Brand guidelines

What is a brand foundation (mission, vision and values)?

Short answer

A brand foundation is the written core of a brand: why it exists, where it is going and what it stands for. It usually includes the mission (what you do and for whom), the vision (the future you are working towards) and the values (how you behave), plus the audience, positioning and brand promise. Logos, campaigns and messages should all follow from it.

The ideas behind a brand, and what each part of a brand foundation does.

Mission, vision and values

These three are the most common parts of a brand foundation, and the easiest to confuse:

Mission: what the brand does, for whom, and why - today
Vision: the change it wants to see in the long run
Values: the few principles that guide its decisions and behaviour

What else a foundation can hold

Many brands add their story, audience, positioning, brand promise, taglines, key messages, personality, voice and tone, and the terms they always or never use. Legal wording and objectives can sit here too, so writers find everything in one place.

Writing a foundation in Melon Cut Guidelines

Melon Cut Guidelines offers 16 kinds of foundation, from About, Mission and Vision to Voice & Tone, Terminology and Legal & Compliance. Each can have a usage note, priority notes and versions for different markets, and it appears on your brand's Foundation page with a Copy button.

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