Online Brand Guidelines Template

Online Brand Guidelines Template

You can call it brand guidelines, style guide or brand book but they all basically refer to standards on how to use the brand.‍

Designing, printing or fabricating elements of a new brand identity system are all dependent on a set of intelligent standards and guidelines.

A good, solid standards will save you time, money, and frustration.

The size and nature of an organization affect the depth and breadth of the content and how marketing materials are conceived and produced in the future.

10 Best Brand Guidelines

1. Starbucks
2. Uber
3. YouTube
4. Dropbox
5. Audi
6. Netflix
7. Slack
8. Spotify
9. Instagram
10. Zendesk

In this article, I describe best practices of brand guidelines development on the example of some of the famous brands.

So that you can get inspired and create your own style guide.

PS. This list include brand guidelines that are available online, if you're looking for more examples in PDF, check out my list of 100 best style guides .

PS 2. If you want to learn how to create a style guide— check out my YouTube video .

1. Starbucks

Starbucks, for example, calls this document the "brand expression guide" and explains that this is:

A high-level overview of how the Starbucks brand comes to life.

The standards are available online on a cool microsite.

Starbucks Brand Guidelines

On the very first pages, you'll find what that "brand expression" actually is, and see some case studies.

By looking at specific examples you'll understand how different brand elements (or expressions) should be used to design for different applications.

The Starbucks brand guidelines covers 6 elements:

• Logo — How to use the Siren logo and the logotype.
• Color — Primary green and complementary color palette.
• Voice — The use of functional and expressive voice.
• Typography — Fonts for headlines, body text and accents.
• Illustration — How to use texture, photo collage and other graphics.
• Photography — Examples of artful, editorial and intentional style.

The website is terrific, a great example of an online manual.

Having a dedicated website like this, that shows uses of typography, grids and colors is very helpful to ensure consistency.

It's easy to navigate and includes everything you need in a style guide.

2. Uber

Uber, on the other hand, calls its standards document "a system".

The Uber brand system is composed of 9 core elements.

This system is available online on a dedicated website.

Uber Brand Guidelines

The system shows a new brand identity as efficient to use, flexible across applications, and able to feature localized content in a globally consistent way.

The Uber guidelines cover 9 elements:

• Logo
• Color
• Composition
• Iconography
• Illustration
• Motion
• Photography
• Tone of voice
• Typography

As you can see, the Uber's style guide covers much more than Starbucks' does.

You'll also find a showcase of best-in-class examples to get inspired.

The system is very comprehensive and covers everything from the brand story, to how to use the logo, typography and colors to create new graphics.

What's interesting is that the brand system also covers a set of motion principles and base motion states, which really makes sense for the company that "moves people".

3. YouTube

Youtube calls its guideline "Brand Resources".

The Youtube brand resources page contains of 4 brand elements.

The YouTube brand guideline is available online on the Youtube's website.

YouTube Brand Guidelines

The YT standards is pretty tight and concise, but it covers the basics.

The YouTube guidelines cover 4 elements:

• Logo
• Icon
• Colors
• Do's & Dont's

You'll find here also how to use the logo, minimum sizes, placement, color versions, the do's and don'ts and a few examples.

This is probably the most basic version of a brand guideline you can get.

The page is there just to get you started and any usage needs special approval of YouTube. (submit request)

So if you're looking to cover the absolute minimum for your brand, this is a great example of a solid style guide.

4. Dropbox

Dropbox calls its guideline "Brand Materials".

The Dropbox brand materials page contains of 7 brand elements.

The Dropbox brand guideline is available online on Dropbox's website.

Dropbox Brand Guideline

This style guide is a simple page but it guides you clearly on how to use the logotype, brandmark and other brand assets.

It also contains other product logos, do's and don'ts, application icons and product screenshots.

The Dropbox brand guidelines cover 7 elements:

• Logo
• Color
• Typography
• Writing
• Visuals
• UI
• Motion

What's interesting, you can check the Dropbox logo files to get inspired when creating your own resource folder.

5. Audi

Audi recently redesigned its corporate identity with a goal to go digital first.

This Audi brand guidelines is probably the most exhaustive of all.

The Audi brand guideline is available online.

Audi Brand Guideline

The Audi guidelines cover 9 elements:

• Rings
• Tagline
• Colours
• Typography
• Layout Structure
• Imagery
• Illustration
• Icons
• Animation

But that's just the basics, and apart form that you'll also find other sections with guides on user interface, communication media, corporate sound, motion pictures and more.

You'll also find what Audi calls "Brand Appearance" which explains the principles of how to use the brand elements.

With lots of example and instructions that convey the essentials and provide inspiration for ideas.

Audi emphasizes that "the brand is not a static structure but a living interface".

It's a very clear path to approaching the design of the Audi brand, you'll get it right away.

6. Netflix

Netflix calls its standards a "Brand Site".

This Netflix brand guidelines is the most basic of all.

You can find this simple logo guideline online on the Netflix Brand Site.

Netflix Brand Guidelines

This style guide contains absolute minimum elements of the brand's visual identity like logo versions, colors and how to use it on media.

You'll also find what to avoid, plus other considerations and rules to ensure proper use of the brand assets.

The Netflix guidelines cover 3 essential elements:

• Logo
• Symbol
• Colors

Similarly to Youtube, this is an example of the most basic approach to creating a brand style guide.

You can also download all the assets and get inspired when creating your logo artwork.

7. Slack

Slacks calls its standards a "Media Kit".

This Slack brand guidelines is the most basic of all.

You'll find a simple page with embedded Slack Guidelines (PDF) and logo files to download.

Slack Brand Guidelines

In the first section you'll find elements the intangible elements that define the brand like: core values, personality and tone fo voice.

The Slack guidelines cover 7 elements:

• Logo
• Colors
• Typography
• Brand Architecture
• Illustrations
• Icons
• Photography

Unlike other examples, this is not a brand portal, but rather a simple page with a PDF embedded on it. (with an option to download)

However, I think it works and it can definitely help people use the brand assets correctly and maintain consistency.

It's kind of an old-school approach, but it's still better than just having no page at all or having to send the PDF by email every single time.

8. Spotify

Spotify calls its style guide simply "Design Guidelines".

This Spotify brand guidelines is the most focused of all.

You will find that this brand standards is very specific to creating content for Spotify app.

The Spotify design guidelines

The Spotify design guidelines have been created to ensure that all Spotify users receive the same delightful user experience.

For the most part, the Spotify style guide talks about how to present content on the app: album artworks and metadata.

The guide also describes browsing and linking to Spotify, how to design playing views and other specific elements to Spotify app.

Besides that, of course, the style guide also describes basics like:

• Using the logo
• Using the colors
• Naming restrictions
• Typography

Unlike other examples on my list, this one is very specific to the features of Spotify app.

What i really like about this guideline is that it is very well thought-out with pretty exhaustive explanations.

9. Instagram

instagram calls its guidelines "Brand Resources".

The Instagram brand guidelines is the simplest of all.

On a dedicated, simple website, you will find some guidelines on how to use the logo, its do's and don'ts.

Instagram brand guidelines

The instagram brand guidelines consists of two extra sections: one with screenshot template and the other with broadcast template.

The instagram style guide is also specific (just like Spotify) but much simpler—it only describes the basics.

Mainly you will find how to use the Instagram logo, the glyph (black/white version) and the above mentioned two templates.

You'll also find links to download the logo and templates.

10. Zendesk

Zendesk calls its guideline pretty uniquely "Brandland".

The Zendesk brand guidelines is the most advanced of all.

The Zendesk style guide is especially interesting as it goes well beyond brand identity and into copywriting, film shooting, animation, sound, photography and even interior design and more!

Zendesk Brand Guideline

The Zendesk brand guidelines has been developed to ensure that writing, visual style, design, videos—essentially everything they make works together to deliver a consistent message.

The opening pages talk a bit about the brand attributes and messaging.

In the design part of the guide you will find standard things like:

• Brand identity
• Typography
• Color
• Layout

However, in the following pages you will much more interesting sections, including:

* Presentation design
* Copywriting
* Film
* Experience

And each section has other subsections, so that ultimately it makes this guide pretty comprehensive.

What's quite unusual about this guidelines is that it cover everything from visuals, to messaging to shooting film and photos, to animation, sound and even describes how Zendesk offices should look like.

Conclusions

If you're working on brand guidelines, these examples showcase some of the best practices.

You can see different kind of style guides and in a variety of complexity.

Looking to hire for a branding project? — Just shoot me an email.

Also check out my Brand Guidelines Kit to help you design your own style guide in just hours, not months.

Also check out my other relevant articles:

• 100 Best Style Guide of Famous Brands
• How To Create A Brand Style Guide
• 50+ Best Style Guide Templates in 2021

Which brand guidelines is best in your opinion and why? — Leave a comment below.

Online Brand Guidelines Template

Source: https://www.ebaqdesign.com/blog/brand-guidelines

Share:

Read More

Brand Development Brief Template

Brand Development Brief Template

You've got an idea in your mind of something that you want to bring to life. You have all the details for your new visual identity or marketing campaign that's just waiting to spring into action, but you need someone with a specific set of skills to translate your dreams into something tangible.

The perfect design can easily transform your business, taking your company to the next level and opening doors for growth. However, if you want to save time, money, and frustration on paying for a design that doesn't match your specific goals, you'll need to prepare. A successful project begins with giving your design team the resources that they need to create your ideas.

At Fabrik, we often deal with a broad collection of different design briefs from a range of clients, and potential clients. Sometimes these briefs contain enough information for us to craft the perfect result first time around, whereas other times, they force us to spend days chasing up questions or re-writing the brief for specific answers.

The problem today is that too many companies underestimate the importance of a detailed design brief. Knowing how to write a design brief that's thorough and articulate can give clients the guidance they need to save time and boost the accuracy of their results. By understanding what writing a design brief should entail, clients can bridge the gap of understanding between themselves, and the company that they're working with, to create a clear path towards a specific goal.

Here, we're going to look closer at the question "What is a design brief?", and give you the comprehensive design brief template you need to simplify any future job.

What is a design brief? The design brief definition

Before you can understand how to write a design brief successfully, you'll need to understand what it is, and what it can do for your business. In simple terms, a design brief is a document for project management that helps you to identify the scale, scope, and core details of your upcoming project. It can be used to inform design decisions and guide the flow of your work, from conception to completion.

Though every agency and designer tackles briefs differently, you'll find that there are some specifics you can cover before approaching a design agency, that make your brief instantly more informative. The more you focus on delivering detail with your brief, the more chance you have of avoiding those unwanted "We didn't ask for that" moments, when evaluating your end work.

Of course, there are different kinds of briefs for different kinds of project. At Fabrik, we wouldn't expect a fully detailed written brief for something as simple as an A5 flyer. However, if we're creating an entirely new brand, we'll create a detailed design brief after carrying out an initial phase of consultancy, where we get to know your business, and ambitions better. In more detailed case, this means that you might end up having your initial brief superseded by one that's written by your design company.

In many situations, we, and any other designer would require a high-quality, highly-detailed brief. For instance, if we were helping you to launch a new product, or issue a new campaign to a new audience. In these cases, your design brief would provide our expert designers with the necessary insight, and foundation for your visual design. Though we'll go into the details a little deeper below, a good creative brief will answer some of these basic questions:

• What do you want to be done?
• What is the project for?
• Who are you tailoring this project to?

It's important to remember that creative design is a highly amorphous thing. Creative designers work on how each aspect of your design is going to look, and how it will appeal to the people that are most important in your market. We focus on everything from the tiny nuances of font and size, to the bigger concerns like colour, content, and brand development.

With the right design brief, the client benefits from:

• Clarified objectives and goals.
• Detailed facts and assumptions.
• The ability to agree on ideas with teams and stakeholders.
• The chance to build a consensus within the company.
• Some criteria for future evaluation of success metrics.

And the design team benefits from:

• A comprehensive background of the company that shapes the personality of the design.
• A deeper understanding of the manifesto and needs of the brand.
• A guideline of the client's preferences.

Here, we're going to discuss the anatomy of a great design brief. One that not only lays all your plans in front of you, so that you can be fully prepared for the next step in your business development, but also gives your designers the background they need to create the solution that's right for you.

The anatomy of your design brief: Design brief template

As we mentioned above, briefs are versatile. They can come in a range of sizes and shapes depending on the kind of project you're developing and the goals that you want to achieve as a company. Although the design company that you work with is likely to give you specific guidelines of what they might expect in terms of a brief, you can begin preparing the information you need by understanding the basic anatomy of how to write a design brief.

The following parts will come together to create a design brief template that you can use every time you're considering a creative project.

How to write a design brief part 1: The company profile

First things first, if you want your design to be effective, then you need to be sure that your designer understands your business. At Fabrik, we make a point of learning as much about the clients that we work with as possible before engaging in any major design projects. The reason for this is that there's no one-size-fits-all approach to design.

In a saturated market, full of companies competing for business, it's crucial to outline what makes you, and your business stand out. This might mean looking at your manifesto, or the goals and ambitions of your business overall, or it may mean simply conducting an interview where you discuss your history and background with your new designer.

Creating a company profile will help to streamline the design process, as you'll have a document that draws attention to the key aspects of your business, including:

• The company details: The name, industry, product lines, etc.
• The USP: What makes you special, or do you need some help deciding that?
• Brand mission: Every business should have a set of goals that drives them. What are your ambitions and values, what is your manifesto?
• Key stakeholders: People who might need to be contacted when making essential decisions about your company design.
• Competitors: Who are you trying to set yourself apart from?

The company profile section of a design brief informs all the other aspects of the brief, from what the project is trying to achieve, to the information included. Your company profile will even help you determine which illustrations or photography are best for your audience.

How to write a design brief part 2: Project overview

Once you've outlined all the important details that make your business special, you'll be ready to start thinking about what you want to achieve with your project. There are plenty of different ways to boost your business with design. For instance, you might be looking for an entire re-brand based on a new company manifesto. Alternatively, you might want to stick to your existing brand ethos, but also expand it by appealing to a new audience.

The project overview is the part of writing a design brief where you need to ask yourself: "What are you doing, and why are you doing it?"

The "what" part of this process is simple. Your overview is going to define the scale and scope of the project and its deliverables. For instance, you might want a new set of brochures describing your product, or you may need signage and wayfinding creating for your office building or stores. Maybe you're building something new, or perhaps you're redesigning something that already exists. During the "what", you can explain your product information, technical requirements, and the preferred media channels you want to use.

When deciding "what" you want, remember to cover:

• The media you want to use.
• The copy that needs to be included (marketing copy, contact information, etc).
• The scope of the project (how much there is to do).

The "why" is a little more complex. The best way to answer this question is to identify the design problems you're already facing in your business. For instance, do the current brochures you have seem outdated and underwhelming? Do you need to change your appearance to appeal to a new type of demographic? Are you hoping to simply create something that will engage your audience, inspire action, and inform?

A project overview will put you in the perfect position to outline your key objectives, and goals.

How to write a design brief part 3: Key objectives and goals

The "why" that you began to explore in the section above, defines the goals and objectives of your overall project. For instance, if you decide that you want to create some new deliverables to engage teenagers, as well as older audience members, then your goal is to increase interactions with a younger audience.

That overarching goal is likely to break down into a series of other ambitions that you'll hope to accomplish with your design. For instance, you might hope that a new brochure encourages more people to call through to your advice line and place orders on your eCommerce store.

Nailing down what your goals are can help you to highlight the main issues that you want to address with your design. If the company you're working with knows what you're trying to achieve, then they will be better equipped to create an outcome that you're happy with. After all, designers approach projects that are intended to increase awareness differently than those that are intended to sell a service or product.

Each goal comes with a unique set of techniques and methods to try. Establishing your key objectives and goals lays out a specific path for your designer to follow, so you're both moving on the right track.

How to write a design brief part 4: Choosing your target audience

Another important aspect informing your design decisions, and the changes that your designer makes on your behalf, will be the kind of audience you're trying to appeal to. Designers have a unique understanding of the graphics, techniques, and even colours that appeal to different demographics. By identifying your target audience, they can even offer advice as to how you can make your current campaigns more successful.

If you've been in business for a little while, then the chances are that you'll already have some relevant research about your target audience that you can share with your designer. However, newer companies can struggle to gather the data that they need for a comprehensive customer portfolio. If you're in this situation, then the best thing you can do is brainstorm with your team about what kind of customer is most likely to be interested in your business.

Usually, it can be helpful to look into the audience members that your competitors are targeting, and think carefully about any aspects of your product that might make it appeal to a specific demographic. As a business, create an "audience persona": a distinct image of your perfect customer. This persona should include details such as:

• Age: It doesn't need to be a single number, but an age range like 16-25 can help designers significantly when choosing the right fonts and graphics.
• Gender: Colours and images can appeal differently to each gender.
• Geographical location: Is there a specific city, region, country or continent?
• Media consumption habits: Which media is most appealing to them.
• Pain points and needs: What problem can your customer overcome using your product.

You might find that different services or products that your business offers correlate with different buyer personas. For each project, you'll need to determine which audience you want to appeal to, and how you'd like to interact with them in your design brief template.

How to write a design brief part 5: Basic design requirements

If you're seeking the help of a professional design team, then you probably have a general idea of what you'd like to accomplish in mind. You might not know all the different technicalities of the design, but you can draw attention to certain specifics that might round out your brief, and ensure that you don't have to ask the designer to make numerous adjustments after they're finished creating.

Requirements generally vary for each project, but some of the basic elements that you should think about include:

• The required colour palette.
• The media you'd like to use.
• The sizes of images, print-outs, and other media.
• Specific image assets (Logos and branding).
• Copy: Do you need copy creating, or do you have your own?
• Products and service offerings that need to be outlined.
• Specific brand guidelines.
• Contact information.

In this section, you can also include reference materials that might help your designer. For instance, this could include mock-ups, mood boards, and competitor insights that you've gained during your own research. The more thorough you are with your design brief example and case studies, the less chance your designer will run into roadblocks during the creative process.

Remember to include all your existing product photos, brochures, logos, and materials that would be useful to the design project. Sometimes, examining existing promotional materials can make it easier for a designer to understand what their client is trying to accomplish.

How to write a design brief part 6: Schedule and budget

Budget can be a difficult subject to broach with certain clients. Many clients feel that if they share budgets with their designers before they're given a quote, they'll be overcharged. However, the truth is that designers need to know what kind of budget they're working with if they're going to give you the best value for your money.

Additionally, having a budget in mind may also give you a better understanding of the ROI you want to achieve with your new design project, and what kind of targets you'd like to measure for.

Similarly, your schedule is almost as important as your budget. Some clients genuinely don't understand how long the creative process takes. Other clients will have deadlines in mind that are specific to an event happening in their company or industry. By informing your designer of the restrictions around your project, you reduce your risk of losing valuable cash and time.

Remember to be realistic about your schedule and budgetary needs. Though many designers will do their best to meet your guidelines, certain things won't be possible, and you'll need to give yourself enough time to either find a different designer or reconsider your goals.

How to write a design brief part 7: Defining your overall style

Finally, once you've got all the technical details down on paper, it'll be time to discuss the fun part – your style.

A lot of companies simply expect that their designer will automatically have the same picture in their mind after reading their brand guidelines, technical requirements, and goals, but that's not always the case. You might have a grungy design in mind while your designer is picturing something clean and modern.

Don't be afraid to simply identify your likes and dislikes somewhere during your design brief. If you struggle to explain what your preferences are, then you could use examples from competitors to outline what you do, and don't want.

Remember, identifying your style isn't just important for the colours and imagery used in your design brief. It's also important to determine your style in terms of copy too. Are you going to be using a professional copywriter? Do they use informal or formal writing? What kind of copy needs to be included in the design if you're not providing it?

At the very least, if you can't identify what you do want for your designer, then draw attention to what you don't want. In a difficult project, designers who have a list of specific elements to avoid can have an easier time crafting the outcomes that their clients are looking for.

Writing a design brief: The key to a successful project

Every project is different.

Some are more in-depth than others. Some clients are looking for a completely customised solution to their business problems, whereas others simply want to adapt existing templates. Some clients are looking for a way to re-brand and re-design their entire business, while others are searching for a little extra "something" to make them stand out.

A design brief helps your designer to understand the scope, and requirements of your project in advance, reducing the amount of time that you both need to spend fixing problems, and reiterating certain points. Though your goals might seem obvious to you, it's important to make sure that your designer is aware of every detail. Design is very subjective.

A clear, concise brief is like strong leadership. It's inspiring, precise, and helps to direct the energy of your design team. False starts are avoided, and you're in the best possible position to demand a solution that works for your business.

Often, design briefs are ineffective because they're too vague. Target audiences can't be "everyone", and your USP can't be simply "good quality". If you don't know your goals, your preferences, or who you're targeting, then you may need to spend some more time getting to know your business before you begin to design. Remember, the design elements that you create represent your business, and you need to be sure that you're having the right impression, on the right audience.

It may seem like a lot of work, but it's worth the effort. Design, done right, can be powerful, and a good brief ensures that you get more out of your investment.

If you enjoyed this article, you might enjoy these ones too:

– SEO copywriting: The crucial ingredient in your content marketing strategy

– How to write clearly: copywriting tips to simplify your message

Brand Development Brief Template

Source: https://fabrikbrands.com/how-to-write-a-design-brief-that-creative-agencies-can-use/

Share:

Read More

Cookie Jar Mockup

Cookie Jar Mockup

Who put the Crypto in the Cookie Jar?

Balance is the safest way to custody, trade, and manage digital assets. The world of cryptocurrency had now opened to everyone, and legitimate financial institutions are taking notice. Traditional custodian banking emerged into existence due to a need to store and safeguard the record of ownership of stock and bond certificates. With traditional banking and custodianship of assets, people became aware of the risks of storing their money on their own. They could get robbed, they could lose their keys, or could forget which cookie jar they put their "rainy day" fund in.

@ Balance

Nuno Silva

Balance is the safest way to custody, trade, and manage digital assets.

In the early days of cryptocurrency, storing your digital assets in a wallet file on your computer was a novelty and was part of the attraction of this burgeoning economic system. With some basic technical knowledge, you could mine or mint, store, and transact your digital currencies from your desktop, and eventually your mobile device.

As the technology became widely adopted and the value of these assets meaningful, we found ourselves looking for safe solutions to store our assets that didn't have a steep learning curve. The world of cryptocurrency had now opened to everyone, and legitimate financial institutions are taking notice.

As with traditional banking and custodianship of assets, people became aware of the risks of storing their money, stock and bond certificates and other valuables on their own.

They could get robbed, they could lose their keys, or could forget which cookie jar they put their "rainy day" fund in. Traditional custodian banking emerged into existence due to a need to store and safeguard the record of ownership of stock and bond certificates. Imagine if all your wealth was tied to a pile of paper and one of those nefarious fires of the 1800s burned down your house or place of business.

Your family or your company's wealth would be wiped out in a puff of smoke. Besides that, having reputable third-party custodians was essential to the development of the mutual fund markets of today.

With infamous reports of over 1.8 billion dollars worth of crypto stolen from exchanges and trading platforms in 2018, numerous anecdotes from peers losing their passwords or USB devices, and other hacking attempts; we can see that like fiat currency and bond certificates, a secure and insurable method of managing and safeguarding your private keys by a reputable third party is needed by both individuals and entities who are serious about safekeeping their digital currency investments.

Personally, I haven't carried any meaningful amount of cash with me for almost two decades. The epiphany that cash was a burden happened while travelling throughout Europe.

Risks such as loss didn't have much recourse, currency exchange fees were expensive (double if I exchanged more than needed), and frankly, it was physically cumbersome. I'm not alone, and most of us are now comfortable with a third party bank storing and managing our money in a way that's easy to access electronically.

Even if you're dealing in cash all day, who has those shoeboxes full of dollar bills under their bed besides Walter White?

If we think about cryptocurrency, it's only logical now that the mass market looks for ways to take advantage of digital currencies without needing to be technically savvy. Telling someone to write down their private key on a piece of paper and storing it "safely" seems archaic and counter-intuitive - especially for a significant amount of savings.

Even trusting oneself with a USB-like device, remembering where you stash it, and what your passphrases are, still seems a few steps removed from the main street adoption that all enthusiasts are pushing for.

When we launched Balance, we initially thought of the individual investor. The case made above is a strong one for using a product such as Balance Now to safely store your digital assets. Through the strong KYC and AML compliance regime we've put in place (since day one), we know our customers, as well as a traditional bank knows theirs. Have you lost your password or your phone?

No problem.

We built technology to store all our customer's assets in segregated wallets that remain guarded and stored offline with military-grade security precautions. To mitigate against market volatility and streamline multi-currency support, we built a new piece of technology, called the Digital Asset Cache, which further enhanced the security and management of private keys to prevent hacks or rogue actors accessing our client's funds. Think of Balance Now as a safe haven for your digital currency investments, as you retain the full legal title to your assets.

After pitching our solution throughout 2018, we soon realized that perhaps we were initially too limited in the scope of who could use this technical solution. The additional benefit of this technology was to help the OTC desks, the public exchanges and trading platforms whose assets were at continually at risk.

Those same platforms that lost over a billion in 2018. So, earlier this year, we launched a brand new product we sell under the Balance Custody moniker for institutions who need a reputable and insured third-party custodian to store their digital assets.

We offer secure storage of fully segregated warm and cold wallets under legal bailment, enable multi-sig approval flows, secure offline private-key storage, all redundancy and disaster recovery compliant, with the strictest standards suggested by the financial and government regulatory bodies that we are more than happy to work alongside.

We see this as a natural and progressive evolution for the usefulness of cryptocurrency and the health of the ecosystem. The anecdotal number for the value of assets lost or stolen from individuals is much higher than those publicly reported by the platforms (with estimates going as high as 4 billion Bitcoin alone according to one estimate in 2017).

As the inherent value of digital currencies continues to grow and the demand continues to rise, user-friendly and intuitive platforms such as the ones we're building at Balance will become the instrumental framework for institutions and individuals alike.

You can still store your rainy day fund (or private key) in a cookie jar, but when it comes to your personal or institutional savings and investments, we must learn from some of the lessons of the past, evolve with the technology, and think wisely about how and where our wealth is stored.

Learn more about the solutions we're building at Balance by visiting us at balance.ca

Tags

# cryptocurrency# fintech# blockchain# custody# latest-tech-stories# storing-digital-assets# banking# custodianship-of-assets

Cookie Jar Mockup

Source: https://hackernoon.com/who-put-the-crypto-in-the-cookie-jar-y2d83xa0

Share:

Read More