Interactive brand guidelines can be a brand’s superpower, showcasing the brand story and purpose through to the ever-critical design details. Engaging brand guidelines have the power to influence how brand shows up across every channel from digital to in-person. These guidelines don’t just stick to the basics; they dive into the world of interactive elements like animations, transitions, and user interactions. By following these guidelines, brands can ensure seamless and unified communication with their audience through engaging interactive experiences, keeping their voice loud and clear across all channels.

User experience (UX) is the beating heart of interactive design, capturing every facet of the end-user’s engagement with a company’s products, services, or brand. When crafting interactive brand guidelines, prioritizing UX is a must for several reasons:

What It Means: Interactive brand guidelines ensure that users have a consistent experience across all touchpoints. This includes websites, mobile apps, social media, and more. 

Why It Matters: Consistency builds trust and familiarity. When users encounter the same visual elements, behaviors, and interactions across different platforms, they feel more confident and connected to the brand. 

What It Means: Good UX design focuses on making interactions engaging and intuitive for users. This involves creating clear, easy-to-navigate internal resources and providing feedback for user actions. User interactions could be anywhere from searching for brand assets to employee education, but each interaction should leave the user empowered to do more.

Why It Matters: Engaging interactions keep users interested and encourage them to explore further. Intuitive design ensures that users can navigate and interact with the brand’s digital presence without frustration. 

What It Means: Interactive brand guidelines help align the brand’s personality with the user experience. This includes defining the tone, style, and behavior of interactive elements to reflect the brand’s identity. 

Why It Matters: Brand guidelines can be a brand manager’s greatest superpower, yet according to a 2021 Lucidpress survey, only 30% of organizations believe that their brand guidelines were well-known and used by most of their organizations. A well-aligned UX design ensures that every interaction reflects the brand’s values and personality. This helps users connect with the brand on a deeper level and empowers them to truly walk your brand’s talk.  

What It Means: Interactive brand guidelines provide clear instructions for designers and developers on how to implement interactive elements, including specifications for animations, transitions, and responsive design. Beam’s latest Interactive Brand Guidelines product feature new solutions such as Beam Cascade and Beam’s Content Management System (CMS) that help developers build sites within minutes, designed with your brand’s personality automatically.

Why It Matters: Clear guidelines help designers and developers work efficiently and stay aligned with the brand’s vision. This reduces time spent governing the brand’s usage and reduces inconsistencies to ensure that the final product meets the brand’s standards.  

What It Means: UX-focused brand guidelines include best practices for creating accessible digital experiences. This involves designing for users with various abilities and ensuring that interactive elements are accessible to everyone. 

Why It Matters: Accessibility is a fundamental aspect of good UX design. By making your brand’s digital presence accessible, you open up your products and services to a wider audience. 

Beam is designed to connect your people with your brand. User experience is more than just a design consideration; it is a result of a human understanding that drives our brands into the hearts of our stakeholders. By focusing on UX, you ensure that your brand’s digital presence is not only visually appealing but also engaging, consistent, and accessible. 

At Beam, we believe that thoughtful UX design is the key to building successful interactive experiences. By prioritizing user experience in your interactive brand guidelines, you can create a cohesive and compelling brand presence that resonates with your audience. Beam leverages a proprietary design token system, Beam Cascade, and curated member experiences to ensure your brand is delivered with consistency, flexibility, and with human-driven design.  

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