Destination British Columbia

📋 1 Guidelines

🔗 Connections

Sector

Tourism Public sector

Region

Canada

Guideline Year

2015

Language

English

Tags

Tourism

Official Websites

Brand Guidelines

2015

Brand Summary

Mission
  • To build a solid and inspiring destination brand for British Columbia that is emotionally powerful, true to the place, its people, and the experiences travelers want and expect, ultimately achieving growth in visitor revenue and becoming the most highly recommended destination in North America [^1].
Core Values
  • strong
  • free-spirited
  • adventurous
  • open
  • generous
Target Audience
  • Affluent people who like to travel, have a deep appreciation of nature, lead successful and accomplished lives, and crave a connection to the wild [^2].
Personality Traits
  • wild at heart
  • authentic
  • non-conformist
  • friendly
  • balanced
  • open-minded
  • grounded
  • creative
  • energetic
  • spiritual
Visual Identity Overview
  • The visual identity is rooted in nature, wilderness, and authenticity, using photography with emotional impact, monochromatic earth tones, custom typography (Great Forest and Brandon Grotesque), and a color palette reflecting BC’s landscape. The brand blends cultured and raw elements, with a focus on dramatic, real-life imagery and a proprietary font to encapsulate the brand’s duality [^3].

Categories

Brand Voice
  • We have three categories of writing tone to delineate different marketing objectives, from pure brand awareness to a time-sensitive promotion.
  • The highest brand level, or “Signature” copy, is broad and poetic, allowing for more imaginative phrasing and conceptual writing.
  • The second level, or “Experience” copy, is more specific to the activity or destination (e.g. Ski or the Okanagan). Experience copy adds the energy of activities that travellers respond to as they are keen to immerse themselves in British Columbia’s natural environment. It’s the Wild breathing life into the Wild at Heart.
  • Finally, the “Editorial” level, which tends to be more tactical, directs the reader to take some form of action: an invitation to dig deeper, to contact for more information or to inspire click-through. This tone is less interpretive than the Signature copy and can be more informational.
  • Our tone of voice should bear a level of consistency, across all levels of communication, from Signature, to Experience to Editorial.
  • Imagine a person in three distinct conversations, each with their own objective, and you can determine how the phrasing and word choice will change: from highly emotive, to more insightful, to matter-of-fact rational.
  • It may be helpful to visualize Signature copy as an intense one-on-one conversation. Experience copy may be speaking to a small, familiar group, while Editorial copy addresses a larger audience.
  • The tone of voice requirements for our brand will differ, which is why there are three categories: from poetic to promotional, from over-arching description to specific content.
  • Brand Attributes are the brand’s foundation: aspects of character that allow us to present our destination with credibility and authenticity. They infuse the personality with conviction and commitment, resulting in a defined and readily identifiable tone of voice.
  • Signature copy should reflect the almost mystical attraction of British Columbia’s wilderness with an inspirational, authentic copy style. The writing is poetic, but not precious. In a down-to-earth style, it draws the audience into a story spoken in awe of the natural beauty, and its monumental scale. This is simple, creative writing that compounds the reader’s visceral impressions of our photography.
  • The ultimate goal with our brand’s voice is to engage the audience with emotional impact. Words are considered and uniquely constructed to create striking moments through an insight (however deep or simple it might be) or a poetic turn of phrase. It does not come across as formal nor instructional, but is based on plain language creatively used to make the message memorable. With our brand’s tone of voice, directness is key.
  • The energetic impact falls somewhere between the wisdom of an elder and an impassioned, young poet. Calm and knowing or sobering and emphatic, the language has a sophistication that comes from awareness of the world versus academia. Generally, the voice does not rest on humour to engage, but in rare instances when appropriate, the humour quality is dry and smart—never sarcastic or slapstick.
  • Fundamental to the brand tone of voice: » PASSIONATE » UNAFFECTED » POETIC » INSIGHTFUL
  • Try to keep wilderness central to the writing
  • Like our photography, copy is founded on emotional impact
  • The sell-factor tone of Experience copy falls in between Signature (softer tone) and Editorial (more direct)
  • Descriptive of a destination, activity or geographic area
  • Experience copy must compel readers to further explore the possibilities of travelling to and within our province, but maintain an eloquent narrative. Here, we’re dealing with a tangible offering, but must present it with creativity.
  • This category is more descriptive of an area or an experience. It still refrains from hard-sell, but the encouragement to take additional action is stronger than the Signature level. Where Signature copy speaks conceptually, positioning the province through tone and attitude, Experience copy is rooted in real life tourism assets and is more definitive of what the traveller will see and do. For instance, the communication objective may circle around a specific destination, an activity or geographic area.
  • The energy is dialed up, but the enthusiasm of the voice is real and magnetic. Stay away from clichés or over-used terms that amount to empty descriptions. As with Signature copy, continue to seek emotional insights, poetic and clever turns of phrasing, and unusual angles to promote the offering.
  • Editorial is considered the “hardest working” writing tone as it must motivate the audience to take action; most sales-oriented of the three
  • Quality of writing must capture the essence of our Signature and Editorial voice, and stand out from competitors
  • Editorial copy is an intimate, personal perspective with details that interpret and enhance the reader’s understanding of life in, and on the edge of wilderness. This is British Columbia as seen from the inside: concise descriptions of points of interest and activities, but written in a manner that is warm and appreciative.
  • Editorial copy is the most advanced along the path-to-purchase for our prospective travellers. At this point, they have been romanced by our Signature level communication, hooked by our Experience level and now it is the job of the Editorial level to seal the deal. Content will provide more rational and factual information, and specifics to help travellers plan their vaction.
  • In general, Editorial copy gets down to the nitty-gritty of marketing, but the goal is to avoid falling into the marketing clichés and hard-sell copy which make brands unsavoury. Instead, we encourage thoughtful copywriting that borrows from our Signature and Experience levels, breaking past the typical vernacular to capture our audience with inspiring and motivating sound bites.
  • Keep wilderness central to the theme.
  • Judge the copywriting by its emotional impact.
  • Don’t go off-brand with the body copy, even if you’ve done well to stay on-brand with the headline. Tone of the long-form text is direct, logical, meaningful and just moderately stylistic.
  • Don’t tell readers how to feel.
  • Don’t go overboard with the poetic tone or superfluous adjectives.
  • Don’t speak in first person.
  • Don’t use jargon.
  • Don’t sound cold or overly authoritative.
Brand Imagery
  • { “category”: “brand_imagery”, “guidelines”: [ { “guideline”: “Our mandate is to set the bar and assume the enviable position of being recognized, at a glance, for our unique photography.”, “pages”: [P-2] }, { “guideline”: “It means imposing a ruthless discipline on measuring an image by its mood as much as its content. It means finding shots that stop people in their tracks, arresting their attention whether they are flipping through a magazine, surfing the web or waiting through commercials. Our job is to search for moments, angles, times of day and weather conditions to capture that allure and intrigue.”, “pages”: [P-2] }, { “guideline”: “For our destination brand, the best criteria you can use to judge your image selection is against the question: Does this look like a tourism photo? If the answer is yes, then don’t use it.”, “pages”: [P-2] }, { “guideline”: “The key is to build a bank of photos over time that promote your product or business, and live up to the brand standards. This means searching out photographers who naturally shoot within our brand style and exploring the potential of licensing their personal, unpublished work that might fit the bill perfectly.”, “pages”: [P-3] }, { “guideline”: “Please use these next pages as guidelines to gain an innate understanding of the family of brand imagery we are striving for.”, “pages”: [P-3] }, { “guideline”: “If all British Columbia tourism partners used top-level, on-brand photography, our ability to attract new and return visitors would be tremendous.”, “pages”: [P-3] }, { “guideline”: “We encourage you to build a bank of photos over time that live up to brand standards.”, “pages”: [P-4] }, { “guideline”: “In broad terms, three tiers of photography represent distinct consumer needs and industry objectives.”, “pages”: [P-4] }, { “guideline”: “Signature Photography: This level is focused on creating an impression; an inspiring and alluring visual introduction to our province and its most iconic natural attributes.”, “pages”: [P-4] }, { “guideline”: “These signature images go beyond visual information to create emotionally driven viewer involvement. They have magnetic appeal. They are confident, not contrived. They are stand alone pieces of photography that inspire awe in the viewer—a true visualization of Super, Natural British Columbia.”, “pages”: [P-4] }, { “guideline”: “Signature Photography’s primary purpose is to build equity in the brand. It will define and differentiate our brand from all other tourism offerings. It will build and sustain an emotional bond with our audience.”, “pages”: [P-4] }, { “guideline”: “Experience Photography: This level begins to add more visual information while continuing to reinforce the emotional equity of the brand. The images help stimulate a deeper interest in and understanding of the specific areas of British Columbia or the experiences we offer, but they retain a highly brand-sensitive look and feel.”, “pages”: [P-4] }, { “guideline”: “Editorial Photography: Images at this level help define specific moments. The images are a visual representation of the effect that our unique environment has on our way of life and illustrate the individual pieces that make up the mosaic of British Columbia’s cities, towns and experiences. They make it that much easier for the viewer to imagine themselves being here.”, “pages”: [P-4] }, { “guideline”: “We have shifted the parameters of our photographic styling to represent ourselves more authentically, squarely establishing nature as our pillar. The standard of our signature or "Wow" photography is largely graded on emotional impact. In general, story and emotion rule.”, “pages”: [P-5] }, { “guideline”: “How that plays out in photography is affected by our physical realities. BC is a province with vastly different geographies and climates. From wet coastal rainforests to arid deserts. From snow-capped mountains to seemingly endless rolling grasslands. This variety is a tourism strength, and a broad tapestry for our new brand. But looking for authenticity in how we represent this brand visually means looking for depth and drama, often highlighting the beauty and texture created by our skies.”, “pages”: [P-5] }, { “guideline”: “We will look for light and shadow to bring dimension to our images. From haunting landscapes shrouded in mist or rain, to blinding reflections playing on a smooth lake surface. In every case, in every region, we are proud to show our province in all of its natural, climactic moods.”, “pages”: [P-5] }, { “guideline”: “Moody photography is already loved by the masses. The popularity of lnstagram’s desaturating and focal-obscuring filters are living proof of this. People are not impressed by the picture-postcard images of the past. They are looking for real life, depth and emotion in their photographs.”, “pages”: [P-6] }, { “guideline”: “Remember that a degree of obscurity can help reinforce our photographic DNA: back-lighting, concealed or silhouetted faces and grainy, gritty resolution texture can work in your favour.”, “pages”: [P-6] }, { “guideline”: “Moderate obscuring makes the photo less slick and more interesting (example on left: snow on lens and lens flare)”, “pages”: [P-6] }, { “guideline”: “Distance and back-lighting remove facial detail, but emotion and story remain”, “pages”: [P-6] }, { “guideline”: “Fully lit shots can come across as flat, while dappled light produces depth, texture and mood.”, “pages”: [P-7] }, { “guideline”: “This is not a rule, but a technique that can help bring photography on brand.”, “pages”: [P-7] }, { “guideline”: “Dappled light creates drama, even in sun-drenched scenarios”, “pages”: [P-7] }, { “guideline”: “Intrigue can be created by using other enhancements such as film-like grain or airborne particles, as in the snow boarder and waterfall images below.”, “pages”: [P-8] }, { “guideline”: “Shots created with a shallow depth of field provide dimension and a tangible sense of "being there." When you throw the foreground and/or background out of focus, it reflects the way the human eye perceives the world, and can bring a stronger focus to your subject.”, “pages”: [P-8] }, { “guideline”: “Texture and a shallow depth of field can create mood and sense of real life”, “pages”: [P-8] }, { “guideline”: “Cropping into a photo can provide an obscuring effect similar to light/shadow play and mist cover. Don’t be afraid to experiment with breaking traditional rules like cutting into faces or more deeply into the frame. This exploration can lead to unexpected success.”, “pages”: [P-9] }, { “guideline”: “Bold cropping, even into faces, can add dimension to the story”, “pages”: [P-9] }, { “guideline”: “One of the most valuable methods in assembling on-brand photos is to choose imagery based on monochromatic tones. Images that are predominantly made up of one part of the colour spectrum or limited to earthy tones tend to be soothing, and make a more creative statement.”, “pages”: [P-10] }, { “guideline”: “Contrary to popular practice, choosing images with monochromatic tones is a powerful way to engage a viewer”, “pages”: [P-10] }, { “guideline”: “Colour intensity can be narrowed by dialing back on the saturation to achieve a palette of earth tones, but take care not to overuse desaturation. Colour rebalancing or other digital techniques can erase credibility and the true beauty of the shot. The effects should be subtle and undetectable to the lay person.”, “pages”: [P-11] }, { “guideline”: “This is not to say that colourful shots, or shots that are pin sharp without any obscuring (as in the ski image below) have no place in our photo repertoire. What makes this image so powerful is the subtle reduction in colour intensity and the photo-journalistic spontaneity.”, “pages”: [P-11] }, { “guideline”: “This latter quality prevents the shot from feeling cliched, avoiding the standard of people always looking overjoyed, where the only emotion is happiness. Realities of life are so much more relatable and engaging. Eyes on camera is usually avoided. In fact, face away from camera keeps the subject anonymous, allowing the viewer to imagine themselves there, in that moment.”, “pages”: [P-11] }, { “guideline”: “Desaturation converts bright colours to earthtones”, “pages”: [P-11] }, { “guideline”: “Natural emotions conveyed”, “pages”: [P-11] }, { “guideline”: “Anonymity works: eyes away from camera, faces away from camera”, “pages”: [P-11] }, { “guideline”: “Photo journalistic styling keeps angles, expression realistic”, “pages”: [P-11] }, { “guideline”: “Most of the approaches that we’ve discussed so far apply perfectly to nature and wilderness. When it comes to shooting cities and the urban environment, the techniques may change, but the end goal of capturing Cultured/Raw remains the same.”, “pages”: [P-12] }, { “guideline”: “Aerial or wide cityscapes can be tricky. Here, weather and time of day have a huge influence on the success of the photo. Try to find drama in a composition and tell the brand story of urban centres in relation to their natural surroundings. Ocean, lakes, rivers, forests and mountains should play a starring role whenever possible.”, “pages”: [P-12] }, { “guideline”: “Regardless of subject matter, try to weave wilderness or natural surroundings into the photo”, “pages”: [P-12] }, { “guideline”: “AVOID HAPPY OVERLOAD”, “pages”: [P-13] }, { “guideline”: “AVOID COLOUR OVERLOAD”, “pages”: [P-13] }, { “guideline”: “AVOID HONEYMOON OVERLOAD”, “pages”: [P-13] }, { “guideline”: “AVOID THE SPONTANEOUS CLICHE”, “pages”: [P-13] }, { “guideline”: “AVOID THE ROMANTIC CLICHE”, “pages”: [P-13] }, { “guideline”: “AVOID THE PARTY CLICHE”, “pages”: [P-13] }, { “guideline”: “AVOID CONTRIVED COMPOSITION AND DEPTH OF FIELD”, “pages”: [P-13] }, { “guideline”: “AVOID CONTRIVED SYMMETRY”, “pages”: [P-13] }, { “guideline”: “AVOID CONTRIVED ACTIVITY”, “pages”: [P-13] }, { “guideline”: “AVOID DESATURATION OVER-USE”, “pages”: [P-15] }, { “guideline”: “AVOID PHOTOSHOP OVER-USE”, “pages”: [P-15] }, { “guideline”: “AVOID COLOUR TINTING OVER-USE”, “pages”: [P-15] }, { “guideline”: “AVOID EXPOSURE EFFECTS”, “pages”: [P-15] }, { “guideline”: “AVOID LIGHTING EFFECTS”, “pages”: [P-15] }, { “guideline”: “AVOID EXTREME LENS EFFECTS”, “pages”: [P-15] }, { “guideline”: “Our mandate is to improve all levels of our photography by using light, shadow and moderate obscuring to make images more provocative; weaving in the brand pillar of nature; and uniting all photos with techniques that heighten drama, emotional impact and real-life credibility.”, “pages”: [P-22] }, { “guideline”: “Don’t use photography that feels like DMO clichés.”, “pages”: [P-22] }, { “guideline”: “Don’t colourize images to make them look more “moody” (eg, tinting a sunset pink or a dusk sky purple).”, “pages”: [P-22] }, { “guideline”: “Don’t overlight your subject, resulting in a flat image with no depth.”, “pages”: [P-22] }, { “guideline”: “Don’t use really colourful shots, unless critical to the story.”, “pages”: [P-22] }, { “guideline”: “Don’t use exposures that create motion blur, especially with moving water.”, “pages”: [P-22] }, { “guideline”: “Deprioritize faces of people (not necessarily removing people).”, “pages”: [P-22] }, { “guideline”: “Capture natural human emotions (people don’t have to look happy).”, “pages”: [P-22] }, { “guideline”: “Look for unique, unexpected compositions that capture real life or tell a story.”, “pages”: [P-22] }, { “guideline”: “Judge images by emotional impact.”, “pages”: [P-22] }, { “guideline”: “remember these techniques:\n> Monochromatic colour\n> Photo-journalistic style\n> Dappled light\n> Desaturated earth tones\n> Gentle obscuring (cloud, mist, lens flair, backlight)\n> Texture and grain\n> Shallow depth of field\n> Unusual cropping”, “pages”: [P-22] } ] }
Color Palette
  • { “category”: “color_palette”, “guidelines”: [ { “guideline”: “Our colour standards are divided into three categories:\n> Primary palette: should dominate the colour use. In our case, white is our default logo and background colour, and black is a default type and alternative logo colour.\n> Secondary palette: are the first colours you reach for beyond black and white.\nTertiary palette: fills out the field with seven earth tones.”, “pages”: [C-2] }, { “guideline”: “The reason for separating the full palette into three groups is to narrow the colour spectrum that the brand is seen in. This is a strategic practice for all successful brands, especially in the first several years of launching, as the brand is establishing a recognizable pattern in the minds of the target audience.”, “pages”: [C-2] }, { “guideline”: “In addition to establishing familiarity, our brand is founded on a stripped down simplicity that prioritizes a raw, understated presentation.”, “pages”: [C-2] }, { “guideline”: “Finally, the neutral tones of the Primary and Secondary palettes showcase our photography as the hero, especially when the images are composed of earth tones or monochromatic tones.”, “pages”: [C-2] }, { “guideline”: “We have a relatively wide range of colours at our disposal for expressing our brand. They were compiled with an eye to building a palette that reflects the natural pillars of our province’s landscape: water, forests, mountains, earth, air and wildlife.”, “pages”: [C-3] }, { “guideline”: “These are broken down into Primary, Secondary and Tertiary groups, graded in an order of predominance as seen in our communications.”, “pages”: [C-3] }, { “guideline”: “The Primary palette is made up of Orca Black, our default type colour; Spirit Bear White, our default background colour; and Salmon Red, used only for the maple leaf in our logo. This Salmon Red plays the important role of connecting us to Canada in our logo as well as signalling a call to action in our online buttons.”, “pages”: [C-3] }, { “guideline”: “Our Secondary palette includes White Sand, Granite Grey, Summit Grey and Winter Night Grey, selected for their versatility, compatibility, neutral tones and performance on large swaths of coverage.”, “pages”: [C-3] }, { “guideline”: “The Tertiary palette includes seven colours: two blues, two greens, two browns and one neutral.”, “pages”: [C-3] }, { “guideline”: “There are two logo sizes available for use: 150x198px and 250x330px and, two colour options to choose from: a black logo on white background or a white logo on black background, each with a corresponding hover state option. Please do not alter the size or colours of the tile.”, “pages”: [L-2] }, { “guideline”: “The colour choice should be made based on the surrounding website imagery and content. Each option has a hover state, with corresponding files. If your website allows for hover state functionality please use both files; however a hover state is not essential.”, “pages”: [L-2] } ] }
Typography
  • Our typographic standards are divided into two levels: > Primary: the font that provides the brand with a distinguishing and recognizable look, as seen in display type such as headlines > Secondary: complements the Primary font with a more readable profile, used for long-form text, cutlines, utility copy (e.g. graphs, charts)
  • PRIMARY: Great Forest SECONDARY: Brandon Grotesque* * When Brandon is not available, Arial is our default Secondary font
  • To create a magnetic brand, we needed to use every available tool to produce arresting communications that stop consumers in their tracks. With this mandate, selecting a typeface that anyone could use didn’t seem good enough to represent the voice of our brand. So … we created our own. It is a proprietary font of Destination BC, and with the full implementation of the font family, it elevates from the sea of static, traditional typefaces and over-quirky, hand-painted letters to something that encapsulates our positioning of Cultured and Raw.
  • Staying true to the Cultured/Raw duality, we have selected Brandon Grotesque for its modern appeal and compatible counterbalance to Great Forest. Its function is to provide legibility for consuming larger blocks of text, but it is also a beautiful alternative in its all-cap form for subheads or lead-in copy blocks.
  • LIGHT abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 1234567890 ~!@#$%^&()_+={[]},.;:”/? # REGULAR abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 1234567890 ~!@#$%^&()+={[]},.;:”/? # BOLD abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 1234567890 ~!@#$%^&*()+={[]},.;:”/?
  • The mix of our two typefaces delivers on the Cultured/Raw mandate. Each one complements the other, painting a diverse yet balanced picture of British Columbia through simple typography.
Logo Usage
  • { “category”: “logo_usage”, “guidelines”: [ { “guideline”: “There are two logo sizes available for use: 150x198px and 250x330px and, two colour options to choose from: a black logo on white background or a white logo on black background, each with a corresponding hover state option. Please do not alter the size or colours of the tile.”, “pages”: [L-2] }, { “guideline”: “The colour choice should be made based on the surrounding website imagery and content. Each option has a hover state, with corresponding files. If your website allows for hover state functionality please use both files; however a hover state is not essential.”, “pages”: [L-2] }, { “guideline”: “The tile is best suited to a vertical placement along either the top or bottom edge, or housed within the header or footer of a site. Please consider the position of the tile on all devices (desktop, tablet and mobile). Ensure the tile is not cropped out of view if the website doesn’t scale in size for viewing on smaller devices. Given the space constrictions associated with mobile, position the tile vertically close to the centre of the site, or incorporate into the footer. Finally, be sure to allow for some clear space around the tile.”, “pages”: [L-2] } ] }
Tone And Messaging
  • { “category”: “tone_and_messaging”, “guidelines”: [ { “guideline”: “We have three categories of writing tone to delineate different marketing objectives, from pure brand awareness to a time-sensitive promotion.”, “pages”: [V-2] }, { “guideline”: “The highest brand level, or "Signature" copy, is broad and poetic, allowing for more imaginative phrasing and conceptual writing.”, “pages”: [V-2] }, { “guideline”: “The second level, or "Experience" copy, is more specific to the activity or destination (e.g. Ski or the Okanagan). Experience copy adds the energy of activities that travellers respond to as they are keen to immerse themselves in British Columbia’s natural environment. It’s the Wild breathing life into the Wild at Heart.”, “pages”: [V-2] }, { “guideline”: “Finally, the "Editorial" level, which tends to be more tactical, directs the reader to take some form of action: an invitation to dig deeper, to contact for more information or to inspire click-through. This tone is less interpretive than the Signature copy and can be more informational.”, “pages”: [V-2] }, { “guideline”: “Our tone of voice should bear a level of consistency, across all levels of communication, from Signature, to Experience to Editorial.”, “pages”: [V-2] }, { “guideline”: “Imagine a person in three distinct conversations, each with their own objective, and you can determine how the phrasing and word choice will change: from highly emotive, to more insightful, to matter-of-fact rational.”, “pages”: [V-2] }, { “guideline”: “It may be helpful to visualize Signature copy as an intense one-on-one conversation. Experience copy may be speaking to a small, familiar group, while Editorial copy addresses a larger audience.”, “pages”: [V-2] }, { “guideline”: “The tone of voice requirements for our brand will differ, which is why there are three categories: from poetic to promotional, from over-arching description to specific content.”, “pages”: [V-2] }, { “guideline”: “Brand Attributes are the brand’s foundation: aspects of character that allow us to present our destination with credibility and authenticity. They infuse the personality with conviction and commitment, resulting in a defined and readily identifiable tone of voice.”, “pages”: [V-3] }, { “guideline”: “Signature copy should reflect the almost mystical attraction of British Columbia’s wilderness with an inspirational, authentic copy style. The writing is poetic, but not precious. In a down-to-earth style, it draws the audience into a story spoken in awe of the natural beauty, and its monumental scale. This is simple, creative writing that compounds the reader’s visceral impressions of our photography.”, “pages”: [V-3] }, { “guideline”: “The ultimate goal with our brand’s voice is to engage the audience with emotional impact. Words are considered and uniquely constructed to create striking moments through an insight (however deep or simple it might be) or a poetic turn of phrase. It does not come across as formal nor instructional, but is based on plain language creatively used to make the message memorable. With our brand’s tone of voice, directness is key.”, “pages”: [V-3] }, { “guideline”: “The energetic impact falls somewhere between the wisdom of an elder and an impassioned, young poet. Calm and knowing or sobering and emphatic, the language has a sophistication that comes from awareness of the world versus academia. Generally, the voice does not rest on humour to engage, but in rare instances when appropriate, the humour quality is dry and smart—never sarcastic or slapstick.”, “pages”: [V-3] }, { “guideline”: “Fundamental to the brand tone of voice:\n» PASSIONATE\n» UNAFFECTED\n» POETIC\n» INSIGHTFUL”, “pages”: [V-3] }, { “guideline”: “Try to keep wilderness central to the writing”, “pages”: [V-3] }, { “guideline”: “Like our photography, copy is founded on emotional impact”, “pages”: [V-3] }, { “guideline”: “The sell-factor tone of Experience copy falls in between Signature (softer tone) and Editorial (more direct)”, “pages”: [V-4] }, { “guideline”: “Descriptive of a destination, activity or geographic area”, “pages”: [V-4] }, { “guideline”: “Experience copy must compel readers to further explore the possibilities of travelling to and within our province, but maintain an eloquent narrative. Here, we’re dealing with a tangible offering, but must present it with creativity.”, “pages”: [V-4] }, { “guideline”: “This category is more descriptive of an area or an experience. It still refrains from hard-sell, but the encouragement to take additional action is stronger than the Signature level. Where Signature copy speaks conceptually, positioning the province through tone and attitude, Experience copy is rooted in real life tourism assets and is more definitive of what the traveller will see and do. For instance, the communication objective may circle around a specific destination, an activity or geographic area.”, “pages”: [V-4] }, { “guideline”: “The energy is dialed up, but the enthusiasm of the voice is real and magnetic. Stay away from clichés or over-used terms that amount to empty descriptions. As with Signature copy, continue to seek emotional insights, poetic and clever turns of phrasing, and unusual angles to promote the offering.”, “pages”: [V-4] }, { “guideline”: “Editorial is considered the “hardest working” writing tone as it must motivate the audience to take action; most sales-oriented of the three”, “pages”: [V-5] }, { “guideline”: “Quality of writing must capture the essence of our Signature and Editorial voice, and stand out from competitors”, “pages”: [V-5] }, { “guideline”: “Editorial copy is an intimate, personal perspective with details that interpret and enhance the reader’s understanding of life in, and on the edge of wilderness. This is British Columbia as seen from the inside: concise descriptions of points of interest and activities, but written in a manner that is warm and appreciative.”, “pages”: [V-5] }, { “guideline”: “Editorial copy is the most advanced along the path-to-purchase for our prospective travellers. At this point, they have been romanced by our Signature level communication, hooked by our Experience level and now it is the job of the Editorial level to seal the deal. Content will provide more rational and factual information, and specifics to help travellers plan their vaction.”, “pages”: [V-5] }, { “guideline”: “In general, Editorial copy gets down to the nitty-gritty of marketing, but the goal is to avoid falling into the marketing clichés and hard-sell copy which make brands unsavoury. Instead, we encourage thoughtful copywriting that borrows from our Signature and Experience levels, breaking past the typical vernacular to capture our audience with inspiring and motivating sound bites.”, “pages”: [V-5] }, { “guideline”: “Our tone of voice loves British Columbia. And it’s a good relationship. There’s immense respect. Affection. And understanding. All those elements are evident, in every conversation. But our tone of voice is also very respectful of who the audience is, and why they are engaged in that conversation.”, “pages”: [V-6] }, { “guideline”: “Our tone of voice doesn’t “sell,” it shares. The audience senses the intelligence and commitment, not a bombastic ego. In the end, the reader/listener is comfortable with this voice. They like, and remember, a turn of phrase. They appreciate and gain from the interpretation. They add value to the message because they sense its authenticity.”, “pages”: [V-6] }, { “guideline”: “Keep wilderness central to the theme.”, “pages”: [V-6] }, { “guideline”: “Judge the copywriting by its emotional impact.”, “pages”: [V-6] }, { “guideline”: “Don’t go off-brand with the body copy, even if you’ve done well to stay on-brand with the headline. Tone of the long-form text is direct, logical, meaningful and just moderately stylistic.”, “pages”: [V-6] }, { “guideline”: “Don’t tell readers how to feel.”, “pages”: [V-6] }, { “guideline”: “Don’t go overboard with the poetic tone or superfluous adjectives.”, “pages”: [V-6] }, { “guideline”: “Don’t speak in first person.”, “pages”: [V-6] }, { “guideline”: “Don’t use jargon.”, “pages”: [V-6] }, { “guideline”: “Don’t sound cold or overly authoritative.”, “pages”: [V-6] } ] }
Brand Values
  • OUR REVITALIZED BRITISH COLUMBIA BRAND IS NOT ONLY EMOTIONALLY POWERFUL, BUT TRUE. TRUE TO THE PLACE, TRUE TO ITS PEOPLE AND TRUE TO THE EXPERIENCE THAT TRAVELLERS WANT AND EXPECT TO FIND HERE.
  • Travellers believe that the people of BC are positively shaped by their natural environment, making them friendly, balanced and open-minded. British Columbia is seen as a place where people are free to be themselves, and don’t worry about doing what’s “been done.”
  • In the minds of many travellers, BC doesn’t just have nature; BC has wilderness. In our research, travellers spoke to us about why authentic nature matters to them. Their feelings and experiences were highly personal, but for each one, those feelings were heartfelt.
  • Some spoke of finding truth and reality in nature, and an opportunity to regain perspective and rediscover their better selves. For some, it inspires creativity; for others, it’s energizing; and for others, they experience something spiritual.
  • With the diversity of our great province and its people, we are many things. But if we really look carefully at who we are and what we stand for, through the lens of travellers near and far, there is a handful of attributes that represent our natural resources, wilderness and culture, all at once.
  • It is a strength born out of the power of our nature and its deep impact on everyone it touches. It is reflected through an unwavering confidence that speaks to being grounded and tuned into what’s real and true.
  • lt is non-conformist, authentic and true to itself. It carries an attitude that is not limited by the “done” thing, but carves its own path, welcoming others to come along for the journey and enjoy the ride.
  • With its vast, accessible wilderness and breadth of experiences, British Columbia is not afraid to be challenged and must be experienced, not witnessed, to be fully appreciated. When engaged in, BC is a place that will reward and change you.
  • BC embraces people with an open mind and an open heart. While it demands a level of respect, it is non-judgmental and accepting. It not only welcomes you to be yourself, it surrounds you in an environment that inspires it.
  • This speaks to the warmth of BC’s people, but also a land that is vast, diverse and plentiful. When nurtured and respected it has so much to offer, from an abundance of wildlife, to rich vegetation, to an ability to help put one’s life back into perspective.
  • To experience BC is to be transformed and renewed. Our promise to travellers is that BC’s powerful nature will bring out the best in each of them.
  • Our brand is built upon BC’s true nature, which is vast, diverse, abundant, awe-inspiring and powerful. It draws inspiration from the rugged coastline, the rainforest’s unstoppable exuberance, the haunting beauty of the desert, the mighty rivers, grassy plains and massive mountain ranges.
  • We describe BC as the sea-to-sky province. The province sweeps from zero to 4,000 metres, and sea-to-sky is the context for many of BC’s tourism experiences.
  • At the core of our brand is the brand essence: Wild at Heart. The brand essence speaks to a truth about our target audience: they have a deep appreciation of nature and while they may lead successful and accomplished lives, there is a part within them that craves a connection to the wild. In the wild, they are reminded of what is real and what really matters, and the true nature of beauty and freedom.
  • Brand Attributes are the brand’s foundation: aspects of character that allow us to present our destination with credibility and authenticity. They infuse the personality with conviction and commitment, resulting in a defined and readily identifiable tone of voice.
  • » S¬TRONG » FreE-SPIRI¬T¬ED » ÅDVENTURoUs » OPE_ž » Ge²¬ERoUS
Visual Style
  • { “category”: “visual_style”, “guidelines”: [ { “guideline”: “Our mandate is to set the bar and assume the enviable position of being recognized, at a glance, for our unique photography.”, “pages”: [P-2] }, { “guideline”: “It means imposing a ruthless discipline on measuring an image by its mood as much as its content. It means finding shots that stop people in their tracks, arresting their attention whether they are flipping through a magazine, surfing the web or waiting through commercials. Our job is to search for moments, angles, times of day and weather conditions to capture that allure and intrigue.”, “pages”: [P-2] }, { “guideline”: “For our destination brand, the best criteria you can use to judge your image selection is against the question: Does this look like a tourism photo? If the answer is yes, then don’t use it.”, “pages”: [P-2] }, { “guideline”: “We encourage you to build a bank of photos over time that live up to brand standards.”, “pages”: [P-4] }, { “guideline”: “Signature Photography: This level is focused on creating an impression; an inspiring and alluring visual introduction to our province and its most iconic natural attributes.”, “pages”: [P-4] }, { “guideline”: “These signature images go beyond visual information to create emotionally driven viewer involvement. They have magnetic appeal. They are confident, not contrived. They are stand alone pieces of photography that inspire awe in the viewer—a true visualization of Super, Natural British Columbia.”, “pages”: [P-4] }, { “guideline”: “Signature Photography’s primary purpose is to build equity in the brand. It will define and differentiate our brand from all other tourism offerings. It will build and sustain an emotional bond with our audience.”, “pages”: [P-4] }, { “guideline”: “Experience Photography: This level begins to add more visual information while continuing to reinforce the emotional equity of the brand. The images help stimulate a deeper interest in and understanding of the specific areas of British Columbia or the experiences we offer, but they retain a highly brand-sensitive look and feel.”, “pages”: [P-4] }, { “guideline”: “Editorial Photography: Images at this level help define specific moments. The images are a visual representation of the effect that our unique environment has on our way of life and illustrate the individual pieces that make up the mosaic of British Columbia’s cities, towns and experiences. They make it that much easier for the viewer to imagine themselves being here.”, “pages”: [P-4] }, { “guideline”: “We have shifted the parameters of our photographic styling to represent ourselves more authentically, squarely establishing nature as our pillar. The standard of our signature or "Wow" photography is largely graded on emotional impact. In general, story and emotion rule.”, “pages”: [P-5] }, { “guideline”: “We will look for light and shadow to bring dimension to our images. From haunting landscapes shrouded in mist or rain, to blinding reflections playing on a smooth lake surface. In every case, in every region, we are proud to show our province in all of its natural, climactic moods.”, “pages”: [P-5] }, { “guideline”: “Moody photography is already loved by the masses. The popularity of lnstagram’s desaturating and focal-obscuring filters are living proof of this. People are not impressed by the picture-postcard images of the past. They are looking for real life, depth and emotion in their photographs.”, “pages”: [P-6] }, { “guideline”: “Remember that a degree of obscurity can help reinforce our photographic DNA: back-lighting, concealed or silhouetted faces and grainy, gritty resolution texture can work in your favour.”, “pages”: [P-6] }, { “guideline”: “Moderate obscuring makes the photo less slick and more interesting (example on left: snow on lens and lens flare)”, “pages”: [P-6] }, { “guideline”: “Distance and back-lighting remove facial detail, but emotion and story remain”, “pages”: [P-6] }, { “guideline”: “Fully lit shots can come across as flat, while dappled light produces depth, texture and mood.”, “pages”: [P-7] }, { “guideline”: “Dappled light creates drama, even in sun-drenched scenarios”, “pages”: [P-7] }, { “guideline”: “Intrigue can be created by using other enhancements such as film-like grain or airborne particles, as in the snow boarder and waterfall images below.”, “pages”: [P-8] }, { “guideline”: “Shots created with a shallow depth of field provide dimension and a tangible sense of "being there." When you throw the foreground and/or background out of focus, it reflects the way the human eye perceives the world, and can bring a stronger focus to your subject.”, “pages”: [P-8] }, { “guideline”: “Texture and a shallow depth of field can create mood and sense of real life”, “pages”: [P-8] }, { “guideline”: “Cropping into a photo can provide an obscuring effect similar to light/shadow play and mist cover. Don’t be afraid to experiment with breaking traditional rules like cutting into faces or more deeply into the frame. This exploration can lead to unexpected success.”, “pages”: [P-9] }, { “guideline”: “Bold cropping, even into faces, can add dimension to the story”, “pages”: [P-9] }, { “guideline”: “One of the most valuable methods in assembling on-brand photos is to choose imagery based on monochromatic tones. Images that are predominantly made up of one part of the colour spectrum or limited to earthy tones tend to be soothing, and make a more creative statement.”, “pages”: [P-10] }, { “guideline”: “Contrary to popular practice, choosing images with monochromatic tones is a powerful way to engage a viewer”, “pages”: [P-10] }, { “guideline”: “Colour intensity can be narrowed by dialing back on the saturation to achieve a palette of earth tones, but take care not to overuse desaturation. Colour rebalancing or other digital techniques can erase credibility and the true beauty of the shot. The effects should be subtle and undetectable to the lay person.”, “pages”: [P-11] }, { “guideline”: “Desaturation converts bright colours to earthtones”, “pages”: [P-11] }, { “guideline”: “Natural emotions conveyed”, “pages”: [P-11] }, { “guideline”: “Anonymity works: eyes away from camera, faces away from camera”, “pages”: [P-11] }, { “guideline”: “Photo journalistic styling keeps angles, expression realistic”, “pages”: [P-11] }, { “guideline”: “Most of the approaches that we’ve discussed so far apply perfectly to nature and wilderness. When it comes to shooting cities and the urban environment, the techniques may change, but the end goal of capturing Cultured/Raw remains the same.”, “pages”: [P-12] }, { “guideline”: “Aerial or wide cityscapes can be tricky. Here, weather and time of day have a huge influence on the success of the photo. Try to find drama in a composition and tell the brand story of urban centres in relation to their natural surroundings. Ocean, lakes, rivers, forests and mountains should play a starring role whenever possible.”, “pages”: [P-12] }, { “guideline”: “Regardless of subject matter, try to weave wilderness or natural surroundings into the photo”, “pages”: [P-12] }, { “guideline”: “AVOID HAPPY OVERLOAD”, “pages”: [P-13] }, { “guideline”: “AVOID COLOUR OVERLOAD”, “pages”: [P-13] }, { “guideline”: “AVOID HONEYMOON OVERLOAD”, “pages”: [P-13] }, { “guideline”: “AVOID THE SPONTANEOUS CLICHE”, “pages”: [P-13] }, { “guideline”: “AVOID THE ROMANTIC CLICHE”, “pages”: [P-13] }, { “guideline”: “AVOID THE PARTY CLICHE”, “pages”: [P-13] }, { “guideline”: “AVOID CONTRIVED COMPOSITION AND DEPTH OF FIELD”, “pages”: [P-13] }, { “guideline”: “AVOID CONTRIVED SYMMETRY”, “pages”: [P-13] }, { “guideline”: “AVOID CONTRIVED ACTIVITY”, “pages”: [P-13] }, { “guideline”: “AVOID DESATURATION OVER-USE”, “pages”: [P-13] }, { “guideline”: “AVOID PHOTOSHOP OVER-USE”, “pages”: [P-13] }, { “guideline”: “AVOID COLOUR TINTING OVER-USE”, “pages”: [P-13] }, { “guideline”: “AVOID EXPOSURE EFFECTS”, “pages”: [P-13] }, { “guideline”: “AVOID LIGHTING EFFECTS”, “pages”: [P-13] }, { “guideline”: “AVOID EXTREME LENS EFFECTS”, “pages”: [P-13] }, { “guideline”: “Our typographic standards are divided into two levels: Primary: the font that provides the brand with a distinguishing and recognizable look, as seen in display type such as headlines; Secondary: complements the Primary font with a more readable profile, used for long-form text, cutlines, utility copy (e.g. graphs, charts)”, “pages”: [T-2] }, { “guideline”: “Primary Typeface: Great Forest; Secondary Typeface: Brandon Grotesque*; * When Brandon is not available, Arial is our default Secondary font”, “pages”: [T-3, T-4] }, { “guideline”: “The mix of our two typefaces delivers on the Cultured/Raw mandate. Each one complements the other, painting a diverse yet balanced picture of British Columbia through simple typography.”, “pages”: [T-5] }, { “guideline”: “Our colour standards are divided into three categories: Primary palette: should dominate the colour use. In our case, white is our default logo and background colour, and black is a default type and alternative logo colour. Secondary palette: are the first colours you reach for beyond black and white. Tertiary palette: fills out the field with seven earth tones.”, “pages”: [C-2] }, { “guideline”: “The Primary palette is made up of Orca Black, our default type colour; Spirit Bear White, our default background colour; and Salmon Red, used only for the maple leaf in our logo. This Salmon Red plays the important role of connecting us to Canada in our logo as well as signalling a call to action in our online buttons.”, “pages”: [C-3] }, { “guideline”: “Our Secondary palette includes White Sand, Granite Grey, Summit Grey and Winter Night Grey, selected for their versatility, compatibility, neutral tones and performance on large swaths of coverage.”, “pages”: [C-3] }, { “guideline”: “The Tertiary palette includes seven colours: two blues, two greens, two browns and one neutral.”, “pages”: [C-3] }, { “guideline”: “There are two logo sizes available for use: 150x198px and 250x330px and, two colour options to choose from: a black logo on white background or a white logo on black background, each with a corresponding hover state option. Please do not alter the size or colours of the tile.”, “pages”: [L-2] }, { “guideline”: “The tile is best suited to a vertical placement along either the top or bottom edge, or housed within the header or footer of a site. Please consider the position of the tile on all devices (desktop, tablet and mobile). Ensure the tile is not cropped out of view if the website doesn’t scale in size for viewing on smaller devices. Given the space constrictions associated with mobile, position the tile vertically close to the centre of the site, or incorporate into the footer. Finally, be sure to allow for some clear space around the tile.”, “pages”: [L-2] } ] }
Layout And Composition
  • The tile is best suited to a vertical placement along either the top or bottom edge, or housed within the header or footer of a site. Please consider the position of the tile on all devices (desktop, tablet and mobile). Ensure the tile is not cropped out of view if the website doesn’t scale in size for viewing on smaller devices. Given the space constrictions associated with mobile, position the tile vertically close to the centre of the site, or incorporate into the footer. Finally, be sure to allow for some clear space around the tile.
Web Guidelines
  • { “category”: “web_guidelines”, “guidelines”: [ { “guideline”: “The Super, Natura/ British Columbia website tile is available for members of British Columbia’s tourism industry, including sector associations, communities, destination marketing organizations, and individual tourism businesses within British Columbia, to use on their websites to promote BC as a tourism destination.”, “pages”: [L-2] }, { “guideline”: “Register or sign in at ImageBank.DestinationBC.net to download the web tile, usage guidelines and licence agreement. For assistance and to confirm usage, email MarketingCommunications@DestinationBC.ca.”, “pages”: [L-2] }, { “guideline”: “There are two logo sizes available for use: 150x198px and 250x330px and, two colour options to choose from: a black logo on white background or a white logo on black background, each with a corresponding hover state option. Please do not alter the size or colours of the tile.”, “pages”: [L-2] }, { “guideline”: “The colour choice should be made based on the surrounding website imagery and content. Each option has a hover state, with corresponding files. If your website allows for hover state functionality please use both files; however a hover state is not essential.”, “pages”: [L-2] }, { “guideline”: “The tile is best suited to a vertical placement along either the top or bottom edge, or housed within the header or footer of a site. Please consider the position of the tile on all devices (desktop, tablet and mobile). Ensure the tile is not cropped out of view if the website doesn’t scale in size for viewing on smaller devices. Given the space constrictions associated with mobile, position the tile vertically close to the centre of the site, or incorporate into the footer. Finally, be sure to allow for some clear space around the tile.”, “pages”: [L-2] } ] }
🐛 Report