> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.snowdoughnut.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Set up your brand

> The order to fill in the six brand workbooks, what each one produces, and which downstream documents link to it. Do this before any campaign or creative work.

Six workbooks define the brand. They're filled in once and linked to from everywhere else. This is setup stage 2 in [get started](/overview).

<Note>
  Order matters here more than anywhere else in the knowledge base. Messaging written on top of an unsettled position has to be redone.
</Note>

## The path

<Steps>
  <Step title="1. Read the reasoning (optional)">
    [Brand strategy concepts](/brand-strategy-concepts) covers positioning, messaging and voice. [Visual identity concepts](/visual-identity-concepts) covers the visual system and assets. Neither is a workbook. Skip them if you'd rather start filling in.
  </Step>

  <Step title="2. Positioning">
    Fill in [positioning](/positioning): target, competitive frame, point of difference, reasons to believe, the positioning statement, and the trade-offs you're accepting.

    **Done when:** the statement is specific enough that a competitor would dispute it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="3. Messaging">
    Fill in [messaging](/messaging): value proposition, three message pillars, the four-length message set, audience variations, and the approved claims table.

    **Done when:** every claim has evidence and a refresh date next to it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="4. Voice and tone">
    Fill in [brand voice and tone](/brand-voice-and-tone): voice traits with contrasts, tone by situation, and the before-and-after examples in section 4.

    **Done when:** a writer can tell whether a given sentence is on-brand by checking section 4.
  </Step>

  <Step title="5. Visual identity">
    Fill in [visual identity](/visual-identity): color values in every color space, approved contrast pairings, typefaces with fallbacks and licenses, the type scale, spacing, imagery direction, and icons.

    **Done when:** a designer can build a layout without asking a question.
  </Step>

  <Step title="6. Logo usage">
    Fill in [logo usage](/logo-usage): variants, clear space, minimum sizes, backgrounds, the misuse list, and co-branding rules.

    **Done when:** every variant that exists is named and has a rule for when not to use it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="7. Brand assets">
    Fill in [brand assets](/brand-assets): the source of truth, the asset register with owners and review dates, formats, access, rights and expiry, and how assets get retired.

    **Done when:** anyone can find the current file without asking, and knows whether they're allowed to use it.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Where each one gets used

| Workbook                                      | Linked from                                                                                                                      |
| :-------------------------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [Positioning](/positioning)                   | [Messaging](/messaging), [marketing campaign brief](/marketing-campaign-brief)                                                   |
| [Messaging](/messaging)                       | [Copy brief](/ad-copy-standards), [campaign brief](/marketing-campaign-brief), [landing page standards](/landing-page-standards) |
| [Brand voice and tone](/brand-voice-and-tone) | [Copy brief](/ad-copy-standards), [article brief](/article-brief)                                                                |
| [Visual identity](/visual-identity)           | [Creative brief](/creative-brief), [landing page skeleton](/landing-page-skeleton)                                               |
| [Logo usage](/logo-usage)                     | [Creative brief](/creative-brief), [creative review checklist](/creative-review-checklist)                                       |
| [Brand assets](/brand-assets)                 | Every piece of production work                                                                                                   |

Downstream documents link to these. They never restate them, because a second copy drifts from the first within a quarter.

## Keeping it current

Set a review date now rather than later. [Brand guidelines](/brand-guidelines) holds the recommended cadence per document, and the asset register carries a per-asset review date.

## Related resources

* [**Brand guidelines**](/brand-guidelines) The index to all six documents and the review cadence.
* [**Brand strategy concepts**](/brand-strategy-concepts) Why positioning, messaging and voice are separate.
* [**Visual identity concepts**](/visual-identity-concepts) Why the visual system is split into three documents.
* [**Brand onboarding**](/brand-onboarding) What someone reads before producing brand-facing work.
* [**Setup checklist**](/setup-checklist) Track this stage against the rest of setup.