Style Guide EOM v2

STYLE GUIDEWE ARE DC

GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

MURIEL BOWSER, MAYOR

INTRODUCTIONPurpose 1Goal 1BRAND IDENTITYVisual Branding 1OVERVIEWWe Are Washington DC Logo 2Government of the District of Columbia Logo 2Logo Specifications 3Violations 4Government Branding 5Paid Advertisements 6Design Psychology 8COLOROfficial Palette 9Violations 9TYPOGRAPHYOfficial Typeface 10Accent Fonts 11Special Fonts 11Best Practices 12Typographic Hierarchy 12Violations 13RESOURCESCheck List 15Cheat Sheet 16

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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INTRODUCTION

PURPOSEThe purpose of this style guide is to establish design guidelines for visual information specialists and/or graphic designers. These guidelines will allow designers and visual arts specialist to create graphic designs that are easily recognizable to the public and that effectively communicate messages from the Government of the District of Columbia.

GOAL The goal of this style guide is to ensure that the Government of the District of Columbia effectively communicates unified messaging through consistent branding.

IDENTITY

BRAND IDENTITY

In today’s society, it is imperative to establish a brand identity that allows the public to effortlessly identify an organization. Brand identity provides a standard through which the public is able to identify a specific organization by design, color, and other visual elements.

VISUAL BRAND

The District Government’s visual personality is comprised of three distinct character-istics. These characteristics reinforce the mood of the Government’s brand visually and serve as guideposts to everything we visually create and present to the public.

THREE VISUAL CHARACTERISTICS

SLEEKBOLD

PROFESSIONAL

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WE ARE WASHINGTON DC OVERVIEW

WE ARE WASHINGTON DC

The We Are Washington DC logo is the official symbol of the Executive Office of the Mayor pursuant to Mayor’s Order 2015-078 dated February 10, 2015.

GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA LOGO – STARS & BARS

OVERVIEWSTARS & BARS

The Stars and Bars was adopted on October 15, 1938, by Congress as the official design for the District of Columbia.

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LOGO SPECIFICATIONSCOLOR VARIATIONSWe Are Washington DC and Stars & Bars logos must be represented on all official government designs both digital and print. Both logos shall only be presented in red, black, or white.

BLACK WHITE

WE ARE WASHINGTON DC

STARS & BARS

RED

BLACK WHITE RED

SPECIFICATIONS

OFFICIALThe official logo is a red graphic on a white background. Every effort should be made to use the default version of the logo, however there will be occasions when one of the approved variants may be used as prescribed.

BREATHING ROOMThe logo needs space to breathe. For standard applications, allow 1/8” of clear space per 1” of horizontal logo space. (1”÷ 8 = 0.125”) So if you are printing a logo 2 1/2” wide, the required clear space would be 2.5”÷ 8 = 0.3125” or 5/16”.

By default this clear space should be white (even on colored backgrounds), in the approved color variations this 1/8’ spacing should be filled with the designated color.

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OFFICIAL REDHEX: #bf0000CMYK: 17, 100, 100, 9RGB: 191, 0, 0

SCALE RECOMMENDATIONSThe logo should never appear smaller than 1” x 1.35” in print form. The logo should never appear smaller than 100px x 135px in web form.

VIOLATIONS

Do not use the Offical Blue for the main graphic.

Do not change the color of the main graphic.

Do not stetch or shrink the logo disproportianately.

Do not add drop shadows or other effects.

Do not change the color of the text/symbols.

Do not rotate the logo.

Do not use unapproved colors for the background.

Do not use patterns for the background.

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GOVERNMENT BRANDING

BRANDINGThe We Are Washington DC and Stars & Bars logos have been designed to establish the official branding logo for the Government of the District of Columbia. The logos will be provided for your convenience.

This brand shall be represented on all official digital and printed government materials. The positioning order of logos is as followed: the hosting agency, which is first and far left; the supporting agency, which is centered; followed by the official District government brand, which is last and to the far right.

Correct

Incorrect

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PAID ADVERTISEMENTWhat is Paid Advertisement? Paid Advertisement is the purchasing of any media that advertises the District government, including any of its programs, initiatives and agencies.

The government branding logo shall be included on all paid advertisements in print, video, and digital formats.

When creating an advertisement, always consider the visual personality as well as the distinct characteristics that visually reinforce the mood of the District government’s brand. Our branding standards must be enforced. Our message must be clear and concise.

All out-going materials MUST have the Mayor’s branding. Below are three examples of documents that illustrates the Mayor’s brand in multiple stlyes. Keep these tips in mind when developing your ad.

PAID ADVERTISEMENTWhat is Paid Advertisement? Paid Advertisement is the purchasing of any media that advertises the District government, including any of its programs, initiatives and agencies.

The government branding logo shall be included on all paid advertisements in print, video, and digital formats.

When creating an advertisement, always consider the visual personality as well as the distinct charac-teristics that visually reinforce the mood of the District government’s brand. Our branding standards must be enforced. Our message must be clear and concise.

All out-going materials MUST have the Mayor’s branding. Below are three examples of documents that illustrates the Mayor’s brand in multiple stlyes. Keep these tips in mind when developing your ad.

Tip 3: Make the background clean

CHEAT SHEET

Tip 2: Make your message clear

Tip 5: Use DC logo

Tip 6: Mayor’s Branding

Tip 4: Use hash-tags or slogans

Tip 1: Keep text simple and legible and the design clean

KIDS RIDE

Don’t FORGET to go online and enroll for your free $100 monthly Metrorail benefit. The benefit will be loaded onto your DC One Card. Public school students may enroll in the program starting August 17th.

STEP 1: Make sure you have a DC One Card. Go to www.dconecard.dc.gov to find out how to get one or ask at your school.

STEP 2: Make sure you REGISTER your DC One Card. Go to www.dconecard.dc.gov/manage and register your card.

3 Easy StepsComplete these steps and

in 24 hours you can tap your card and ride the

train for free.

FOR FREE

FACTS:• Can be used for travel to and from school and school-related events.• Available throughout the year as long as you are enrolled in an academic program.• Available to DC students, ages 5-21, who attend a DC Public School (DCPS) or public charter school (PCS); kids under 5 are already eligible to ride Metrorail for free.• Tap your DC One Card on the Metrorail faregate; Flashing the card to the Station Manager is not acceptable.

STEP 3: If you have a DC One Card and it’s registered, go to www.dconecard.dc.gov/manage and sign in with an email address and CLICK the eligibility button under TRANSIT SUBSIDY SECTION.

METRORAIL

If you need help, call the District Department of Transportation

at 202-673-1740.

SAVE THE DATE!

PresentsMAYOR MURIEL BOWSER

#202GirlsKickback

A day of fun, self-empowerment, and entertainment!For girls in grades 9-12

Saturday, September 26th • 10am

Early Registration Begins August 28th!

ADMISSION IS FREE!

GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

MURIEL BOWSER, MAYOR

DC’s All 8 Wards Alley Renewal Project

ALLEYPALOOZAStarting July 8, 2015

WARDS ALLEYSEACH WARD 64TOTAL ALLEYS

RENEWED

#alleypalooza

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PAID ADVERTISEMENT

#EndTheAwkwardDC

ASK ME HOW

ENDTHE

AWKWARD

What is Paid Advertisement? A Paid Advertisement is any media that advertises a program, initiative, agency or the government as a whole.

When creating advertisements, we must keep in mind our visual personality, and remember the distinct characteristics that reinforce the mood of our brand visually. We must insist that our standards are enforced. Our message must be clear and concise.

All out going materials MUST have the Mayor’s branding. Here are some quick tips to keep in mind:

Tip 1: Make the backgrround clean

Tip 2: Make your main image simple and recognizable

Tip 3: Make your message clear

Tip 5: Use agency logosTip 6: Mayor’s Branding

Tip 4: Use hashtags or slogans

CHEAT SHEET

Here is another example (the color scheme is not as important as the message, use your own discretion and creativity):

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DESIGN PSYCHOLOGYHOW TO CREATE A DC GOVERNMENT PROMOTIONAL GRAPHIC DESIGN

DPR Aquatics Hiring FairOver 150 Summer Lifeguard Positions!

Turkey Thicket Recreation Center1100 Michigan Ave., NE, Washington, D.C.

Lifeguard $11.50 per hour

For more information on Lifeguard positions, visit: http://summer.dpr.dc.gov.

Must Be At Least 16 Years Of Age • Free Training

You must appear in person to qualify for FREE training.

Saturday, May 2, 2015 • 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

1. Know your audience2. Create a simple yet aesthetically pleasing concept • Graphics should display a clear subject matter3. Clearly State: • Title/Name of the event • Hosting Agency • Call to Action • When is the event • Where is the event • Contact Information (website) • Pertinent Information/ Must be known > Requirements, Qualifications, and Timeframes

4. Branding

Concept includes: • Graphics • Pictures • Fonts • Color Scheme

Title/Name of the event

Subject

When & Where

Pertinent Information

Contact Information

Host Agency

Mayor’s Branding

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VIOLATIONSSIMILAR REDS AND BLUESThe official colors should always be used. While many colors can be used in conjunction with the official colors, the use of similar colors should be avoided.

OFFICIAL PALETTEThe following are the official colors and variants.

OFFICIAL BLUE

HEX: #012c3bCMYK: 96, 71, 53, 56RGB: 1, 44, 59

OFFICIAL RED

HEX: #bf0000CMYK: 17, 100, 100, 9RGB: 191, 0, 0

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

MAIN COLOR ACCENT COLOR

Just SAY NO

NO NO

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The official font face for the Executive Office of the Mayor is Neutra Text. These fonts shall be used when creating official executive graphic designs. There are four variations of the font used:

Neutra Text Light1234567890!@#$%^&*()

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

Neutra Text Book1234567890!@#$%^&*()


Neutra Text Demi1234567890!@#$%^&*()


Neutra Text Bold1234567890!@#$%^&*()


OFFICIAL TYPEFACE

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ACCENT FONTS

Century Gothic1234567890!@#$%^&*()


Helvetica Neue1234567890!@#$%^&*()


Adobe Jensen Pro1234567890!@#$%^&*()


Times New Roman1234567890!@#$%^&*()


Complimentary fonts are typefaces that can be used in conjunction with Neutra Text when creating official executive graphic designs. In these cases, these fonts shall be used sparingly and with lower priority than Neutra Text. These fonts can serve as the body font for documents and as accent fonts for flyers and other graphics.

SPECIAL FONTSIn some instances, special fonts will be needed. These fonts should be used sparingly and only to the highest text in the hierarchy. Aa

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BEST PRACTICESBODY COPYNeutra Text Book /Standard Sentence Case /Font Size: 14pt / Leading: 17pt/Left Justified with no breaks

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Phasellus cursus, tortor eget tempor bibendum, tortor elit lobortis ante, sed blandit urna turpis sed nulla. Quisque ut nibh eget urna auctor pharetra vel cursus diam. Morbi ut placerat augue.

HEADINGSNeutra Text Demi & Bold / ALL CAPS / Font Size: 18pt

SAMPLE HEADING DEMISAMPLE HEADING BOLD

COMMUNITY MEETINGSunday, March 1st 2015

COMMUNITY MEETING

Sunday, March 1st 2015


COMMUNITY MEETING


Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisc-ing elit. Phasellus cursus, tortor eget tempor biben-dum, tortor elit lobortis ante, sed blandit urna turpis sed nulla. Quisque ut nibh eget urna auctor pharetra vel cursus diam. Morbi ut placerat augue.

COMMUNITY MEETING



TYPOGRAPHIC HIERARCHYThe different weights of Neutra and accent fonts should be used to stress the most important information. Heavy text weight should be used for more important information. Thin/Lighter weight should be used for less relevant information.

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VIOLATIONSMIXED FONT, CASE, WEIGHT, SIZEAny single phrase or block of text should use one font, case, weight, and size consistently.

WE ARE DC WE are DC WE ARE DC WE ARE DC

NEUTRA ITALICSNeutra italics should never be used, in any weight. If emphasis is needed within body copy this should be achieved with a heavier weight.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Phasellus cursus, tortor eget tempor bibendum, tortor elit lobortis ante, sed blandit urna turpis sed nulla. Quisque ut nibh eget urna auctor pharetra vel cursus diam. Morbi ut placerat augue. Donec placerat eget nibh ac suscipit. Nam vitae turpis ac dui volutpat facili-sis sed eu nisl. Nulla augue tortor, pharetra ut tempor quis, hendrerit sed lectus. Proin aliquet accumsan orci quis efficitur. Quisque ut tempus est, vitae mollis dui. Phasellus vel varius lectus. Morbi molestie lectus vel sem interdum sagittis.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Phasellus cursus, tortor eget tempor bibendum, tortor elit lobortis ante, sed blandit urna turpis sed nulla.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Phasellus cursus, tortor eget tempor bibendum, tortor elit lobortis ante, sed blandit urna turpis sed nulla.

WE ARE DC WE ARE DC WE ARE DC WE ARE DC

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CONCLUSIONThis style guide and its processes should allow you to produce higher quality visual designs that effectively articulate the District Government’s messaging. Our branding identity will help to ensure that the public recognizes programs, events, and initiatives are made possible by the Government of the District of Columbia.

CHECKLISTAfter completing your design, use this checklist as a reference to ensure your design is high quality and aligned with DC Government branding standards.

DESIGN

IMAGES

TEXT

FILE PREP

� Style guide followed (style, color scheme, fonts, etc.)

� Visually appealing and aligned with branding - Sleek, Bold, and Professional

� Included appropriate logos in proper color variation (Branding logo [We are DC, Stars and

Bars, Mayor’s Name], hosting agency logo, supporting agency logo, etc.)

� Emphasized pertinent text

� Aligned elements

� Images are proper resolution

� No pixelated or distorted images

� All images are linked

� You have proper rights to use all included images

� Spellchecked document

� Followed typographic hierarchy

� All special characters are rendered properly (em dashes, trademark and copyright marks, etc.)

� Removed odd gaps between words or lines of text

� Packaged all files for print (text, fonts, images and other links)

VISUAL BRANDOur visual personality is comprised of three distinct characteristics that reinforce the mood of our brand visually. They also serve as guideposts to everything we create visually and present to the public.

3 VISUAL CHARACTERISTICS:

SLEEK | BOLD | PROFESSIONAL

HEX: #012c3b CMYK: 96, 71, 53, 56 RGB: 144, 44, 59

HEX: #bf0000 CMYK: 17, 100, 100, 9 RGB: 191, 0, 0

OFFICIAL PALETTE

OFFICIAL TYPEFACENeutra Text Light | Neutra Text Book | Neutra Text Demi | Neutra Text Bold

WE ARE WASHINGTON DC GRAPHICS CHEAT SHEET

LOGOS & BRANDING

We Are Washington DC and Stars & Bars logos must be represented on all official government designs both digital and print. Both logos shall only be presented in red, black, or white.

The positioning of logos is as follows: 1) Host Agency (far left) 2) Supporting agencies (centered) 3) Government branding logo (far right)

WE ARE WASHINGTON DC LOGO / STARS & BARS LOGO / MMB BRANDING

Style Guide EOM v2

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