Hobsons

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Sector

E learning edtech Software

Region

Country

Guideline Year

Language

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Official Websites

Brand Guidelines

2019

Brand Summary

Mission

Empower students to connect learning to life by making informed choices across a lifetime of education decisions. Hobsons products and services maximize student success and institutional effectiveness throughout the student lifecycle [^1].

Core Values

partner
innovative
expert
passionate
responsive
visionary

Target Audience

Students, their families, and educational institution staff globally, with a focus on those involved in college and career planning, admissions, enrollment management, and student success [^2].

Personality Traits

student-centric
innovative
fresh
relevant
casual
modern
visionary
responsive
expert

Visual Identity Overview

The visual identity features a clean, modern style with emphasis on teal, gray, and accent colors. Logos are used with clear space and proper color configuration. Typography includes Open Sans and Crimson Text, applied with specific color and style rules. Imagery is student-centric, natural, and diverse, with photographic styling that incorporates brand palette colors and fonts. Iconography uses monoline and solid styles for flexibility and clarity [^3].

Categories

Brand Imagery

Our products and services connect learning to life, therefore models, objects, and environments should feel like real life-not contrived, forced, or fake. People should have natural expressions and relaxed body language, and should not be looking at the camera unless for a traditional portrait. Lighting should be cool and natural.
We are a student-centric company, so students as well as their families and the staff at educational institutions who support them -should be able to relate to our images. People should be at the focus of the image rather than blurred. Images with objects and technology as the focus of the image should be shown with a person interacting with it.
We are a technology company, so our imagery should convey that we are innovative, fresh, and relevant in the modern world. People should be pictured in clean, every day environments wearing casual, modern attire which is not overly corporate, trendy, or eccentric. Objects and technology should appear up to date, not vintage or outdated.
We are a global company. Images should feature and appeal to a range of ages, genders, and races.
After images are selected designers should work to style them to further differentiate their look-and-feel from other brands. This is most easily accomplished through tasteful styling that incorporates our palette colors and fonts as shown on the right. Create transparent color panels to appear between messaging and photographs beneath. Always use the approved colors and fonts.
Here is the proper display of type over a photograph using a transparent color panel. Use only fonts and colors presented in the manual for this purpose.

Color Palette

Color profiles are divided into two applications: print and screen. The print color profiles are CMYK and Pantone. The screen color profiles for web use are RGB and Hex values.
When pairing colors -especially in the context of a series of blue hues and tints -creating a hierarchy is paramount. Contrast is key.
1. Hobsons Teal 4 R: 30 G: 120 B: 122 C: 84 M: 36 Y: 49 K: 1 1 HEX: 1E787A PMS: Custom*
Purple R: 75 G: 68 B: 197 C: 80 M: 78 Y: 0 K: 0 HEX: 4B44C5 PMS: 2736 C 2738 U
Gray s. R: 97 G: 99 B: 101 C: 62 M: 52 Y: 50 K: 21 HEX: 616365 PMS: Cool Gray 10 C Cool Gray 11 U
Light Teal R: 108 G: 203 B: 203 C: 54 M: 0 Y: 24 K: 0 HEX: 6CCBCB PMS: 319C 319 U
Fuschia R: 210 G: 0 B: 97 C: 13 M: 100 Y: 41 K: 1 HEX: D20061 PMS: 214C 2040 U
us. R: 188 G: 218 B: 184 C: 27 M: 2 Y: 33 K: 0 HEX: BCDAB8 PMS: 7485 C 7485 U
*Contact brand team for custom color specifications.
Whenever possible, introduce color elements to reinforce our brand. In a presentation, for example, present slides without images by using color panels drawn from our approved color palette. Then add the corporate logo, and be sure the appropriate contrast is maintained.
Create transparent color panels to appear between messaging and photographs beneath. Always use the approved colors and fonts.
Maintain the proper color configuration.
Do not place the logo on conflicting color floods.

Typography

Open Sans is a humanist sans serif typeface designed by Steve Matteson, type director of Ascender Corp. Open Sans was designed with an upright stress, open forms, and a neutral, yet friendly, appearance. It is optimized for print, web, and mobile interfaces, and has excellent legibility characteristics in its letterforms.
Crimson Text is inspired by Jan Tschichold, Robert Slimbach, and Jonathan Hoefler. Crimson Text is a font family for book production in the tradition of beautiful oldstyle typefaces.
Headers are set in Open Sans. For hierarchy, the applied color is Black.
For simplicity, subheads are set in Open Sans Regular. Colored with Teal.
Decks are set in Opens Sans Italic and colored Gray.
Bylines, if used, are set in Crimson Text Italic and are colored Light Teal.
Short paragraphs of body copy are set in Open Sans Regular in Gray.
Photo captions are set in Crimson Text, Bold Italic in Gray
Call-outs are set in Crimson Text Italic in Fuschia
Footnotes are set in Opens Sans Italic in Gray
Folios are set in Crimson Text Italic in Gray
Create transparent color panels to appear between messaging and photographs beneath. Always use the approved colors and fonts.
Here is the proper display of type over a photograph using a transparent color panel. Use only fonts and colors presented in the manual for this purpose.

Logo Usage

The Hobsons logo is the main component of our visual brand. It is designed to represent the energy and ideals of our company, make us highly recognizable, and differentiate us in a competitive marketplace. When used with care, our logo and accompanying elements become powerful tools for building and maintaining equity in the Hobsons brand.
Clear Space: Maintaining clear space around the Hobsons logo—including the “®” symbol—ensures that the logo remains clear of other design elements, and enhances its presence. The clear space, shown in gray, is always equal to half of the height of the arrow in our logo (shown by “x”). The height of the clear space will increase or decrease proportionally with the size of the logo.
Use this logo configuration when the logo appears on materials where we have an opportunity to provide context about what we do (e.g. website, brochures, business cards, etc.) or materials created for existing customers, partners, vendors, and employees (e.g. invoices, intranet sites, etc.).
Use this logo configuration when the logo appears on materials where we are not able to provide context about what we do (e.g. event banners, sponsorship materials, etc.).
In the former (logo only) scenario, you have the option to use the tagline separately from the logo. The tagline, when used as a graphical element without the logo, should always be preceded with the flat one color arrow. It should never be used in conjunction with the tagline version of the logo and should always be positioned as far away as possible from the logo (e.g. second side of paper, lower corner while logo is in upper corner, etc.).
Our Naviance logo has changed. It has adopted the Hobsons teal and gray colors in its typography and icon. The Naviance logo will always use the “by Hobsons” endorsement underneath it.
Clear space: Maintaining clear space around the logo ensures that it remains clear of other design elements, enhancing its presence. The clear space, shown in gray, is equal to half of the height of the arrow in our logo. The height of the clear space will increase or decrease proportionally with the size of the logo.
The Intersect logo will always use the “by Hobsons” endorsement underneath it.
Our Starfish logo has changed. It has adopted the Hobsons teal and gray colors in its typography and icon. The Stafish logo will always use the “by Hobsons” endorsement underneath it.
Clear Space: Maintaining clear space around the Starfish by Hobsons logo— including the “®” symbol—ensures that the logo remains clear of other design elements, and enhances its presence. The clear space, shown in gray, is always equal to half of the height of the arrow in our logo (shown by “x”). The height of the clear space will increase or decrease proportionally with the size of the logo.
Whenever possible, introduce color elements to reinforce our brand. In a presentation, for example, present slides without images by using color panels drawn from our approved color palette. Then add the corporate logo, and be sure the appropriate contrast is maintained.
The master logo should never be less than 1” in width for print and 100 pts for digital applications.
To maintain the quality and longevity of the brand, there are rules and specifications on color, placement, and general application of the Hobsons logo.
Maintain the proper color configuration.
Do not rotate logotype.
Do not use cheesy effects on the logotype.
Do not place the logo on conflicting color floods.
Do not distort the logo.
Do not place items within the clear space of the logo.
Do not scale elements of the logo independently.
Do not move text below arrow icon or break the text apart from the approved logo.

Tone And Messaging

Equities are core values that are essential to the Hobsons brand. They guide our communications, culture, and processes, and reflect how we are seen.
PARTNER We treat our customers like valued partners. Their success is our success; their goals are our goals.
INNOVATIVE We are constantly looking for ways to make our clients successful, by evolving our current solutions or inventing new ones.
EXPERT We stay focused on the education market and are seen as thought leaders by our customers, colleagues, and the industry as a whole.
PASSIONATE We are passionate about education and believe our work leads to better outcomes.
RESPONSIVE We take customer support to a whole different level. When our customers ask, we deliver.
VISIONARY We are visionaries. We are strategic thinkers who thrive on long-term goals.
Our products and services connect learning to life, therefore models, objects, and environments should feel like real life-not contrived, forced, or fake. People should have natural expressions and relaxed body language, and should not be looking at the camera unless for a traditional portrait. Lighting should be cool and natural.
We are a student-centric company, so students as well as their families and the staff at educational institutions who support them -should be able to relate to our images. People should be at the focus of the image rather than blurred. Images with objects and technology as the focus of the image should be shown with a person interacting with it.
We are a technology company, so our imagery should convey that we are innovative, fresh, and relevant in the modern world. People should be pictured in clean, every day environments wearing casual, modern attire which is not overly corporate, trendy, or eccentric. Objects and technology should appear up to date, not vintage or outdated.
We are a global company. Images should feature and appeal to a range of ages, genders, and races.

Brand Values

Equities are core values that are essential to the Hobsons brand. They guide our communications, culture, and processes, and reflect how we are seen.
PARTNER We treat our customers like valued partners. Their success is our success; their goals are our goals.
INNOVATIVE We are constantly looking for ways to make our clients successful, by evolving our current solutions or inventing new ones.
EXPERT We stay focused on the education market and are seen as thought leaders by our customers, colleagues, and the industry as a whole.
PASSIONATE We are passionate about education and believe our work leads to better outcomes.
RESPONSIVE We take customer support to a whole different level. When our customers ask, we deliver.
VISIONARY We are visionaries. We are strategic thinkers who thrive on long-term goals.

Visual Style

Clear Space: Maintaining clear space around the Hobsons logo—including the “®” symbol—ensures that the logo remains clear of other design elements, and enhances its presence. The clear space, shown in gray, is always equal to half of the height of the arrow in our logo (shown by “x”). The height of the clear space will increase or decrease proportionally with the size of the logo.
Our Naviance logo has changed. It has adopted the Hobsons teal and gray colors in its typography and icon. The Naviance logo will always use the “by Hobsons” endorsement underneath it.
Clear space: Maintaining clear space around the logo ensures that it remains clear of other design elements, enhancing its presence. The clear space, shown in gray, is equal to half of the height of the arrow in our logo. The height of the clear space will increase or decrease proportionally with the size of the logo.
The Intersect logo will always use the “by Hobsons” endorsement underneath it.
Our Starfish logo has changed. It has adopted the Hobsons teal and gray colors in its typography and icon. The Stafish logo will always use the “by Hobsons” endorsement underneath it.
Clear Space: Maintaining clear space around the Starfish by Hobsons logo— including the “®” symbol—ensures that the logo remains clear of other design elements, and enhances its presence. The clear space, shown in gray, is always equal to half of the height of the arrow in our logo (shown by “x”). The height of the clear space will increase or decrease proportionally with the size of the logo.
Whenever possible, introduce color elements to reinforce our brand. In a presentation, for example, present slides without images by using color panels drawn from our approved color palette. Then add the corporate logo, and be sure the appropriate contrast is maintained.
The master logo should never be less than 1” in width for print and 100 pts for digital applications.
To maintain the quality and longevity of the brand, there are rules and specifications on color, placement, and general application of the Hobsons logo. 1. Maintain the proper color configuration. 2. DO not rotate logotype. 3. Do not use cheesy effects on the logotype. 4. Do not place the logo on conflicting color floods.
Do not distort the logo.
Do not place items within the clear space of the logo.
Do not scale elements of the logo independently.
Do not move text below arrow icon or break the text apart from the approved logo.
Color profiles are divided into two applications: print and screen. The print color profiles are CMYK and Pantone. The screen color profiles for web use are RGB and Hex values.
When pairing colors -especially in the context of a series of blue hues and tints -creating a hierarchy is paramount. Contrast is key.
Open Sans is a humanist sans serif typeface designed by Steve Matteson, type director of Ascender Corp. Open Sans was designed with an upright stress, open forms, and a neutral, yet friendly, appearance. It is optimized for print, web, and mobile interfaces, and has excellent legibility characteristics in its letterforms.
Crimson Text is inspired by Jan Tschichold, Robert Slimbach, and Jonathan Hoefler. Crimson Text is a font family for book production in the tradition of beautiful oldstyle typefaces.
Headers are set in Open Sans. For hierarchy, the applied color is Black.
For simplicity, subheads are set in Open Sans Regular. Colored with Teal.
Decks are set in Opens Sans Italic and colored Gray.
Bylines, if used, are set in Crimson Text Italic and are colored Light Teal.
Short paragraphs of body copy are set in Open Sans Regular in Gray.
Photo captions are set in Crimson Text, Bold Italic in Gray
Call-outs are set in Crimson Text Italic in Fuschia
Footnotes are set in Opens Sans Italic in Gray
Folios are set in Crimson Text Italic in Gray
The icons in the Icomoon font are used for Hobsons branded marketing and external communications. The monoline stroke style design communicates simplicity, honesty, and intelligence and creates flexibility for print and web use at any scale.
The icons in the Entypo font are used for general use in Hobsons branded digital presentations and internal/non-marketing communications. The solid fill style design communicates strength and power and is most legible in PowerPoint, hiWire, and other digital interface uses.
Our products and services connect learning to life, therefore models, objects, and environments should feel like real life-not contrived, forced, or fake. People should have natural expressions and relaxed body language, and should not be looking at the camera unless for a traditional portrait. Lighting should be cool and natural.
We are a student-centric company, so students as well as their families and the staff at educational institutions who support them -should be able to relate to our images. People should be at the focus of the image rather than blurred. Images with objects and technology as the focus of the image should be shown with a person interacting with it.
We are a technology company, so our imagery should convey that we are innovative, fresh, and relevant in the modern world. People should be pictured in clean, every day environments wearing casual, modern attire which is not overly corporate, trendy, or eccentric. Objects and technology should appear up to date, not vintage or outdated.
We are a global company. Images should feature and appeal to a range of ages, genders, and races.
After images are selected designers should work to style them to further differentiate their look-and-feel from other brands. This is most easily accomplished through tasteful styling that incorporates our palette colors and fonts as shown on the right. Create transparent color panels to appear between messaging and photographs beneath. Always use the approved colors and fonts.

Iconography

The icons in the Icomoon font are used for Hobsons branded marketing and external communications. The monoline stroke style design communicates simplicity, honesty, and intelligence and creates flexibility for print and web use at any scale.
The icons in the Entypo font are used for general use in Hobsons branded digital presentations and internal/non-marketing communications. The solid fill style design communicates strength and power and is most legible in PowerPoint, hiWire, and other digital interface uses.

Layout And Composition

Clear Space: Maintaining clear space around the Hobsons logo—including the “®” symbol—ensures that the logo remains clear of other design elements, and enhances its presence. The clear space, shown in gray, is always equal to half of the height of the arrow in our logo (shown by “x”). The height of the clear space will increase or decrease proportionally with the size of the logo.
Clear space: Maintaining clear space around the logo ensures that it remains clear of other design elements, enhancing its presence. The clear space, shown in gray, is equal to half of the height of the arrow in our logo. The height of the clear space will increase or decrease proportionally with the size of the logo.
Clear Space: Maintaining clear space around the Starfish by Hobsons logo— including the “®” symbol—ensures that the logo remains clear of other design elements, and enhances its presence. The clear space, shown in gray, is always equal to half of the height of the arrow in our logo (shown by “x”). The height of the clear space will increase or decrease proportionally with the size of the logo.
Whenever possible, introduce color elements to reinforce our brand. In a presentation, for example, present slides without images by using color panels drawn from our approved color palette. Then add the corporate logo, and be sure the appropriate contrast is maintained.
The master logo should never be less than 1” in width for print and 100 pts for digital applications.
To maintain the quality and longevity of the brand, there are rules and specifications on color, placement, and general application of the Hobsons logo. 1. Maintain the proper color configuration. 2. DO not rotate logotype. 3. Do not use cheesy effects on the logotype. 4. Do not place the logo on conflicting color floods.
Do not distort the logo.
Do not place items within the clear space of the logo.
Do not scale elements of the logo independently.
Do not move text below arrow icon or break the text apart from the approved logo.

Additional Properties

Property	Value
Wikidata Link	Open Wikidata

Property	Value
Opencorporates Id	gb/00640846
Quora Topic Id	Hobsons-PLC
Country	United Kingdom