We wrote the book on giving and receiving.

Transcription

1 BRAND MANUAL

2 We wrote the book on giving and receiving. INTRODUCTION GiftCertificates.com is determined not only to be the gift and reward brand of choice, but also the best at creating an unforgettable gift giving and receiving experience. The GiftCertificates.com brand and what it represents sets us apart from everyone else. That s why we ve put together a set of brand guidelines that can be used to create and maintain a consistent brand message, voice, look and feel. reserved GiftCertificates.com GiftCertificates.comCorporation. Corporation.All Allright rights reserved. 2

3 Our Story As an organization, our objective is to create a new approach to gift giving, making the emotional gifting experience as important as the gift itself. The GiftCertificates.com brand embodies both the possibility that lies within the gift and emotional fulfillment that comes from giving it. The name GiftCertificates.com is meant to capture the enjoyment derived from giving, receiving and redeeming the gifts/rewards that our company offers. We know that everyone likes choices. We provide everything from incentive, promotion and reward programs to gift cards and gift certificates from hundreds of national retailers and lifestyle services. Our SuperCertificate Product has the best on-time turnaround fulfillment in the industry for physical and digital gifts/rewards that ultimately gives everyone the ability to choose what they desire or want. Our products prove that choice is a powerful motivator to support corporate culture, build loyalty, reward performance, increase sales, acquire customers, celebrate milestones, show appreciation and more. SuperCertificate Products can be provided to diverse groups of customers and employees top executives and line employees can choose rewards which will appeal to them personally. Our products can be redeemed online for individual gift cards from hundreds of nationwide retailers, including popular stores, airlines, hotels, theaters and restaurants. We also provide value added tools and services to assist with program administration, program communication and technology support that will help companies reach specific business objectives. INTRODUCTION 3

4 Table of Contents Logo Mark Description...5 Elements...5 Variations...6 Clear Space...7 Size Requirements...7 Incorrect Use...8 Typography Primary Font Family...9 Secondary Font Family...10 Alternative Font Families...10 Color Palettes Dominant...11 Accent...11 Trademarks GiftCertificates.com...12 SuperCertificate GIFT...13 e-supercertificate GIFT...14 Authorized Descriptions Company...15 Mandatory Legal Disclaimers Company...16 Use of Merchant Brands Merchants...17 Approval Timeframes GiftCertificates.com...18 Merchants...18 Contact Marketing Department...19 TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

5 Logo Mark LOGO MARK Description The GiftCertificates.com logo has been crafted from a precise combination of type and graphic elements. This mark is the single most important visual representation of our company. No part of the mark should ever be removed, altered or recreated in any way. Elements Our logo reflects our objective to be the premier gift and reward brand of choice creating that unforgettable gift giving and receiving experience. The new enhanced logo has the word Gift superimposed over the rest of the company name which is meant to capture the enjoyment derived from giving, receiving and redeeming the gifts that GiftCertificates.com offers. The stylized human figure presenting the youthful and refreshing green gift embodies both the possibility that lies within the gift and the emotional fulfillment that comes from giving it. This redesigned blue and green logo has the authoritative and reliable confidence in a classic design enhanced with a fresh accent of appeal. 5

6 Logo Mark Variations LOGO MARK Variations of GiftCertificates.com Logo Mark The logo should never be contained in a shape of any kind or displayed on a busy/contrasting background. The colored box below represents larger background fields, such as a full page of color or a photograph. The primary logo should be the first choice. Pantone 377 C and Pantone 647 C are the colors (CMYK/RGB equivalents) required to reproduce the corporate logo accurately. However, if the design does not allow for such treatment, the logo should be used in black or a reversed treatment of the logo may be used on simple or contrasting backgrounds. This version should always be used on a solid field of color. All marketing collateral featuring the GiftCertificates.com name must be approved by GiftCertificates.com. Please refer to the Timeframes for Approval section of this manual. Primary Logo: Pantone 377 C and Pantone 647 C Inks Secondary Logo #1: Black Ink Secondary Logo #2: Reversed 6

7 Logo Mark, Clear Space & Size Requirements LOGO MARK Clear Space When placing a logo, it is important to maintain a set amount of clear space around it for maximum impact. No matter what size of logo is being used, use the diagram as your guide. This standard will allow for the clear space to increase or decrease proportionally to the size of the logo. Please allow for more space whenever possible. The clear space should be proportionally equal to the height of the C in the word Certificate of the logo. This formula should be used for all versions of the logo and applied to every size in which the mark is used. Size Requirements The GiftCertificates.com logo has no standard size; it can change size depending upon its use. However, the logo must always be readable. To ensure this, the logo should never appear smaller than.312 in height. The preferred size of the logo for print and online is "w x.521"h. The logo needs to be displayed as the dominant design element with in any composition "w x.521"h.8625"w x.312"h 7

8 Incorrect Use of the Logo Mark LOGO MARK The GiftCertificates.com logo must be used correctly to ensure that its visual impact and integrity are not diluted or compromised. Always reproduce the logo mark from approved electronic artwork. This in not intended as a complete list. The examples below illustrate a wide range of incorrect uses of the GiftCertificates.com logo. 1. Never alter the relationship (position or size) between the gift symbol and certificates wordmark. 2. Never replace the logo colors with any other colors. 3. Never distort, skew or italicize the logo. 4. Never reproduce the GiftCertificates.com logo with a special tint, gradation, pattern or texture. 5. Never outline the logo. 6. Never reproduce the logo with an obvious drop shadow or any other special effect unless approved by the Marketing Department. 7. Never place the logo mark on a photographic background unless approved by the Marketing Department. 8. Never place the logo on a texture or background unless approved by the Marketing Department. 9. Never place the logo inside a box or container of any shape. 10. Never use the GiftCertificates.com logo or parts of the word mark as an enlarged (supergraphic) or cropped treatment unless approved by the Marketing Department

9 Primary Font Family Typography is an integral part of the GiftCertificates.com brand. Consistent treatment is crucial to achieving a cohesive visual identity. To effectively communicate the personality of the brand, a primary and secondary font has been chosen. Avenir is the primary font of GiftCertificates.com. This clean and polished typeface will be used throughout all communications. Its simple look and easy readability allow for maximum flexibility among a variety of applications and executions. Use this font family for headlines, subtitles and links only. To ensure brand consistency, please keep the following in mind when designing marketing projects: Use Avenir fonts for headlines, subtitles and links only. Refer to the Writing Styles for the preferred use of these fonts. Oblique fonts should be used sparingly. There is no set formula for the degree of kerning, but rather it is based on the overall visual characteristics of the individual words, letter pairs and size of the component, as well as the ability to do so in any given situation. This is a licensed font and must not be used unless purchased. This font family should be used in all marketing communications whenever possible online and print. Certain uses may not allow for this font family to be used see the following pages for acceptable system font replacements. Avenir 35 Light Avenir 45 Book Avenir 55 Roman Avenir 65 Medium Avenir 85 Heavy Avenir 95 Black TYPOGRAPHY 9

10 Other Font Families Secondary Fonts To help support the attributes of the GiftCertificates.com brand, a secondary font family is available for specific uses. Univers has been selected as a support font for its clean and polished look. Its classic visual interest helps extend the brand personality within select marketing communications. Use this font family for body, bullet lists and pull-out copy only. To ensure brand consistency, please keep the following in mind when designing marketing projects: Paragraphs of text should be flushed left and ragged right arrangement or centered at 9 point or 10 point in size. Univers 55 Roman or 45 Light is the preferred fonts of choice. Black, Pantone 404 C and white are the standard recommendations for text copy. Neutral colors from the images can also be used. Refer to the Writing Styles for the preferred use of these fonts. Oblique fonts should be used sparingly. Condensed fonts are meant for tight areas only. This is a licensed font and must not be used unless purchased. Alternative Fonts Because Avenir and Univers are licensed typefaces, there will be instances where they cannot be used. In these situations, Arial or Arial Narrow should be used as a replacement when a system font is required. Select uses of this font helps to ensure a consistent representation across all marketing platforms, such as: HTML text Microsoft Word documents & Microsoft PowerPoint presentations Univers 47 Light Condensed Univers 57 Condensed Univers 67 Bold Condensed Univers 55 Roman Univers 65 Bold Univers 75 Black Univers 85 Extra Black Arial Narrow Regular Arial Narrow Bold TYPOGRAPHY 10

11 Color Palette Cool and calming, the business color palette exudes professionalism and confidence. The business color palette brings a sense of sophistication and balance to communications. Using the primary Pantone Warm Gray 1 and Pantone 404 brown as a starting point, three additional colors can be used. The Pantone 549 blue becomes one of the dominant colors which signifies the dependable business division of GiftCertificates.com. The Pantone 200 red and 377 green are the accent colors for our gift incentive market. Please note that the usage of the accent color palette should never use more space on a page than the standard colors. These colors will provide greater flexibility for design, while supporting a consistent look throughout all company documents. These serene shades symbolize a calming cool that are enhanced with a spark of energy. The entire color palette is designed to give a dependable, reassuring, trusting and serene appearance in the marketplace. Rich Black Rich Black should always be used in place of black in design elements for both divisions. It is not intended for the use of basic copy. Dominant Colors PANTONE WARM GRAY 1 C cmyk: 0 / 2 / 3 / 6 rgb: 239 / 233 / 229 web: efe9e5 lab: 93 / 1 / 3 PANTONE 404 C cmyk: 0 / 8 / 22 / 56 rgb: 136 / 126 / 110 web: 887e6e lab: 53 / 2 / 10 PANTONE 549 C PANTONE 377C cmyk: 45 / 0 / 100 / 24 rgb: 120 / 162 / 47 web: 78a22f lab: 62 / -28 / 52 PANTONE 200 C cmyk: 0 / 100 / 63 / 12 rgb: 211 / 17 / 69 web: d31145 lab: 46 / 70 / 27 RICH BLACK Accent Colors cmyk: 52 / 6 / 0 / 25 rgb: 86 / 155 / 190 web: 569bbe lab: 61 / -15 / -25 cmyk: 60 / 40 / 0 / 100 rgb: 0 / 0 / 26 web: 00001a lab: 0 / 4 / -13 COLOR 11

12 The GiftCertificates.com brand is one of our most important assets. For it to retain its value, it must be protected by everyone who uses it. Disclaimers must be used in all third party marketing materials. Please refer to the Mandatory Disclaimers section of the manual for these products. All marketing collateral featuring the GiftCertificates.com name must be approved by GiftCertificates.com. Please refer to the Timeframes for Approval section. GiftCertificates.com Always written as one word with the letters G and C capitalized and all other letters lowercase. A trademark symbol ( ) is required on first reference. Always superscript the trademark symbol ( ). Always negatively kern the trademark symbol ( ) toward the name. TRADEMARKS Trademark Usage Incorrect usage of GiftCertificates.com Giftcertificates.com Giftcertificate.com giftcertificates.com giftcertificate.com Gift Certificates.com Gift-Certificates.com Gift certificates.com Gift-certificates.com gift certificates.com gift-certificates.com GIFTCERTIFICATES.com Never hyphenate GiftCertificates.com, even at the end of a line. reserved GiftCertificates.com GiftCertificates.comCorporation. Corporation.All Allright rights reserved. 12

13 Trademark Usage for the SuperCertificate Product TRADEMARKS The SuperCertificate name belongs to our premier product. For it to retain its value, it must be protected by everyone who uses it. Disclaimers must be used in all third party marketing materials. Please refer to the Mandatory Disclaimers section of the manual for these products. All marketing collateral featuring these products must be approved by GiftCertificates.com. Please refer to the Timeframes for Approval section. SuperCertificate GIFT SuperCertificate is a legally protected brand name. Always written as one word with the letters S and C capitalized and all other letters lowercase. Always superscript the registered symbol ( ) and it is required on every reference. Never hyphenate the SuperCertificate name, even at the end of a line. The SuperCertificate name is used as an adjective and needs to be followed by the uppercase word GIFT. Never pluralize the SuperCertificate name. Make the words GIFTS plural to indicate multiple SuperCertificate products. Incorrect usage of SuperCertificate Name SuperCertificate Gift SuperCertificate GIFT SuperCertificate GIFT SuperCertificates GIFTS Super Certifcate( ) Super-Certifcate( ) SuperCertificate( ) SuperCertificate( ) SUPERCERTIFICATE( ) SUPERCERTIFICATE( ) SUPERCERTIFICATE( ) 13

14 Trademark Usage for the e-supercertificate Product TRADEMARKS The e-supercertificate name belongs to our premier product. For it to retain its value, it must be protected by everyone who uses it. The e-supercertificate GIFT is the digital version of our premier product that is electronically ed to the recipients. The convenience of sending the e-supercertificate GIFT is easy, reliable, personal and premier. Disclaimers must be used in all third party marketing materials. Please refer to the Mandatory Disclaimers section of the manual for these products. All marketing collateral featuring these products must be approved by GiftCertificates.com. Please refer to the Timeframes for Approval section. The e-supercertificate GIFT e-supercertificate is a legally protected brand name. The letter e is written as a lowercase letter followed by a hyphen before the correct spelling of the SuperCertificate name. Always written as one word with the letters S and C capitalized and all other letters lowercase. Always superscript the registered symbol ( ) and it is required on every reference. Never hyphenate the e-supercertificate name, even at the end of a line. The e-supercertificate name is used as an adjective and needs to be followed by the uppercase word GIFT. Never pluralize the e-supercertificate name. Make the words GIFTS plural to indicate multiple e-supercertificate products. Incorrect usage of e-supercertificate Name E-SuperCertificate GIFT e-supercertificate Gift e-supercertificates GIFT E-Super Certificate( ) e-super-certificate( ) e-supercertificate( ) e-supercertificate( ) E-SUPERCERTIFICATE( ) E-SUPERCERTIFICATE( ) E-SUPERCERTIFICATE( ) 14

15 Authorized Company & Business Product Descriptions One version of the GiftCertificates.com company description is authorized for use. Descriptions that vary may not be published unless approved by the Marketing Department. Authorized Company Description GiftCertificates.com is a leading e-commerce provider of innovative reward solutions and gift products for both the corporate and consumer markets. GiftCertificates.com is the reward and gift brand of choice in today s marketplace. GiftCertificates.com offers an extensive product portfolio including our SuperCertificate GIFT which is redeemable for hundreds of original merchant gift cards. The company offers the best turnaround time and reliability in the industry. Established in 1997, GiftCertificates.com is a privately held corporation with locations in Omaha NE. For more information visit AUTHORIZED DESCRIPTIONS 15

16 Mandatory Disclaimers for our Company & Business Products Disclaimers must be used in all third party marketing materials. Please contact the Marketing Department if there are any questions about disclaimers. GiftCertificates.com 2015 GiftCertificates.com Corporation. All rights reserved. SuperCertificate is a U.S. registered trademark of GiftCertificates.com Corporation. Participating merchants subject to change. (e-)supercertificate GIFT This SuperCertificate GIFT is usable up to its balance ONLY for certain Merchant gift cards and certificates at This SuperCertificate GIFT is not redeemable for cash except as required by law. This SuperCertificate GIFT does not expire, is not reloadable, and cannot be used with certain promotions. SuperCertificate GIFTS are not redeemable on the websites or in the stores of participating Merchants and such Merchants are subject to change. CARDCO CIV, Inc. is the issuer and sole obligor to certificate owner. CARDCO may delegate its issuer obligations to an assignee, without recourse. If delegated, the assignee, and not CARDCO, will be sole obligor to certificate owner. Safeguard the certificate. It will not be replaced or replenished if lost, stolen or used without authorization. The value of this SuperCertificate GIFT and the Merchant gift cards are in US currency. Purchase, use or acceptance of the certificate constitutes acceptance of these terms. For full product features, conditions, and a complete listing of participating Merchants, please enter the SuperCertificate number at or call Giftcertificates.com Corporation. All rights reserved. MANDATORY DISCLAIMERS 16

17 Use of Merchant Brands MERCHANT BRANDS GiftCertificates.com is committed to protecting the brands and best interests of its merchants. No merchant names, logos, trademarks or other representations may appear in any form, graphic or text without prior approval from the GiftCertificates.com Marketing Department and Merchant Team. Most merchants offered by GiftCertificates.com require the right to approve all collateral. To obtain merchant approval for the use of a merchant s name or logo, please contact your account manager. Disclaimers must be used in all third party marketing materials. Please refer to the Mandatory Disclaimers section of the manual for these products. All marketing collateral featuring the merchants offered by GiftCertificates.com must be approved. Please refer to the Timeframes for Approval section. Merchant Cards Never hyphenate the name of the merchant, even at the end of a line. Never adjust the design of the merchant s logo. Never adjust the design of the merchant s product. Never adjust the format of the merchant s product. Contact GiftCertificates.com for merchant s required regulations about their registered ( ) or trademark ( ) symbols. Always superscript the registered ( ) and trademark ( ) symbols. Contact GiftCertificates.com for merchant s latest version of logos or artwork of product. 17

18 Collateral Material Approval Timeframes for GiftCertificates.com & Merchant Products Collateral Material Approval GiftCertificates.com Corporation is liable for all collateral material. All collateral material must be approved prior to: printing, reprinting, distributing, inserting on the internet, updating or changing materials for any reason, etc. Approval Timeframes All collateral material that features the GiftCertificates.com products must be reviewed and approved by the GiftCertificates.com Corporation. The GiftCertificates.com Corporation requires 5-10 business days for each review. All collateral material that features Merchant products offered by GiftCertificates.com must be reviewed and approved by the GiftCertificates.com Corporation. The GiftCertificates.com Corporation requires 5-10 business days for each review. PDF of collateral material to the Marketing Department at Collateral and Product Materials that require approval GiftCertificates.com SuperCertificate Products Merchants offered by GiftCertificates.com Brand guidelines featuring GiftCertificates.com products/programs Direct mail pieces featuring GiftCertificates.com products/programs Newsletters featuring GiftCertificates.com products/programs Sellsheets featuring GiftCertificates.com products/programs Packaging featuring GiftCertificates.com products/programs Banners featuring GiftCertificates.com products/programs s featuring GiftCertificates.com products/programs Web pages featuring GiftCertificates.com products/programs Press releases featuring GiftCertificates.com products/programs TIMEFRAMES FOR APPROVALS Images of GiftCertificates.com products used for print or web Updating or changing any images/material/products for any reason Distributing collateral material/products Reprinting collateral material/products 18

19 Contact If you have questions regarding these brand guidelines, marketing collateral that needs approval, or need logos and product images, please submit an to Please allow 2 business days for the Marketing Department to reply. CONTACT Revised 11/08. 19