Times are tight and we're all looking for ways to cut expenses. Skimping on or skipping the creation of a style guide might be tempting, but it's a big no-no. Whether your property is top at the box office or making its debut at Licensing Show, a style guide is a must-have for licensors big and small.

Your style guide is the "bible" for your property, illustrating in no uncertain terms the ways it can (and, sometimes more importantly, cannot) be applied, the colors that must be used to print it, the supporting visuals that can be used around it, the fonts associated with your brand name, and so on. Other powerful reasons to have a style guide are:

1. A style guide helps you close the deal. The sheer fact that you've taken the time and invested in the expense of creating a style guide shows your potential licensees how serious you are about the success of your property, and, more importantly, how simple it will be to work with you, the consummate licensing professional.
2. A style guide proves the range of your property. It shows how your imagery can be used in a wide variety of ways across multiple product categories. This is a great way to demonstrate the breadth of your library to a potential licensee.
3. A style guide ensures that your property is immediately identifiable to the consumer, whether your image is printed on bed sheets or featured in a video game. It's the single best way to make sure that your character or artwork looks the same across the wide range of consumer categories, building strong brand awareness no matter what they're buying or where they're shopping.
4. A style guide gives you control over supporting visuals, backgrounds and other design elements your licensees may need in order to create a product-appropriate "world" for your property. By thinking these visuals through beforehand and including them in a style guide, you can ensure that your property stays true to its origins.
5. A style guide ensures that your property will be the first thing consumers notice about your licensee's packaging. This is because the style guide that you create allows you to mandate the size, scale and location of your property's branding in relation to other design elements, in all uses across multiple categories, so you can be sure your brand is always prominent and readable on the packaging.

Style guides don't have to be elaborate, but you do have to have one in order to be taken seriously by licensees. Your next step is to locate an experienced design agency to help you create one.