NICA

📋 1 Guidelines

🔗 Connections

Sector

Sports Ngo

Region

Usa

Guideline Year

2019

Language

English

Tags

Sport

Official Websites

Brand Guidelines

2019

Brand Summary

Mission
  • We build strong minds, bodies, character, and communities through cycling.
Core Values
  • Fun
  • Inclusivity
  • Equity
  • Respect
  • Community
Target Audience
  • Youth, student-athletes, coaches, volunteers, families, and communities across the United States interested in cycling and youth development.
Personality Traits
  • Friendly
  • Welcoming
  • Personable
  • Professional
  • Approachable
  • Positive
  • Adventurous
  • Gritty
  • Inclusive
  • Fun
Visual Identity Overview
  • The visual identity emphasizes bold, energetic imagery of mountain biking, vibrant primary colors (red, blue, white), custom logo and wordmark, consistent use of the Metric font, and photography that highlights fun, diversity, and community. Logo usage is strictly regulated for consistency, with clear guidelines for color, spacing, and misuse. The brand’s visual style is adventurous, inclusive, and community-focused.

Categories

Brand Voice
  • We want our voice to be friendly, welcoming and personable. We write like we are writing to our community and our friends because we are! We try to keep our writing style professional, yet personable. Writing should sound like it comes from a person and not an organization.
  • Be professional, yet approachable. We want everyone to be able to connect to our posts, so we try to keep our language professional, yet we do like to use fun mountain biking lingo such as “rad” “stoke” or “shred.”
  • Check and double-check. Kids are smart. They’re quick to find errors, so check and double check spelling, grammar and statistics. Then have your friend check. If you’re a league writing about NICA National and are including statistics, please check with us for accuracy!
  • Keep it positive and friendly. We are all one big community of mountain bikers and outdoor enthusiasts who are just trying to get #morekidsonbikes. There’s no reason to be negative or unfriendly, it doesn’t accomplish anything. You can’t go wrong when you stay positive.
  • Be clear and concise. Keep your writing and language easy to understand and to the point. A good rule of thumb is to imagine that you are writing for a 5th grade class.
Brand Imagery
  • Focus on fun and community.
  • We want to tell the story of NICA through powerful images. These images should promote our mission, vision and values, as well as recognize our student-athletes, coaches, volunteers and community. Our favorite images capture the essence of NICA and appeal to all our audiences nationwide. Photos should aspire to show the diversity across the organization. Above all, we want to be about fun, from donors to young participants. Our goal is to make every interaction exciting for every ability and to have fun.
  • Photos to avoid
  • Arms in the air A student-athlete’s excitement overtakes them and it is common to see photos of riders with both hands in the air. For Risk Management reasons, we recommend refraining from posting these types of photos.
  • Full face helmets On some occasions, student-athlete’s are sometimes seen wearing full face helmets. As these types of helmets are only allowed with written-approval from the Rules and Appeals committees, we recommend not posting photos with full face helmets as they are only worn under extreme circumstances.
  • Endo Any photos of people flying over handlebars or in a “superman” position convey risky and dangerous procedures on a mountain bike. Please refrain from posting or promoting these types of photos.
  • Wheelies Lifting the front wheel off the ground, usually in combination of pulling on the handlebars to maintain balance, is a risky maneuver that goes against NICA Risk Management policies. When taking, sharing or posting, please abstain from promoting these types of photos.
  • Bridges and features Some leagues have created some excellent bridges and many other types of features that are frequently part of a league’s course. Unfortunately, some features are not always following the standard NICA protocol for proper Risk Management. If you are uncertain about a feature’s Risk Management viability, please refrain from promoting.
  • Overall Use your best judgment when promoting photos and take into consideration any Risk Management that may be cause for concern.
Color Palette
  • The wordmark can only be red (PMS 185 C), white or black.
  • The brandmark version of the logo must appear in blue (PMS 285 C) and red (PMS 185 ), and the conditions when vendor limited to one color, black and white can be used.
  • On dark background include white outline

  • PRIMARY COLORS CMYK 2, 100, 92, 0 RGB 234, 0, 41 HEX #ea0029 PANTONE 185 C CMYK 91, 53, 0, 0 RGB 0, 113, 206 HEX #0071ce PANTONE 285 C

  • SECONDARY COLORS CMYK 42, 34, 32, 1 RGB 155, 156, 160 HEX #9b9ca0 PANTONE COOL GRAY 7 U CMYK 75, 68, 67, 90 RGB 0, 0, 0 HEX #000000 BLACK CMYK 0, 0, 0, 0 RGB 255, 255, 255 HEX #FFFFFF WHITE

  • Don’t change the colors of the brandmark to match your team colors.
  • Don’t combine different color schemes when combining the logos. Use either the standard logo colors or use single color combinations if no other options are available.
Typography
  • Our primary font for all print collateral is Metric. The font can be purchased from the Klim Type Foundry. If metric isn’t available on your computer, use Sans Serif font Verdana or Helvetica.
  • Use the font version that works best with your design, and be consistent throughout the creation of collateral.
  • Metric Thin
  • Metric Thin Italic
  • Metric Light
  • Metric Light Italic
  • Metric Regular
  • Metric Regular Italic
  • Metric Medium
  • Metric Medium Italic
  • Metric Semibold
  • Metric Semibold Italic
  • Metric Bold
  • Metric Bold Italic
  • Metric Black
  • Metric Black Italic
Logo Usage
  • Our logo is made up of two main elements: a brandmark and a wordmark. The wordmark is a custom logo based on the metric font.
  • Our logo and word mark can be set together with a lockup, can appear independently with or without the text “National Interscholastic Cycling Association,” as appears best in the final design.
  • The wordmark can only be red (PMS 185 C), white or black.
  • Black logo used when color option not available
  • White logo to be used on black or dark colors
  • The brandmark version of the logo must appear in blue (PMS 285 C) and red (PMS 185 ), and the conditions when vendor limited to one color, black and white can be used.
  • On dark background include white outline
  • When using our logo, it should be easy to read. The logo should be easy to recognize, and should have a buffer of white space approximately 20% the width or height of the logo. (See sides labeled “A” and “B” in the figures below for preferred spacing).
  • Don’t place brand mark on a dark or texture background without a white border on it.
  • Don’t change the colors of the brandmark to match your team colors.
  • Don’t attach other graphic elements to the NICA logo. We encourage creativity with league logos for any promotional items. Anything beyond promotional items must be approved by NICA.
  • The league logo should be prominent, in its own line or row on top.
  • Don’t place the NICA logo so that it reads before the league logo or NICA wordmark.
  • Don’t combine different color schemes when combining the logos. Use either the standard logo colors or use single color combinations if no other options are available.
  • Don’t alter or distort the shape of the brandmarks to fit into your layout.
  • Don’t allow other graphic elements to encroach into clearspace surrounding logo.
  • Don’t rotate the NICA logo. Rider in logo should always have cyclist oriented in riding position.
Tone And Messaging
  • We want our voice to be friendly, welcoming and personable. We write like we are writing to our community and our friends because we are! We try to keep our writing style professional, yet personable. Writing should sound like it comes from a person and not an organization.
    1. Be professional, yet approachable. We want everyone to be able to connect to our posts, so we try to keep our language professional, yet we do like to use fun mountain biking lingo such as “rad” “stoke” or “shred.”
    1. Check and double-check. Kids are smart. They’re quick to find errors, so check and double check spelling, grammar and statistics. Then have your friend check. If you’re a league writing about NICA National and are including statistics, please check with us for accuracy!
    1. Keep it positive and friendly. We are all one big community of mountain bikers and outdoor enthusiasts who are just trying to get #morekidsonbikes. There’s no reason to be negative or unfriendly, it doesn’t accomplish anything. You can’t go wrong when you stay positive.
    1. Be clear and concise. Keep your writing and language easy to understand and to the point. A good rule of thumb is to imagine that you are writing for a 5th grade class.
  • Our social voice is written in a positive, personal and encouraging tone. We are optimistic, thankful, excited, energized and proud of what our leagues, teams, student-athletes, coaches and volunteers are accomplishing. Above all, we want to connect daily and engage with our community.
  • Be an Educator - Promote topics that inform and educate our community such as nutrition tips, trail etiquette, training tips and other related topics.
  • Develop connections with youth, families, coaches, like-minded organizations and sponsors.
  • Reinforce the NICA mission, vision and core values. Strong mind, strong body, strong character, inclusivity, equity, community, respect and FUN!
  • Be humanistic - Have fun, be goofy in the field or at a race. Be accessible and show that you’re at the same level as our community.
  • Trust your Gut! If you think the post might be offensive, don’t write it. Always keep posts positive and uplifting. Don’t engage with internet wars of words.
  • #morekidsonbikes - Remember the message! Simple and to the point.
  • Inclusive, adventurous, gritty, friendly, fun.
Brand Values
  • Fun NICA inspires friendship, joy, and adventure.
  • Inclusivity NICA believes everyone should be able to participate in our programs and feel welcomed, respected and supported.
  • Equity NICA is committed to fair treatment, equal access, opportunity, advancement and elimination of barriers to encourage participation for all.
  • Respect NICA expects consideration for all others, oneself, and the outdoors.
  • Community NICA unites diverse people, families and communities through cycling by creating fun and welcoming experiences.
Visual Style
  • The wordmark can only be red (PMS 185 C), white or black.
  • Black logo used when color option not available
  • White logo to be used on black or dark colors
  • The brandmark version of the logo must appear in blue (PMS 285 C) and red (PMS 185 ), and the conditions when vendor limited to one color, black and white can be used.
  • On dark background include white outline
  • When using our logo, it should be easy to read. The logo should be easy to recognize, and should have a buffer of white space approximately 20% the width or height of the logo. (See sides labeled “A” and “B” in the figures below for preferred spacing).
  • CMYK 2, 100, 92, 0 RGB 234, 0, 41 HEX #ea0029 PANTONE 185 C
  • CMYK 91, 53, 0, 0 RGB 0, 113, 206 HEX #0071ce PANTONE 285 C
  • CMYK 42, 34, 32, 1 RGB 155, 156, 160 HEX #9b9ca0 PANTONE COOL GRAY 7 U
  • CMYK 75, 68, 67, 90 RGB 0, 0, 0 HEX #000000 BLACK
  • CMYK 0, 0, 0, 0 RGB 255, 255, 255 HEX #FFFFFF WHITE
  • Our primary font for all print collateral is Metric. The font can be purchased from the Klim Type Foundry. If metric isn’t available on your computer, use Sans Serif font Verdana or Helvetica.
  • Use the font version that works best with your design, and be consistent throughout the creation of collateral.
  • Metric Thin
  • Metric Thin Italic
  • Metric Light
  • Metric Light Italic
  • Metric Regular
  • Metric Regular Italic
  • Metric Medium
  • Metric Medium Italic
  • Metric Semibold
  • Metric Semibold Italic
  • Metric Bold
  • Metric Bold Italic
  • Metric Black
  • Metric Black Italic
  • Focus on fun and community.
  • Photos should aspire to show the diversity across the organization.
  • Above all, we want to be about fun, from donors to young participants.
  • Our goal is to make every interaction exciting for every ability and to have fun.
  • Don’t place brand mark on a dark or texture background without a white border on it.
  • Don’t change the colors of the brandmark to match your team colors.
  • Don’t attach other graphic elements to the NICA logo. We encourage creativity with league logos for any promotional items. Anything beyond promotional items must be approved by NICA.
  • The league logo should be prominent, in its own line or row on top.
  • Don’t place the NICA logo so that it reads before the league logo or NICA wordmark.
  • Don’t combine different color schemes when combining the logos. Use either the standard logo colors or use single color combinations if no other options are available.
  • Don’t alter or distort the shape of the brandmarks to fit into your layout.
  • Don’t allow other graphic elements to encroach into clearspace surrounding logo.
  • Don’t rotate the NICA logo. Rider in logo should always have cyclist oriented in riding position.
Layout And Composition
  • The logo should be easy to recognize, and should have a buffer of white space approximately 20% the width or height of the logo. (See sides labeled “A” and “B” in the figures below for preferred spacing).
  • Don’t allow other graphic elements to encroach into clearspace surrounding logo.
  • Don’t alter or distort the shape of the brandmarks to fit into your layout.
  • Don’t combine different color schemes when combining the logos. Use either the standard logo colors or use single color combinations if no other options are available.
  • Don’t place the NICA logo so that it reads before the league logo or NICA wordmark.
  • The league logo should be prominent, in its own line or row on top.
  • Don’t attach other graphic elements to the NICA logo. We encourage creativity with league logos for any promotional items. Anything beyond promotional items must be approved by NICA.
  • Don’t change the colors of the brandmark to match your team colors.
  • Don’t place brand mark on a dark or texture background without a white border on it.
Videos
  • Inclusive, adventurous, gritty, friendly, fun.
  • For video promotion, we primarily use the NICA YouTube channel to promote webinars, training videos and league features. If your league would like to share any videos, please feel free to email them to jorge@nationalmtb.org to upload. Please share YouTube approved video formats for quickest upload.
Video Personality
  • Inclusive, adventurous, gritty, friendly, fun.
Graphic Approval Process
  • As you develop collateral for your leagues, we encourage creativity, and to follow the graphics guidelines outlined in the NICA Brand Book.
  • If what you are intending to create is outside the scope of the Brand Book, please follow these steps to ensure your designs are reviewed and approved by the NICA National Office.
    1. Review the NICA Brand Book and use its guidelines to develop your designs www.nationalmtb.org –> Media Center –> Media Center –> Brand Book
    1. If you are planning to develop something new, and outside of the scope of the brand book, please: a. Reach out to the Marketing Team (Jorge Montoya, Emily McDonald, Kristine Urrutia) and share your graphics request b. Explain what you would like to create with the NICA team before engaging with a designer
    1. The Marketing Team will review your request, and provide approval if the design falls under the parameters of the brand book (or perhaps it might be an amazing suggestion we might add to NICA Brand Book as it is a living document)
    1. Once approved, the Marketing Team will work with you to develop a launch plan
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