Brand Guidelines
Creating a strong brand
Our brand focuses on our positioning, values and key messages. It embodies everything about The Institute - its aims for the future, ethos and character. We have branding guidelines to ensure The Institute’s brand message is clear, coherent and consistent whenever we interact with our audiences.
Through following these brand guidelines, we ensure we maintain a strong brand, making us easily recognisable and invoking trust in our organisation.
| Contents
| Our mission
| Our vision
The Institute of Customer Service is the first port of call on every aspect of customer service, delivering high quality tangible benefits to organisations, individuals and other stakeholders.
As the professional body, we are expert and independent, benchmarking and setting standards so that our Members can improve their customers’ experiences and their business performance.
A world where excellent customer service is seen to make a credible impact on the performance of organisations.
Customer service professionals are recognised and respected and service excellence is sought out by wider society
| Our values
Independent
Making a difference to our employees, customers and stakeholders so that our customers can make a difference to their customers
Expert
Providing relevant, authoritative information, actionable insight and knowledge
Inspirational
Encouraging ambition, striving for best practice and promoting continuous improvement
Impactful
Making a difference to our employees, customers and stakeholders so that our customers can make a difference to their customers
Inclusive
Open to all, both organisations and individuals, who want to demonstrate a continued commitment to improving their customer service
Ownership
Trusted to deliver, being accountable to each other and our Members, and for our Members to deliver to their customers
| Our primary logo
Elements:
Our primary logo consists of two elements: The Institute of Customer Service symbol and The Institute of Customer Service word mark. If using The Institute’s logo, wherever possible, use this form of the logo, with the same colours, relative size and position.
Logo meaning:
In a chaotic world, we make
connections and strategies to improve and emphasise the benefits of better customer service. We believe that leadership in this area will help the future success of business in the UK.
Exclusion zone
An exclusion zone is defined to ensure the logo has enough room to make an impact and guarantee that the brand logotype is prominent on all applications. Exclusion zone values are based on the distance between the circles within the symbol (x).
| Primary logo colour palette:
Pantone 341C
Pantone 376C
Minimum size
The minimum size of the logo should be no smaller than 40mm in width (measured from the left of the symbol to the right of the word mark).
| Colour variations
Mono logo
For low-resolution printing applications such as faxing, newsprint etc., use the mono version of the logo.
Reversed mono logo
When applying the logo to a black background, use the reversed mono logo.
Reversed mono on colour
When applying the logo to a colour background, use the reversed mono logo.
| Our secondary logo
Certain circumstances may necessitate a narrower, stacked version of our master logo. However, where possible, we should always attempt to utilise the primary master logo in our brand toolkit.
As with the primary logo, our secondary logo has exclusion zones to ensure prominence on all applications. These exclusion zones are based on the same principles as the primary logo.
Inappropriate treatment
Do not:
→ rotate or angle the logo
→ stretch or squash the logo
→ use a single colour logo
| Member and Awards logos
The brand architecture has been created to promote the masterbrand identity, and at the same time differentiate the different initiatives and campaigns.
These logo lock-ups must be used – and not altered in any way – on the relevant communication material, whether print or digital. The brand logo should not be locked up with other elements with the exception of member and awards-related scenarios.
To enable our members to showcase their engagement, we have created a dedicated Institute member logo. This is derived from our primary logo and allows member organisations to easily and clearly declare they are Institute members.
Mono logo
For low-resolution printing applications such as faxing, newsprint etc, use the mono version of the logo.
Reversed mono logo
When applying the logo to a black background, use the reversed mono logo.
Reversed mono on colour
When applying the logo to a colour background, use the reversed mono logo.
Our UK Customer Satisfaction Awards recognise organisations and individuals that have implemented successful customer service strategies.
Organisations that win one of the Awards can promote this achievement by using the Awards Winner logo, which should always feature the year in which the Award was given. Different variations for Award sponsors and finalists are also available.
Please note: the Awards logos should be legible at any size - do not use our full logo unless there is ample space to allow for legibility.
| Accreditation logos
ServiceMark, TrainingMark and Approved Centre are given greater prominence, as from a customer point of view it is important to promote the status of these accreditations.
A logo for each has been created to communicate the status and importance of these accreditations.
These marks must always be used and not re-created when communicating the TrainingMark, ServiceMark and Approved Centre accreditations.
These are used on plaques of achievement, and in situations where the customer wishes to promote the accreditation online or in print, and the validity date should always be featured.
| Campaign logos
Usage
The Service with Respect logo can be used by members and non-members to show their support for the campaign. Two variations are available: one includes the 'back our essential workers' tagline, whilst the other does not.
Exclusion zone
An exclusion zone is defined to ensure that the logo has enough room to make an impact and guarantee that the text is prominent in all applications.
Exclusion zone values are based on the height of the first letter of the ‘Service with Respect’ type, marked with the symbol (x).
Minimum size
There is no absolute minimum size for the logo - just ensure that the text is legible at the size at which it is likely to render on screen or in print.
| Service with Respect logo colour palette
Pantone 341C
Pantone 376C
Pantone 3248C
Pantone 306C
Pantone 249C
Pantone 100 C
| Campaign assets - design examples
The Service with Respect logo can also be used in conjunction with an illustration across different supports, including digital artworks and merchandise:
| National Customer Service Week
National Customer Service Week (NCSW) is a week-long celebration of customer service, taking place the first week of October every year. It is an opportunity to raise awareness of customer service and the vital role it plays in successful business practice and the growth of the UK economy.
The National Customer Service Week logo can be used by members and non-members to promote their involvement.
Our National Customer Service Week digital assets should only be reproduced from master artwork files and never be redrawn, reset or altered in any way.
Please always use the artwork supplied. If you have a specific requirement which cannot be met by any of the supplied artwork, please contact us.
Themes vary for each day and they are represented by different flat-style icons on the National Customer Service Week illustration below:
| Campaign assets - design examples
| Colour palette
Primary colour palette
These are our core identity colours. The original green has been retained, and a bright, fresh green has been added to give contrast and modernity to the brand.
The two greens inform our logo symbol and wordmark.
Colour matching
To ensure colour consistency across all media, please use the appropriate colour values:
• Pantone when printing special inks
• CMYK when printing full colour
• Hex (#) for digital media
• RGB for Word and Powerpoint
Note:
All typography should be either the two primary green colours, black, or white when set against a colour.
Pantone 341C
Pantone 376C
Plain White
Secondary colour palette
Our secondary palette has been chosen to support, strengthen and compliment our primary corporate colour. The secondary palette can also be multiplied to create depth and variety in illustrations and brand textures.
Pantone 3248C
Pantone 306C
Pantone 1375C
Pantone 249C
| Typeface
Caecilia Roman
PMN Caecilia has been chosen for its authoritative and educational presence.
All of the collateral we produce from brochures to direct mail should employ our corporate typeface.
This typeface is used for headline, introduction and main heading copy.
PMN Caecilia 75 Bold
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
0123456789
PMN Caecilia 55 Roman
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
0123456789
Frutiger Next Pro
Frutiger Next Pro has been chosen for its legibility and flexibility and is the Institute's bulk copy communication typeface.
Linotype Frutiger Next Bold
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
0123456789
Linotype Frutiger Next Medium
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
0123456789
Linotype Frutiger Next Regular
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
0123456789
| Illustration
llustrations help us construct our identity and convey our vision of the world.
We make regular use of flat illustrations in our brand colours to create people, objects, places and even ideas.
This illustration style has a minimalistic design approach that emphasises usability. It features clean, open space, crisp edges, and two-dimensional illustrations.
Examples:
| Icons
Just like we do for our illustrations, we use a flat style for our icons as a simple way to convey a message or idea. Flat design revolves around simplicity and powerful visual impact, focusing on colours and shapes.
This design uses no 3D elements or gradients and incorporates a mix of our primary and secondary colour palette. Our preferred colour combination includes a mix of greens and blues as per the examples included.
| Photography style
Photography is used for flagship or ‘hero’ occasions, such as communications for our Annual Conference and UK Customer Satisfaction Awards.
Our Annual Conference is ‘a unique mix’, a vibrant crossroads for insight or a connected structure for people to share. Our Awards, on the other hand, can be seen as a celebration of achievement, or visualised as a meeting place of successful ideas.
Photography conveys an overriding concept, as opposed to a literal depiction of an aspect of the event. Style should be vibrant, creative and inspirational.
| Tone of voice
The style of language we use needs to be consistent throughout all our communications.
The words we use will create a tone of voice, which in turn will give readers an impression of us as an organisation.
To present the right image for the Institute, we always want to sound:
Straightforward
We are always uncomplicated, to the point, clear and natural.
Reader-focused
We need to make the information we present as accessible to the reader as possible. We come across as knowledgeable and helpful at all times.
Engaging
We use a conversational style, which makes us sound personable and approachable.
For clarity, we should always refer to The Institute of Customer Service and should never use the abbreviation ICS.
In text, to avoid repetition, after the
first mention of The Institute of Customer Service, we can then use 'The Institute'.
| Design examples
The intention of the identity toolkit is to provide a set of elements unique to The Institute. The way we mix the toolkit together is key to create an individual visual brand expression.
The intent of the pages that follow are to inspire those working with The Institute to create great looking, on brand communication material.
Research covers
→ Research document covers always use the illustrations in our brand style.
→ Always consider how the illustration links to the title copy that it is accompanying.
→ They should present a clever interpretation of the subject or accompanying copy which is not
necessarily too obvious and offer the opportunity to be decoded by the viewer.
Customer Focus Magazine
→ Our Customer Focus Magazine aims to provide insight and inspiration to our members and subscribers
→ A secondary graphic language, derived from the logo symbol and featuring abstract patterns for brand recognition and visual interest, is used on the cover.
Conference & Awards Brochures
→ The Annual Conference and UK Customer Satisfaction Awards creative concept is rolled out across all assets, including our flagship event brochures.
Who to contact
Thank you for taking the time to familiarise yourself with our guidelines. We endeavor to always present The Institute of Customer Service brand in the correct way
and to uphold the principles that the brand is built upon. This means careful attention has to be applied to everything that The Institute produces with regards to media.
If you are unsure of any brand-related issues or have any questions regarding its use, application or appearance, please contact our Marketing & Communications team (laura.alemany@icsmail.co.uk or david.dagger@icsmail.co.uk).