The seafood sector’s biggest supporter.

Our PurposeWe’re here to give the UK seafood sector the support it needs to thrive.

Our Guiding Principles We’re enablers…

We make it possible and we make it happen.

We’re specialists…

We can help when others can’t.

We’re innovators…

If there’s a better way, we’ll find it.

We’re team players…

Together we thrive.

How we communicate We’re a diverse team with experts in many fields. That’s great for getting the job done but it could be confusing for our audience. To help build a strong, coherent reputation it’s important that we all communicate consistently. To make that easy we have a defined way of communicating – our Tone of Voice.

The following pages give an overview on how we should communicate.

Download the brand guidelines from the intranet for detailed guidance.

Our Tone of Voice is…

Knowledgeable Approachable Supportive Positive

We are Knowledgeable

When we put our name to something, people know it’s credible. We’re experienced and well-informed, and everything we do has to live up to that reputation.That doesn’t mean we show off or try to catch other people out. We use our knowledge to support people. We make it relevant and easy to understand – so others can benefit from it.

We think about the audience before we produce anything.

– Why is this important to them?

– What problem can we solve?

– How will this help them?

– What will they do with it?

Remember, knowledge doesn’t have to be complex.

We are Approachable

Bringing people together is key to our work. To do that well we need to be welcoming, inclusive and down-to-earth.

People should feel that we take them seriously at Seafish. We’re always respectful and empathetic. That means knowing what our audience is interested in before we create our work. We don’t want people to feel intimidated by Seafish, or to think that we’ll dismiss their concerns.

We communicate like people not robots – we don’t hide behind complicated jargon or ambiguity. For example, write as if you’re talking to one person you respect – not releasing a statement to an anonymous cast of thousands.

Everything we do should be useful for someone in the sector. It’s our job to know who. And to tailor the communication to suit them. We’re flexible and understanding in the way we work – we need to be in the way we communicate, too.

Aim to empower people with information. Think about where they’re going to read, see or hear it; how much they already know about it; and how you can make it as useful as possible.

We are Supportive

It’s not about us. We’re here to give the sector the support it needs to thrive. That means putting the audience first in every single thing we do.

We know things in the sector can get difficult at times. But we don’t dwell on that. We put our energy into finding solutions and making a positive difference.

We know what seafood can do for the nation, so our natural enthusiasm for the sector shines through in everything we do. We’re not vague, negative or apologetic. We use positive, active language and aim to inspire and motivate our audience. We communicate with enthusiasm and confidence but we don’t over-do it.

We are Positive

Whatever happens, we stay focused on helping the seafood sector thrive.

Putting it in into practiceWhat does Knowledgeable look like?

– Be generous – share useful information, insights, and opportunities that people may not know about.

– Verify your facts and proofread everything before publishing – it’s almost impossible to spot your own mistakes so always get a colleague to check it too.

– Be focused and make sure every communication has a purpose – never write just to fill the page.

What does Approachable look like? – Make complicated things simple – use clear, concise,

everyday language and avoid jargon, acronyms without explanation, and excessive small print or footnotes.

– Read your writing aloud – if it doesn’t feel natural, edit it. – Use the first person “At Seafish we…” or “We…” instead of

the faceless “Seafish does…” or “Seafish is…”. – Use relatable details and light humour to add warmth

when appropriate – you don’t have to be serious to be taken seriously.

– Aim for the middle-ground of warm professionalism – we’re not authoritarian or accusatory, and we’re not over-familiar, bubbly, or chatty.

What does Supportive look like? – Think about how people will use your communications

and choose a format that will be useful for them – even if it means creating something you haven’t created before.

– Know how much your reader knows and present your information to suit them.

– Respect your audience’s time by making your point quickly and clearly.

What does Positive look like? – Focus on what we can do, rather than what we can’t. – Keep your communication optimistic – never cynical,

moody or bitter. – Choose active, energetic words. – Add rhythm and pace to your writing by varying

the length of your sentences.

The following pages give an overview on how to use our core brand elements.

Download the brand guidelines from our intranet for detailed guidance.

Our logoWe have three main logos which can be used on most backgrounds (including photography).To request a logo please email design@seafish.co.uk

Download the brand guidelines from the intranet for detailed guidance on how to use the Seafish logo.

Black logo

Colour logo

White logo

ColourOur colour palette is influenced by the fishing industry itself, from the sea and sky to equipment and clothing.

The primary palette should feature most prominently, with gradients and accent colours available to provide visual interest, contrast and diversity in branded applications.

Download the brand guidelines from the intranet for detailed guidance on using colour.

Sea bluePantone 3005CMYK 100 31 0 0Hex #0077c8RGB 0 119 200

Sky bluePantone 299CMYK 86 8 0 0Hex #00a3e0RGB 0 163 224

Aqua bluePantone 320CMYK 96 0 31 2Hex #009ca6RGB 0 156 166

Storm greyPantone 425CMYK 48 29 26 76Hex #54585aRGB 84 88 90

WhiteCMYK 0 0 0 0Hex #ffffffRGB 255 255 255

Primary palette

Oilskin yellowPantone 116CMYK 0 20 96 0Hex #fecc0cRGB 254 204 12

Lifebuoy orangePantone 1505CMYK 0 68 100 0Hex #ed6c05RGB 237 108 5

Seaweed greenPantone 382CMYK 37 8 100 0Hex #b6c30cRGB 182 195 12

Safety redPantone Red 032CMYK 0 93 79 0Hex #e4002bRGB 228 0 43

Sea blue

Sky blue

Aqua blue

Sky blue

GradientsAccent colours

Typography Two main fonts should be used within Seafish materials and templates.

– Roboto Slab is intended for titles, headings and sub headings, as well as limited use for pull out copy. It should not be overused in a layout and should not be used for body copy.

– Roboto is available in a range of weights to provide flexibility for all other forms of copy and layout.

– In instances when Roboto Slab and Roboto are not available, Arial can be used – for example in applications where a system font is required, like Word or PowerPoint.

– Our house style is to use sentence case in all our documents and communications.

– On a standard A4 document, or email, body text should be in Arial 11pt.

Please note that Roboto Slab and Roboto are Google fonts and are free to use, however, they are not available on all PCs. If you do have these fonts installed, any documents using them should be saved in PDF format before they are shared with third parties, to ensure they display correctly.

Download the brand guidelines from the intranet for detailed guidance on typography.

Roboto Slab Light Roboto Slab Regular Roboto Slab Bold

Roboto Slab

Roboto

Roboto Light Roboto Light Italic Roboto Regular Roboto Regular ItalicRoboto MediumRoboto Medium ItalicRoboto BoldRoboto Bold ItalicRoboto BlackRoboto Black Italic

Arial

Arial RegularArial ItalicArial Bold Arial Bold Italic

Talk to usIf you have any queries on the content contained in this booklet, please get in touch with the Communications Team.

For design and logo support email design@seafish.co.uk