- 1 -

The Charnwood Identity Guidelines Version 2. Aug 09

Our Corporate identity is important. It affects how staff, residents and partners think and feel about Charnwood.

But our identity is not the most important influence on peoples’

perceptions of this Council….. the most important influencer is whether or not we are doing a good job of delivering effective services to local people.

- 2 -

1.1 Elements 4 1.2 Colours 4 1.3 Font 4

2.1 Ownership 5 2.2 Elements 5 2.3 Re-sizing 5 2.4 Position 5 2.5 Exclusion Zone 5 2.6 Type Face 5 2.7 Additions 5

3.1 Minimum Size 6 3.2 Scaling the Logo 6 3.3 Everyday Use in the Office 6 3.4 Printing in Colour 6 3.5 Reversing the Logo 7 3.6 Web/Powerpoint 7 3.7 Newspapers and Magazines 7 3.8 Professional Print 7 3.9 General Information for Printers and Designers 7

4.1 Recruitment Advertising 8 4.2 Notices 8

- 3 -

5.1 Rule of Thumb 9

“Thou shall not ....”

6.1 Logo 10 6.2 Corporate Stationery 10

7.1 Corporate Stationery Principles (7.1.1 - 7.1.5) 11 7.2 Pre-Printed Letterhead 12 7.3 Standard Letterhead Template 13 7.4 Standard Letterhead Template - Second Page 14 7.5 Writing Media Releases 15 7.6 Press Releases and Statements 16 7.7 Press Release Template 17 7.8 Business Cards 18 7.9 Business Card Order Form 19

8.1 Typefaces & Fonts 20 8.2 Other Typefaces 20

- 4 -

The Charnwood logo consists of three main elements:

1. The Fox 2. The word ‘Charnwood’ 3. The green and blue ‘Swoosh’

The colours of the logo are:

Black Green PMS 361 Blue PMS 307

(PMS = Pantone Matching System)

The Font is : GILL SANS

- 5 -

The logo is the cornerstone of our identity. It is our signature and it is the mark that signals Council ownership of a service or message. NB. Many of us work in defined services and such there is the occasional danger that we put our ‘service identity’ ahead of our corporate identity ... in doing this we assume that our customers understand our internal structure. Not so.The public know us as ‘The Council’ first.

Recognising this fact and making sure that our material is badged accordingly is the most important factor in understanding our new identity and making it work for us.

The 3 constituent parts of the logo must never be separated from another.

The logo must not be stretched or manipulated in any way. If the logo does not fit a space the logo in its entirety should be resized. (See 3.2 Scaling the Logo).

The logo will normally be displayed on the front page of Council publications (‘Publications’ = paper and electronic).

This is the clear area around the logo in which nothing else should appear. It ensures clarity and increases impact.The exclusion zone is defined as at least the height of the capital ‘C’ in Charnwood around the whole logo.

The logo type face is Gill Sans. The font has been chosen because it is very legible. It must never be replaced by another font.

Nothing must be added to the logo (neither words or pictures).

- 6 -

The minimum size the logo can be printed is 36mm wide, any smaller check with the Communications Team first.

The three elements of the logo must never be separated from each other.

The three elements must never be scaled independently of each other - the logo should be scaled as a whole.The logo should be scaled in proportion i.e.: Never stretch the logo either horizontally or vertically.

To re-scale the logo in Word, follow the procedure below: • Right click on the logo • Click on ‘Format Picture’ • Click on ‘Size’ • Reduce / Enlarge height in % as required • Ensure ‘Lock aspect ratio’ and ‘Relative to original picture size’ boxes are

ticked • Click ‘OK’

For everyday applications in Microsoft Word, Publisher etc. use one of the following files in the ‘Corporate Logos’ Folder, in the ‘Communications and Corporate Stationery, Public Folder.

CBC LOGO RGB 300 jpeg CBC LOGO BLACK 300 jpeg CBC LOGO GREY 300 jpeg

If the logo is to be printed in colour then all three colours must be printed i.e. Black, Green and Blue. Never substitute one of the colours for another to get away with using less colours.

If printing in colour is not available then use the GREY SCALE version which should always be printed in Black.

- 7 -

‘Reversal’ is the effect of changing the logo to a lighter colour (normally white) to ensure that the logo stands out when printed on dark backgrounds.

If the logo is to be reversed please use the following file in the ‘Corporate Logos’ folder.

CBC LOGO REVERSED 300 jpeg

For professional print use the CMYK eps or SPOT eps (available from the Communications Team) and change the black to white in your chosen publishing software.

For screen based applications use the following file in the ‘Corporate Logo’s’ folder.

CBC LOGO RGB 72 jpeg

For glossy magazine or newspaper advertising use the following file in the ‘Corporate Logos’ folder.

CBC LOGO CMYK 300 jpeg For black and white newspaper advertising use the following file:

CBC LOGO GREY 300 jpeg

For professional printing applications such as Signage and Brochures requiring High resolution files contact the Communications Team.

These files were created in Adobe Illustrator and have been saved in the most common file formats.With the jpegs a dpi (dots per inch) has been set. Printing applications require 300 dpi and pc screen based 72 dpi.

- 8 -

All council recruitment advertising must carry the Council’s logo and the twin awards,‘Double Tick:Positive about Disabled People’ and ‘Investors in People’.

These logos can be found in the Communications / Corporate Stationery public folder under ‘Corporate Logo’s’.

There is a standard design template for our recruitment advertising.

The Council retains a recruitment agency and all recruitment should be handled via the Human Resources team.

All notices should carry the Council logo.

NB.Template guidelines are being developed for notices to further develop our ‘house style’.

- 9 -

We often work with partner organisations. These organisations will also have their own identity standards.

Problems can occasionally occur when partners start arguing over whose logo should be most prominent on publications or whose logo goes at the top of the page , leaving the ‘poorer cousins’ to fight it out at the bottom.

There are few hard and fast rules, but a useful rule of thumb is that if there is to be a ‘primary logo’ it should really be decided by asking “ Who does the public expect this service to be delivered by”, (good communication) and “Who is funding it”, (good manners!).

Please contact the Communications Team for guidance in using additional logos.

- 10 -

“Thou shall not ..........”

1. Separate any of the Three Parts of the Logo 2. Stretch / Manipulate or Distort the Logo 3. Change the Font of the Logo 4. Change the Specified Colours of the Logo 5. Use the Logo Smaller than 36mm Wide 6. Fill the Exclusion Zone around the Logo 7. Add anything to the Logo 8. Omit the Logo from any Council produced Publication.

1. Alter / Remove the ‘Charnwood’ Logo 2. Alter / Remove the ‘Investors’ Logo 3. Alter / Remove the ‘Disability’ Logo 4. Alter / Remove the Telephone / Email / Website Details 5. Move the Position of any of the Above 6. Add / Insert anything into the Header or Footer Areas.

- 11 -

7.1.1 All corporate stationery must include the logo and the logo must be situated on the first page / front of the stationery.

(‘Stationery’ is defined as letters, compliment slips, business cards, forms and templates).

7.1.2 The font is GILL SANS.This is the font to be used for letters,

compliment slips, business cards, forms and templates.

7.1.3 Letterhead and letter templates must contain the ‘Investors in People’ and the ‘Double Tick Disability’ logos.

7.1.4 Letterhead and letter templates must contain the ‘Telephone, Email and Website’ details on the bottom right hand side of the page as shown. (See 7.2 Pre-Printed Letterheads).This should not be altered in any way.

7.1.5 The letterhead / business cards / standard template designs all share the same basic desire to ‘de-clutter’ Council stationery.The aim is to make everything we send / publish / post easier for the recipient to read.When developing specific service templates, please continue to ‘de-clutter’.

For standard letters you have the option of using pre printed colour letterhead (available to order from the ICS Helpdesk on 4777) or a letterhead template direct from your desktop in either black and white or colour.

Note: This template is for standard corporate letters only. Individual services and individuals within those services will doubtless need to update other templates to incorporate specific, bespoke items unique to the service.

When this is the case please work within the Corporate Stationery Principles described above.

If you have any problems re-designing your templates, please speak to ICS for technical advice.

- 12 -

Telephone: 01509 263151 Email: information@charnwood.gov.uk Visit us at www.charnwood.gov.uk

- 13 -

Recipient name Address line 1 Address line 2 Address line 3 Address line 4 Postcode

Monday, 10 May 2009

Southfield Road, Loughborough, Leicestershire. LE11 2TT

Ask for: XXXXXXXX

Direct Line: 01509 63xxx

Email: xxxxxx@charnwood.gov.uk

My ref: if you wish your ref: if you wish Mobile: if you wish

Fax: 01509 if you wish Minicom 01509 215996 if you wish

CX 19628 Loughborough if you wish

Dear Recipient

Subject of Letter

Body of Letter: Install this Template by first Opening it with File- Open …as a .dot file.

1. Next modify the Sender’s address to your usual address.

2. Do not put a Mobile, Fax, Minicom or DX number if you do not routinely use them. They are just clutter. Overleaf are the normal addresses used by Charnwood, with relevant post codes.

3. When you are happy with the template, you can trim these words if you like but leave the Greeting, Subject and first line for guidance.

The style for letters is Body Text, but you can also use:

4. Numbered or

• Bulleted

If you need help please contact ICS. If you are regular Microsoft Word user ask about ECDL or ECDL Word Processing Advanced. It’s a good way to learn new tricks.

Finally, when you press Enter after a paragraph, you’ll find you drop 6pt before the next line. If you want to simply drop one line without creating paragraph space, hold down the Shift when you press Enter; that’s called a new line, rather than Enter which gives you a new paragraph.

Ctrl Enter gives you a new page…. Here goes!

Telephone: 01509 263151 Email: information@charnwood.gov.uk

Visit us at www.charnwood.gov.uk

- 14 -

This is the Second Page.

We hope these notes have helped you. Please let us know how they can be improved.

General Styles available are:

Heading 1

Heading 2

Heading 3

Normal (12pt) Body Text (10pt)

4. Numbered (10pt) • Bulleted (10pt) That’s all Yours sincerely,

Sender’s name (new line, not paragraph: Shift Enter) Sender’s Title

PS.When you have edited the template to your satisfaction save it with a distinctive name in the Documents and Settings/Username/.../Templates folder. It’ll be ready for you next time in General Templates.

Here are the other addresses: Macaulay House, 5 Cattle Market, Loughborough, Leicestershire. LE11 3DH Limehurst Depot, Limehurst Avenue, Loughborough, Leicestershire. LE11 1PF Charnwood Lifeline,Victoria Place,Victoria Street, Loughborough, Leicestershire. LE11 2EP Charnwood Museum, Granby Street, Loughborough, Leicestershire. LE11 3DU Loughborough Town Hall, Market Place, Loughborough, Leicestershire. LE11 3EB South Charnwood Leisure Centre, Parkstone Road, Syston, Leicestershire. LE7 1LY Ark Business Centre, Gordon Road, Loughborough, Leicestershire. LE11 1JP Oak Business Centre, 79-93 Ratcliffe Road, Sileby, Leicestershire. LE12 7PU Railway Terrace, Loughborough, Leicestershire. LE11 1HW

- 15 -

7.5.1 Never forget the 5 W’s (and 1 H) rule:

• WHAT is happening? • WHO is doing it? • Where is it happening? • WHEN is it happening? • WHY is it happening? • HOW is it happening?

NB.Training is available from the Communications Team.

8.5.2 Making it Stick:

• Whenever possible, limit the release to one side of A4.

• Make the opening paragraph as interesting as possible.The first line will usually determine whether or not the journalist will read on. DONT USE THE OLD RULE OF CRAMMING THE 5W’S INTO THE FIRST PARAGRAPH ...YOU ARE TELLING A STORY NOT WRITING A POSTER.

• If you use acronyms make sure that you explain what they mean. For

example, writing Charnwood Borough Council (CBC) on the first usage means you can then use ‘CBC’ throughout the rest of the release.

• Include quotes from relevant people, including one from the appropriate Lead Member. Give that person context by using their title.

• If you are writing a quote on somebody else’s behalf, make sure they see it and are happy with it.

• Sentences should be active not passive e.g.‘It is anticipated that .....’ becomes ‘We hope that ....’

• Resist the temptation to use “The Council has announced”. Make it personal and use either a named person or,“We have decided”.

• If the text runs over onto a second page put ‘Continued ...’ at the end of the first sheet.

• Write ‘Ends’ at the end of the text.

16

• Provide names of contacts, their job title and their telephone number after ‘Ends’.You may include more than one name - it makes it easier for the journalist.

• ‘Notes to the Editor’ should follow below ‘Ends’ and should be the ‘padding’ out of the story / background facts.

• Photo opportunities should be highlighted here. Make it a lively paragraph - it may secure you editorial coverage. DO NOT include photo opportunity information on releases sent to radio stations!

• Don’t send out releases by email to multiple, visible recipients.You are trying to make them feel special, not that they are on a mailing list.

• Remember to mark any ‘Embargo’ (this is when you state when the information can be released, for example marking embargoed until 1st October 2004, means that the media are not supposed to release this information until this date) - only use when essential as embargoes are not always adhered to.

• For a protocol on ‘Issuing Press Releases’ see the Communications / Corporate Stationery Folder.

There is a standard template for Press Releases and Statements (available from Public Folders in the Communications Team / Corporate Stationery Folder).This template should be used for ALL Council press releases / statements.

For Information a ‘Press Release’ is something that we send out proactively to draw attention to a subject. A ‘Statement’ is usually issued as a result of an enquiry from the media.

17

Southfield Road, Loughborough, Leicestershire. LE11 2TN

Policy and Economic Services Direct Line: 01509 634XXX

Email: first.lastname@charnwood.gov.uk

Monday, 10 May 2004

PRESS RELEASE / STATEMENT

Headline goes here ENDS Notes for Editors: Timing: Follow ups: Photos;

Telephone: 01509 263151 Email: information@charnwood.gov.uk Visit us at www.charnwood.gov.uk

18

Business Cards are available in Green, Blue or White versions from the ICS Helpdesk. For a business card request form, please contact ICS Helpdesk on 4777.

Plain White Version

19

Charnwood Business Card Order Form Version 3 Please use this form to order your new Business cards. In order to personalize your business cards, you are being offered a variety of choices in both appearance and contents Choose the style you would like from one of the Pictures on the right and then complete the details You want to appear on your cards in the list below. The style I would like is:

Green

Blue

White The details I would like on my card are: Name: Qualifications: Title:

Direct Line: Mobile: Email: Site Address:

Expenditure Code

Quantity

Date Requested

Requested by:

(Please Sign)

Service Head:

(Please sign)

20

The Standard Council font is Gill Sans. This should be used in all standard letters and letter templates.

Where Gill Sans is unavailable the preferred typeface is Arial. (Gill Sans and Arial are from the same ‘family’ of fonts and are both recommended in terms of accessibility).

Choosing the best typeface for the job is an important part of the design of a document. The right typeface can make or break the look, feel and legibility of your work.

There is no such thing as a ‘font for all occasions’.

Sans Serif fonts (‘sans serif’ means without the ticks and squiggly bits!) like Gill Sans and Arial are recommended for legibility but there will be occasions where other fonts are more appropriate for the audience you are targeting.

When this is the case you might like to try using alternative typeface’s for titles and headlines but keeping the sans serif choices for the body text.