2016 BRAND GUIDE - Blue Force Gear · BRAND GUIDE. BRAND GUIDELINES ... wide range of day to day activities ... this version is used on a branded document or product,

2016BRANDGUIDE

BRAND GUIDELINES ©2016 BLUE FORCE GEAR, INC.

COMPANY PROPRIETARY INFORMATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

These brand guidelines demonstrate the standards Blue Force Gear will employ to ensure a wholly consistent look across all our communications including our products, advertising, signage, packaging, social media, and promotional material.

The Blue Force Gear brand is synonymous with innovation, service, and American manufacturing.

The image and identity of our brand is essential to the success of our company. Our brand isn’t just our logo and the packaging we use to sell our products, it is every point of interaction our customers and our employees have with Blue Force Gear. It is how we present ourselves and how our customers and fans perceive us. The image we project for Blue Force Gear determines how our products are perceived by our customers and, in turn, affects a wide range of day to day activities such as gaining continued support from our customers, the activities and people with which we choose to align ourselves and even the standard of candidates we attract in recruitment.

Presenting a brand in a uniform way, time and again, ensures that whatever material, product, or environment we produce carries the same message that is uniquely Blue Force Gear. Consistent and professional branding raises brand awareness and increases Blue Force Gear’s value.

The standards outlined in these guidelines provide a clear and visible way to carefully maintain and control the Blue Force Gear brand image and identity.

Please study these guidelines and ensure that all applications of the Blue Force Gear logo adhere to the specifications outlined. If in doubt, please call and ask for advice. The Blue Force Gear logo must not be used without prior written approval from the Marketing Director. All uses of the logo must also be approved by the Marketing Director prior to commencement of production or publication.

ALWAYS BETTER®

“Always Better” is the official Blue Force Gear motto. This common saying among military and law enforcement professionals illustrates the core values and mind-set that drive everything we do at Blue Force Gear. Our customer base encompasses a broad spectrum of users; everything from hobbyists and target shooters to the most specialized and highly trained military units in the world. Regardless of the end user or their mission, our goal is to design equipment with form, fit, and function far superior to that of your “standard issue” gear.

TRADEMARKING/REGISTERED MARKWhen using the Blue Force Gear logo ensure it always incorporates the ® symbol immediately after. This always sits on the baseline of the Blue Force Gear logotype. When writing Blue Force Gear in copy it must be directly followed by the ® symbol for only the first instance of the word, after that it may be dropped, as you will see throughout this document.

Contact: Marketing Department

Tel: 877.430.2583

Email: [email protected]

INTRODUCTION



CORE IDENTITYBlue Force Gear is dedicated to making sure the professional user has every possible advantage with their equipment so they can focus on the mission at hand. Blue Force Gear is not for everyone; that is not to say everyone cannot gain advantage from our products, rather that our products are designed to meet the needs of the top-level end user. This ethos is reflected in our motto “Always Better,” and in the design of all of our products. The mission should be the focus, not the performance of the equipment. The weight you carry should be responsibility, not nylon. The failure of a mission will never be attributed to the equipment made by Blue Force Gear. We couple the best materials with the best design, and produce the finest products in their market. We build off of the constant interaction and feedback of elite customers, and constantly evolve to meet increasingly demanding requirements without compromise.

Blue Force Gear was founded in 2004 to address shortcomings in available weapons accessories for professional users. The company’s name reflects our dedication to the end user, the “blue force.” We serve the professional end user; we provide them the same quality they provide us. “Always Better.”

1.00 BRAND HISTORY/ POSITIONING



CORE IDENTITY

An American company built from a foundation of service to those that serve us.

MISSION STATEMENT

To provide our customers with professional-grade tactical gear and firearms accessories which exhibit our total commitment to superior design executed in the finest materials available.

BRAND VOICE

Humble, Confident, Innovative, Independent, Polite, Patriotic

PERSONIFICATION

A Quiet Professional

ESSENCE

Untamable drive to innovate and improve

TRAITS

DRIVEN Pushing forward to provide the world’s finest, period.

HUMBLE Eager to serve the customer because of our ethics, not our profit margin.

CONSISTENT Providing the finest service, quality, design, and fulfillment without exception.

SIGNPOSTS

Products Made in USA

Authentic yet modern

Thoughtful use of negative space

Tactful, elegant design

Iconic, High-end Branding and Design

1.01 BRAND IDENTITY MODEL



The unique corporate identity of

‘Blue Force Gear’ is incorporated into

the Blue Force Gear iconography.

The reticle represents our relation to

the tactical end user, and retains the

heritage of the original Blue Force

Gear branding. Its clean and simple

design relates our dedication to

minimalist functionality and efficient

design. The icon and logotype

work equally well together and

independently of one another.

Logo font: customized bamf italic



The primary logo is the all BFG blue

version. This logo can be used on

either an all white, all black, or all

grey background as shown below.

The one color logo may appear

on alternative background colors

only in special circumstances which

must be approved by the Blue

Force Gear Marketing Director

prior to use. It is imperative that

the logo clearly stands out from

the background in all instances.

The Blue Force Gear Tag-line:

“Always Better™” is a Registered

Trademark and is only used in

special circumstances which must

be approved by the Blue Force

Gear Marketing Director.

2.01 PRIMARY LOGO - LONG

PRIMARY LOGO

PRIMARY LOGO REVERSED

PRIMARY LOGO REVERSED MEDIUM VALUE

PRIMARY LOGO MEDIUM VALUE



The Blue Force Gear motto:

“Always Better™” is a Registered

Trademark and is only used in

special circumstances which must

be approved by the Blue Force

Gear Marketing Director.

2.02 ALTERNATE LOGO - WITH TAG-LINE

The alternate logo of use is the two

color PMS vertical version. This

logo should only be used where

space restricts the use of the

primary horizontal logo.

2.03 ALTERNATE LOGO - BLOCK

ALTERNATE LOGO WITH TAG-LINE

ALTERNATE LOGO

ALTERNATE LOGO REVERSED MEDIUM VALUE

ALTERNATE LOGO REVERSED

ALTERNATE LOGO MEDIUM VALUE



The logotype, logo shown without

the reticle, can be used as an

alternative to the standard logo. If

this version is used on a branded

document or product, the icon

should be also be used in tandem

somewhere else on the piece.

2.04 ALTERNATE LOGO - LOGOTYPE

ALTERNATE LOGOTYPE

ALTERNATE LOGOTYPE REVERSED

ALTERNATE LOGOTYPE REVERSED MEDIUM VALUE

ALTERNATE LOGOTYPE MEDIUM VALUE



The Blue Force Gear reticle can be

used in a variety of applications. It

should be used in applications that

have established Blue Force Gear

brand identity as to avoid confusion.

The reticle will always be reproduced

as shown, 15° CCW of center.

2.05 ALTERNATE LOGO - ICON

The website logo incorporates

“.com” at the end of the Blue Force

Gear logo. This logo may also be

used in other special circumstances

as advised by the Marketing

Director. DO NOT use the website

logo in conjunction with the

primary or alternate logos.

2.06 ALTERNATE LOGO - WEBSITE

ALTERNATE LOGO WITH WEBSITE

ALTERNATE LOGO

ALTERNATE LOGO REVERSED MEDIUM VALUE

ALTERNATE LOGO REVERSED

ALTERNATE LOGO MEDIUM VALUE

™

™

™

™



2.07.1 TWO COLOR

The Blue Force Gear logo consists

of PMS Blue 3005U, as shown.

The logo may also be reproduced

using 4 process colors. Please

refer to Color Section for web,

CMYK, and RGB breakdowns.

PMS COLOR

PMS Blue 3005U

2.07.2 ONE COLOR

When printing in black and white

the logo should appear in Grayscale

using 60% tint of black, as shown.

Use of the grayscale version of the

logo should be limited to black and

white applications only, as color

is integral to the Blue Force Gear

brand.

2.07.3 MONO (BLACK) The one color black logo must

only be used for one color press or

print advertisements or when the

two color or grayscale versions of

the logo fail to stand out from the

background clearly. The use of this

version of the logo should be limited,

as color is an integral part of the Blue

Force Gear brand identity.

2.07 COLOR USAGE

PMS BLUE 3005U

60% BLACK

PMS BLACK



2.07.4 REVERSE

When using the logo in a reverse

form it may appear in standard

colors on a solid dark background.

It is preferred that the reverse logo

in white appears on medium value

background. It may appear on a

4 color photographic background

only if the reproduction of the logo

is very clear.

2.07 COLOR USAGE - CONTINUED

PMS BLUE 279C PMS COOL GRAY 6 C

PMS WHITE OR PAPER

PMS WHITE OR PAPER

PMS WHITE OR PAPER



When using the logo in conjunction

with other elements, a minimum

amount of clear space must be

used. The minimum clear space is

defined as half of the cap height

of the logotype. Elements inside of

the minimum clear space should be

considered unacceptable.

2.08 MINIMUM CLEAR SPACE

1/2 CAP HEIGHT

CAP HEIGHT

ACCEPTABLE TEXT AREA



UNACCEPTABLE TEXT AREA





When using the logo in conjunction

with other elements, the logo must

be prominent and located in the top

left, top center, or top right of the

page. This is for use in Print Ads.

2.085 MAXIMIZING LOGO IMPACT

In special cases this is acceptable use

of logo when necessary. Note: The

text is always below the logo.

TEXT Space

TEXT Space

TEXT Space

TEXT Space

TEXT Space

TEXT Space

TEXT Space

TEXT Space TEXT Space

TEXT SpaceTEXT Space

TEXT Space



The Blue Force Gear reticle can be

used as a graphic element to enhance

a design and reflect the brand. The

icon should be used as a subtle

element in the background so as not

to overpower the layout. The icon

must always be scaled proportionately

and can be cropped but must

never be compressed, extended or

customized in any way. It must always

be shown with the “TM” to the bottom

right of the lower blade. An example of

how the icon can be used is shown.

Blue Force Gear logo is used as

the “Ten Year Anniversary Logo.”

It has been implemented in various

branding articles commemorating

ten years as a company. No items or

material is currently being produced

with the Ten Year Anniversary Logo.

2.09 TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY LOGO

2.10 RETICLE USAGE

©2013 BLUE FORCE GEAR, INC.ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.BLUEFORCEGEAR .COM

MADE IN USA | CAGE 3X9S8

PMS BLUE 3005U PMS 429

™



3.01 LARGE BANNER CREATION

Clean, simple, and minimal is the Blue

Force Gear image. Busy and cluttered

images should be highly discouraged

on banners. Font sizes may change

based on images being used. Font

must be Gotham HTF: Title is Bold,

information is Book, and emphasized

text is Medium. Title is always greater

than Subtext font size. Medium can

replace bold title.

Title: 36PT GOTHAM HTF BOLD SUBTEXT: 30PT GOTHAM HTF BOOK

Emphasized: 30pt GOTHAM HTF Med Resolution: 1170p x 332P at 72DPI

3.02 SMALL BANNER CREATION


Force Gear image. Font sizes may

change based on product names

being used. Font must be Arial

Regular. Size is recommended to fill

blue template box.

Resolution: 387P x 258p at 72DPI (3”x2” standard film resolution)

Bacround Box Color: BFG Logo Blue (HEX #0e7dc2)

Font Color: White (HEX #ffffff)

Font: Arial Bold



3.20 WEBSITE TYPOGRAPHY

Body Text Arial

Price Text (Never use bold)

Times

Price HEX Color #9e0303

SALE HEX Color #9e0303

Hyperlink Color (BFG Logo Blue)

#0e7dc2

Hyperlink on Hover Color

#c2570f


Force Gear image. All body text is

Arial font. The only exception to this

is using Times for all product pricing.

This is to distinguish prices into a clear

eligible number font.

3.03 PAGE ADS CREATION


Force Gear image. Font sizes may

change based on product names

being used. Font title must be Gotham

Bold. Paragraph text is Gotham

Medium. Size is recommended to fill

blue template box.

Resolution: 300P x 300p at 72DPI (square resolution)

Bacround Box Color: BFG Logo Blue (HEX #0e7dc2)

Font Color: White (HEX #ffffff)

Title: Gotham Bold

Paragraph: Gotham Medium



Shown are a few examples of how any

Blue Force Gear logo must NOT be

used without express consent of the

Marketing Director.

UNACCEPTABLE

DO NOT INTRUDE ON THE MINIMUM SPACE AREA

DO NOT SUBSTITUTE THE COLORS

DO NOT INTRODUCE OUTLINES

DO NOT CUSTOMIZE THE LOGO IN ANY WAY

DO NOT USE THE LOGO ON A SOLID BACKGROUND WHERE REPRODUCTION QUALITY IS NOT CLEAR



4.00 LOGO USAGE CONTINUED

Shown are a few examples of how

any Blue Force Gear logo must NOT

be used.

DO NOT DISTORT THE LOGO IN ANY WAY

DO NOT ALTER THE SPACING OF THE ICON AND LOGOTYPE

DO NOT SWITCH THE ICON POSITION



The Blue Force Gear colors have

been chosen to reinforce the values

of the brand. Use the following color

specifications for correct color set-up.

Please refer to PMS swatches for true

color matching. This guide is designed

for PC and Mac viewing and is not

100% color correct.

Blue Force Gear packaging uses

PMS 3005U and PMS White for all

packaging. Whenever reasonable, use

offset spot color printing instead of

digital 4-color.

5.01 GENERAL COLORS - COATED AND UNCOATED

5.02 PRINTING COLORS

PMS 3005U

HEX: 0e7dc2

C84 M44 Y00 K00

R14 G125 B194

PMS 431 C

HEX: 808285

C00 M00 Y00 K60

R128 G130 B133

PMS PROC. BLACK

HEX: 000000

C00 M00 Y00 K100

R0 G0 B0

PMS WHITE

HEX: ffffff

C00 M00 Y00 K00

R255 G255 B255

PMS 3005U

C84 M44 Y00 K00

PMS WHITE

C00 M00 Y00 K00

PMS 431 C

C00 M00 Y00 K60

PMS PROC. BLACK

C00 M00 Y00 K100



5.01 PRODUCT COLORS AND SWATCHES

Color continuity among various

products and materials speaks to the

quality and value of Blue Force Gear’s

products and, in turn, brand equity. It

is important to implement these colors

correctly across all brand assets and

products.

BLACK

BK

MIL STANDARD 357

MULTICAM®

MC

CRYE PRECISION SPEC

COYOTE BROWN

CB

MIL STANDARD 498

CAMO GREEN

OD

MIL STANDARD 483

FOLIAGE GREEN

FG

MIL STANDARD 504

WOLF GREY

WF

ARC’TERYX SPEC

DESERT SAND

DS

MIL STANDARD 500

ATACS AU

AS

ATACS SPEC

ATACS FG

AG

ATACS SPEC

ACU

AC

MIL STANDARD

KRYPTEK HYLANDER

KH

KRYPTEK SPEC

KRYPTEK TYPHOON

KT

KRYPTEK SPEC



The Blue Force Gear typefaces have

been chosen to reinforce the identity

of the brand. Gotham should be used

as a primary typeface on all applicable

branding and marketing assets. All

typeface weights, widths, and angles

are accepable. Avoid streching or

skewing the glyphs in any way that is

not a proportional scaling.

6.01.1 PRIMARY TYPEFACE - GOTHAM

6.01.2 STANDARD DOCUMENT TYPEFACE - ARIAL To remain consistent with the Blue

Force Gear image, Arial font should be

used by default for emails, documents,

power points, or any general text that

any BFG employ may create him or

herself to be seen by the public or

a potential client. This font is both

universal and the standard font for the

BFG website.

Arial Regular abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 1234567890

Arial Bold abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 1234567890

Gotham Light abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 1234567890

Gotham Book abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 1234567890

Gotham Medium abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 1234567890

Gotham Bold abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 1234567890



6.01.3 PRIMARY TYPEFACE - OXIDE

When a more unique typeface can

be used for headlines or titles, Oxide

is another option. Note that since

there are no lowercase glyphs in the

typeface, Oxide should not be used

for body copy or web banners.

Oxide Solid Light ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 1234567890

REMEMBER NO USE OF ITALICS ARE LISTED HERE



6.03 CONSISTENT WORDING GUIDE

Term Category

1 point sling slings

2 point sling slings

2 to 1 point sling slings

Adjuster slings

buttstocks weapon

chest rig load carriage

discreet description

hand guards weapon

lightweight description

loop locks materials

low profile description

low-vis description

Multicam description

multi-tool load carriage

multi-use description

Plate Pillow load carriage

Quick Adjuster slings

side arm weapon

steamlined description

triglide materials

ultralight description

forends weapon

Patent pending description

pending patents description

Ready to attach to Issue M4 Carbines slings

Comfortably soft without rolling or hardening slings

Contrasting pull tab slings

No padding for greater adjustability slings



6.03 CONSISTENT WORDING GUIDE CONT.

Term Category

2” padding for extra comfort slings

TEX 90 bonded nylon thread slings

INVISTA® Solution Dyed CORDURA® webbing slings

ITW GhillieTEX™ Low IR hardware slings

Machined aluminum hardware slings

Patent pending Helium Whisper® attachment system load carriage

MOLLEminus™ Technology load carriage

Size D” x W” x H” load carriage

Signature reducing color matched loop field load carriage

Signature reducing printed laminate load carriage

Signature reducing printed elastic load carriage

TEX 70 bonded nylon thread load carriage

ULTRAcomp™ high performance laminate load carriage

INVISTA® Solution Dyed CORDURA® fabric load carriage

Ten-Speed® Mil grade elastic load carriage

ITW GhillieTEX™ Low IR hardware load carriage

70D Ripstop nylon load carriage

Aerospacer Mesh load carriage

Machined Aluminum load carriage

Aircraft grade seven strand stainless steel cable load carriage

Phosphated, machined steel hardware

4 stainless steel ball bearings hardware

Stainless steel spring hardware

Hard Coat Anodized hardware

Fits in standard QD sockets hardware

1.25” sling loop hardware

10 degree activation radius hardware

1 to 2 point sling when paired with other parts (sold separately) hardware

Sphereo-conical shaped knob hardware



6.04 WORDING TO BE REMOVED

Due to varying circumstances,

see the list of words and phrases

that are to be removed from Blue

Force Gear marketing material,

responses, postings, or other official

correspondence.

Urban Wolf

Urban Wolf is the property of Arc’teryx. When we launched the Wolf Grey load carriage option in 2012, we were authorized to us Urban Wolf in conjunction with some of our products. Due to uncertainty of which products Blue Force Gear is authorized to name Urban Wolf, Blue Force Gear has switched entirely to Wolf Grey or “Wolf” for short.

DAP

Due to a request from GAP Inc, we no longer use D.A.P to refer to our Denied Area Pattern and Dapper lines.

VCAS

From late 2012 onwards, Blue Force Gear is phasing out “VCAS” as an acronym to the Vickers Combat Applications Sling. VCAS is too easily confused with the V-TAC sling. Notice that this does not affect part numbers as the Vickers Slings are still designated by VCAS- prefix.



6.05 GRAPHIC FONT GUIDE

Due to varying circumstances, this is

a simplified graphic design guide for

print and layout.

BODY TEXT (titles//products: NOUNS logo blue and medium (if no medium bold is used bellow) or bold (if medium used bellow)

Gotham Book. Typically, use a grey font for body text: this would be paragraph long text and information that is usually technical data or product descriptions. This text should also be smaller than any titles above it.

Website links

All should be www.Medium Bold.com font and a contrasting font, grey, blue or black

Callout Box

Grey (60% K) Box - White Font - Reserved: Larry Vickers, additional 3rd party sources, and to show contrast in information.

Callout Box

Logo Blue (84%C, 44%M) Box - White Font - Reserved: The most important ideas and information (special use only)/

Trade Marks™ and Register® Creation

All GOTHAM ™ and ® should be no less than 6pt font in size. But should always be half the size (of the original font) and raised by that equal font size (Baseline Shift). On smaller font sizes, use best judgement for consistency and eligibility.

EXAMPLE: A(14pt)™(7pt with a baseline shift of 7pt)

EXAMPLE: A(14pt)®(7pt with a baseline shift of 7pt)

EXAMPLE: A(9pt)™(6pt with a baseline shift of 3pt (3 is the difference from 9pt to 6pt))

EXAMPLE: A(9pt)®(6pt with a baseline shift of 3pt (3 is the difference from 9pt to 6pt))



6.06 TRADEMARKS AND PATENTS

In order to legally protect Blue

Force Gear’s intelectual property, it

is important to clearly establish the

legal status of technologies, words,

or phrases. A ®, ™, or © should

be applied to the first instance

of each protected item in any

communications, packaging, or

image. It is also acceptable to call

out the legal status of all applicable

articles in a single place on a graphic

asset like packaging.

Patented

SOC-C™ Sling

Vickers Combat Applications Sling™

RED™ Swivel

Ten-Speed®

Always Better.®

Helium Whisper®

Patent Pending

Universal Wire Loop™

MOLLEminus™

Klaux

40mm Lid

Trademark

BELTminus™

Boo Boo™ Pouch

Dappers™

Denied Area Pattern™

Family of Weapon Slings™

Helium Whisper™

Hive Satchel™

Legendary lead times™

Lightweight Modular Armor Carrier™

LMAC™

MOLLEminus™

Plate Pillow™

PLATEminus™

RACKminus™

RED™ Swivel

SOC-C™

Special Operations Capable – Convertible™

SPLITminus™

Superior Equipment for Special Operations™

Tourniquet NOW!™

Trauma Kit NOW!™

UDC™ Sling

ULTRAcomp™

Universal Wire Loop™

UWL™

VCAS™

Vickers Combat Applications Sling™

Vickers Sling™

Victory Series™

World's Standard in Weapon Slings™

Vickers SAW Sling™

Vickers M240 Sling™

Burnsed Socket™

Registered

Blue Force Gear®

Helium Whisper®

Always Better.®

Ten-Speed®

Patent Numbers

Helium Whisper® - 8,720,762



Product graphic standards cover

product packaging, hangers, hang

tags, and other product graphics.

They should retain a unified aesthetic

that speaks to the Blue Force Gear

brand: consistency.

As seen is the current angles

represented on all packaging.

Important elements circled in red.

LIFETIMEWARRANTY

MADE IN USA

More Information Inside

BlueForceGear.com 877.430.2583CAGE: 3X9S8

AI CORNER: .1 DEGREE

MOLLE HOLE SCALE: 1.5”W X 1”H

CROSS PEG: 1.25”W X .9”H



7.01 BFG 2:1 ANGLE

An important aesthetic that permeates

every element of product is the 2:1

angle (at right). Two same lengths for

one angle.



Other pieces of iconography are tied

to the Blue Force Gear brand. One

of which is the American Flag with a

light stroke on all elements. The stroke

weight is dependent upon intended

size, media, and production process

and should be as light as reasonable.

When rotated vertically, the flag must

be positioned in such a way that the

stars are in the upper left corner (as

shown).

8.01 STROKED FLAG



Other pieces of iconography are tied

to the Blue Force Gear brand. One

of which is adding “reticle flare” to

a simple designed background. The

opacity of this logo should be no more

than 10%, because it is a background

element: weight is dependent upon

intended size, media, and production

process and should be as light as

reasonable.

No rotation should occur with the

reticel. Use best judgement when

applying this feature. Only for web

graphics and unusually sized images.

9.01 USE OF “SPECIAL” GRAPHICS AND RETICEL

Documents

2016 BRAND GUIDE - Blue Force Gear · BRAND GUIDE. BRAND GUIDELINES ... wide range of day to day activities ... this version is used on a branded document or product,