BrandIdentity

Guide

PurposeHERO Sports is for people who are passionate about sports. We are the premier site for the most inclusive and comprehensive collegiate athletic program news and information. We aim to elevate stories of remarkable athletes, teams, coaches and fans of every division of every sports team nationally.

CustomersOur customers are not defined by demographics, but by their passion for sports. They depend on us to deliver the most compelling and inclusive sports news and information to them, every day. What is most important to them is seeing their favorite teams highlighted for their remarkable achievements. We are a platform to help Sports Information Directors raise awareness. We are a sounding board for coaches to share their vision. We are a spotlight for players on the rise to showcase their talent. We are a community for fans and alumni to share in their teams success. We are a service for young athletes to be discovered.

PositioningWe help our customers show their team spirit by providing news, information and engagement around the sports they love in an easy, accurate, one-stop experience.

Brand PersonalityIt is our job to make sure that all of our communications are consistent with the following brand personality traits. Our brand personality traits describe how we want our customers to perceive our company.

ADVOCATINGPublicly recommend or support. We are the voice of our fans. We are supportive and seek to promote the interest of our following. We want every team to see a place in the sun.

STEADYRegular, even, and continuous in development, frequency, or intensity. We are consistent in the quality and quantity of content. Our news and information is credible, sustainable and reliable.

SOLIDStrongly built or made of strong materials. We are a foundation for our customers. We are a stable rock for them to stand upon and share their passion for their teams. Our integrity and passion are evident in every effort.

SCRAPPYDetermined or pugnacious. Weve got a little fight in us. We understand that good things come to those who hustle and we arent afraid of a challenge. We are the underdog with a big bite and a purposeful bark.

WITTYShowing or characterized by quick and inventive verbal humor. We are smart and lighthearted. We seek to be informative while being engaging and relatable.

The HERO IdentityWeve created a complete set of design guidelines to ensure consistency over just about every instance of contact. The core design elements are the essential visual elements of our brand our logo, color palette, typography, imagery, and graphics.

THE LOGOThe horizontal logo is preferred; use it whenever possible. Dont separate or rearrange the logotype and symbol.

However the Winged H can be used alone on certain occasions.

The logo reproduces well at almost any size. Going too small, however, can damage the logos integrity and effectiveness. Never reproduce the logo/ tagline lockup smaller than .5" in height, measured from the top of far most tip of the Winged H to its foot.

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Clear SpaceMaintain clear space around the logo to protect the logo from distracting graphics or typography.

Measure clear space by the height of the space that appears between the H and E letters in HERO for vertical space, and the height of the space that appears between the H and E for horizontal.

Never allow typography or other elements to invade the logo.

Never redraw or alter the logo, including the placement and size relationship of its letter or wing symbol.

ADVOCATINGPublicly recommend or support. We are the voice of our fans. We are supportive and seek to promote the interest of our following. We want every team to see a place in the sun.

STEADYRegular, even, and continuous in development, frequency, or intensity. We are consistent in the quality and quantity of content. Our news and information is credible, sustainable and reliable.

SOLIDStrongly built or made of strong materials. We are a foundation for our customers. We are a stable rock for them to stand upon and share their passion for their teams. Our integrity and passion are evident in every effort.

SCRAPPYDetermined or pugnacious. Weve got a little fight in us. We understand that good things come to those who hustle and we arent afraid of a challenge. We are the underdog with a big bite and a purposeful bark.

WITTYShowing or characterized by quick and inventive verbal humor. We are smart and lighthearted. We seek to be informative while being engaging and relatable.

Alternative Logo UseIf the logo is to appear on a white or light neutral background, use the full color preferred format.

If the logo is to appear on a dark or near black background use the inverse full color format.

Single-color iterations of the logo may be used when appropriate.

The HERO IdentityHEROIC ORANGEOrange is the color of adventure and social communication. It radiates warmth and energy. Orange relates to gut instincts and offers strength. Psychological studies show that orange inspires physical confidence, competition and independence. Orange is authoritative.

HIGHLIGHT COLORSUse highlight colors in combination with our core colors. These colors add depth, but use them sparingly.

COLOR BALANCE & RATIOUse our core colors for a consistent platform that allows other design elements. Use the chart to guide you in balancing core and highlight colors in HERO Sports branded materials. Color ratio depends on the individual application.

Heroic #EA5607 r:234 g:86 b: 7

Obsidian #323232 r:64 g:64 b:64White #FFFFFF r:255 g:255 b:255Odds #EBEBEB r:235 g:235 b:235

Aqua, Man #1D858C r:29 g:133 b:140Dehydrated #E4A52D r:228 g:165 b:45Venom #7DAF3B r:125 g:175 b:59T-Rex #862129 r:134 g:33 b:41

TEXT & ACCENTS

HIGHLIGHT COLORS

PRIMARY COLOR

TypographyHelvetica Neue is our primary typeface used in all communication materials.- Helvetica Neue gives HERO Sports a fun and lighthearted feel while implying stability and structure.- Use type size and weight to establish a clear hierarchy of information. - Calibri may be substituted when Helvetica Neue is not available.- Official branded collateral being distributed publically must use Helvetica Neue.

Please adhere closely to these guidelines when using the Helvetica Neue typeface. Note: Some natural distortion of type is inevitable when used in a photo or illustration. All the same, please maintain the overall integrity of the typeface.

Dos and Donts of typeface usage:- Do use a combination of uppercase and lowercase- Do use only approved colors- Do use only the approved typefaces- Do align text in body copy flush left and ragged right- Do avoid using all uppercase

- Dont place type in a hard-to-read format- Dont use special effects to emphasize type- Dont change kerning when setting headlines or copy- Dont distort the typefaces- Dont substitute other typefaces unless youre using

Official Branded Collateral Headings Museo Slab 900Body Helvetica Neue

When Museo Slab is not availableHeadings Helvetica Neue BoldBody Helvetica Neue

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ1234567890!?abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ123456790?!abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ123456790?!

Tone & VoiceThrough the language we use, our tone, and our voice, the world experiences our brand.

When communicating in HERO Sports Voice, be sure to incorporate our brand attributes into the writing style. All communications should exhibit elements of being scrappy, witty, advocating, steady and solid.

These criteria are basic to good copywriting in general, but need to be listed here to ensure that theyre implemented into any piece written in HERO Sports style. These key criteria, if used consistently, set our voice apart from the rest.

Use a strong call to action.Use active verbs, but dont be overly demanding.

Use first person instead of third.Say We love sports, instead of HERO Sports loves sports.

Dont shout.We dont shout at our customers in person, so why do it in writing?

Be conversational.A conversational tone sets us apart from other news sites. We often speak in fragments, so its fine to use them in your writing. Use personal pronouns (i.e., we, you, our, your).

Use a gender-neutral voice.Read the message in your head with a female voice and then with a male voice. Were a company of both genders. Our voice should reflect that.

Use contractions. Make your copy sound more like how real people speak.

Use short sentences.A staccato rhythm interspersed with longer (not run-on) sentences keeps an audiences interest. Again: Headlines will often be an exception, especially when adding you, your, our, we, etc. to make them more conversational.

Avoid Marketingese in your copy.Read your copy out loud to yourself and ask, Would someone actually say this?

Use periods instead of commas for a series or sentence list.Make sentences more easily digestible by using periods instead of commas.

HERO Sports in TextWhen writing HERO Sports in any written correspondence or document the format should always adhere to the following:

The word hero should appear in bold font and in all caps: HERO

The word sport should appear in bold with only a capital s: Sports

The first reference to HERO Sports in any document should be followed by the trademark symbol : HERO Sports

Imagery & VideoWhen selecting or producing images, be sure to: - Natural; not posed or stylized- High quality- Showing positive emotional benefits- Supporting the key personality traits of the brand: scrappy, witty, advocating, steady, and solid- Activity-focused. Avoid static poses.- Whenever possible, individuals should be outfitted in articles of clothing that both reflect the brand attributes and incorporate the color palette- Avoid heavy shadows by using a reflector or on-camera light.- Image and videos should be featured in tight angle shots. We want to see their eyes.

Additional considerations for video:- When conducting interviews, have the subject maintian eye contact with interviewer and not camera. Place the camera near the interviewer so that subjects eyes are both featured.- Position subject with enough distance from background to create a depth of field. - Please refrain from the use of color filters and special effects.- When shooting video, audio quality should remain a top priority. Never use the cameras in-camera mic. Must use external microphone ensure the highest sound quality. - Video submissions are encouraged to remain between 60 and 90 seconds in duration.

Imagery & VideoEven in tough lighting conditions, and without the most beautiful backdrop, it's possible to get good shots worthy of being featured. Here are a few tips and tricks for framing your shots.

If you are interviewing someone, have them look at you when they answer your questions, rather than into the camera. Frame them tightly, and make sure that they are in focus. We want to keep the focus on the great answers you're receiving, rather than on the background - so when possible, keep your interview subject far away from the background.

One tough issue in sports is that your interviewees are commonly wearing hats. If you must interview someone with a hat, make sure that they lift it enough so that you can still see their eyes. Again, frame them tightly, and allow the background to blur. This is a great style for on the field style interviews.

When a student athlete is hosting a feature that you produce, eg, "I'm Jake from the U of I soccer team and I this is my college town", then they can look into the camera and speak directly to their viewers. Use your journalistic skills to tell you when it makes sense to have the speaker look at the camera versus off camera/at the interviewer.

This shot might not get to be used b/c of the downlight shadow.

Always remember to make sure that you get both of your subject's eyes. In quick interviews, this can be tough, but it will be worth it to you to take an extra moment in order to frame your subject well!

Updated 24 June 2015