Small Shop Brand Book: Rules, Files, and a Team Template

A small shop brand book should explain to staff and contractors how to prepare materials and communicate with customers. Record the spelling of the name, rules for using the logo, colors, and fonts, the layout of typical designs, and examples of replies to customers. Add ready-to-use templates, assign someone to manage changes, and keep the current edition at one permanent link.

When commissioning a brand book, agree on the list of editable files, the terms for using third-party fonts and images, and the scope of copyright. Before accepting the work, ask a salesperson and a contractor to each complete one real task using the document. This will help identify missing explanations or files.

How to Start a Shop Brand Book

A brand book is a document containing rules for a shop’s visual design and communication. Creating a name, logo, and overall style requires separate decisions. A brand book turns decisions that have already been approved into instructions another person can follow to prepare materials without additional verbal explanations.

First, the owner lists the tasks the team performs regularly: printing price tags, preparing announcements, posting products, answering questions about availability, and ordering packaging. For each task, identify the person who will do it, the required template, and the person who approves the result. These tasks should determine the document’s contents.

For the first edition, gather current materials and label each one: keep, revise, or discontinue. If the shop name is spelled differently on the sign, social media, and packaging, the owner should first choose one consistent version. Only then should the designer set it out in the rules.

What Sections to Include in a Brand Book

You can use the following structure as the document’s contents. Each rule should include an example and a link to the relevant file.

How to Describe Visual Rules Clearly

Logo: Ready-to-Use Versions for Specific Conditions

Ask the designer to show the logo on the media the shop actually uses: a sign, small sticker, bag, and profile image. For each case, specify the required file, permitted background, and smallest size at which the details remain readable. Determine the minimum size by testing a sample reproduction.

Define the clear space around the logo in relation to a specific element, such as the height of the first letter. Show examples of mistakes: stretching, changing the color, adding a shadow, and placing it over a busy photo. Include a ready-to-use correct version next to them so staff can use it right away.

Colors, Fonts, and Readability

Record the purpose of each color: main text, background, accent, or service notice. For screens, specify the hexadecimal HEX code and RGB values—the red, green, and blue components. For print, agree with the designer and print shop on CMYK values—the cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks—for the selected material. Approve a proof before printing a large run.

For fonts, define only the roles the shop needs: heading, body text, price, and note. Record the font name, style, size for each template, and an available substitute. Ask the designer to show Ukrainian letters, numbers, the hryvnia sign, and a long product name so you can assess whether the font is suitable for daily use.

For the website, include in the designer’s brief the Level AA criterion 1.4.3 from the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2: text contrast against the background must be at least 4.5:1, and large text must be at least 3:1. Large text means text of at least 18 points, or at least 14 points in bold. Values below the threshold must not be rounded up. The criterion also covers images of text; exceptions apply to text in logos and brand names, inactive interface elements, purely decorative or invisible text, and incidental text in images with substantial other content.

Brand styling does not exempt ordinary text from these requirements. Detailed conditions are in the explanation of the contrast criterion. Use it as a reference for web design.

Layouts and Photos

Create a separate template with labeled fields for each recurring material. A product card might have a photo, name, feature, price, and ordering method. An announcement about a change in opening hours might have a message, dates, hours, and contact details. Specify which blocks staff may change and which require approval.

Test the template with a long name, several features, and a note. If the text does not fit, describe the permitted options: shorten the wording without losing meaning, use an additional line, or choose another approved layout.

In the photography rules, show the required angles and scale: overall view, detail, size, or package contents. Specify who approves color adjustments. For a product whose shade matters to customers, the employee must compare the finished photo with the actual product and submit any questionable result for approval.

How to Set Rules for Communicating with Customers

Describe specific actions for sales staff: how to greet and address a customer, report that an item is unavailable, explain a delay, and refer a complex request to a manager. For each scenario, include a sample reply and the information that must be checked before sending it.

For example, supplement the rule “respond in a friendly manner” with this instruction: “Answer the question first, then state the important condition and suggest the next action. If there is no exact timeframe, do not guess; agree on when you will get back to the customer with an answer.”

Hypothetical example for a home goods shop called “Ladna Polytsia” (“Neat Shelf”). A customer asks about a cup in a particular color. The employee checks the model and capacity, confirms availability at the required shop, and replies: “Good afternoon. This model of cup is available in blue at the shop on Tsentralna Street. Would it be convenient for you to pick it up there?” If availability has not yet been confirmed: “I’ll check whether the blue cup is available at the shop on Tsentralna Street and message you by the agreed time.”

Separately define which decisions a salesperson may make independently and which must be referred to a manager: an individual discount, compensation, or nonstandard order terms. Link to the shop’s current service rules in the brand book so staff do not use different copies.

What Files to Receive from the Designer

Agree on the delivery package before work begins. Along with the document, request these materials:

• The brand book as a PDF for reading and in an editable format. The shop should be able to change contact details, add an example, or prepare a new edition.
• The logo in a vector format, such as SVG. A vector file describes an image with geometric elements and can be scaled. Include the required color and monochrome versions.
• The logo as a PNG with a transparent background. Request ready-made sizes for the approved digital uses.
• Editable templates. Price tag, announcement, post, product card, sticker, according to the shop’s task list.
• Print files. Specify the size, material, approved print shop, and preparation requirements separately. A design must be approved again for a new printing method.
• A list of fonts and images. For each item, provide its source, terms of use, and proof of purchase if required.
• A package description. File name, purpose, editing software, and usage restrictions.

If templates are created in an online service, check who owns the project and whether the shop can edit and export it from its own account. A view-only link does not confirm editing access. Separately agree on any paid elements or service features required for continued use.

Copyright and Licenses: What to Agree Before Acceptance

For a shop in Ukraine, rights to design are governed by the Law of Ukraine “On Copyright and Related Rights” No. 2811-IX. Articles 6 and 12 cover, among other things, works of artistic design, photographs, and ways of using them. Receiving a file and paying for the work do not, by themselves, determine the full scope of the shop’s rights.

There is an important exception for commissioned works. Under Article 15, economic rights generally pass to the customer when the work is created, unless the contract provides otherwise. However, for a work of fine art created on commission, the author holds the economic rights unless the contract or law provides otherwise; a separate exception applies to a work specially created as an element of a computer program. Moral rights remain with the author. Therefore, expressly agree in the contract on the allocation of rights to the logo, illustrations, and other parts of the package.

Before signing documents, the shop owner should agree on:

• which works are being transferred: names, a list of files, editions, or images in an appendix to the contract;
• whether economic rights are being transferred or permission to use the work—a license—is being granted;
• which methods of use are covered: printing, packaging, signs, website, social media, advertising, and adapting layouts;
• the territory and other applicable limits on use, and, for a license, its term;
• the terms for making changes and engaging other designers and manufacturers;
• the amount or method for determining remuneration, or whether the arrangement is free of charge;
• which third-party elements are included in the work and what restrictions apply to them.

Article 48 requires these transactions to be in writing, including electronically, and to specify the subject matter, scope of rights, and remuneration. Under Article 49, rights not covered by an agreement for partial transfer remain untransferred. Works and rights that did not exist when the agreement was concluded cannot be the subject of a transfer agreement. For future design, agree on commissioned creation and the terms governing rights to the result; when transferring it, identify the completed works.

For a font, photograph, or graphic element from a third-party library, check its separate license. Ask the contractor to specify whether advertising, printing, website use, editing, and transferring the file to another contractor are permitted. If the terms do not allow the font file itself to be transferred, keep a link to its lawful purchase or the acquisition of the relevant license.

How to Connect the Brand Book with a Trademark

A brand book does not replace securing rights to a trademark. Under Article 5 of the Law of Ukraine “On Protection of Rights to Marks for Goods and Services” No. 3689-XII, rights are certified by a certificate; exceptions apply to international registration and a mark recognized as well known in Ukraine. The scope of protection is determined by the mark’s image and the list of goods and services in the Register.

If the shop has a registered mark, add its approved image and the procedure for making changes to the working rules. Article 16 allows use in a form that differs in individual elements only if this does not change the mark’s overall distinctiveness. The certificate holder may use the ® sign to indicate registration in Ukraine; do not add it to templates solely at the designer’s discretion.

How to Accept the Brand Book and Designs

The owner or a designated employee manages acceptance. The designer delivers the package, and a shop representative opens it in the shop’s own work environment and completes typical tasks.

1. Check the package. All approved documents, logo versions, templates, and proof of rights must appear on the delivery list.
2. Open the editable files. Replace the product name, price, and photo. Check that this does not require the designer’s personal account.
3. Review the result on the intended media. Assess a digital design on a phone and a printed design at its actual size.
4. Check difficult cases. A long name, monochrome printing, light and dark backgrounds, and a large amount of offer information should each have a defined solution.
5. Compare the rules with the files. The color codes, fonts, and logo versions in the document must match the templates.
6. Give tasks to another person. Have a salesperson prepare an announcement and a contractor prepare a sticker design. Record questions and revise unclear rules.
7. Record approval. Write down the accepted edition, package contents, required corrections, and who is responsible for them.

How to Store the Brand Book and Share It with the Team

Assign one person to manage the document and one employee as a backup. Keep the authority to approve changes with the owner or a designated manager. Collect suggestions from sales staff and contractors in one place so the person responsible can review and implement approved changes.

Create a shared folder with sections named “Current Rules,” “Logo,” “Templates,” “Photos,” “Rights and Licenses,” and “Archive.” In the first section, place the document with its edition number, effective date, responsible person, and a short list of changes. Move previous editions to the archive and mark them as no longer in use.

Give employees access to read the rules and create their own copies of templates. Restrict editing of originals to the person responsible. Give contractors access to materials for a specific task; review access after the work is complete. Store contracts and other restricted documents separately from publicly accessible materials.

For a new employee, the manager shows where to find the current rules and assigns a short practical task. When the document changes, the responsible person explains what changed, when it takes effect, and which templates must be replaced. For example: “Use the template in the ‘Current Rules’ folder for new announcements; the previous template has been moved to the archive.”

Brand Book Template to Fill In

Copy the fields below into a working document. After filling them in, add examples and links to files in each section.

1. Document. Shop name: […]. Edition: […]. Effective from: […]. Responsible person: […]. Approver: […]. Permanent link: […].
2. Shop and customers. What we sell: […]. Who we help choose a product: […]. Service principles we follow: […].
3. Name. Exact spelling: […]. Permitted abbreviation: […]. Versions we do not use: […].
4. Logo. Main file: […]. Version for dark backgrounds: […]. Monochrome version: […]. Minimum sizes and clear space: […].
5. Colors and fonts. Color purposes and codes: […]. Permitted combinations: […]. Fonts and substitutes: […]. Licenses: […].
6. Photos. Background and angles: […]. Permitted editing: […]. Who approves: […].
7. Designs. Template list: […]. Sizes and formats: […]. What may be changed: […]. What requires approval: […].
8. Communication. Form of address: […]. Response structure: […]. Sample messages about availability, delays, and complaints: […]. Who handles complex requests: […].
9. Delivery and rights. File list: […]. Basis for use: […]. Third-party elements and restrictions: […].
10. Changes and access. Where to send suggestions: […]. Who edits: […]. How the team is notified: […]. Where the archive is: […].

Hypothetical example of a short rule. “For an announcement about opening hours, the administrator copies the ‘Schedule’ template, changes the dates and hours, and sends it to the manager for approval. The administrator keeps the logo, font, and block positions as shown in the template. Before publication, the manager checks the hours against the actual schedule, the administrator reviews the image on a phone, and the approved file is saved in the announcements folder.”

Consistent Product Names and Availability Replies in Torgsoft

You can add a product naming rule to the brand book, for example: “type — model — important feature.” The person responsible for product data applies it in Torgsoft: in the “Склад → Стан складу” (“Warehouse → Stock Status”) menu, the “Змінити” (“Edit”) action opens the product card to edit the name and article number. Before replying to a customer, the salesperson checks the quantity and required feature. If using “Усі склади” (“All warehouses”), the salesperson selects the required accounting centers—shops or warehouses in Torgsoft. The reply to the customer should name the specific location where the item is available; the recorded quantity should not be presented as confirmation that the item has been reserved.

Keep forms of address and message wording in the brand book. In the Torgsoft customer card, available through “Маркетинг → Клієнти” (“Marketing → Customers”), staff can work with contact details. The “Інше” (“Other”) tab has consent indicators for receiving messages by SMS text message, email, and regular mail, as well as the language for mass mailings. Assign someone to keep this information current. Before preparing a message, that person checks the channel and language, and the writer uses an approved response example.

Official Acts and Practical References

• Law of Ukraine “On Copyright and Related Rights” dated 01.12.2022 No. 2811-IX — Articles 6, 12, 15, 48, and 49: protected subject matter, economic rights, commissioned works, agreements, and transfer of rights.
• Law of Ukraine “On Protection of Rights to Marks for Goods and Services” dated 15.12.1993 No. 3689-XII — Article 5 and Article 16, paragraphs 4 and 10: scope of protection, form of trademark use, and trademark registration notices.
• Explanation of WCAG 2.2 criterion 1.4.3, “Contrast (Minimum)” — web text contrast thresholds and exceptions.
• Torgsoft help: “Стан складу” (“Stock Status”) and “Картка клієнта” (“Customer Card”).