Brand Guidelines
Logo | Colours | Typography | Templates | Photography | Illustration
How to use our logo
The vertical logo lock up is the preferred version of the logo and should be used wherever possible.
The white logo is the preferred logo colour option, but this should only ever appear with a full coverage coloured background and never boxed in.
Where this is not possible, the full colour version should be used on a white background.
Please never distort, recolour, box in or change the logo in any way.
Our logo needs room to breathe! Please always leave space equivalent to the height on the “n” in catenamedia around the logo to ensure it stands out and consistently looks its best.
How to use the symbol
The flame symbol can be used on it's own, but may only be used when the full logo appears elsewhere in the design.
The flame should appear in white on coloured backgrounds and red on light background.
Please never distort, recolour or change the flame in any way.
Please always leave space around the icon equivalent to the gap inside the flame.
Due to the proportions of the flame, when centering the icon, always push 4 points to the left of dead-centre in order to give the illusion of it being exactly in the middle.
Primary font
Work Sans is our primary font. Work Sans is a legible and simple sans serif font which retains some personality. Work Sans is the main Catena Media font and should be used in most situations.
To handle different use cases, we create depth and readability through weights.
Where possible the font should appear in Catena Navy on a white background, and white on a Catena Red background.
Header 1
abcdefghijklmnop
400 weight / work sans medium
Header 2
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
400 weight / work sans medium
Body text bold
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
400 weight / work sans medium
Body text regular
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
100 weight / works sans light
Secondary font
Bison is our secondary font. Bison is tall and bold, for use when things need to stand out and look less serious. This font should be used as a header sparingly alongside work sans, and only in certain situations where a more “fun” font is necessary, for example employer branding or internal promotional collateral.
Header 3
abcdefghijklmn
100 weight / bison bold
Primary colours
Catena Red is the main Catena Media colour, with Catena Navy as a primary accent colour. The colours should be used with a lot of white space to create clean designs which delivers a clear message.
As the main colour, Catena Red should always be used for backgrounds, headers and cover pages and can be used on it’s own when necessary. Catena Navy, however, should only appear as an accent when Catena Red is also used within the design. Body text should be Catena Navy where possible.
Catena Red
Bold. Energetic. Stands out. Vibrant.
Noticeable. Strong. Takes risks.
Catena Navy
Elegant. Sophisticated. Timeless.
Gender-neutral. Strong yet relaxing.
Secondary colours
Mustard, Sea Green, Mid Grey and Light Grey are the secondary Catena Media colours and they are designed to stand out and add a pop of colour to grab the audience's attention.
These should be used sparingly against the primary colours, when extra colours are required to make the design work. These colours should never be used alone and must always appear alongside the primary Catena Red.
Mustard
Sea Green
Mid Grey
Light Grey
Photography
People and places
Photos of people and places must always be full colour and vibrant with no filters. Wherever possible, photos should be taken specifically for Catena Media, developing the visual strength of our brand.
When capturing subjects at work, shadow the subject and capture authentic moments that feel real.
We encourage the inclusion of nature like office plants, outdoor spaces and water to emphasise the company's environmental values and to inject life into the shots.
If you must use stock photos, please avoid overly posed or unnatural pictures of people, and opt for landscape photos or photos of hands and objects, always in full colour.
Do:
Capture natural shots of authentic moments of people at work, taken uniquely for Catena.
Do:
Use full-colour photographs. The inclusion of greenery and nature (plants, outdoor spaces, water) is encouraged.
Do not:
Use unnatural / stiff / overly posed stock photgraphy.
Do not:
Desaturate images or add filters or unnatural photo effects.
Staff portraits
Staff portraits should also be full colour to give a human element and not too 'posed.' The subject should be looking at the camera in a natural environment. Whenever possible, capture people with genuine expressions to inject personality into the shot.
Do:
Use natural expressions, full-colour photos and a dynamic background, using depth of field to bring attenton to the subject.
Do not:
Use overly posed or stiff poses or a plain background.
Objects and items
We encourage the use of full colour photographs of objects, isolated on a Catena Red background when imagery is necessary. This option should be exhausted before illustration is considered.
Items must be facing the camera head on, and it must always be clear what the object is once it has been isolated from its background.
Always use the pen tool to cut out objects and avoid auto selection, as this will ensure a high quality result every time.
If the object has yellow, red, navy or turquoise elements, these should be adjusted to match the official brand colours.
Illustration style
Spot illustration
Illustrations should only be used when photography is not possible, for example icons, animated videos or GIFs.
All illustrations are made purely from geometric shapes, with a mixture of rounded and sharp edges, mimicking the style of the Catena Media Flame. When coupled with bold lines with rounded caps in Catena Navy, this creates a modern and individual style which is distinctive to Catena Media.
The simplicity gives these illustrations a modern vibe, and lends them to being easily animated to create simple yet effective animations which really stand out.
Hover mouse over the icons to see a technical breakdown.
Large icons and spot illustrations make use of the Catena Red and Catena Navy colour scheme,
with the addition of pattern which should be used sparingly to add depth when necessary.
Please note the stroke should always remain Catena Navy.
Scene illustration
Scene illustrations are created in the same illustration style as the spot illustrations - making use of geometric shapes and Catena Navy outlines. The only difference for busier and more complex illustrations is the addition of the secondary colour palette, to be used sparingly.
The circle behind the illustration is used to add depth and a focal point to the illustration. This is an optional element, but when it appears it should always be Light Grey from the main colour palette. (#e5e5e5)
The lighter and darker shades of the official colours should only ever appear within illustrations, as highlights and lowlights.
Remember to use pattern sparingly to highlight things that could have pattern or texture in real life and to add depth to the image. As a general rule of thumb, we recommend sticking to one patterned area per image.
Hover mouse over the illustrations to see a technical breakdown.
Icons
Spot illustrations should be used when possible, however sometimes when space is lacking, or in more corporate situations, simple icons will be required. Icons should only ever appear in Catena Navy or in white on coloured backgrounds.
The icons should be made up of geometric shapes, created from outlines only, all one weight and with rounded caps and edges.
Templates
To the right you will find links to some assets which we hope will be useful!
Please ensure you make your own copy of the Presentation and Google Docs templates before trying to edit them.
You can download the Presentation Template as a powerpoint document if necessary, but we recommend sticking with google slides where possible, to ensure the formatting remains the same across all devices.
If you have any problems, questions or suggestions about these guidelines please do not hesitate to reach out to gemma.goddard@catenamedia.com