City of York Council

📋 1 Guidelines

🔗 Connections

Sector

Public sector

Region

United kingdom

Guideline Year

2020

Language

English

Tags

City Regional

Official Websites

Brand Guidelines

2020

Brand Summary

Mission
  • To support the best quality of life for residents now and in the future by focusing on key outcomes and working in partnership with communities and stakeholders [^1].
Core Values
  • friendly
  • inclusive
  • honest
  • genuine
  • action-orientated
  • clear
  • supportive
  • upbeat
  • inspiring
  • positive
  • open
  • transparent
  • democratically-led
  • accountable
Target Audience
  • A diverse audience including residents, workers, visitors, and partners, spanning different cultures, genders, ages, and abilities [^2].
Personality Traits
  • clear
  • straightforward
  • friendly
  • inclusive
  • honest
  • genuine
  • supportive
  • upbeat
  • inspiring
  • positive
Visual Identity Overview
  • The visual identity combines heraldic and modern elements, with a prominent logo, a city skyline graphic, a neutral and highlight color palette, clear typography, strong photography, and consistent layout across print and digital communications [^3].

Categories

Brand Voice
  • Our identity is made up of two elements, the way we look (our visual identity) and the way we speak (our verbal identity).
  • These work together and it’s vital that when we speak to our audiences, the way we speak with them reflects the council we want them to see.
  • Our verbal identity is based on our values which are reflected in everything we say and do.
  • When writing communications for the council, refer to the council language guide.
  • What we mean: friendly, inclusive, honest and genuine
  • What we don’t mean: over familiar, waffling, cold or authoritarian
  • We are clear, straight forward and share our success and delivery. We want lots of different organisations and people to understand us so we avoid clichés, acronyms and council-speak.
  • What we mean: action-orientated, clear about why and how, focused
  • What we don’t mean: directive, over-bearing, confusing
  • We are always clear about what happens next. We say sorry if we’ve done something wrong. We might sometimes need to be firm, but we will always be as supportive as we can be.
  • What we mean: upbeat, inspiring, positive
  • What we don’t mean: emotional, insubstantial, patronizing
  • We are excited about our future and recognise the vital role communities and our partners play in helping our city thrive.Whenever possible, our quotes in press releases reflect our ambition and values.
Brand Imagery
  • We only use strong well-composed images which illustrate the subject matter appropriately. We use more photos of people than place (roughly 2:1) ideally with a place reference.
  • If you are using images of “real’ local people they MUST be GDPR compliant and permission must have been granted by the subject.
  • Smart phone images are usually of a good enough quality to be used for print documents, but as a guide they should be 300dpi at the required/used size. Images grabbed from the internet are not good enough quality and are likely to be owned by someone else.
  • We use images ofYork when talking about the difference we’ve made (or plan to make) to York as a whole, for example in annual reports or published strategies.
Color Palette
  • Primary neutral colours These colours represent the solid and consistent foundations the council values are built on.These colours are used predominantly in most of our communications.
  • Secondary highlight colours These are used sparingly alongside the main colour palette. They represent our values, our diverse range of services and show that we are vibrant and forward thinking. No colour represents any one service.
  • Pantone 432 CMYK: 65/43/26/78 RGB: 37/48/59 Web:25303b
  • Pantone 429 CMYK: 21/11/9/23 RGB: 175/182/I 89 Web: afb6bd
  • Pantone 427 CMYK: 7/3/5/8 RGB: 227/230/229 Web: e3e6e5
  • Pantone: 288 CMYK: I 00/80/6/32 RGB: 18/50/ I I 0 Web: 12326e
  • Pantone: 285 CMYK: 90/48/0/0 RGB: 0/113/185 Web:0071b9
  • Pantone: 121-7 CMYK: 86/0/25/0 RGB: 0/ 168/ 193 Web: 00a8cl
  • Pantone: 148-7 CMYK: 72/0/90/0 RGB: 70/ 173/672 Web:46ad48
  • Pantone: 2293 CMYK: 39/0/99/0 RGB: 178/203/14 Web: b2cb0e
  • Pantone: 7406 CMYK: 0/20/ I 00/2 RGB: 251/201/0 Web: fbc900
  • Pantone: 20-8 CMYK: 0/50/ I 00/0 RGB: 243/146/0 Web: f39204
  • Pantone: 7626 CMYK: 0/93/95/2 RGB: 226/42/27 Web: e22alb
  • Pantone: Proc Magenta Pantone: 2597 CMYK: 0/ I 00/0/0 CMYK: 80/99/0/0 RGB: 230/0/ 126 RGB: 92/38/132 Web: e6007e Web: 5c2684
  • For listing style booklets use the highlight colours (see page 8) sparingly to highlight/differentiate between sections.
  • Core neutral colours must be the prominent colours used.
Typography
  • Headings Gill Sans Bold Headings should be in upper and lower case - NOT all caps
  • Body copy Gill Sans Regular 14pt For clarity and accessibility body copy should be a minimum of 14pt
  • Internal templates Arial regular 14pt All internal documents, reports, news releases, minutes or letters that are shared externally or published on the website should be Arial 14pt or (if creating from a template on page 13) Gill Sans. Do not change any internal templates.
  • Use predominently single column documents for AS booklets to ensure enough words per line at I 4pt body copy. For A4 documents feel free to use multiple column pages (see page 16 for example)
  • The root font size is 16px. This is equivalent to 14pt.
  • H1-2.25rem-line height 1.2 Margin bottom 0.Srem H2-2rem line height 1.2 Margin bottom 0.Srem H3 -1.25rem -line height 1.2 Margin bottom 0.Srem
  • Font -lato and uppercase;line spacing 2px padding -24px left and right, 12px top and bottom; border -1px;
Logo Usage
  • Our logo can be used in three ways:
  • Main ‘statutory’ logo The official ‘statutory’ logo appears when there is a legal requirement. Examples include stationery, statutory notices, licences and Audited or Unaudited accounts.
  • Single colour In all other instances please use a single colour for our logo -either solid black or our dark grey (see page 8).
  • Reversed out If you need to sit the logo on a dark colour or over an image then it should be white.
  • Logo specifications
  • Exclusion zone A required amount of negative space (the exclusion zone) must surround the logo at all times.
  • The amount of negative space required can be measured by the height of the letter “Y” from the word York in the logo.
  • This area is to be kept clear of any other visual elements
  • Minimum size The minimum width of the logo is 40mm to ensure legibility.
  • Where space is very limited the logo can shrink to a minimum width of 20mm. This exception is ONLY for a black version of the logo, to ensure legibility of the smallest lettering when printed, and should be avoided if possible.
  • Logo dos and don’ts
  • Don’t Recreate the logo ever Change spacing Distort it No strapline or words Add words or straplines to it Put it in a box Disorcit Add drop shadow Change its colour
  • It is critical the council is accountable and visible for delivering services. This means promoting the council as a single body rather than series of teams or services. (The exception to this is if a service is commercial or delivered in partnership -see page 19) The logo can also be used to indicate the council contribution is being recognised by another body -eg. when funding a project or endorsing an approach.
  • The CYC logo should appear top or bottom right unless shown alphabetically
  • Logos should appear in a straight line or grid so they don’t ‘float’ on a page.
  • If a new logo is required, this should be discussed with the communications team with a clear reason to differentiate.
  • As webcasts are a corporate event, they use the full colour logo.
Tone And Messaging
  • Our identity is made up of two elements, the way we look (our visual identity) and the way we speak (our verbal identity).
  • These work together and it’s vital that when we speak to our audiences, the way we speak with them reflects the council we want them to see.
  • Our verbal identity is based on our values which are reflected in everything we say and do.
  • When writing communications for the council, refer to the council language guide.
  • What we mean: friendly, inclusive, honest and genuine
  • What we don’t mean: over familiar, waffling, cold or authoritarian
  • We are clear, straight forward and share our success and delivery. We want lots of different organisations and people to understand us so we avoid clichés, acronyms and council-speak.
  • What we mean: action-orientated, clear about why and how, focused
  • What we don’t mean: directive, over-bearing, confusing
  • We are always clear about what happens next. We say sorry if we’ve done something wrong. We might sometimes need to be firm, but we will always be as supportive as we can be.
  • What we mean: upbeat, inspiring, positive
  • What we don’t mean: emotional, insubstantial, patronizing
  • We are excited about our future and recognise the vital role communities and our partners play in helping our city thrive.Whenever possible, our quotes in press releases reflect our ambition and values.
Brand Values
  • The City of York Council works in partnership to improve and make a difference. It is important that our values are clearly communicated in everything we do.
  • When we promote our services or help residents understand more about the essential services we deliver to those who live, work and visit our city, it’s important we continue to build trust and confidence in our delivery.
  • Key to our success are the people who work for the council and the organisations and people we work with. Our style guide celebrates the relationships we have with our citizens and partners.
  • We have a responsibility for spending our citizens’ taxes on delivering a quality service. By promoting the City of York Council consistently, we make a strong and uniform statement which enforces our corporate objectives.
  • Our values are reflected in our choice of photography, showing the frontline, working together to make a difference.
  • We only use strong well-composed images which illustrate the subject matter appropriately. We use more photos of people than place (roughly 2:1) ideally with a place reference.
  • If you are using images of “real’ local people they MUST be GDPR compliant and permission must have been granted by the subject.
  • We use images ofYork when talking about the difference we’ve made (or plan to make) to York as a whole, for example in annual reports or published strategies.
  • Our verbal identity is based on our values which are reflected in everything we say and do.
  • When writing communications for the council, refer to the council language guide.
  • What we mean: friendly, inclusive, honest and genuine
  • What we don’t mean: over familiar, waffling, cold or authoritarian
  • We are clear, straight forward and share our success and delivery. We want lots of different organisations and people to understand us so we avoid clichés, acronyms and council-speak.
  • What we mean: action-orientated, clear about why and how, focused
  • What we don’t mean: directive, over-bearing, confusing
  • We are always clear about what happens next. We say sorry if we’ve done something wrong. We might sometimes need to be firm, but we will always be as supportive as we can be.
  • What we mean: upbeat, inspiring, positive
  • What we don’t mean: emotional, insubstantial, patronizing
  • We are excited about our future and recognise the vital role communities and our partners play in helping our city thrive.Whenever possible, our quotes in press releases reflect our ambition and values.
Visual Style
  • In all other instances please use a single colour for our logo -either solid black or our dark grey (see page 8).
  • If you need to sit the logo on a dark colour or over an image then it should be white.
  • A required amount of negative space (the exclusion zone) must surround the logo at all times.
  • The amount of negative space required can be measured by the height of the letter “Y” from the word York in the logo.
  • This area is to be kept clear of any other visual elements
  • The minimum width of the logo is 40mm to ensure legibility.
  • Where space is very limited the logo can shrink to a minimum width of 20mm. This exception is ONLY for a black version of the logo, to ensure legibility of the smallest lettering when printed, and should be avoided if possible.
  • Don’t: Recreate the logo ever
  • Don’t: Change spacing
  • Don’t: Distort it
  • Don’t: No strapline or words
  • Don’t: Add words or straplines to it
  • Don’t: Put it in a box
  • Don’t: Add drop shadow
  • Don’t: Change its colour
  • Headings Gill Sans Bold Headings should be in upper and lower case - NOT all caps
  • Body copy Gill Sans Regular 14pt For clarity and accessibility body copy should be a minimum of 14pt
  • All internal documents, reports, news releases, minutes or letters that are shared externally or published on the website should be Arial 14pt or (if creating from a template on page 13) Gill Sans. Do not change any internal templates.
  • Primary neutral colours: Pantone 432 CMYK: 65/43/26/78 RGB: 37/48/59 Web:25303b Pantone 429 CMYK: 21/11/9/23 RGB: 175/182/189 Web: afb6bd Pantone 427 CMYK: 7/3/5/8 RGB: 227/230/229 Web: e3e6e5 Pantone: 288 CMYK: 100/80/6/32 RGB: 18/50/110 Web: 12326e Pantone: 285 CMYK: 90/48/0/0 RGB: 0/113/185 Web:0071b9 Pantone: 121-7 CMYK: 86/0/25/0 RGB: 0/168/193 Web: 00a8cl Pantone: 148-7 CMYK: 72/0/90/0 RGB: 70/173/672 Web:46ad48 Pantone: 2293 CMYK: 39/0/99/0 RGB: 178/203/14 Web: b2cb0e Pantone: 7406 CMYK: 0/20/100/2 RGB: 251/201/0 Web: fbc900 Pantone: 20-8 CMYK: 0/50/100/0 RGB: 243/146/0 Web: f39204 Pantone: 7626 CMYK: 0/93/95/2 RGB: 226/42/27 Web: e22alb Pantone: Proc Magenta CMYK: 0/100/0/0 RGB: 230/0/126 Web: e6007e Pantone: 2597 CMYK: 80/99/0/0 RGB: 92/38/132 Web: 5c2684
  • These colours represent the solid and consistent foundations the council values are built on.These colours are used predominantly in most of our communications.
  • Secondary highlight colours These are used sparingly alongside the main colour palette. They represent our values, our diverse range of services and show that we are vibrant and forward thinking. No colour represents any one service.
  • The skyline is to demonstrate the importance of community and creates a common look and feel across council communications
  • Use the city skyline across the full width at the bottom of your document.
  • It should only be used in one of the core neutral colours, or can be used in colour as a line drawing (see page 13).
  • Text should not obscure it.
  • We only use strong well-composed images which illustrate the subject matter appropriately. We use more photos of people than place (roughly 2:1) ideally with a place reference.
  • If you are using images of “real’ local people they MUST be GDPR compliant and permission must have been granted by the subject.
  • Smart phone images are usually of a good enough quality to be used for print documents, but as a guide they should be 300dpi at the required/used size. Images grabbed from the internet are not good enough quality and are likely to be owned by someone else.
  • We use images of York when talking about the difference we’ve made (or plan to make) to York as a whole, for example in annual reports or published strategies.
  • Campaigns will borrow as many elements from the corporate style as possible, for example, colours, fonts and logo position.
  • For listing style booklets use the highlight colours (see page 8) sparingly to highlight/differentiate between sections.
  • Core neutral colours must be the prominent colours used.
Iconography
  • When providing contact details and social media links, icons can be used.
Layout And Composition
  • A required amount of negative space (the exclusion zone) must surround the logo at all times.
  • The amount of negative space required can be measured by the height of the letter “Y” from the word York in the logo.
  • This area is to be kept clear of any other visual elements
  • The minimum width of the logo is 40mm to ensure legibility.
  • Where space is very limited the logo can shrink to a minimum width of 20mm. This exception is ONLY for a black version of the logo, to ensure legibility of the smallest lettering when printed, and should be avoided if possible.
  • Do not change any internal templates.
  • Use the city skyline across the full width at the bottom of your document.
  • It should only be used in one of the core neutral colours, or can be used in colour as a line drawing (see page 13).
  • Text should not obscure it.
  • For listing style booklets use the highlight colours (see page 8) sparingly to highlight/differentiate between sections.
  • Core neutral colours must be the prominent colours used.
  • Use predominently single column documents for AS booklets to ensure enough words per line at I 4pt body copy. For A4 documents feel free to use multiple column pages (see page 16 for example)
Accessibility Guidelines
  • Our audience is diverse, not only in culture, gender and age but also in the way they’re able to interact with us. We believe our communications should be inclusive and used by all.This means designing for our audiences from the start.
  • UK laws state public sector websites and mobile applications must make online information accessible and user-friendly, especially for people with disabilities.To comply with the law we must meet level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), set out by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
  • The guidelines mean we must produce compliant online documents.Writing in plain English and using our corporate templates help to ensure the documents we publish meet the standards, and information can be translated to different languages or formats.
  • Our templates (available via the Intranet) are designed to help you create accessible publications and reports; contact Communications if you need an alternative template.
  • For more information: www.gov.uk/ guidance/accessibility-requirements-for-public-sector-websites-and-apps
  • For clarity and accessibility body copy should be a minimum of 14pt
  • All internal documents, reports, news releases, minutes or letters that are shared externally or published on the website should be Arial 14pt or (if creating from a template on page 13) Gill Sans. Do not change any internal templates.
  • The website was designed with the public in mind, our customers helped test how user-friendly our design ideas were during development.
  • It has also been designed with accessibility in mind and continues to work towards reaching a high standard of accessibility guidelines and regulations.
Digital Guidelines
  • Any artwork created for social media must follow the same design and style as a printed document.
  • Posts for large campaigns that aren’t ran by the council are allowed to be used with our logo present in either the top or bottom right corner.
  • Sometimes we will share a quote from a Councillor or senior officer. When we do, we always include a photo and name, job title, of them.
  • The website was designed with the public in mind, our customers helped test how user-friendly our design ideas were during development.
  • It has also been designed with accessibility in mind and continues to work towards reaching a high standard of accessibility guidelines and regulations.
  • The majority of our services will be part of our corporate website.This style guide helps ensure there is greater consistency between on and offline communications.
  • It is possible to design alternative websites to meet audience requirements. Speak to the web team for more information.
  • Our websites are governed by the Web Governance framework
  • Featured carousel images: 930px x 400px Interact panel widget (background image): IOI 9px x 431 px The background image used on the main homepage: 2048px x I 365px
  • The root font size is 16px. This is equivalent to 14pt.
  • H1-2.25rem-line height 1.2 Margin bottom 0.Srem H2-2rem line height 1.2 Margin bottom 0.Srem H3 -1.25rem -line height 1.2 Margin bottom 0.Srem
  • A link #142F6D A visited link #2454C3 A hovered link colour inherited from status
  • Font -lato and uppercase;line spacing 2px padding -24px left and right, 12px top and bottom; border -1px;
  • Background: #E0111D Border: #B10D17 Background: #333333 Border: #444444 Background: #192D67 Border: #0F1B3E Background: #EEEFEF Border: #D4D6D6
  • Hover Background: #C80F1A Border: #E0111D Background: #444444 Border: #333333 Background: #1E367C Border: #192D67 Background: #D4D6D6 Border: #B9BEBE
  • As webcasts are a corporate event, they use the full colour logo.
  • The following style guide shows how our visual identity, logo and the way we describe our service will be applied to printed and digital communications.
  • In all other instances please use a single colour for our logo -either solid black or our dark grey (see page 8).
  • If you need to sit the logo on a dark colour or over an image then it should be white.
  • A required amount of negative space (the exclusion zone) must surround the logo at all times.
  • The amount of negative space required can be measured by the height of the letter “Y” from the word York in the logo.
  • This area is to be kept clear of any other visual elements
  • The minimum width of the logo is 40mm to ensure legibility.
  • Where space is very limited the logo can shrink to a minimum width of 20mm. This exception is ONLY for a black version of the logo, to ensure legibility of the smallest lettering when printed, and should be avoided if possible.
  • Headings Gill Sans Bold Headings should be in upper and lower case - NOT all caps
  • Body copy Gill Sans Regular 14pt For clarity and accessibility body copy should be a minimum of 14pt
  • All internal documents, reports, news releases, minutes or letters that are shared externally or published on the website should be Arial 14pt or (if creating from a template on page 13) Gill Sans. Do not change any internal templates.
  • Pantone 432 CMYK: 65/43/26/78 RGB: 37/48/59 Web:25303b
  • Pantone 429 CMYK: 21/11/9/23 RGB: 175/182/I 89 Web: afb6bd
  • Pantone 427 CMYK: 7/3/5/8 RGB: 227/230/229 Web: e3e6e5
  • Pantone: 288 CMYK: I 00/80/6/32 RGB: 18/50/ I I 0 Web: 12326e
  • Pantone: 285 CMYK: 90/48/0/0 RGB: 0/113/185 Web:0071b9
  • Pantone: 121-7 CMYK: 86/0/25/0 RGB: 0/ 168/ 193 Web: 00a8cl
  • Pantone: 148-7 CMYK: 72/0/90/0 RGB: 70/ 173/672 Web:46ad48
  • Pantone: 2293 CMYK: 39/0/99/0 RGB: 178/203/14 Web: b2cb0e
  • Pantone: 7406 CMYK: 0/20/ I 00/2 RGB: 251/201/0 Web: fbc900
  • Pantone: 20-8 CMYK: 0/50/ I 00/0 RGB: 243/146/0 Web: f39204
  • Pantone: 7626 CMYK: 0/93/95/2 RGB: 226/42/27 Web: e22alb
  • Pantone: Proc Magenta Pantone: 2597 CMYK: 0/ I 00/0/0 CMYK: 80/99/0/0 RGB: 230/0/ 126 RGB: 92/38/132 Web: e6007e Web: 5c2684
  • Use the city skyline across the full width at the bottom of your document.
  • It should only be used in one of the core neutral colours, or can be used in colour as a line drawing (see page 13).
  • Text should not obscure it.
  • Smart phone images are usually of a good enough quality to be used for print documents, but as a guide they should be 300dpi at the required/used size. Images grabbed from the internet are not good enough quality and are likely to be owned by someone else.
  • For listing style booklets use the highlight colours (see page 8) sparingly to highlight/differentiate between sections.
  • Core neutral colours must be the prominent colours used.
  • Use predominently single column documents for AS booklets to ensure enough words per line at I 4pt body copy. For A4 documents feel free to use multiple column pages (see page 16 for example)
  • The bookplate panel should appear on all communications that are more than one page (or two sides).
  • Printed on 100% recycled paper from FSC certified providers
Campaign Guidelines
  • Directorates/services can fund campaigns if they need a different look and feel.
  • A campaign will have a measurable outcome or target, such as reducing idling to improve air quality or attracting more visitors to the Mansion House.
  • Campaigns will borrow as many elements from the corporate style as possible, for example, colours, fonts and logo position. Examples of campaign style guides are in Annex A -campaign style guides
  • Ask your communications lead for more information.
  • Campaigns use photography in a more contemporary way.
  • Posts for large campaigns that aren’t ran by the council are allowed to be used with our logo present in either the top or bottom right corner.
Co Branding
  • The council works with a huge range of partners. Certain principles must be adhered to when using the CYC logo with other brands: 1. The CYC logo should explain the relationship, for example: Working together to improve health and wellbeing 2. The CYC logo should appear top or bottom right unless shown alphabetically 3. Logos should appear in a straight line or grid so they don’t ‘float’ on a page. If a new logo is required, this should be discussed with the communications team with a clear reason to differentiate.
Brand Partnerships
  • The council works with a huge range of partners. Certain principles must be adhered to when using the CYC logo with other brands: 1. The CYC logo should explain the relationship, for example: Working together to improve health and wellbeing 2. The CYC logo should appear top or bottom right unless shown alphabetically 3. Logos should appear in a straight line or grid so they don’t ‘float’ on a page. If a new logo is required, this should be discussed with the communications team with a clear reason to differentiate. For example, the Register Office logo is also the official stamp.
  • The Show Me That I Matter logo represents the voice of young people in care or the Live Well York logo represents a partnership of community-led services
  • It is critical the council is accountable and visible for delivering services. This means promoting the council as a single body rather than series of teams or services. (The exception to this is if a service is commercial or delivered in partnership -see page 19) The logo can also be used to indicate the council contribution is being recognised by another body -eg. when funding a project or endorsing an approach.
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