Brand guidelines that people use: the first-object test
A guideline that only shows the logo on white fails the first real job. Test it the way a stranger will use it.
Short answer: brand guidelines that people use answer the questions a stranger asks on a deadline. Which logo file goes on this surface? Which colour pairs are safe for text? How do Arabic and English sit together? What does the mark look like at icon size? Who signs off something new? The test is simple. Give the guideline to a designer who has never met you, and ask them to put the brand on a cup, a sign and a phone screen. Every question they have to ask is a missing page.
Our guide to brand identity in Dubai explains what an identity includes. This page is only the usability test for the document that hands it over.
Why do so many guidelines fail on the first real job?
Because they are written for the presentation, not for the person who uses them next.
A beautiful PDF shows the logo centred on white, a palette of swatches and a few mock-ups. Then a printer asks for the one-colour version. A developer asks which colour is safe for a button. A sign maker asks for the Arabic lockup at two metres wide. If the answers are not in the document, people guess. Each guess is a small new brand.
How does the first-object test work?
Pick three real objects and let a stranger try.
- Choose the objects. Something held, such as a cup or a box. Something seen from far away, such as a shop sign. Something on a screen, such as a phone home screen or a social profile.
- Hand over only the guideline. No call, no extra files sent "just in case". Give each object about 30 minutes.
- Write down every question. Each one marks a gap: a missing file, a missing rule or a rule that is unclear.
- Fix the document, then test again. Run it with 2 people in turn, so the second one sees the fixed version.
The test takes an afternoon and shows more than a long review meeting.
Which colour rules must the guideline settle?
The approved text and background pairs, not just the swatches.
W3C's WCAG 2.2 contrast guidance asks for at least 4.5:1 between normal text and its background, and 3:1 for large text. Text inside a logo is exempt. The same page is clear on one point many brand teams miss: text that fails contrast because of corporate identity or brand guidelines is not exempt. So the guideline has to say which pairs may carry text, and which colours are accents only.
Graphics matter too. W3C's non-text contrast guidance asks for 3:1 for icons and interface parts that people need to see. A palette that looks lovely in a mood board can fail both tests on a real screen.
Which logo versions does it need?
One for every surface the stranger will meet, named so nobody has to guess.
- Primary lockup, with the clear space and the smallest size stated.
- Stacked or compact version for narrow spaces.
- Square mark for icons and profile pictures. Google's favicon guidelines ask for a square image at least 8x8px, and recommend one larger than 48x48px.
- One-colour and reversed versions for print, embroidery and dark backgrounds.
- A high-contrast version for links. W3C notes that a logo is exempt from contrast rules, but when it works as a link or button, authors should use a variant with enough contrast if the guidelines allow one. Make sure yours does.
How should Arabic and English sit together?
As two designed versions, with rules for both, not an English page with a translation pasted in.
Arabic is the official language of the UAE, and the UAE fact sheet notes that road signs and signs on commercial outlets are in Arabic and English. A Dubai sign maker will ask for both on day one.
A good public example is the UAE Design System. Its typography guidelines name a primary and a secondary typeface for English and for Arabic, and recommend a minimum body size of 16px. They also say English content is left aligned and Arabic content is right aligned. Your brand guideline should be just as specific: the Arabic typeface, the lockup, which language leads on each surface, and how the layout turns for right-to-left. Our essay on marketing to a bilingual audience covers the wider audience question.
What else stops people guessing?
Files, a date and a name.
- Files for each use. Vector files for print and signage, screen files for web and social, each one named for what it is.
- One place to download them. Old logos in old email threads are how wrong versions spread.
- A version and a date on the cover, so everyone knows which edition they hold.
- One named owner who approves anything the guideline does not cover yet.
- A few "don't" examples drawn from real mistakes: stretched marks, wrong colours, weak contrast.
Length is not the goal. A short guideline that passes the first-object test beats a long one that only works in the pitch.
For the wider service, see branding in Dubai. To test or rebuild your brand guidelines, contact the studio.
Key takeaways
- Test a guideline by giving it to a stranger and asking for a cup, a sign and a phone screen.
- List approved text and background pairs: WCAG asks for 4.5:1 for normal text, and brand colours are not exempt.
- Include a square mark, one-colour, reversed and high-contrast logo versions.
- Set Arabic and English rules side by side: typefaces, lockups, alignment and which language leads.
Written by Allen Antony James, Co-founder of Storytellers, a storyteller-first studio based in Dubai, telling stories worldwide. Want help putting this into practice? See Brand identity in Dubai or tell us about your business.
Sources
Every claim in this guide links to its source. All sources were checked on 18 Oct 2026.