Appendix 13 - NARA Visual Identity Guide.pdf

VISUAL IDENTITY GUIDE

NARA VISUAL IDENTITY GUIDE

NARA’s visual identity is how we present ourselves to the public through print and online communi-cations. It is important that we safeguard that identity and apply our visual branding consistently to all our products across various media. The cornerstone of our visual brand is our logo, which if used correctly and consistently, serves as a powerful symbol of who we are and what we stand for. These pages provide guidance for protecting and promoting our brand and our visual identity.

VISUAL IDENTITY GUIDE

Logo

Organizational Logos

Presidential Library Logos

Other NARA Logos

Pairing NARA Logo with External Logos

Colors

Video HistoryTemplates

Branding OptionsFonts

Social Media & Websites

NARA & Trust Fund Seals

NARA Program Logos

Nate the Eagle

1787–201211

225th Anniversary at the National Archives a t t h e N a t i o n a l A r c h i v e s

Office Name

Contact If you have any questions about NARA’s visual brand or the use of our logo, please email our Graphic Design team at visual.service@nara.gov

Employee Affinity Group Logos

EAG

LOGO

Our logo is the cornerstone of our brand and the most valuable asset we all use to show the world who we are and what we stand for. We all must ensure its proper usage in communicating our message and presenting the visual identity of NARA.

Make sure the logo is legible and distinct if the page design contains many images or has a variety of visual elements. Maintain the clear space around the logo to maximize visual effectiveness.

Sizing and Placement The logo is flexible, but there is a minimum sizing requirement for its use. The NARA logo should not set any smaller than 36px, and when placed on a web page, it should always be facing into the content.

There is no maximum width specified for the logo. In order to preserve legibility and prominence, never use the National Archives logo in widths smaller than .5" (print) and 36 px (digital).

The logo must always be set apart from additional visual elements or text within a layout. Logo place-ment is key to branding success. We strive to ensure that both our internal and external audiences can easily recognize the National Archives logo. There can be variations on placement, but the logo should appear on every official product. The graphic below provides recommended spacing for placing the NARA logo on print products.

A few NARA offices and affiliated organization have their own logos approved for use in conjunction with the NARA logo. Click here to see the complete list.

Contact If you have any questions about NARA’s visual brand or the use of our logo, please email our Graphic Design team at visual.services@nara.gov.

16px

16px

16px

16px

COLORS (web, digital products, and print)

Logo Color Choices for Print There are four primary color choices we recommend for the logo: blue, black, gray, and white. When the NARA logo is paired with another logo, the NARA logo color will reflect the dominant color of the paired logo. See the Approved NARA Program Logos section for examples.

Print primary color choices

Web primary colors The National Archives follows the U.S. Web Design System for guidance on web-safe fonts and colors.

All websites should use the USWDS colors. When possible, change the NARA logo color to marry with the dominant paired logo color. See examples in the Approved NARA Program Logos section. For a full list of colors, refer to the U.S. Web Design System guide website: https://standards.usa.gov/com-ponents/colors/

Blue rgb = 42, 81, 148 cmyk = 93, 76, 10, 1 web = 205493

PMS =7684

Black rgb = 33, 33, 33 cmyk = 71, 65, 65, 73 web = 212121 PMS =Black 3

Gray rgb = 174, 176, 181 cmyk = 33, 26, 23, 0 web = aeb0b5 PMS = Cool Gray 6

White rgb = 255, 255, 255 cmyk = 0, 0, 0, 0 web = ffffff

#112e51 color-primary-darkest

#aeb0b5 color-gray

#ffffff color-white

#212121 color-base

#323a45 color-gray-dark

Contact If you have any questions about NARA’s visual brand or the use of our logo, please email our Graphic Design team at visual.services@nara.gov.

FONTS (web, digital products, and print)

Web For the web, NARA uses fonts recommended by the U.S. Web Design System: Merriweather (serif font) and Source Sans Pro (sans serif font). The USWDS fonts are open source, meet accessibility require-ments, and are designed for on-screen legibility.

Merriweather and Source Sans Pro should be used on all digital products (or products that may be uploaded for online use).

The USWDS guide (https://designsystem.digital.gov/components/typography/) offers more information about typography and usability.

Color Contrast and Text Accessibility Guidance on color contrast and text accessibility for digital products shared on websites and social media is found in the USWDS guide (https://designsystem.digital.gov/components/colors/#text-accessi-bility).

Contact

BRANDING OPTIONS

The National Archives brand applies to all organizations within the agency and tells the world that we are united by a common mission.

Master Branding With master branding, the National Archives brand becomes the brand of each individual organization.

There are no other graphic identifiers, and the organization’s name is presented in straightforward typography, separated from the NARA logo with a vertical rule and a defined amount of space.

On the web, the NARA logo must link to the National Archives home page — www.archives.gov — and the organization’s name must link to their home page.

Logo Pairing For print products, in most cases, you must use the official NARA master brand. If there is a compelling need to include office branding, follow the Organizational 1 or Organizational 2 guidance listed below.

For external organizations, pairing the NARA logo with an organization’s identity enhances the brands of both organizations while still clearly giving visibility to our organization’s graphic presence. External organizations draw on the considerable brand value of NARA when they pair their logo with the Nation-al Archives logo. It’s important that both marks are presented to have equal visual weight. Click here to see examples of paired logos.

For web products: If the NARA logo already exisits on your product, the program logo becomes the dominant visual on the page. Pairing isn’t necessary.

Master Branding 1 Master Branding 2 Master Branding 3

Organizational 1 Organizational 2

NATIONAL

ARCHIVES NATIONAL ARCHIVES

Office Name or activity

Sponsoring event

Office Name or activity

Sponsoring event

Organizational Logos

Archivist of the United States

Archivist of the United States

Office of Equal Employment Opportunity Programs

Office of Equal Employment Opportunity

Programs

National Historical Publications and Records Commission

National Historical Publications and

Records Commission

Office of General Counsel

Office of General Counsel

Congressional Affairs

Congressional Affairs

Office of the Chief of Staff

Office of the Chief of Staff

Office of the Chief of Management and Administration

Office of the Chief of Management and

Administration

Office of Innovation

Office of Innovation

Agency Services

Research Services

Office of the Federal Register

Office of the Federal Register

Agency Services

Research Services

Office of the Chief Operating Officer

Office of the Chief Operating Officer

Legislative Archives, Presidential Libraries, and Museum Services

Legislative Archives, Presidential Libraries, and Museum Services

Office of the Chief Acquisition Officer

Office of the Chief Acquisition Officer

Information Services

Information Services

Business Support Services

Business Support Services

Office of Human Capital

Office of the Chief Records Officer for the U.S. Government

Office of the Chief Records Officer for the

U.S. Government

Office of Human Capital

Office of the Chief Financial Officer

Office of the Chief Financial Officer

Approved NARA Program Logos Some offices have been granted permission to create and use individual logos. Below is a list of those approved logos.

INFORMATION SECURITY

OVERSIGHT OFFICE

Controlled

Unclassified

Information

Presidential Library Logos

IKE

DWIGHT D.

EISENHOWER

Presidential Library & Museum

Barack Obama Presidential Library

Contact

SPECIAL EMPHASIS

PROGRAM MANAGERS

Other NARA Logos

Employee Affinity Group Logos

Pairing NARA Logo with External Logos

The National Archives logo may be paired with an external organization’s logo when there is an ap-proved partnership program. The pairing highlights the collaboration and enhances the brands of both organizations. It is important that both logos are presented to have equal weight.

On the web - The National Archives logo must link to the National Archives home page.

NARA officials who are arranging logo parings with external organizations participating in official part-nership programs must contact the National Archives Comm unications and Marketing unit for permis-sion and guidance on how to properly pair their logo with that of the National Archives.

Below are a few sample pairings.

Contact If you have any questions about NARA’s visual brand or the use of our logo, please email our Graphic Design team at visual.services@nara.gov.

NATIONAL ARCHIVES

FOUNDATION

Social Media

All agency-level social media platforms (those labeled as “US National Archives”) must use a full version of the NARA logo as the profile picture (which also becomes the avatar). Subordinate organizations may use the NARA logo or different graphics as the profile picture, such as approved office or program logos, but the NARA logo should appear prominently in the header/cover photo across the top of the page.

The examples below show options for placing the logo on header/cover photos on different platforms. Placement of the NARA logo will depend on the profile image being used—the composition of the photo will determine the best location. The three options for displaying the logo are: in a white circle upon a transparent bar, in a white circle directly on the photo, and a black, white, or transparent eagle (without the circle) directly on the photo.

Twitter

Facebook

Blogs

When setting up a National Archives blog banner, conform to the following visual identity and graphics structure (seen below). The National Archives logo must appear in the upper left-hand corner, and the blog’s title should appear to its right, using the U.S. Web Design System fonts.

Websites | Fixed Header and Navigation Bar

Official websites belonging to National Archives organizations should incorporate the Visual Identity header and navigation bar. This bar is deployed at the agency level by the Office of Innovation’s web team.

Contact

Newsletters

Newsletter headers should incorporate the National Archives logo, paired when appropriate.

Newsletter headers examples

Contact

NARA AND TRUST FUND SEALS

The National Archives and National Archives Trust Fund seals are historical symbols that should be reserved for ceremonial use or certain administrative forms and NOT USED on digital products or web-sites. The design of the seal may not be modified. Link to NARA 110, the use of Official NARA Seals.

The National Archives 1985 seal Use the National Archives 1985 seal for:

• Authentication of copies of agency records in NARA’s physical custody at the Federal records centers.

• Authentication of copies of NARA operational records that have not been acces-sioned into Record Group 64.

• Official publications such as the Code of Federal Regulations, the Federal Register, reports to Con-gress, the Strategic Plan, and the Performance and Accountability Report.

Federal agencies require prior approval from the Archivist (or designee). NARA employees must obtain prior approval from the Archivist (or designee) for uses other than official NARA business.

Link to download is available here.

National Archives Trust Fund Board seal, dated 1941 - Use this seal for Trust Fund documents and publications (examples: letterhead, publications, and the annual report to the Trust Fund Board). Official use requires prior approval from the Trust Fund Branch (XT).

The National Archives 1934 Seal - Use the 1934 seal to authenticate copies of holdings in the legal custody of the National Archives of the United States.

Link to download is available here.

Contact

NARA AND TRUST FUND SEALS

jpeg png

Contact If you have any questions about NARA’s visual brand or the use of our logo, please email our Graphic Design team at visual.services@nara.gov.

L I T T E R A

SCRIPTA

M A NE T

NATIO

N

A L

A

RCHIVES TRUST FU

N D

BOARD

L I T T E R A

SCRIPTA

M A NE T

NATIO

N

A L

A

RCHIVES TRUST FU

N D

BOARD

NATE THE EAGLE

Nate the Eagle is NARA’s youth branding graphic. This illustration may be used by the National Archives community to promote youth events, but it should never be used as a substitute for the official NARA logo.

Nate the Eagle is available in varying file formats for many different uses.

Email graphicdesign@nara.gov for the file type that meets your need.

Links to download are available here.

Contact

STATIONERY

Professionally Printed Items: Stationery, Business Cards, Envelopes Once a quarter, a NARA notice from the Communications and Marketing Division is announced for pro-fessionally printed official branded stationery and business cards. Standard letterheads and envelopes for Archives I and II are ordered in bulk and do not require individual office requests.

Business Cards / Envelopes The National Archives business card has been designed to accommodate differences in name length, the number of titles, and inclusion of additional contact information. Once a quarter the Communications and Marketing Division announces a call for printing official NARA stationery, envelopes, and business cards. Follow instructions on the an-nouncement to obtain business cards to obtain business cards.

Envelopes Similar to the Microsoft Word Letterhead design, NARA business envelopes provide the visual design cues welcoming consumers into the personality of our organization.

TEMPLATE

Letterhead / Memo (Microsoft Word) Letterhead and memo templates are available Microsoft Word for use when the professionally printed stationery is not appropriate. The design provides simple branding and encourages all units to provide only necessary contact information. Do not produce letterhead with alternate designs.

Letterhead Memo

FIRST / LAST NAME

Division

Office t: 000.000.0000 f irst.lastname@nara.gov

1111 ADDRESS

LOCATION, STATE ZIP CODE

w w w. a r c h i v e s . g o v @ u s n a t a r c h i v e s address line here county, state and zip

OFFICIAL BUSINESS

PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE $300

national archives and records administration • w w w. a r c h i v e s . g o v national archives and records administration • w w w. a r c h i v e s . g o v date:

reply to:

attn of:

subject:

to:

Signage The National Archives logo should be used in all printed products. Placement of the logo should be considered as part of the design from the beginning, so its presence in the overall design will be more effective. On a multipage product, the logo should always appear on the cover or the front page. It should never be just on the back cover or on an inside page. The words “National Archives and Records Administration” should also appear somewhere on the printed piece, even if the NARA logo is already being used on it. Altering typefaces, watermarks, and colors within the templates is strongly discouraged.

We recommend the use of Merriweather or Source Sans Pro font families.

Posters | Download

Flyers | Download

Office Name or activity Sponsoring event of Staff

Contact If you have any questions about NARA’s visual brand or the use of our logo, please email our Graphic Design team at visual.services@nara.gov.

n a t i o n a l a r c h i v e s a n d r e c o r d s a d m i n i s t r a t i o n n a t i o n a l a r c h i v e s a n d r e c o r d s a d m i n i s t r a t i o n n a t i o n a l a r c h i v e s a n d r e c o r d s a d m i n i s t r a t i o n n a t i o n a l a r c h i v e s a n d r e c o r d s a d m i n i s t r a t i o n

Presentation Slides These presentation templates ensure a consistent, themed visual message. Altering typefaces, water-marks, and colors within the templates is strongly discouraged. We recommend the use of Merriweather or Source Sans Pro font families when creating a presentation.

Table Tent Cards | Download

These table tent card templates ensure a consistent, themed visual message. Links to the templates can be found here.

Title page option #1 Title page option #2 Text page

Digital Signs | Download

Certificate | Download

Email Signature Block The National Archives logo should be used in email signature blocks, along with links to NARA’s agen-cy-level social media accounts. To create the standard NARA signature block, follow these instruc-tions. If you need a signature block with paired logos, please contact visual.services@nara.gov.

Standard Logo Paired Logo First / Last name Job Title Branch / Division Office Office Phone:

Email Address:

Offices without their own social media accounts or website should use the following agency- level accounts. Offices with their own social media accounts or websites may use their own appropriate links.

First / Last name Job Title Branch / Division Office Office Phone:

Email Address:

First / Last name Job Title Branch / Division Office Office Phone:

Email Address:

Signature date

Name of

AWARD

presented to

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Contact If you have any questions about NARA’s visual brand or the use of our logo, please email our Graphic Design team at visual.services@nara.gov.

national archives and Records Administration presented to

CERTIFICATE of

ACHIEVEMENT

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Signature DATE presented to

Signature DATE

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Certificate of

ACHIEVEMENT

VIDEO

The National Archives logo should be included as a standard title frame when a new video opens and closes. Organizations with approved logos should use paired logos.

Contact If you have any questions about NARA’s visual brand or the use of our logo, please email our Graphic Design team at visual.services@nara.gov.

IKE

DWIGHT D.

EISENHOWER

Presidential Library & Museum

Paired logo

Lower third example

Lower third example with a paired logo

NARA branding needs to be included in the lower third on screen.

Eisenhower Library Abilene, KSIKE

DWIGHT D.

EISENHOWER

Presidential Library & Museum

National Archives Washington, DC

HISTORY & SYMBOLISM

Symbolism for the Eagle The eagle illustration was based on the 12-foot-tall sculptural detail at the outer angles of the pedi-ments on the National Archives Building in Washington, DC. The eagle is a symbol for guardianship, strength, and courage. The wings symbolize moving ahead, swiftness, and protection. Our use of the eagle, the national symbol of the United States, also connects NARA’s identity to the Great Seal of the United States.

Brand Promise The brand is you, and it’s all of NARA. It’s what NARA stands for and represents the unique work we all perform for our stakeholders, visitors, and global clients providing open access to our nation’s history.

Font The print font selected to accompany the eagle logo visually connects with the inscriptions on the out-side of the National Archives Building in Washington, DC. The type selected for print products is called Trajan, and the design is based on the letter forms of Roman square capitals, influenced by the style of the chiseled writings of the Romans during the first century A.D. The letter forms were designed from the inscription at the base of Trajan’s Column, from which the typeface takes its name.

Contact If you have any questions about NARA’s visual brand or the use of our logo, please email our Graphic Design team at visual.services@nara.gov.

Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

Minion Regular

Minion Italic

A b c d e F g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

TRAJAN REGULAR (only sets in ALL CAPS)