If video marketing is one of the major ways you market your business, a video style guide must be on hand.

That will speed up the video creation process because the expectations are laid out. The video team, whether in-house or an agency, knows what to do.

In this article, we will discuss the following:

• What is a video style guide?
• What does a video style guide contain?
• How to create a video style guide

Let’s get started!

What Is a Video Style Guide?

Do you know what a brand style guide is? If so, a video style guide is just a more specific version of it as it only contains guidelines on the elements in your videos.

But your brand elements, such as the logo usage, the fonts, the colors, and so on, are also in the guide as they must be used for your videos, too!

A brand style guide and a video style guide could be two separate documents, but you can combine them for convenience.

The purpose of a video guide is to help your video team or a third-party agency create videos that represent your brand. It also helps with consistency, especially if you work with different video creators.

It doesn’t need to be printed out because most transactions happen digitally, but use the PDF format as that works for all types of devices.

What Does a Video Style Guide Contain?

If you combine your brand style guide and your video style guide, the brand guidelines must come before the video guidelines. Know what to include in a brand style guide here.

Once the brand guidelines are done, or if you want to have a separate video guide, below are the sections you may want to include depending on your video style.

1. Opening Screen

How many Netflix shows have you watched? I am asking because Netflix has the most perfect opening screen of all.

You know what it sounds like, and you run to the couch even if you are not done cleaning the kitchen countertop when you hear it. It is time to Netflix and chill!

Do you want to have the same effect on your audience? Then make sure that most, if not all, of the videos you publish online start in the same way!

2. Lower Thirds

If there is a person on the screen and you think your audience must know who they are, that is the job of lower thirds — the usually rectangular graphic where the name and the position of the person are placed.

Lower thirds need to be on-brand, too, so they need to be in the video guide.

3. Quotations

Quotations add power to any argument presented, and there are many ways to show them on the screen. They can appear anywhere around the talking head, or they can take up the whole frame.

What do you prefer? Write that down in the video style guide!

4. Clothing

You may be wondering why clothing is on this list. This is for when you will produce videos featuring the employees at your company. Seeing people wearing the same style of clothing shows unity!

If you wear a uniform at work, that could be written in the video style guide under the clothing section. If not, then there probably is a rule regarding the appropriate attire to wear in the office.

Oh, so everyone can wear whatever they want? Require anyone who will be part of the video to wear a certain type of clothing. It needs to be aligned with how you want to be perceived.

Imagine a lawyer promoting a law firm’s services, but they are wearing a shirt in the video. It doesn’t seem right, right? We expect lawyers to be in business attire!

5. Illustration Styles

Even if you are not a fan of 2D animation, illustration styles must be included in the video guide because it is sometimes the best type of video to use for a specific goal. Think of explainer videos.

Most explainer videos are 2D animated. Why? Because people love it! Even if you are in the most boring industry, your audience will still find it entertaining!

6. Animation Styles

Animations such as the transition styles and the visual effects make videos more engaging. While it is not required for you to use the same animation style over and over again, at least let the video professionals know the don’ts.

You may be okay with on-screen text fading in and fading out, but not sliding up and down. You may also want the illustrated characters to open and close their mouths when the voiceover is playing, but their bodies must not move!

7. Ending Screen

The opening screen gives the first impression, but whatever they see at the end of the video influences what they will do next.

Add a call-to-action, or end it with a bang so that they feel compelled to go to your page and watch more videos.

You can also recommend more videos of yours just like what many YouTube content creators do.

How to Create a Video Style Guide

Now that you know what a video guide contains, how can you create one? You have options, which are discussed below!

1. Do It Yourself Using a Template

There are many templates available on the internet. While the good ones are paid, they are still more affordable than hiring a professional designer or a team.

I helped create video style guides at my previous job, and they used templates from Envato Elements and other template stores.

Tailor the template to your brand by yourself if you are willing to do the work!

2. Hire a Freelance Graphic Designer

While graphic designers are not video experts, they can help you create a video style guide. The downside to this is that they may add a “do” that is a “don’t” from a video editing standpoint.

Some designs and styles are not possible or good for videos, so you may need to consult a video expert before you finalize the document.

3. Work With a Creative or Video Agency

At the video marketing agency I worked at, the creative team created video guides for the clients. Our team had graphic designers, illustrators, video editors, and writers, and we collaborated to accomplish those.

A creative agency can surely create a video style guide for you, but I think it would be better if you give the task to a video agency with an in-house creative team.

Conclusion

While it is possible for video experts to brand your videos without a video style guide, the quality will be different if you work with different video professionals.

You can have a go-to video person or team to whom you will pay a retainer fee to maintain the quality even without a guide if it doesn’t fit your budget for now.

Liked the article? How about a free SEO audit from me?

I don’t create video style guides as video marketing is not my field. What I can do is do a free SEO audit. Click here to learn more!