Architectural design is a creative process connected with a number of conditions concerning both the condition of the existing building and its surroundings, as well as expectations concerning the designed function of the project, the form of the building and the building structure used. The conditions are communicated in the form of design guidelines. These guidelines are presented in a variety of forms, come from a number of different sources and play a different role. They are intended to support the design process by appropriately recording needs and clarifying expectations, carrying out analyses and conducting studies accordingly, systematising the results and communicating these data between specialists, designers, users and all other participants in the design process. This thesis analyses the literature on the issue of design guidelines and, in particular, pays attention to the topic of conservation guidelines. At the same time, it focuses on their role and makes a contemporary attempt at the author's definition of the concept in question. The subject of the variety of forms of guidelines and the purposes they are intended to serve is also pointed out. An important element of the work is also an indication of the multiplicity of sources of conservation guidelines.