Brand guidelines that turn your identity into rules a team can follow at speed, without guessing.
Usage rules, application examples, and the reasoning behind them, documented so consistency scales past the founders.
An identity is only as strong as its weakest application. Temper And Forge writes the rules that hold the line.
Our Guidelines Process
01
Asset and usage inventory
We gather every brand asset and every way it's currently used, right and wrong. The wrong uses are the most valuable input, because each one marks a place where the rules were unclear, missing, or too hard to follow.
02
Rules written for real users
Guidelines get written for the people who'll use them: the marketer building a deck at 6pm, the vendor with one hour of context. Every rule comes with a correct example, a violation, and the reason the rule exists.
03
Format and accessibility of the rules
Documentation lives where work happens: web-based guidelines, template libraries, and quick-reference pages by role. A beautiful PDF nobody opens protects nothing, so format follows the team's actual habits.
04
Rollout and living maintenance
We introduce the guidelines to the teams they govern, collect the questions, and refine the gray areas the first month reveals. Guidelines are versioned and owned, so the brand evolves on purpose instead of by erosion.
Our team
The writers of the rules.
Identity specialists who write rules for deadline conditions, complete with the reasoning that earns compliance.
11
Years in business
650+
Projects delivered
5.5M
Users of our custom tools
$75B+
Enterprise value supported
Acclivity Health Solutions
Our website was slow and didn't reflect our new messaging, so we brought Temper And Forge in to help us rebuild it. They redesigned our website layout and architecture, revamped our resources section so users can sort by section and market, and built the new site in WordPress using Advanced Custom Fields. They were incredibly communicative throughout — they used Monday.com to keep us on track and were always responsive. We get excellent value for our money.
Jim Boborci
Director of Brand & Creative
Inside the Brand Identity set.
Guidelines protect everything the identity builds. Explore the mark and language services they document.
A few of our partners
our clients
Don't just take it from us. Hear from our clients
- Temper And Forge's quality of work is exceptional; they've delivered everything they promised they would and more. We get excellent value for our money. — Jim Boborci, Director of Brand & Creative. 5 out of 5 stars.
- I've worked at my organization for close to 12 years and worked with over 12 external vendors, maybe more. Temper And Forge has been the easiest to work with and the most knowledgeable about their work. The team has produced the best work for us. — Anna McKay, Head of Web & Design. 5 out of 5 stars.
- They brought our vision to life. The team worked effectively together and was collaborative with our team. The partnership was seamless. — Danielle Lewan, Director of Marketing & Communications. 5 out of 5 stars.
- We were instantly comfortable with Temper And Forge, and their resources were extremely responsive. The team listened to our needs and adapted to every single aspect that we expected from them — they were great. — Eric Demas, CFO & City Auditor. 5 out of 5 stars.
- Temper And Forge was one of the most professional companies I've ever worked with, as they were highly responsive to our feedback, concerns, and changes we needed to make. — Bryce Gibson, Co-Founder. 5 out of 5 stars.
- Their effective communication is outstanding; they understand what we want and run with it. — Alex Neuber, Head of Business Planning & Marketing. 5 out of 5 stars.
- Temper And Forge has made a name for themselves to deliver results and our projects are the key indicators of that. — Nicholas Collins, Vice President & COO. 5 out of 5 stars.
- What sets them apart is their ability to consider all of the stakeholders' inputs and come up with a solution that meets everyone's needs. — Alisha Harrington, Co-Director. 5 out of 5 stars.
- They give us what feels like white-glove service. They prioritize us, and it feels like we're their only client, even though we know that isn't the case. That's appreciated. — Joe Myxter, Director of Communications. 5 out of 5 stars.
- Temper And Forge was highly responsive and provided quick deliveries. The team delivered work ahead of schedule and stayed on budget, communicating in a quick manner. — Vincent Santino, Marketing Director of Demand Generation. 5 out of 5 stars.
- Temper And Forge is a small boutique firm, and I know that every dollar we spend goes directly into results. I don't feel like there's any wasted time with them. — Aloe Driscoll, Digital Marketing Manager. 5 out of 5 stars.
- I was impressed by Temper And Forge's investment in our company's mission and values. Their company culture set them apart, and Temper And Forge seemed to genuinely care about our market — that was unique. — Elisabeth Law, Director of Marketing. 5 out of 5 stars.
- They're a dynamite team that's a helpful partner. As time goes on, I noticed that they have a fundamental interest in our business. They know our goals and can execute them quickly. — Thomas Winstanely, VP Marketing. 5 out of 5 stars.
- Temper And Forge's willingness to dive into some of the design challenges was really impressive. They didn't shy away. — Allison Price, Director of Marketing & Communications. 5 out of 5 stars.
Ready to protect the brand?
Let's write rules your whole team can follow at speed.