The Design Council has produced a free guide to help small businesses use branding to increase their turnover.

Based on research with small businesses and the design industry, the guide includes step-by-step advice, real-life examples and ideas that other small businesses can learn from and put into practice.

The guide can be downloaded from the Council's website and covers exactly what branding is, how it works and how it can be used to help improve a business.

"Many smaller businesses would love to work with designers and use branding to help their company grow but they just don't know how to go about it. Our guide is written in straightforward language and aims to demystify the processes involved," said Antonia Ward, managing editor of the Design Council.

"The new guide forms part of the Design Council's remit to provide practical advice to UK small businesses, helping them improve business performance."

For more information go to www.designcouncil.org.uk/smallbusinessguides [1]