MERIDIAN AUDIO BRAND COMMUNICATIONS GUIDELINES. meridian-audio.com

Transcription

1 MERIDIAN AUDIO BRAND COMMUNICATIONS GUIDELINES meridian-audio.com

2 CONTENTS 1. Introduction Our Brand Values 4 2. Graphical Elements Meridian Primary Logo Logo Usage - Do's And Don'ts Meridian Secondary Logo Logo Usage - Minimum Sizes Colours Meridian Sub-Brands Typography Headers Meridian Written Language How We Write Meridian Boilerplate Meridian Design Templates Print Advertising - Style Guide Online advertising - Style Guide Meridian Marketing Resources 26 2

3 1. INTRODUCTION Since 1977, Meridian Audio has been crafting innovative, elegant, high performance audio solutions. From its compact DSP loudspeakers with integrated amplification, to its user-friendly music management platform, Sooloos, Meridian delivers easy to install, high resolution audio systems for home cinemas and whole home solutions. 3

4 1.1 OUR BRAND VALUES DESIGN PERFORMANCE INNOVATION AWARD WINNING BRITISH 4

5 2. GRAPHICAL ELEMENTS We believe that our brand and the values it enshrines, is as important as the technology behind our products. By ensuring we apply a consistent approach to the logo, fonts, colours and associated imagery, we can guarantee that the brand achieves the highest levels of recognition. 5

6 2.1 MERIDIAN PRIMARY LOGO Our primary logo comprises our stylised M (monogram) and our name (wordmark). They are always used together except where the application size or process doesn t allow eg automotive speaker enclosures and smaller screen sizes of our website as viewed on mobile devices. The logo is instantly recognisable and requires a consistency of delivery across all media. < monogram The logo and brand are trademarked which helps Meridian to achieve a high degree of stand out and recognition in the market. < wordmark Examples of how the primary logo should be used can be found in Design Templates (section 4). High resolution logo files can be downloaded from the Meridian Marketing Resources Media Centre - (section 5). No elements of the primary logo can be modified. 6

7 2.1 MERIDIAN PRIMARY LOGO (CONTINUED) WITH BLEED ADDED The logo should always be used in the format above. The midpoint is formed in the monogram as shown. A clear boundary space needs to be left around the logo to ensure its impact is not compromised by other graphical or typographical elements. To make it simple the M used in the wordmark should be used as a guide. Where the logo bleeds off the top of a page, bleed would need to be added in print so that the full primary logo is displayed so keeping the square proportions. 7

8 2.2 LOGO USAGE - DO'S AND DON'TS DO NOT rearrange the logo DO NOT distort the monogram To retain the consistency of the brand, the primary or secondary logos must be not be edited or customised in any way. Examples of how the primary and secondary logos should be used can be found in Meridian Design Templates (section 4). DO NOT deconstruct the logo DO NOT invert the monogram DO NOT use black on white DO NOT change the colour of the monogram DO NOT change the space relationship between the monogram to the wordmark DO NOT place the logo on a background colour that isn t black DO NOT add descriptors to the logo DO NOT change the proportions of the bounding box 8

9 2.2 LOGO USAGE - DO'S AND DON'TS (CONTINUED) A transparent logo may be used on an image where it can achieve a high level of stand out. Busy or colourful backgrounds should be avoided. The logo's edges will be denoted by a white border. A white border version of the logo should not be used for any other applications i.e. where solid black logo is used. 9

10 2.3 MERIDIAN SECONDARY LOGO Where the possible the primary logo should always be used. The secondary logo can be considered for applications where the primary logo doesn't work because of the space available such as on footers. The logos are available in different formats see Meridian Marketing Resources Media Centre (section 5). Example of use on a white background. Examples of use on a black background. A clear boundary space needs to be left around the logo to ensure its impact is not compromised by other graphical or typographical elements. To make it simple the M used in the wordmark should be used as a guide. 10

11 2.4 LOGO USAGE - MINIMUM SIZES In order to retain the integrity of the design and the legibility of the wordmark and monogram, the minimum size for the logos are: 300 DPI (print ) 72 DPI (online) 72 DPI (online) 13 mm 13 mm 70 pixels 70 pixels 11mm 60 pixels 11mm 60 pixels PRIMARY SECONDARY 11

12 2.5 COLOURS In most applications Meridian Black and white are our primary colours, but we have a secondary pallette for use on applications such as print ads, online, technical sheets etc. The Meridian colour palette consists of Meridian Black, white and a selection of secondary greys. The black allows the logo(s) to achieve a high level of stand out and the use of white provides a clean space that allows copy and imagery to achieve a high level of prominance. The grey pallette is used for highlights and to add interest to the designs. PRINT Meridian Black White 85% Meridian Black 55% Meridian Black 11% Meridian Black CMYK:*100, 100, 100, 100 CMYK: 0, 0, 0, 0 CMYK: 0, 0, 0, 85 CMYK: 0, 0, 0, 55 CMYK: 0, 0, 0, 11 Pantone 433 (Use for mono print) PRIMARY COLOURS SECONDARY COLOURS * Please note the usual CMYK colour split of Pantone 433 is 90/68/41/90, but in print 100% of each value is used to add depth. 12

13 2.5 COLOURS (CONTINUED) SCREEN The Meridian colour palette consists of Meridian Black, white and a selection of secondary greys. Black Headings (second line): Rich Black White Headings (first line): Main Grey Selected menu text: Mid Grey Icons/lines etc: Main Grey Panels: Lightest Grey Additional panels: Light Grey Grey text over black HEX: # RGB: 0, 0, 0 CMYK: 75, 68, 67, 90 HEX: #ffffff RGB: 255, 255, 255 CMYK: 0, 0, 0, 0 HEX: #7f7f7f RGB: 127, 127, 127 CMYK: 52, 3, 43, 8 HEX: # RGB: 153,153,153 CMYK: 43, 35, 35, 1 HEX: #7f7f7f RGB: 127, 127, 127 CMYK: 52, 43, 43, 8 HEX: #f8f8f8 RGB : 248, 248, 248 CMYK: 2, 1, 1, 0 HEX: #eeeeee RGB: 238, 238, 238 CMYK: 5, 4, 4, 0 HEX: #cbcbcb RGB: 203, 203, 203 CMYK: 20,15,16, 0 PRIMARY COLOURS SECONDARY COLOURS 13

14 2.6 MERIDIAN SUB-BRANDS AND CO-BRANDING WITH MERIDIAN PARTNERS Our partnerships with leading manufacturers help us to demonstrate the world-class reputation of our products. Partner logos must not be used. Our sub-brands have been designed to work in harmony with our primary logo. Pantone, CMYK, HEX AND RGB values of each are shared with our primary logo. The logos are available in different formats in our online resources area. The logos are trademarked so must not be edited or customised in any way. 14

15 2.7 TYPOGRAPHY Our font is an important component of our brand. It has been chosen because it reflects our personality - contemporary and distinctive. To ensure continuity of our brand look and feel it should be used on all written materials. The font size varies on the application. Examples of how the typeface should be in print and online etc can be found in Meridian Design Templates (section 4). FONT LICENSING FF Scala Sans Pro requires a licence which can be purchased from: or NUMBERS FF Scala Sans Pro allows for the capitalisation of numbers. Capitalised numbers are used in headers but not in body copy except online die to code format restrictions. FF Scala Sans Pro Light: (uncapitalised) (capitalised) FF Scala Sans Pro Regular: (uncapitalised) (capitalised) 15

16 2.7 TYPOGRAPHY (CONTINUED) Our primary typeface Our primary typeface is FF Scala Sans Pro. Light and regular weights can be used. FF Scala Sans Pro Regular AaBbCc ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz FF Scala Sans Pro Light AaBbCc ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz Digital typeface Our primary online typeface is FF Scala Sans Pro. Light and regular weights are used. FF Scala Sans Pro Regular AaBbCc ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz FF Scala Sans Pro Light AaBbCc ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz Whenever using the primary or secondary fonts please use the following settings: Leading - auto Kerning - font size x 5/6. The font size is dependent on the media. Please refer to Meridian Design Templates (section 4). Text colour - 85% black 16

17 2.8 HEADERS A header style has been developed to use across a range of media to achieve a high level of standout. The black box is to be created using the primary logo black which appropriate to the media, see page 13 for Pantone, CMYK, hex and RGB values. Text is always UPPERCASE. The font size and line spacing are dependent on the media. Please refer to Meridian Design Templates (section 4). MERIDIAN AUDIO BRAND GUIDELINES ULTIMATE POWER ABSOLUTE CONTROL EThe perimeter space surrounding the text is half the x-height of a letter as illustrated here by the magenta coloured box layed over the letter E The left or right alignment varies depending on layout of the design. Please refer to Meridian Design Templates (section 4). MERIDIAN 808v6 SIGNATURE REFERENCE COMPACT DISC PLAYER Numbers in headlines must be set to caps when used for print or online. 17

18 3. MERIDIAN WRITTEN LANGUAGE How we communicate in written form is as important as our logo and typeface. We should highlight key messages i.e award-winning performance, commitment to quality and innovation. 18

19 3. MERIDIAN WRITTEN LANGUAGE WHAT DOES THIS MEAN IN REALITY? Our copy should be professional, factual and friendly in tone. We want to excite and leave the reader wanting to find out more. We may need to tailor copy for different markets, but our message needs to be consistent. Here are a few pointers: 1. COPY STRUCTURE: Keep it simple - less is more. Our style is: Sparing and concise. Short sentences and paragraphs. Informed and accurate. Technical when it needs to be. Up-to-date. 2. KEEP MESSAGES AND IDEAS TO A PALATABLE NUMBER Lead with most important message. Avoid repetition. Tailor content to audience. Ensure content is engaging. Add clear calls to action. 3. IT'S ALL IN THE DETAIL Attention to detail is paramount. We should ensure that our written language is of the highest quality to reflect the quality of the Meridian brand. 19

20 3.1 HOW WE WRITE How to refer to Meridian and our products: In written copy the company may refer to itself as Meridian and/or we, us etc. Meridian (the company) should always be singular when referred to e.g. Meridian is proud to be... We, us etc. make copy more personal, more inclusive and more human important qualities in the relationship with customers. Where usage of Meridian and we, us etc. are mixed, attention must be paid to correct grammatical usage sticking to the singular with Meridian and plural with we etc. as appropriate and the transition between the two properly managed, e.g. From its beginnings over 40 years ago in Cambridge, UK, Meridian has grown and evolved to become a global, high performance brand. Despite the passing of several decades our ethos remains the same as when the company was founded. Where products and/or technology are specified that are unique to Meridian, it is good practice to qualify them with the company name, at least in the first instance, e.g. Meridian Apodising Filter. While it is important for Meridian to take and express clear ownership of both its products and its technologies, care should be taken not to overuse the name. Meridian is authoritative and confident; overstatement undermines this position. KEYWORDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE MERIDIAN BRAND AND MERIDIAN PRODUCTS: Aspirational Visionary Innovative High Performance Unrivalled Quality Award-winning Please see Meridian Design Templates (section 4) to see samples of our written style across various media. 20

21 3.2 MERIDIAN BOILERPLATE When producing press releases, this is the standard introductory text about Meridian. Since 1977, Meridian Audio has been crafting innovative, elegant, high performance audio solutions. From its compact DSP loudspeakers with integrated amplification, to its user-friendly music management platform, Sooloos, Meridian delivers easy to install, high resolution audio systems for home cinemas and whole home solutions. The Meridian Audio experience is now also available in the latest models from Jaguar Land Rover, thanks to a collaborative partnership between these two leaders of British innovation and engineering. Learn more at Follow Meridian on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and You 21

22 4. MERIDIAN DESIGN TEMPLATES The Meridian brand has many consumer touchpoints from our website and leaflets through to adverts. It is important that a consistent look and feel is delivered across all these different channels. The examples in this section demonstrate the correct use of the logo, fonts, colours and how the different graphical and written elements come together. We have a range of advert templates for common sizes in our Meridian Marketing Resources Media Centre (section 5). Please note a licence for our corporate fonts is required, please do not substitute the font. 22

23 4.1 PRINT ADVERTISING - STYLE GUIDE Our advert design uses the following style rules: FONT SIZES Leading - auto Kerning- zero Body copy colour - 85% black Body copy colour - 80% black Lines 1pt stroke - 100% black Heading black panel behind text uses the CMYK splits for Meridian Black. THE BEST POSSIBLE SOUND, WHEREVER YOU ARE At Meridian, we are experts in crafting and delivering innovative, elegant, high performance audio visual solutions for our international customers. With over 300 industry awards and accolades to our name, we know a thing or two about authentic performance so if you re looking for audio perfection, then look no further. This page shows an example of the typical layout with its clean and concise approach to the message and design. AWARD-WINNING PRODUCTS CRAFTED IN BRITAIN INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES Find out More by visiting us At: meridian-audio.com 23

24 4.2 ONLINE ADVERTISING - STYLE GUIDE We have a range of advert templates for common sizes in our online resource area at Meridian Marketing Resources Media Centre - (section 5). Please do not substitute our corporate font. A licence to use the font is required and available from: or Due to the size and low reolution of online adverts the font size and logo placement sizes may need some flexibility to allow legibility. Please see examples here for page layout, font sizes/style, placement of logo, cobranding and pictures. 24

25 4.2 ONLINE ADVERTISING - STYLE GUIDE (CONTINUED) Example of Leader board Example of video player window Example of animated GIF 25

26 5. MERIDIAN MARKETING RESOURCES MARKETING RESOURCES: To ensure that we deliver a consistent brand experience across all media, the Meridian marketing team have created a online Media Centre which contains the latest authorised assets including: logos and sub-brand logos, icons, document templates and photographs MERIDIAN AUDIO LTD, Latham Road, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE29 6YE United Kingdom To access these resources please go to: If you require further assistance or assets which aren't in the resources area please contact our marketing team at marketing@meridian.co.uk. E: info@meridian.co.uk T: +44 (0) meridian-audio.com Updated 27th July,