Phase 5: Guidelines

Phase 5: Guidelines

Package all brand elements into a complete brand guidelines document.

Purpose

The Guidelines phase compiles all brand work into a single, comprehensive brand guidelines document — the source of truth for anyone using the brand.

Usage

/branding:guidelines <brand-name>

Example:

/branding:guidelines acme

Prerequisites

Requires all prior phase artifacts, especially .metapowers/branding/<brand>/04-visual.md. Use --skip-checks to bypass.

What It Does

Reads all prior phase artifacts (Discover through Visual)
Compiles into a structured brand guidelines document
Adds compliance rules (must-do, must-not-do, common mistakes)
References all assets in .metapowers/branding/<brand>/assets/
Writes the guidelines to .metapowers/branding/<brand>/05-guidelines.md

Output

Creates .metapowers/branding/<brand>/05-guidelines.md containing:

Brand overview (purpose, vision, mission, values)
Logo usage rules and variations
Color palette with specifications
Typography system
Imagery guidelines
Voice and tone summary
Compliance rules
Asset inventory

After Guidelines

Use Audit to score any content against these guidelines.

Phase 4: Visual Identity

Define visual identity — colors, typography, logo usage, and imagery style.

Artifacts

What each Branding phase produces and the purpose of each artifact.