In short, they give your brand the confidence to show up differently while still feeling unmistakably you.

The brands doing this well are easy to spot. They don’t need to police every post because their teams get it. They know the brand’s emotional territory. They understand its character. That intuitive grasp means execution can flex without compromising the essence.

What CMOs Should Focus On Instead

1. Invest in Brand Intelligence, Not Just Guidelines
Build deep understanding of your brand’s behavioural patterns, audience preferences and category norms. This insight empowers teams to make smart, brand-aligned decisions in the moment.

2. Train for Intuition, Not Just Compliance
With bigger budgets on the horizon (72% of marketers expect an increase in 2025), invest in upskilling your people. When teams understand the brand from the inside out, they won’t need to check a guide for every decision.

3. Embrace Platform Native Consistency
Each platform has its own rhythm. Your brand should feel consistent within LinkedIn, and consistent within Instagram. But the expressions across those platforms will, and should, differ.

4. Build for Speed and Agility
Marketing today doesn’t wait. Whether it’s responding to a trend, a competitor or a cultural moment, teams need to act fast. Empower them with tools and principles, not rigid rules.