A brand style guide for therapists is a short document that records your logo versions, colours (with hex codes), fonts, photography style and tone of voice, so everything you publish looks and sounds the same. For a solo practice, one to four pages is plenty; it matters most when someone else — a VA, a designer, an associate — creates anything for you.
Why does a therapist need a brand style guide?
Trust in therapy is built on consistency, and so is brand recognition. When a client sees the same calm palette and voice on your Counselling Directory profile, your website and your Instagram, the practice feels settled and reliable. When the colours drift, the fonts change and the tone swings from clinical to chatty, it quietly undermines that.
In our experience a style guide earns its keep in three situations: when you hand any design work to someone else, when you add associates who need to market under the practice brand, and when you're tired and making a quick social post at 9pm. It removes decisions.
What should a brand style guide for therapists include?
- —Brand foundations — who you help, how you work, and three to five brand values in plain words.
- —Logo — primary, secondary and icon versions, clear space, minimum size, and examples of misuse.
- —Colour palette — primary, secondary and neutral colours with hex, RGB and CMYK values, and which combinations pass contrast.
- —Typography — heading and body fonts, weights, sizes for web and print, and a fallback for Word and email.
- —Imagery — photography style, what to avoid, and how to handle stock images ethically.
- —Graphic elements — patterns, shapes, icons and how they're used.
- —Tone of voice — how you sound, words you use and avoid, with examples.
- —Accessibility rules — contrast, minimum text sizes, alt text and captions.
- —Ethical guardrails — the marketing lines you won't cross, aligned with your professional body.
- —Templates and file locations — where the logo files and Canva templates live.
A brand style guide template outline for therapists
Copy this structure into a Google Doc, Canva document or Figma file. A solo counsellor can fit it on one to four pages; a group practice or training provider might need eight to twelve.
| Section | What to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. About the practice | One paragraph on who you help and how | 'Integrative counselling for adults living with anxiety and burnout, in Bristol and online.' |
| 2. Brand values | Three to five words with a line each | Steady — we don't rush. Plain — no jargon. Warm — human first. |
| 3. Logo | Versions, clear space, minimum size | Clear space equal to the height of the 'F'; never smaller than 24 px tall on screen. |
| 4. Colours | Name, hex, RGB, CMYK, use | Fern #2F4A3A — headings and buttons. Linen #F4F0E8 — backgrounds. |
| 5. Typography | Fonts, weights, sizes | Headings: Fraunces 600. Body: Inter 400, 18 px on web, 11 pt in print. |
| 6. Imagery | Style and rules | Natural light, real rooms, no distressed faces, no head-in-hands stock. |
| 7. Tone of voice | How you sound, with do/don't examples | Say 'you might notice'; avoid 'fix', 'cure' or 'transform your life'. |
| 8. Accessibility | Minimum standards | Body text contrast at least 4.5:1, captions on every video, alt text on every image. |
| 9. Ethics | Marketing lines you won't cross | No scarcity language, no outcome promises, testimonials only as permitted by our professional body. |
| 10. Files | Where assets live | Shared Drive > Brand > Logos (SVG, PNG); Canva Brand Kit. |
Prefer to start from a checklist? Our free Brand Consistency & Style Guide is a Google Doc you can copy and fill in. Get the brand style guide resource →
How do you set out colours and fonts in a style guide?
Give every colour a name, a job and its codes. Naming colours ('Fern', 'Linen', 'Clay') makes them easier to talk about with a designer than '#2F4A3A'. Then record which pairs are safe for text. WCAG 2.2 asks for at least 4.5:1 contrast for normal body text and 3:1 for large text, so note which combinations pass.
| Name | Hex | Role | Text on it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fern | #2F4A3A | Headings, buttons, footer | White text passes |
| Linen | #F4F0E8 | Page backgrounds | Fern or charcoal text passes |
| Clay | #B9805A | Accents, icons, highlights | Use for large text or decoration only — check before using with body text |
| Charcoal | #2B2B2B | Body text | On Linen or white |
For fonts, specify the family, weights and sizes for web and print, and a system fallback for places you can't install fonts — Word documents, Outlook, some booking systems. Georgia and Arial are safe fallbacks for most serif and sans-serif pairings.
If you're still choosing, our guides compare the options in depth. Read: best fonts for therapist websites →
What does a therapist's tone of voice look like?
Tone of voice is the part of a style guide most practices skip, and it's often the part clients notice most. Describe it in three or four traits, then show rather than tell with before-and-after examples.
Example tone-of-voice traits
- —Warm, not gushing — we sound like a kind professional, not a best friend.
- —Plain, not clinical — we explain terms like 'EMDR' or 'attachment' in everyday words.
- —Steady, not urgent — we never pressure anyone to book.
- —Honest, not promising — we describe what therapy involves, not guaranteed outcomes.
Before and after examples
| Instead of | We write |
|---|---|
| Transform your life in just six sessions! | Some people find a few sessions are enough; others prefer longer-term work. We can talk about what might suit you. |
| Only two spaces left — book now before they go! | I currently have availability on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. |
| Utilising an integrative modality to address maladaptive cognitions. | I draw on a few approaches, depending on what feels helpful for you. |
| Are you broken by anxiety? | If anxiety is making everyday things feel harder, you're welcome to get in touch. |
| Call now! | If you'd like to talk it through, you can book a free 15-minute call. |
Words we use and avoid
- —Use: explore, notice, space, support, together, at your pace, you might.
- —Avoid: fix, cure, heal you, guaranteed, broken, damaged, last chance, limited spaces.
- —Content warnings: add a short note before posts about trauma, suicide, self-harm or eating disorders.
A style guide isn't about policing your creativity. It's what lets you make a post in ten minutes on a Friday and still have it look like your practice.
Adam Watters, Founder, Psyche Creative
What imagery rules should a therapist style guide include?
Write down what you will and won't show. Most therapy practices benefit from a short list of rules like these:
- —Use: your real therapy room, natural light, your own headshots, gentle landscapes and textures.
- —Avoid: head-in-hands stock photos, crying faces, broken glass, storm clouds and anything that depicts self-harm.
- —Never show clients or anything that could identify them, even with permission, unless your professional body's guidance clearly allows it.
- —Keep the same filter or colour grade across photos so your feed and website feel cohesive.
- —Always write alt text that describes the image plainly.
Headshots are usually the most important image in a therapy brand. Here's how to get ones that feel approachable. Read: therapist headshots guide →
How do you keep your brand consistent once the guide exists?
- —Set up a Canva Brand Kit with your logos, colours and fonts, so anyone using your account starts from the right place.
- —Build a handful of templates — social posts, a workshop flyer, a session handout — and duplicate them rather than starting from blank.
- —Keep logo files in one shared folder and delete old versions.
- —Review your website, directory profiles and email signature once a year against the guide.
- —Share the guide with any freelancer before they start, not after the first draft.
Our Brand Identity package includes a logo suite, colour and typography system and a one-page brand style guide, with all source files handed over. See our Graphic Design service →
Frequently asked questions
What is a brand style guide for therapists?
It's a short document recording your logo versions, colours, fonts, imagery rules and tone of voice, so everything your practice publishes looks and sounds consistent.
How long should a therapist's brand style guide be?
For a solo practice, one to four pages is plenty. Group practices and training providers with several people creating materials may need eight to twelve.
What should a therapy tone of voice guide include?
Three or four voice traits, before-and-after copy examples, words to use and avoid, and your ethical guardrails — for example, no scarcity language and no promised outcomes.
Do I need a designer to make a brand style guide?
No — you can write one yourself from a template. A designer helps when you also need a logo suite and a tested colour and type system to record in it.
What colour codes should a style guide include?
Include hex codes for web, RGB for screens and CMYK for print, plus a note of which colour combinations meet WCAG's 4.5:1 contrast ratio for body text.
Adam works with UK therapy practices, EMDR trainers and mental health organisations on websites, social media and digital campaigns. He started Psyche Creative to give clinicians a marketing partner who understands the sector — and won't compromise on professional standards to get results.
