National Trust

Official Websites

• https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk
• https://brandcentre.nationaltrust.org.uk

Brand Guidelines

2014

Brand Summary

Mission

• To look after beautiful and historic places for ever, for everyone, keeping their spirit alive and making them accessible and meaningful to all people [^1].

Core Values

• Love places
• Share our common purpose
• Inspire people
• Think long term
• Sustainability
• Authenticity
• Warmth
• Inclusivity
• Collaboration

Target Audience

• Local communities, members, visitors, volunteers, donors, and the broader public seeking beauty, history, and connection with nature and culture [^2].

Personality Traits

• Warm
• Welcoming
• Inspiring
• Authentic
• Dynamic
• Open
• Grounded

Visual Identity Overview

• The visual identity is instantly recognizable through the distinctive oak leaf logo, a palette of 21 fresh and inviting colors, a custom warm sans-serif typeface inspired by historical inscriptions, expressive imagery and illustrations, informal layouts, and hand-cut shapes that evoke supporter experiences. The brand emphasizes contrast, clarity, and accessibility, with a focus on connecting people to places and celebrating individuality [^3].

Categories

Brand Voice

• Talking in a warm and authentic way Using the National Trust’s warm typeface, inspired by a 1748 inscription originally in the grotto at Stourhead.
• Writing in a conversational style that starts with the audience’s interests.
• Expressing the spirit of each place in evocative words and images.
• This is a guide to using our tone of voice – how we talk and how we write, both inside and outside the Trust. It contains some guidance to help choose the words you use and examples of how you can make them work in practice
• Being consistent in these three areas will help us communicate what we stand for and build better relationships with the public, our members, our people and partners.
• Welcoming Warm Grounded Inspiring Open and dynamic
• Keeping ‘for everyone’ at the front of our minds is fundamental to getting our tone of voice right. We want to deepen the relationship between people and the places we look after. This will open the Trust up to more people – to the work we do and why we do it. And this in turn will allow us to continue our work forever.
• Our tone of voice links directly to our values and behaviours. These were created to show what we’re like at our best and how we want people to feel about the Trust. So our tone of voice is just about bringing these to life when we write.
• We’re open to people’s views and suggestions, not bossy or excluding. We want to inspire people and give them ideas to take back into their own lives.
• By always being warm and welcoming we’ll engage people with us now and in the future.
• When writing for the Trust it should sound like one person talking to another. Write the way you would speak and it will sound friendlier and more natural. A good way to check how your writing sounds is by reading it aloud.
• Use ‘we’re’ instead of ‘we are’ and ’let’s’ instead of ’let us’. It’s a quick way to make your writing less formal.
• We love places and we’re all ambassadors for the work we do so we need to be believable and specific when describing a place or experience. Likewise, we shouldn’t shy away from difficult issues.
• Being honest and authentic is very important for building trust and credibility.
• Try and avoid using too many words like ‘amazing’, ‘stunning’ and ‘breathtaking’ when describing a place or experience. Too many adjectives can become meaningless.
• Avoid National Trust jargon, and bring the knowledge we have to life so people can engage with their surroundings.
• Celebrate what’s local (for example, ‘Try meat reared on the estate at our new restaurant’ or ‘Visit traditional craftsmen working in the woods’). We want to offer people as much as we can from the estates we look after. Finding opportunities to highlight this will inspire people about the wide range of things we do.
• Keep your writing punchy. Don’t try to say everything. Keep sentences reasonably short. If you find you have to use a semi-colon, your sentence may already be too long.
• Use active not passive verbs (for example ‘we’re rebuilding these walls’ not ’the walls are being rebuilt’). This will make your writing more dynamic.

Brand Imagery

• The National Trust style is designed to help connect people to the special places we look after and the work we do, by: Putting the supporter centre stage Using photographs and illustrations that evoke supporters’ experiences of National Trust places.
• Helping us to be welcoming and inviting Celebrating the oak leaf symbol, by making it big.
• Using a whole range of colours, all bright and fresh.
• Expressing the spirit of each place in evocative words and images.
• Images can be large or small, multiple or single, and can bleed off the top and sides of the page.
• Choose free and informal layouts when placing images, rather than rigidly structured ones.
• Two different frame layouts showing how our colour palette can be used to contrast or complement powerful and intriguing imagery.
• The images we choose shape what people think and feel about us. Choosing images that are welcoming, authentic and connect people to a place shows that we look after places for everyone to enjoy.
• Wherever possible, use images from National Trust Images. These images have been expertly commissioned with appropriate contracts and selected especially for National Trust use.
• If you are producing something to appeal to one segment in particular, choose more of the images that segment prefers. If you are producing something to appeal to all, choose a mix of the images each of our segments prefer. If the images you choose include people, make sure they reflect the diversity of your audience (be that national, regional, or local).
• Explorer Families prefer images showing the family outdoors having fun and adventure.
• Curious Minds prefer images that give a sense of the place they would be visiting and the experience gained. It’s not always necessary to include people.
• Out and Abouts like to be shown there is a variety of things to see and do. This doesn’t have to be shown using people (they like to imagine themselves there) but if it does show people, a younger middle age range works best.
• Look for images that are… warm and welcoming The place is alive and welcomes you in (here Lanhydrock is bustling with activity and drawing the family in).
• Natural and relaxed -not posed or artificial (here the family is strolling through the grounds, unaware of the camera).
• The following pages show lots of examples of welcoming and authentic images and gives reasons why they connect people to a place.
• Our current advertising campaign style uses images that show the emotion behind an experience or visit: showing children getting really muddy in a puddle, families rolling down a hill, or people enjoying a camp fire in the woods, for example. These images often don’t show a recognisable place but the place is always named in the advert.
• Another way to show people’s connection to a place is by choosing images that put you right with the person taking the photograph.
• There are times when one image simply can’t say everything you need to say. This is when a collage which mixes a variety of images of people and places can help. It removes the need to rely on a single image and is particularly useful if you want to appeal to more than one of our segments.
• Choose images that… - look realistic and natural. - if include people, show them relaxed and informal.
• Avoid images that… - look fake and artifical, such as the sky retouched to an unreal blue. - show posed people. - are distorted and look odd. - use special effects. - show obviously ‘staged’ action.
• Do your chosen images appeal to your audience? □ Do they reflect the diversity of your audience (be that national, regional, or local)?□ Are your images: Warm and welcoming? □ Authentic? □ Do they connect people to a place? □
• To evoke a supporter’s experience of a National Trust place, we sometimes use photographs made by supporters themselves.
• As well as photographs, we occasionally use paintings, drawings or collages created by supporters.
• They often capture a highly personal experience in a fresh, non-official way. Always make sure that images are of a high standard (even if made by a child), and that you have the permission of the supporter who made them.
• Illustration should be powerfully expressive, capturing the illustrator’s or artist’s experience of a National Trust place.

Color Palette

• The National Trust has a palette of21 colours, all chosen to be fresh and inviting, plus black and white.
• On covers, you can use any colour for the logo, frame-line and text, as long as it’s the same colour for all three.
• For most projects, you can choose from the whole palette, but for some items -such as business cards -our darkest green, Pantone® 356, is best. Please always use the exact specifications shown here. Always use colours as solids, never as tints.
• Use the palette carefully, and avoid a rainbow effect. Primarily on greens and dark colours (excluding Pantone® 389), it’s best to use the logo in white. Similarly on our lights, show the logo in one of the dark colours, a green (excluding Pantone® 389) or in black.
• Use complementary rather than clashing colours and pay careful attention to accessibility. Make sure there is good contrast so that text is legible.
• We encourage people to use different colours to mark different sections in a publication, but discourage colour-coding. Always use colours as solids, never as tints. Use the light colours as backgrounds for pages.
• The logo is available in 21 different colours plus black and white. See page 28 for colour breakdowns and specifications.
• The bilingual logo (Welsh/English) is available in 21 different colours plus black and white. See page 28 for colour breakdowns and specifications.
• Please always use the exact specifications shown here. Always use colours as solids, never as tints.
• Pantone* 356 C:90 M:0Y:100 K:20 R:0G:119 B:45 Hex: 00772D
• Pantone* 213 C:0 M:96 Y:12 K:0 R:230 G:20 B: 100 Hex: E61464
• Pantone* 3125 C:88 M:0Y:21 K:0 R:0G:170 B:180 Hex: 00AAB4
• Pantone* 706 C:0 M:20Y:4 K:0 R:250 G:225 B:225 Hex: FAElEl
• Pantone* 871 For use in exceptional circumstances only, for example invitations
• Pantone* 7488 C:50 M:0 Y:95 K:0 R:140 G:220 B:80 Hex: 8CDC50
• Pantone* 021 C:0 M:50 Y: 100 K:0 R:255 G:106 B:11 Hex: FF6A0B
• Pantone* 286 C:100 M:75 Y:0 K:0 R:25 G:5 B:125 Hex: 19057D
• Pantone* 317 C:20 M:0 Y: 10 K:0 R:203 G:241 B:232 Hex: CBF1E8
• Pantone* 877 For use in exceptional circumstances only, for example invitations
• Pantone* 7481 C:88 M:0Y:89 K:0 R:0 G:180 B:60 Hex: 00B43C
• Pantone* 1788 C:0 M:85 Y:85 K:0 R:255 G:43 B:62 Hex: FF2B3E
• Pantone* 2768 C:100 M:81 Y:4 K:60 R:15 G:0 B:50 Hex: 0F0032
• Pantone* 7485 C:10 M:0Y:18 K:0 R:220 G:240 B:180 Hex: DCF0B4
• Pantone* 384 C:20 M:0 Y:100 K:30 R:138 G:134 B:0 Hex: 8A8600
• Pantone* 227 C:7 M:100Y:7 K:21 R:135 G:0 B:60 Hex: 87003C
• Pantone* 425 C:18 M:0Y:0 K:78 R:68 G:70 B:62 Hex: 44463E
• Pantone* 587 C:5 M:0 Y:50 K:0 R:245 G:245 B:170 Hex: F5F5AA
• White C:0 M:0 Y:0 K:0 R:255 G:255 B:255 Hex: FFFFFF
• Pantone* 389 C:20 M:0Y:100 K:0 R:212 G:255 B:24 Hex: D4FF18
• Pantone* 525 C:50 M:85 Y:0 K:20 R:65 G:5 B:70 Hex:410546
• Pantone* 7541 C:4 M:3 Y:3 K:4 R:225 G:224 B:219 Hex: ElEODB
• Black C:0 M:0 Y:0 K:100 R:0 G:0 B:0 Hex:000000

Typography

• We have our own typeface, designed to have the warmth and modernity of a sans-serif typeface, and keeping a timeless quality too.
• The typeface is inspired by a 1748 inscription originally in the grotto at Stourhead. The sans-serif style was used in the ancient world, but this inscription is one of the earliest examples anywhere of its modern revival.
• Our typeface is an important asset of the National Trust: no other organisation is allowed to use it, and it helps us to be recognisable every time we write something.
• The typeface family has four members: National Trust Display for headlines above 16pt National Trust Bold National Trust Regular for the majority of body copy National Trust Italic for emphasis, foreign words and mentioning the titles of books, pictures and so on.
• For documents produced in Word, Publisher or PowerPoint, and for emails, use Arial.
• We also use Arial for all body copy on websites.
• National Trust Italic should be used sparingly for emphasis, foreign words and mentioning the titles of books, pictures and so on.
• Use the typeface in sentence case, left-aligned and not justified.
• Set National Trust Display with 110% leading. Set National Trust Bold, Regular and Italic with 120% leading.
• The templates on the brand centre brandcentre.nationaltrust.org.uk have the correct typographic specifications and style-sheets built into them, so please download and use them.
• All typefaces can be downloaded from the National Trust brand centre. Go to brandcentre.nationaltrust.org.uk and select core artwork finder, where you can select and download the typeface.
• Always set text left-aligned: this creates an informal and friendly look. Never set text centred or right-justified.
• Take care with line endings. Make sure the shape of the text is pleasing, and the content easy to read.
• Use the National Trust typeface — which is specially designed to be easy to read — for professionally produced items.
• Set text in sentence case, left-aligned. Avoid capitals and underlining. Use italics only for emphasis, foreign words and mentioning the titles of books, pictures and so on.
• Avoid setting text around images (run-arounds).
• Be careful placing text on top of a photograph. Choose an area where the image has a constant colour, and creates enough contrast for the text to be easily readable.
• When you’re using coloured text, or putting text on a coloured background, make sure there’s plenty of contrast between text and background.

Logo Usage

• The oak leaf and logotype together form our logo.
• There are four ways to show the logo: Standard; Alternative horizontal; Reduced size, for use at smaller sizes maintaining the legibility of the logotype; ‘in support of’, for use by supporter groups
• The logo is available in 21 different colours plus black and white. See page 28 for colour breakdowns and specifications.
• When you need a logo please download it from the brand centre.
• Go to brandcentre.nationaltrust.org.uk and select core artwork finder, where by following the easy question and answer process you can select and download the correct artwork for your project.
• To make the oak leaf and logotype stand out, don’t put any text or images in the clear space shown in the diagrams above.
• Clear space principles: Above the logo, leave space equivalent to half an oak leaf; To the left, again leave half an oak leaf; To the right, leave a whole oak leaf; Below, leave a whole logotype
• The smallest legible size for the logo for both print and screen are indicated above. Minimum sizes for other processes, like embroidery or engraving, vary for each process: we recommend careful testing.
• The National Trust bilingual logo (Welsh/English) has four versions: Standard; Alternative horizontal; Reduced size, for use at smaller sizes maintaining the legibility of the logotype; ‘in support of’, for use by supporter groups
• The bilingual logo (Welsh/English) is available in 21 different colours plus black and white. See page 28 for colour breakdowns and specifications.
• The smallest legible size for the bilingual logo for both print and screen are indicated above. Minimum sizes for other processes, like embroidery or engraving, vary for each process: we recommend careful testing.
• The National Trust has a palette of21 colours, all chosen to be fresh and inviting, plus black and white. On covers, you can use any colour for the logo, frame-line and text, as long as it’s the same colour for all three. For most projects, you can choose from the whole palette, but for some items -such as business cards -our darkest green, Pantone® 356, is best. Please always use the exact specifications shown here. Always use colours as solids, never as tints.
• Use the palette carefully, and avoid a rainbow effect. Primarily on greens and dark colours (excluding Pantone® 389), it’s best to use the logo in white. Similarly on our lights, show the logo in one of the dark colours, a green (excluding Pantone® 389) or in black.
• Use complementary rather than clashing colours and pay careful attention to accessibility. Make sure there is good contrast so that text is legible.
• We encourage people to use different colours to mark different sections in a publication, but discourage colour-coding. Always use colours as solids, never as tints. Use the light colours as backgrounds for pages.
• You should never agree to any external company or organisation using our name, logo or intellectual property without checking with your consultancy first. Giving away our intellectual property costs the Trust money and can jeopardise our reputation.

Tone And Messaging

• This is a guide to using our tone of voice – how we talk and how we write, both inside and outside the Trust. It contains some guidance to help choose the words you use and examples of how you can make them work in practice
• There are three things that shape what people think and feel about us: — Our actions — The way we look (our visual identity) — What we say and how we say it (our tone of voice) Being consistent in these three areas will help us communicate what we stand for and build better relationships with the public, our members, our people and partners.
• From how people have described the Trust in the past* Exclusive Aloof Grandiose Boring Stuffy and old fashioned To what we want people to say about the Trust now and in the future Welcoming Warm Grounded Inspiring Open and dynamic *qualitative research in 2012
• We believe in the importance of nature, beauty and history in people’s lives. We love the special places that offer these things and our purpose is to look after them for ever, for everyone. Keeping ‘for everyone’ at the front of our minds is fundamental to getting our tone of voice right. We want to deepen the relationship between people and the places we look after. This will open the Trust up to more people – to the work we do and why we do it. And this in turn will allow us to continue our work forever.
• Our tone of voice links directly to our values and behaviours. These were created to show what we’re like at our best and how we want people to feel about the Trust. So our tone of voice is just about bringing these to life when we write.
• We’re open to people’s views and suggestions, not bossy or excluding. We want to inspire people and give them ideas to take back into their own lives.
• By always being warm and welcoming we’ll engage people with us now and in the future.
• When writing for the Trust it should sound like one person talking to another. Write the way you would speak and it will sound friendlier and more natural. A good way to check how your writing sounds is by reading it aloud.
• Use ‘we’re’ instead of ‘we are’ and ’let’s’ instead of ’let us’. It’s a quick way to make your writing less formal.
• We love places and we’re all ambassadors for the work we do so we need to be believable and specific when describing a place or experience. Likewise, we shouldn’t shy away from difficult issues. Being honest and authentic is very important for building trust and credibility.
• If you’re gathering quotes to use in your writing, ask people to speak their thoughts (rather than write them down). It will sound much more natural.
• Try and avoid using too many words like ‘amazing’, ‘stunning’ and ‘breathtaking’ when describing a place or experience. Too many adjectives can become meaningless.
• We have a vast amount of knowledge and expertise at the Trust but we need to say it in a way that inspires others if we’re going to share our common purpose. Avoid National Trust jargon, and bring the knowledge we have to life so people can engage with their surroundings.
• Making contemporary connections can help people engage with history (for example ‘An eighteenth-century air freshener known as cassoulet’, might be more involving than ‘Cassoulet, Birmingham, 1770’). But remember your audience. Don’t dumb information down if you’re writing for people who want to know the detail.
• Celebrate what’s local (for example, ‘Try meat reared on the estate at our new restaurant’ or ‘Visit traditional craftsmen working in the woods’). We want to offer people as much as we can from the estates we look after. Finding opportunities to highlight this will inspire people about the wide range of things we do.
• Our places are not museums: they are living buildings, dynamic coastlines, working farms and open parklands with rich pasts and exciting futures. We think long term and behave in a sustainable way, so it’s important to tell people what we’re doing with imagination and energy.
• Keep your writing punchy. Don’t try to say everything. Keep sentences reasonably short. If you find you have to use a semi-colon, your sentence may already be too long.
• Use active not passive verbs (for example ‘we’re rebuilding these walls’ not ’the walls are being rebuilt’). This will make your writing more dynamic.
• Using our tone of voice well is about blending these elements together to reflect the way we would like people to feel about the Trust and to suit the subject you’re writing about.
• Communications distributed in Wales should be written in both Welsh and English, with the Welsh and English separated on the same page, wherever possible.

Brand Values

• We stand for beautiful and historic places. We look after a breathtaking number and variety of them — each distinctive, memorable and special to people for different reasons. Our job is to keep the spirit of each of these places alive.
• Our responsibility is to give these places a life far into the future, which means caring for them beautifully, helping them evolve over time, and acting in a way that helps protect the planet we’re part of.
• Our places are open to all, and we thrive by involving as many people as possible in what we do — local communities, members, visitors, volunteers and donors. We help people belong to places, and places belong to people.
• We all need beauty in our lives. We all need fresh air, open doors, hidden depths, new views. We need places that can lift our spirits and help us to find a different rhythm in our lives. This kind of refreshment isn’t a luxury: it’s vital. We offer everyone:
• Experiences that lift us physically and emotionally, and help us connect with history, culture and nature.
• Experiences that help us connect the future with the past.
• Being part of something that matters to, and can be enjoyed by, everyone — a whole movement of people.
• We love special places. We all value special places and the role they have in people’s lives. We understand and keep their spirit alive, conserving our natural and cultural heritage for generations to enjoy. We celebrate the distinctiveness of our places, keeping them honest and authentic, not uniform, fake or unloved. We are all ambassadors for the Trust, promoting the importance of special places and the experiences they offer.
• We work together to look after special places for ever, for everyone. We trust and empower each other to make the right decisions, working collaboratively and at pace. We build effective relationships, learning from each other and promoting simplicity, fairness, innovation and learning. As we work towards achieving our common purpose we’re clear on what we’re accountable for, making decisions within agreed frameworks.
• We inspire people to love special places. We’re warm, welcoming and actively part of the communities around us. We encourage and listen to other people’s views, needs and suggestions and we exceed people’s expectations with our positive ‘can-do’ attitude. We thrive by involving people in what we do, inspiring them to share our passion for special places.
• We look after special places for people for ever. We’re dynamic, far-sighted and ready to lead for the long term. We behave in a sustainable way, reducing our impact on the environment and spending wisely to make sure we have the financial security to look after special places for ever. We keep things simple and are imaginative about finding better ways to do things.

Visual Style

• The National Trust style is designed to help connect people to the special places we look after and the work we do, by: Putting the supporter centre stage Using photographs and illustrations that evoke supporters’ experiences of National Trust places. Helping us to be welcoming and inviting Celebrating the oak leaf symbol, by making it big. Using a whole range of colours, all bright and fresh. Talking in a warm and authentic way Using the National Trust’s warm typeface, inspired by a 1748 inscription originally in the grotto at Stourhead. Writing in a conversational style that starts with the audience’s interests. Celebrating place Expressing the spirit of each place in evocative words and images.
• There are four ways to show the logo: Standard Alternative horizontal Reduced size, for use at smaller sizes maintaining the legibility of the logotype ‘in support of’, for use by supporter groups
• The logo is available in 21 different colours plus black and white. See page 28 for colour breakdowns and specifications.
• To make the oak leaf and logotype stand out, don’t put any text or images in the clear space shown in the diagrams above. Clear space principles: Above the logo, leave space equivalent to half an oak leaf To the left, again leave half an oak leaf To the right, leave a whole oak leaf Below, leave a whole logotype
• The smallest legible size for the logo for both print and screen are indicated above. Minimum sizes for other processes, like embroidery or engraving, vary for each process: we recommend careful testing.
• The National Trust has a palette of21 colours, all chosen to be fresh and inviting, plus black and white. On covers, you can use any colour for the logo, frame-line and text, as long as it’s the same colour for all three. For most projects, you can choose from the whole palette, but for some items -such as business cards -our darkest green, Pantone® 356, is best. Please always use the exact specifications shown here. Always use colours as solids, never as tints.
• Use the palette carefully, and avoid a rainbow effect. Primarily on greens and dark colours (excluding Pantone® 389), it’s best to use the logo in white. Similarly on our lights, show the logo in one of the dark colours, a green (excluding Pantone® 389) or in black. Use complementary rather than clashing colours and pay careful attention to accessibility. Make sure there is good contrast so that text is legible. We encourage people to use different colours to mark different sections in a publication, but discourage colour-coding. Always use colours as solids, never as tints. Use the light colours as backgrounds for pages.
• We have our own typeface, designed to have the warmth and modernity of a sans-serif typeface, and keeping a timeless quality too. The typeface is inspired by a 1748 inscription originally in the grotto at Stourhead. The sans-serif style was used in the ancient world, but this inscription is one of the earliest examples anywhere of its modern revival. Our typeface is an important asset of the National Trust: no other organisation is allowed to use it, and it helps us to be recognisable every time we write something.
• The typeface family has four members: National Trust Display for headlines above 16pt National Trust Bold National Trust Regular for the majority of body copy National Trust Italic for emphasis, foreign words and mentioning the titles of books, pictures and so on. For documents produced in Word, Publisher or PowerPoint, and for emails, use Arial. We also use Arial for all body copy on websites.
• Use the typeface in sentence case, left-aligned and not justified. Set National Trust Display with 110% leading. Set National Trust Bold, Regular and Italic with 120% leading. The templates on the brand centre brandcentre.nationaltrust.org.uk have the correct typographic specifications and style-sheets built into them, so please download and use them. All typefaces can be downloaded from the National Trust brand centre. Go to brandcentre.nationaltrust.org.uk and select core artwork finder, where you can select and download the typeface.
• Always set text left-aligned: this creates an informal and friendly look. Never set text centred or right-justified.
• Give the text and images room to breathe. Use white space to make the layout relaxed, informal and inviting to read. Pages should never feel crowded or cluttered.
• To help express the idea of the supporter’s experience, we have our own set of cut-out shapes, which have a personal quality, as if they’ve been cut out by hand for a collage in a scrapbook. They help give us a unique and recognisable style.
• The shapes are used to hold images or solid colours. The shapes above are available as artworks to download from the core artwork finder area of the brand centre, you can adapt these shapes and make them more -or less irregular to match the feel of your item. If you want to create your own shape, take a piece of black paper and cut out the shape, aiming for straight lines but not for perfection. Scan your shape in and trace it using the pen tool in your design software.
• Choose free and informal layouts when placing images, rather than rigidly structured ones.

Layout And Composition

• To make the oak leaf and logotype stand out, don’t put any text or images in the clear space shown in the diagrams above.
• Clear space principles: Above the logo, leave space equivalent to half an oak leaf To the left, again leave half an oak leaf To the right, leave a whole oak leaf Below, leave a whole logotype
• The smallest legible size for the logo for both print and screen are indicated above. Minimum sizes for other processes, like embroidery or engraving, vary for each process: we recommend careful testing.
• Where appropriate, the layout of covers and posters is based on the idea of a picture in a frame.
• The frame is where the National Trust invites people in. The Trust should come across as less of a landowner and more of an enabler. The logotype is informal and welcoming. The place name is prominent, helping to communicate the distinctiveness of each place.
• The text, logo and frame-line are always in the same colour. To make it easy to design using the frame, the complete combination of oak leaf, logotype and frame-line is available in template form.
• Please do use these ready-to-use templates from the brand centre.
• When you’re designing a front cover or a poster, use the frame. This includes membership posters, the handbook cover, welcome leaflets, guidebooks, temporary notices, point-of-sale materials and product packaging.
• Images can be large or small, multiple or single, and can bleed off the top and sides of the page.
• Choose free and informal layouts when placing images, rather than rigidly structured ones.
• Two different frame layouts showing how our colour palette can be used to contrast or complement powerful and intriguing imagery.
• The position of the frame-line moves depending on how much text you need to communicate below the frame-line. If you have a lot of text, or if you’re designing a bilingual item in English and Welsh, the frame-line moves up as shown above.
• These proportions should not be altered and are available in template form to download from the brand centre.
• Titles are optional, but if you use one, place it at the top or the bottom of the picture space. Use the title to express the voice of the supporter. Think of it as words a supporter might use, not the official voice of the National Trust.
• If the frame doesn’t work for your particular item, use a layout with the full logo top left. This includes most kinds of newsletter, bulletin and information sheet.
• These proportions are available in template form to download from the brand centre. Go to core artwork finder and download ‘Logo framework templates’ -this will give you the framework templates plus the alternative design shown above.
• On covers, you can use any colour for the logo, frame-line and text, as long as it’s the same colour for all three.
• For most projects, you can choose from the whole palette, but for some items -such as business cards -our darkest green, Pantone® 356, is best. Please always use the exact specifications shown here. Always use colours as solids, never as tints.
• Use complementary rather than clashing colours and pay careful attention to accessibility. Make sure there is good contrast so that text is legible.
• We encourage people to use different colours to mark different sections in a publication, but discourage colour-coding. Always use colours as solids, never as tints. Use the light colours as backgrounds for pages.
• Use the typeface in sentence case, left-aligned and not justified.
• Set National Trust Display with 110% leading. Set National Trust Bold, Regular and Italic with 120% leading.
• Always set text left-aligned: this creates an informal and friendly look. Never set text centred or right-justified.
• Give the text and images room to breathe. Use white space to make the layout relaxed, informal and inviting to read. Pages should never feel crowded or cluttered.
• Make layouts uncluttered, with a clear hierarchy of headings, captions and text.
• Avoid setting text around images (run-arounds).
• Be careful placing text on top of a photograph. Choose an area where the image has a constant colour, and creates enough contrast for the text to be easily readable.
• When you’re using coloured text, or putting text on a coloured background, make sure there’s plenty of contrast between text and background.

Maps Guidelines

• There is a wide variety of map styles: in general make location maps as simple and uncluttered as possible: use National Trust Regular and Bold for wording. This example gives a personal quality.
• Walk maps can be much more detailed and even decorative.
• Use access symbols if helpful. Check the source of the map you’re using and ask for permission to reproduce it. You must add a copyright line if the owner asks you to.

Packaging Design

• When you’re designing a front cover or a poster, use the frame. This includes membership posters, the handbook cover, welcome leaflets, guidebooks, temporary notices, point-of-sale materials and product packaging.
• The text, logo and frame-line are always in the same colour. To make it easy to design using the frame, the complete combination of oak leaf, logotype and frame-line is available in template form.
• Please do use these ready-to-use templates from the brand centre.
• Go to brandcentre.nationaltrust.org.uk, select core artwork finder, and download ‘Logo framework templates’.
• On covers, you can use any colour for the logo, frame-line and text, as long as it’s the same colour for all three.
• For most projects, you can choose from the whole palette, but for some items -such as business cards -our darkest green, Pantone® 356, is best. Please always use the exact specifications shown here. Always use colours as solids, never as tints.
• Use complementary rather than clashing colours and pay careful attention to accessibility. Make sure there is good contrast so that text is legible.
• Always use colours as solids, never as tints. Use the light colours as backgrounds for pages.
• Choose free and informal layouts when placing images, rather than rigidly structured ones.
• Give the text and images room to breathe. Use white space to make the layout relaxed, informal and inviting to read. Pages should never feel crowded or cluttered.
• All National Trust publications should be printed on white paper with a matt, silk or uncoated finish. Avoid glossy papers which can be difficult to read due to the reflection of light.
• To minimise our environmental footprint, all printed products should be produced using paper made from 100% post-consumer waste.

Bilingual Guidelines

• In Wales, we use the bilingual logo (Welsh/English).
• The National Trust bilingual logo (Welsh/English) has four versions: Standard Alternative horizontal Reduced size, for use at smaller sizes maintaining the legibility of the logotype ‘in support of’, for use by supporter groups
• The bilingual logo (Welsh/English) is available in 21 different colours plus black and white. See page 28 for colour breakdowns and specifications.
• The smallest legible size for the bilingual logo for both print and screen are indicated above. Minimum sizes for other processes, like embroidery or engraving, vary for each process: we recommend careful testing.
• Communications distributed in Wales should be written in both Welsh and English, with the Welsh and English separated on the same page, wherever possible.
• For more information on preparing bilingual communication, contact the Wales office.

Property Style Guides

• Not many places will require a property style guide but if spirit of place demands it, a well designed and carefully thought through property style guide can help communicate spirit of place.
• This clearly does not mean creating a logo.
• For advice on how best to communicate spirit of place, talk to your design and visitor experience colleagues at consultancy or the design and corporate identity team at Heelis.
• There is also guidance on the brand centre. Go to brandcentre.nationaltrust.org.uk and select guides and templates, property/place style guides.

Partner Branding Guidelines

• In these partnerships, one or other organisation should take the lead. It’s a mistake to mix the two brand identities together: this produces a mish-mash, undermining the equity of both brands.
• In addition, the Trust works with licensees and corporate partners. Here, other guidelines apply. For more information on licensing, contact our brand licensing manager, and for corporate partnerships contact our corporate partnerships team.
• We normally take the lead when: - we have the more authority or credibility - we’ve initiated the project, or - the place we’re talking about is mainly owned by us.
• In this case, follow our Brand standards, but add the partner’s logo in the space below our logotype, possibly preceded by a line like ‘supported by’ or ‘in partnership with’. Choose a National Trust colour for the text, logo and frame that’s sympathetic with the partner’s logo.
• The partner takes the lead when: - they have more authority or credibility - they’ve initiated the project, or - the place we’re talking about is mainly owned by them.
• In these cases, the partner should create the material, following their own Brand standards. We should make sure the National Trust logo appears on the front cover. Usually, the reduced size version is the best one to use, possibly preceded by text like ‘in association with’. Supply the logo in a colour sympathetic to the partner’s brand identity.

Paper And Print Guidelines

• Include a printing notice like this: Printed on 100% recycled paper If appropriate add: Please recycle this leaflet after use.
• All National Trust publications should be printed on white paper with a matt, silk or uncoated finish. Avoid glossy papers which can be difficult to read due to the reflection of light.
• To minimise our environmental footprint, all printed products should be produced using paper made from 100% post-consumer waste. Compared with new paper from wood fibre, recycled paper consumes fewer resources (wood, energy and water), uses fewer chemicals, discharges less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and reduces the need for landfill.
• The current list of nominated paper merchants, available grades and agreed National Trust pricing is available from the print and production team who can also advise you on the best paper for each product.
• Please order your selected paper through one of the Trust’s nominated paper merchants. At the time of ordering you, or your supplier, will need to make clear that the paper is being bought on behalf of the National Trust, so that you benefit from the prices we have negotiated on your behalf. The prices are competitive for the types of paper on offer, but they will not always be the lowest price.
• At the end of all printed materials apart from posters and adverts, include in 16pt type the phrase ‘If you’d like this information in an alternative format…’ with a phone number and email address.

Image Credits Guidelines

• You must always give a credit for each image you use. For photographs from National Trust Images, you should credit both National Trust Images and the photographer. Multiple credits can be grouped like this: National Trust Images/Joe Cornish/Stephen Robson/David Noton

Copyright Guidelines

• You must always include a copyright notice like this: © National Trust 2012
• The National Trust’s logo, together with its library of photographic images and many of its products and services, are part of the Trust’s intellectual property. You should never agree to any external company or organisation using our name, logo or intellectual property without checking with your consultancy first. Giving away our intellectual property costs the Trust money and can jeopardise our reputation.
• Check the source of the map you’re using and ask for permission to reproduce it. You must add a copyright line if the owner asks you to.

Data Protection Guidelines

• A standard data protection statement has been prepared for use on all printed items which collect personal information, such as names and addresses. The statement and a corresponding padlock symbol are available on the Intranet under ‘Data Protection’. This is a legal requirement and must be followed.

Additional Properties

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