Canadien National Railway

Official Websites

• https://www.cn.ca

Brand Guidelines

2019

Brand Summary

Mission

• Connecting markets by spanning Canada and Mid-America, moving raw materials, intermediate goods, and finished goods to market, and keeping things moving for the economy and business competitiveness [^1].

Core Values

• efficient
• seamless connections
• smooth flow of traffic
• clarity of purpose
• openness
• honesty
• an eye on the future
• quality service
• credibility
• trust
• reputation
• relationships
• expectations
• emotions
• stories
• history [^2]

Target Audience

• Customers, employees, partners, community, shareholders, and the broader public seeking reliable transportation and logistics solutions [^3].

Personality Traits

• modern
• neutral
• friendly
• open
• legible
• smart
• professional
• straightforward [^4]

Visual Identity Overview

• The visual identity is minimalist, modern, and bold, centered around the iconic red CN logo. It uses a consistent color palette (CN Red, black, white, and extended palette), clear protective space, and selected typefaces (Roboto, Raleway, Averta) to ensure clarity, recognition, and flexibility across media. The logo is never distorted, always prominent, and surrounded by breathing space. Visual devices include graphic imagery, iconography, color system, fonts, messaging, and tone-of-voice [^5][^4].

Categories

Brand Voice

• A visual identity is a package of visual devices that an organization uses to communicate the brand, such as graphic imagery, iconography, a colour system, fonts, messaging, tone­of-voice, and more.

Brand Imagery

• The CN logo stands out dramatically from its graphic surroundings because of its scale and positioning and because of the protective white space surrounding it. Significantly, no other design element—logo, wordmark or decorative element—competes with the logo for symbolic expression.
• There can be no liberties taken, though, with regard to the handling of the corporate signature within a given layout. Following the standards for signature placement and scale given in these pages will help ensure that CN is identified prominently, consistently, and without graphic competition.
• The CN logo is accurately reproduced below. Besides revealing the simple drafting style used to create the logo, the grid pattern serves to ensure its proper proportions are used in each and every application: on a ballpoint pen, on the side of a boxcar, or at the top of a building.
• The overall proportions are three by eight, and must always be respected.
• Notice that the inner and outer curves are based on the same centre points, all inner curves share a single radius, and all outer curves share another single radius.
• When reproducing the logo, use a master that is no more than two generations away from an original. When electronic masters are used, be certain that they preserve the three-by-eight proportions of the true CN logo.
• The signature must be always surrounded by a minimum amount of “breathing space” to ensure effective communication. No text, graphic, photographic, illustrative or typographic element must encroach upon this space.
• Preferred: Space equal to the height of the signature, on all sides
• Acceptable: In exceptional circumstances, space equal to half the height of the signature, on all sides
• The CN logo must never be distorted or misrepresented by elongating, condensing or otherwise taking liberties with its geometry. No decorative element should ever be added to it or allowed to appear behind or in front of it.
• If you are unsure of the proper use of the CN logo, please contact the Communications Hub or email Branding@cn.ca.
• Colour is a key factor in ensuring rapid recognition of the logo. Like other elements of the design system, colour must be used consistently if it is to serve this purpose.
• The CN corporate colour is red (Pantone 485). Whenever the application method or the medium itself permits it, the logo should appear red on white, or white on red. If red is not available, the logo may be black on white, or white on black. Contrast must always be sufficient.
• Special situations may arise where the logo is used in a more commercial context and a background other than a solid colour is permitted. Any such departure from the corporate colours must, however, be justified, and will be decided upon case by case by the Communications Hub.
• Four distinct colour variations of the corporate logo are available, allowing for flexibility with different types of backgrounds and media. You’ll have a choice of CMYK, RGB and spot colour files wherever appropriate. No other colour variations can be used.
• The company’s official legacy colour palette includes CN Red, black and white. Our corporate colours form part of our overall colour palette.
• CN Red/ Rouge CN PMS 485 M 100% Y 100% R 237 G 28 B 36 #ED1C24
• White/ Blanc R 255 G 255 B 255 #FFFFFF
• Black / Noir K 100% #000000
• The CN locomotive is our flagship representation of brand identity colour use. CN locomotives are approximately composed of 75% black, 15% red and 10% white.
• The CN Red should never contain tint gradations that border on pink or burgundy. It is recommended that the CN Red always be utilized to be consistent and uphold brand image.
• When using photography, the use of colour should always feel complementary to the image. To achieve this, choose a colour from the full palette that is closest to the dominant colour in the selected photograph. Should a colour fall outside of the preferred Branding Colour Palette, please proceed in tinting the photograph with the custom hue.

Color Palette

• The CN corporate colour is red (Pantone 485). Whenever the application method or the medium itself permits it, the logo should appear red on white, or white on red. If red is not available, the logo may be black on white, or white on black. Contrast must always be sufficient.
• Special situations may arise where the logo is used in a more commercial context and a background other than a solid colour is permitted. Any such departure from the corporate colours must, however, be justified, and will be decided upon case by case by the Communications Hub.
• Four distinct colour variations of the corporate logo are available, allowing for flexibility with different types of backgrounds and media. You’ll have a choice of CMYK, RGB and spot colour files wherever appropriate. No other colour variations can be used.
• The company’s official legacy colour palette includes CN Red, black and white. Our corporate colours form part of our overall colour palette.
• CN Red/ Rouge CN PMS 485 M 100% Y 100% R 237 G 28 B 36 #ED1C24
• Black / Noir K 100% R 0 G 0 B 0 #000000
• White / Blanc R 255 G 255 B 255 #FFFFFF
• The CN locomotive is our flagship representation of brand identity colour use. CN locomotives are approximately composed of 75% black, 15% red and 10% white. The pie chart illustrates this overall composition that makes the CN colour language distinguishable from other Class 1 Railway companies.
• CN’s colour palette has been carefully selected to celebrate CN’s proud history while also reflecting our different business units and the industries they represent.
• Port Blue/ Bleu port C 88 M 72 Y 41 K 30 R 43 G 65 B 92 #2B415C
• Petroleum Black / noir pétroleum C 70 M 64 Y 63 K 61 R 48 G 48 B 48 #303030
• Steel Blue/ Bleu metalisé C 73 M 52 Y 27 K 5 R 85 G 113 B 146 #557192
• Grain Gold/ Or céréales C 16 M 39 Y 91 K 0 R 216 G 159 B 58 #D89F3A
• Azure Blue/ Bleu azure C 84 M 33 Y 24 K 1 R 0 G 136 B 169 #0088A8
• Minerai Grey/ Gris minéral C 53 M 45 Y 45 K 9 R 123 G 123 B 123 #7B7B7B
• Forest Green/ Vert forêt C 54 M 24 Y 73 K 4 R 128 G 156 B 102 #809C66
• Aluminum Grey/ Gris aluminum C 34 M 27 Y 28 K 0 R 171 G 171 B 171 #ABABAB
• Colour Tint Harmony is designed to support and complement the Extended Palette. These colours enable flexibility and variety in design.
• For Accessibility* and maximum readability, the letter indicator [T] in the middle of each square indicates if sufficient text and background color contrast exists.
• The CN Red should never contain tint gradations that border on pink or burgundy. It is recommended that the CN Red always be utilized to be consistent and uphold brand image.
• The Core Palette colours represent a favoured usage in all digital and print materials. The Extended Palette represents a secondary usage to give a visual accent to allow the association between company core values, key message, pillars, industry or commodity.
• When using photography, the use of colour should always feel complementary to the image. To achieve this, choose a colour from the full palette that is closest to the dominant colour in the selected photograph. Should a colour fall outside of the preferred Branding Colour Palette, please proceed in tinting the photograph with the custom hue.

Typography

• The right typeface helps to convey a modern, efficient message. While it is important that the typeface be in harmony with the logo and design system, it is imperative that the message be easily read and understood.
• The Roboto, Raleway and Averta* font families have been chosen for their design and flexibility across traditional print and digital media application.
• Roboto and Raleway are open-source Google Fonts that are available in part of CN’s selection of default system fonts.
• Averta licensing is exclusively reserved for the CN Branding and Production team, external suppliers, vendors and design consultants approved by the Communications Hub.
• Roboto Thin Roboto Light Roboto Regular Roboto Bold Roboto Condensed Regular Roboto Condensed Bold
• Raleway Light Raleway Medium Raleway Bold Raleway Extra Bold
• Averta Light Averta Light Italic Averta Semibold Averta Extra Bold
• *Exclusive-use. The Communications Hub must approve of additional CN employees, suppliers, vendors, collaborators and design consultants that can receive official licensing of the typeface.
• Roboto is available through CN’s default list of system fonts. Roboto has been carefully selected to be optimized for multiple display and screen resolution viewing when producing digital media destined for web, email, social media, mobile applications, and PowerPoint presentations. Both Raleway and Roboto can equally be used in traditional print where access to Averta is restricted.
• To add to the flexibility, we introduce a font pairing alternative that is equally available through CN’s default list of system fonts. A great combination, the roundness of Raleway contrasts well with the technical structure of the Roboto font family.
• Titles and subheads: The main sans-serif typeface used for titles and subheads is Raleway. Body and paragraphs: The main sans-serif typeface used for body and paragraphs is Roboto or Roboto Condensed.
• Using mixed weights of one typeface is an excellent way to enhance hierarchy and form some nuance. A fine-weighted subheading offsets well against a heavier heading typeface.
• The main sans-serif typeface used in CN publication, advertisement and print collateral is Averta. It can be used in all available weights and is recommended for titles, subheads and short paragraphs.
• Note: Averta is only available to selected employees and consultants whose primary function is design.

Logo Usage

• The CN logo stands out dramatically from its graphic surroundings because of its scale and positioning and because of the protective white space surrounding it. Significantly, no other design element—logo, wordmark or decorative element—competes with the logo for symbolic expression.
• There can be no liberties taken, though, with regard to the handling of the corporate signature within a given layout. Following the standards for signature placement and scale given in these pages will help ensure that CN is identified prominently, consistently, and without graphic competition.
• The CN logo must never be distorted or misrepresented by elongating, condensing or otherwise taking liberties with its geometry. No decorative element should ever be added to it or allowed to appear behind or in front of it.
• If you are unsure of the proper use of the CN logo, please contact the Communications Hub or email Branding@cn.ca.
• The CN corporate colour is red (Pantone 485). Whenever the application method or the medium itself permits it, the logo should appear red on white, or white on red. If red is not available, the logo may be black on white, or white on black. Contrast must always be sufficient.
• Special situations may arise where the logo is used in a more commercial context and a background other than a solid colour is permitted. Any such departure from the corporate colours must, however, be justified, and will be decided upon case by case by the Communications Hub.
• Four distinct colour variations of the corporate logo are available, allowing for flexibility with different types of backgrounds and media. You’ll have a choice of CMYK, RGB and spot colour files wherever appropriate. No other colour variations can be used.
• The signature must be always surrounded by a minimum amount of “breathing space” to ensure effective communication. No text, graphic, photographic, illustrative or typographic element must encroach upon this space.
• Preferred: Space equal to the height of the signature, on all sides
• Acceptable: In exceptional circumstances, space equal to half the height of the signature, on all sides
• The CN logo is accurately reproduced below. Besides revealing the simple drafting style used to create the logo, the grid pattern serves to ensure its proper proportions are used in each and every application: on a ballpoint pen, on the side of a boxcar, or at the top of a building.
• The overall proportions are three by eight, and must always be respected.
• Notice that the inner and outer curves are based on the same centre points, all inner curves share a single radius, and all outer curves share another single radius.
• When reproducing the logo, use a master that is no more than two generations away from an original. When electronic masters are used, be certain that they preserve the three-by-eight proportions of the true CN logo.
• Minimum size Taille minimum 10 mm
• The CN Red should never contain tint gradations that border on pink or burgundy. It is recommended that the CN Red always be utilized to be consistent and uphold brand image.

Tone And Messaging

• Branding is a set of marketing and communication methods that help to distinguish a company from its competitors, aiming to create a lasting impression in the minds of customers.
• A visual identity is a package of visual devices that an organization uses to communicate the brand, such as graphic imagery, iconography, a colour system, fonts, messaging, tone­of-voice, and more.

Brand Values

• Brand reflects the core values of the company to its audiences and builds credibility and trust
• La marque reflete les valeurs de base de la Compagnie aupres du public et renforce la credibilite et la confiance.
• The corporate visual identity has a very distinct formal role for the Business. It is the mark of continuity and reassurance that unites all aspects of the company’s core values.
• L’identite visuelle joue un role officiel tres particulier pour l’entreprise. C’est la marque de continuite et de confiance qui unit taus les aspects des valeurs de base de la Compagnie.
• The CN logo is more than 40 years old. It has survived unchanged for all these years because it represents qualities that CN valued at the time, and indeed still values: efficient, seamless connections, smooth flow of traffic, clarity of purpose, openness, honesty, an eye on the future.
• Le logo CN est demeuré inchangé depuis plus de 40 ans, car il illustre toujours les qualités que le CN a toujours privilégiées : l’efficacité, la fluidité du trafic, la clarté des objectifs, l’ouverture d’esprit, l’honnêteté et l’orientation vers l’avenir.

Visual Style

• The CN logo stands out dramatically from its graphic surroundings because of its scale and positioning and because of the protective white space surrounding it. Significantly, no other design element—logo, wordmark or decorative element—competes with the logo for symbolic expression.
• There can be no liberties taken, though, with regard to the handling of the corporate signature within a given layout. Following the standards for signature placement and scale given in these pages will help ensure that CN is identified prominently, consistently, and without graphic competition.
• The CN logo is accurately reproduced below. Besides revealing the simple drafting style used to create the logo, the grid pattern serves to ensure its proper proportions are used in each and every application: on a ballpoint pen, on the side of a boxcar, or at the top of a building.
• The overall proportions are three by eight, and must always be respected.
• Notice that the inner and outer curves are based on the same centre points, all inner curves share a single radius, and all outer curves share another single radius.
• When reproducing the logo, use a master that is no more than two generations away from an original. When electronic masters are used, be certain that they preserve the three-by-eight proportions of the true CN logo.
• The signature must be always surrounded by a minimum amount of “breathing space” to ensure effective communication. No text, graphic, photographic, illustrative or typographic element must encroach upon this space.
• Preferred: Space equal to the height of the signature, on all sides
• Acceptable: In exceptional circumstances, space equal to half the height of the signature, on all sides
• The CN logo must never be distorted or misrepresented by elongating, condensing or otherwise taking liberties with its geometry. No decorative element should ever be added to it or allowed to appear behind or in front of it.
• Colour is a key factor in ensuring rapid recognition of the logo. Like other elements of the design system, colour must be used consistently if it is to serve this purpose.
• The CN corporate colour is red (Pantone 485). Whenever the application method or the medium itself permits it, the logo should appear red on white, or white on red. If red is not available, the logo may be black on white, or white on black. Contrast must always be sufficient.
• Special situations may arise where the logo is used in a more commercial context and a background other than a solid colour is permitted. Any such departure from the corporate colours must, however, be justified, and will be decided upon case by case by the Communications Hub.
• Four distinct colour variations of the corporate logo are available, allowing for flexibility with different types of backgrounds and media. You’ll have a choice of CMYK, RGB and spot colour files wherever appropriate. No other colour variations can be used.
• The company’s official legacy colour palette includes CN Red, black and white. Our corporate colours form part of our overall colour palette.
• CN Red/ Rouge CN PMS 485 M 100% Y 100% R 237 G 28 B 36 #ED1C24
• Black / Noir K 100% R 0 G 0 B 0 #000000
• White / Blanc R 255 G 255 B 255 #FFFFFF
• The CN locomotive is our flagship representation of brand identity colour use. CN locomotives are approximately composed of 75% black, 15% red and 10% white.
• CN’s colour palette has been carefully selected to celebrate CN’s proud history while also reflecting our different business units and the industries they represent.
• Port Blue/ Bleu port C 88 M 72 Y 41 K 30 R 43 G 65 B 92 #2B415C
• Petroleum Black / noir pétroleum C 70 M 64 Y 63 K 61 R 48 G 48 B 48 #303030
• Steel Blue/ Bleu metalisé C 73 M 52 Y 27 K 5 R 85 G 113 B 146 #557192
• Grain Gold/ Or céréales C 16 M 39 Y 91 K 0 R 216 G 159 B 58 #D89F3A
• Azure Blue/ Bleu azure C 84 M 33 Y 24 K 1 R 0 G 136 B 169 #0088A8
• Minerai Grey/ Gris minéral C 53 M 45 Y 45 K 9 R 123 G 123 B 123 #7B7B7B
• Forest Green/ Vert forêt C 54 M 24 Y 73 K 4 R 128 G 156 B 102 #809C66
• Aluminum Grey/ Gris aluminum C 34 M 27 Y 28 K 0 R 171 G 171 B 171 #ABABAB
• Colour Tint Harmony is designed to support and complement the Extended Palette. These colours enable flexibility and variety in design.
• For Accessibility* and maximum readability, the letter indicator [T] in the middle of each square indicates if sufficient text and background color contrast exists.
• The CN Red should never contain tint gradations that border on pink or burgundy. It is recommended that the CN Red always be utilized to be consistent and uphold brand image.
• The Core Palette colours represent a favoured usage in all digital and print materials. The Extended Palette represents a secondary usage to give a visual accent to allow the association between company core values, key message, pillars, industry or commodity.
• When using photography, the use of colour should always feel complementary to the image. To achieve this, choose a colour from the full palette that is closest to the dominant colour in the selected photograph. Should a colour fall outside of the preferred Branding Colour Palette, please proceed in tinting the photograph with the custom hue.

Iconography

• A visual identity is a package of visual devices that an organization uses to communicate the brand, such as graphic imagery, iconography, a colour system, fonts, messaging, tone­of-voice, and more.
• Une identite visuelle comprend un ensemble d’outils visuels qu’une entreprise utilise pour promouvoir la marque, dont des images graphiques, des icones, un systeme de couleurs, des polices de caracteres, des messages, un ton de voix et plus encore.
• | VISUAL MATERIAL | SIGNAGE | POSITIONING | MESSAGING | COLOUR PALETTE | ICONOGRAPHY | TYPEFACE |
• | MATERIEL VISUEL | AFFICHAGE | POSITIONNEMENT | MESSAGES | PALETTE DE COULEURS | ICONOGRAPHIE | STYLE DE CARACTERES |

Layout And Composition

• The CN logo stands out dramatically from its graphic surroundings because of its scale and positioning and because of the protective white space surrounding it. Significantly, no other design element—logo, wordmark or decorative element—competes with the logo for symbolic expression.
• There can be no liberties taken, though, with regard to the handling of the corporate signature within a given layout. Following the standards for signature placement and scale given in these pages will help ensure that CN is identified prominently, consistently, and without graphic competition.
• The CN logo is accurately reproduced below. Besides revealing the simple drafting style used to create the logo, the grid pattern serves to ensure its proper proportions are used in each and every application: on a ballpoint pen, on the side of a boxcar, or at the top of a building.
• The overall proportions are three by eight, and must always be respected.
• Notice that the inner and outer curves are based on the same centre points, all inner curves share a single radius, and all outer curves share another single radius.
• When reproducing the logo, use a master that is no more than two generations away from an original. When electronic masters are used, be certain that they preserve the three-by-eight proportions of the true CN logo.
• The signature must be always surrounded by a minimum amount of “breathing space” to ensure effective communication. No text, graphic, photographic, illustrative or typographic element must encroach upon this space.
• Preferred: Space equal to the height of the signature, on all sides
• Acceptable: In exceptional circumstances, space equal to half the height of the signature, on all sides
• The CN logo must never be distorted or misrepresented by elongating, condensing or otherwise taking liberties with its geometry. No decorative element should ever be added to it or allowed to appear behind or in front of it.
• If you are unsure of the proper use of the CN logo, please contact the Communications Hub or email Branding@cn.ca.

Additional Properties