Visual Identity Manual 2015 v1 February 2015
Visual Identity Manual - 2015 Table of Contents Introduction... 1 European Youth Week 2015visual identity... 2 Verbal branding... 2 Colour... 3 Size and shape... 4 Alignment, and vertical spacing... 4 Pre-rendered verbal branding files... 5 European Union flag and EYW website address... 6 EU flag... 6 EYW website address... 7 Erasmus+ verbal branding... 8 QR code... 8 Social media... 9 Additional graphics... 9 Images and photographs... 9 Additional information and support... 10
Visual Identity Manual - 2015 Introduction Many different stakeholders will be involved in promoting EYW to the over 100 million young Europeans aged 13 to 30 in the countries participating in EYW, including the European Union institutions, National Agencies, Eurodesk organisations at European and country level, other pan- European NGOs and their networks, colleges and universities, and down to local schools and neighbourhood youth groups. With such a wide range of organisations, it is essential that a consistent visual identity for the EYW is provided to young people through whichever channel they receive it. This document details the updated visual identity for European Youth Week 2015, and how it should be applied in different circumstances, both electronically and in print. For more information about the visual identity of the EYW, please contact the Youth Policy and Programme Unit at the European Commission via EAC-EUROPEAN-YOUTH-WEEK@ec.europa.eu 1
Visual Identity Manual - 2015 European Youth Week 2015 visual identity The key words which define the visual identity of the EYW are: Youthful Aspirational Realistic Multi-cultural Multi-ethnic and possibly even the dreaded 'c' word "Cool" (but obviously without seeming to try too hard to be so!) The EYW is an inter-institutional initiative of the European Union. This means that the visual identity of the EYW has to fit within the framework of the existing European Union identity guidelines, such as the mandatory use of the EU flag. As no separate logos are allowed under the existing guidelines, there is no distinct "European Youth Week" logo. Instead, the EYW must use a combination of "verbal branding", the EU flag and the EYW website address, alongside carefully chosen images, to put across the required visual identity. Also, as EYW is being run under the Erasmus+ Programme, its branding must now also be used on materials produced for EYW, wherever practically possible. Verbal branding The verbal branding of the EYW is based only on the words "European Youth Week" or the national language translation(s) of this phrase. These words are rendered in the font "Refuse Pro" to produce a verbal branding which is contemporary but which should also have a long lifespan. Aside from being a visually attractive and modern font, it was also chosen because it contains all of the necessary character-sets to deal with the 28 official languages of the countries participating in EYW 2015, for example: (en) (bg) (el) 2
Visual Identity Manual - 2015 The verbal branding can be broken up into individual words which can be placed separately to fit into a particular space. Note: words must remain whole, and must not be broken down further into individual letters or syllables. Examples of how this can be applied are given below, along with examples of how not to do it. Colour In order for the verbal branding to stand out against most backgrounds, it must always be presented as white text against the standard shade of red which continues to represent the Youth sector within the European Commission. This is represented as: C: 10 M: 100 Y: 70 K: 0 Pantone 200 C R: 218 G: 30 B: 72 Hex: #DA 1E 48 Where it is absolutely not possible to use the red colour, for instance in black and white documents, or on promotional materials, then pure black and pure white must be used instead. In exceptional circumstances, and only if working in one colour, it is permitted to reverse the colours to make them appear against a black or dark background. - but only in exceptional circumstances Apart from this, it is not permitted to amend the colour of the verbal branding, or reverse the colours (eg, red text against a white background.) 3
Size and shape Visual Identity Manual - 2015 All of the individual words in the verbal branding must be the same font size. The proportion of the letters must also not be changed, eg, do not crop, stretch or squash the letters in any direction. The words must remain horizontal, and cannot be rotated in any direction. The minimum print size should be the equivalent of 18 points. For instance: - all words must be the same font size. - 18 point minimum - minimum font size for print is 18 points. - do not rotate, and do not change the proportions do not stretch or squash or deform in any way. Alignment, and vertical spacing When the logo is split across more than one line, the first word in each successive line should be indented to the right slightly compared to the line above. The text within the verbal branding must be rendered at single line height, with the background "box" of sufficient size to fully show any accents. There must be a small space between word blocks when stacked vertically. For example: - indented, single line height, space between lines 4
Pre-rendered verbal branding files Visual Identity Manual - 2015 To help ensure that the verbal branding is applied in the correct manner, different examples of the verbal branding have been created in the necessary languages. These will be supplied to countries as required. The following layouts are available in both RGB format for on-screen use (.PNG) and CYMK format for use in printed materials (.EPS). In both formats, the backgrounds are rendered as transparent. One file of each format is provided. Included in the file are three different versions of the verbal branding single line version, two line version and a stacked version. (usually three lines.) The stacked version is designed to make it easier to use the verbal branding in websites where square graphics are required. The stacked version is usually three lines, but for one language it was decided to use four lines. To use, simply load the required file into your graphic editor and either crop or cut out the version required. Single line version Two-line version Stacked version 5
European Union flag and EYW website address Visual Identity Manual - 2015 To acknowledge that the EYW is an initiative of the European Union, the visual identity has to include the European Union flag. This should be accompanied by the EYW website address, youthweek.eu Note: due to new design standards introduced since the last EYW in 2013, it is necessary to now render the url in the same colour of blue as the EU flag, instead of black as before (except for pure black and white versions.) Please use the new graphics supplied for 2015 instead of any old graphics leftover from 2013. EU flag The official EU flag can be downloaded in print and online versions (.JPG and.eps (vector)) from http://europa.eu/about-eu/basic-information/symbols/flag/index_en.htm (although versions of the flag and EYW website address will be provided along with the verbal branding examples.) Wherever possible, the blue and yellow version of the flag must be used, complete with its white border. If this is not feasible, the blue and white or black and white versions may be used instead. For legibility in print format, the minimum height of the flag should be 10mm. The flag colours are: Pantone Reflex Blue R: 0 G: 51 B: 153 Hex: #003399 Pantone Yellow R: 255 G: 204 B: 0 Hex: #FFCC00 The proportions of the flag must not be changed, ie, do not crop, stretch or squash the flag in any direction. The flag must not be rotated in any direction. - the flag must not be pinched, stretched, squashed or altered in any other way. 6
EYW website address Visual Identity Manual - 2015 The website address for the EYW must always be displayed in the format "youthweek.eu". Additional web address parts such as "http://" or "www." must not be used with the url. The url must be displayed in "Verdana" font. It must be in plain, not bold, italics or underlined. The text colour in the different circumstances is detailed in the table below. The blue text must use the same blue as the EU flag, as detailed in the previous page. For example: youthweek.eu - must be plain not bold, italics or underlined The flag and url must be shown together. The flag/text layout must be side by side, as per these examples. The vertical height of the letter "y" must be half of the height of the EU flag. The top of the latter "y" must be in line with the vertical centre of the EU flag, and the bottom of the descender of the "y" must be in line with the bottom of the blue part of the EU flag. In order to preserve the legibility of the flag/url when used in combination with other logos, a clear space not less than one-third (1/3) the vertical height of the EU flag must be maintained all around the flag/url graphic. Print (EPS) and online (PNG) versions of this layout will also be supplied in each colour combination. Full colour blue and yellow flag, blue text (text may be changed to white if needed for clarity) Two colours blue and white flag, blue text (text may be changed to white if needed for clarity) Single colour reverse black flag (black stars, white flag background), black text (text may be changed to white if needed for clarity) 7
Erasmus+ verbal branding Visual Identity Manual - 2015 As EYW 2015 is being run under the Erasmus+ programme, the programme verbal branding (EU flag and words "Erasmus+" must be presented on all materials, such as covers of brochures, posters, etc. In exception circumstances the branding may be dropped, for instance, it may not be practical to print it on smaller items such as pens. The branding will be provided in both JPEG and.eps (vector) formats, and must be used exactly as provided with no alterations permitted to colour, orientation or proportions. The minimum height of the branding on printed materials should be 10mm. A clean space equal to approximately 1/3 of the height of the flag must be maintained around the branding. QR code Quick Response (QR) codes, also known as 2D barcodes, help people to rapidly navigate to websites on their mobile devices. A QR code has been created for the EYW, and can be placed on printed materials where relevant. This code only includes the full url of the site http://youthweek.eu. The code should be placed in an area which is obvious but does not obscure the message being conveyed. The QR code must only be printed in black and white, as other combinations of colours may not scan properly. The white boundary around the code must be retained to help readers distinguish the code from its background. Do not crop, stretch or squash the code in any direction. The code must not be rotated in any direction. The QR code will be supplied in PNG format. If this does not provide the required resolution, please contact the European Commission Youth Unit for a different format. 8
Social media Visual Identity Manual - 2015 Social media will be one of the key communication channels during EYW 2015, both to young people and to wider stakeholders. The European Commission will be using its European Youth Facebook profile (created through the merger of the European Youth Portal and Youth on the Move profiles in February 2015) to promote EYW 2015. (http://facebook.com/europeanyoutheu). Participants should also be encouraged to Tweet about their youth week experiences, and share photos of them via Instagram. During the period, and immediately afterwards, the hashtag #youthweek should be publicised. Additional graphics It is not permitted to use any additional graphics such as boxes, lines, swooshes, symbols, etc, alongside the EYW verbal branding and flag/ url combination. There are no technical restrictions on the colours and images that may be used behind the branding and flag/url, but they must not be combined with the elements to form a "logo". Images and photographs The images chosen to promote the EYW have as much impact as the verbal branding or the use of the EU flag. As outlined at the start of this manual, the key words for the visual identity of the EYW are: Youthful Aspirational Realistic Multi-cultural Multi-ethnic 9
Visual Identity Manual - 2015 "Cool" (but not in a "trying too hard" kind of way) The images associated with the EYW must therefore contribute to putting across these messages. Not every image has to meet all of these criteria; but over a (short) period of time, or in the course of an advertising campaign, then all of these key words must be conveyed by the images used. Some guidance on choosing images: Use images that reflect the themes of EYW 2015. Use real photographs as much as possible. Do not use cartoons, or stock image library 3D shapes. However, it is possible to use stock image photos which combine real person images with graphics, if this helps to explain a topic or enhance the meaning of the image. Where possible, try to use pictures which reflect the lives of the EYW participants, or what they aspire their lives to be. Stock image libraries are full of these images of "perfect teenagers", but they do not reflect reality for the majority of users so these should be avoided. Ensure you have all of the necessary rights / permissions / licenses to use the chosen images. Additional information and support Further information and assistance on the visual identity of the European Youth Week can be obtained from the European Commission's Youth Policy and Programme unit by email: EAC- EUROPEAN-YOUTH-WEEK@ec.europa.eu 10