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3 D E G R E E S
Brand StyleGuide
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1. Preface+ Introduction to brand guidelines
2. Brand Essence+ Story+ Mission and vision+ Core values+ Personality
3. Visual Identity+ Logo+ Typography+ Color+ Photography+ Graphics
4. Voice & Messaging+ Tone of voice+ Writing style
CO N T E N TS
// 08012017
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0 1 P R E FAC E | HOW TO USE THIS
Why do we need a style guide?
The style guide sets the tone for how 3Degrees communicates with the outside world – whether it’s through our writing, our logo, our presentations – every choice should be deliberate and consistent. Anything that visually or stylistically represents 3Degrees should convey our voice, our mission and our personality.
Use these brand guidelines to learn how to capture the spirit and purpose of 3Degrees. Each style choice has been selected carefully to best represent our brand.
This guide has been developed by the 3Degrees marketing team, who actively manages the company brand. If you have questions or comments, please contact us at [email protected].
PA R T T WO
Brand Essence
HEART AND SOUL
Our brand expresses who we are and what we believe in. It reflects our thinking and our work ethic. It affects how we relate to our customers, and how our customers perceive us and respond when they see or hear our name. It builds loyalty and attracts the best people to our team.
The key to creating a strong brand is to clearly express its distinctive personality, characteristics and values through every piece of communication, both verbally and in writing, on a daily basis.
+ Story+ Vision and mission+ Core values+ Personality
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02 B RA N D ESS E N C E | STORY
Our name as a call to action
When we were founded, a three degree increase in the earth’s temperature was seen by many as a climate tipping point, the point past which it would be difficult if not impossible to reverse the impacts of climate change on the earth and its inhabitants.
By choosing the name 3Degrees, our founders remind themselves, our staff, and our partners that climate change is not an abstract concept, but is real and requires action now.
Solving the most significant challenge of our generation is a tall order. But this is a challenge that energizes us. We hope you’ll join the cause.
02 B RA N D ESS E N C E | MISSION AND VISION
A world where it is universally more valuable to solve environmental problems than create them.
To connect people with cleaner energy on a massive scale.
O U R V I S I O N
O U R M I S S I O N
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02 B RA N D ESS E N C E | VALUES
C O M PA N Y
+ We are passionate about our mission…really.
+ We are a stable growth company focused on investing wisely and managing risk so that we can grow sustainably.
+ We deliver high quality products and services and clients reward us for it.
+ We’re dedicated to finding new and fulfilling work we want to do, sifting out work that’s not a good fit for us.
T E A M I N G & C U LT U R E
+ We are a team of people who naturally put the good of the company and their teammates ahead of their own self interest.
+ We are a company without jerks. We are a company of people who are respectful and genuine.
+ We hold each other accountable and own up to our mistakes.
+ We seek to keep a low drama environment with people who don’t pit themselves against each other.
+ Regardless of the outcome, we value innovative, well-planned and well-executed experiments.
+ We operate ethically even when confronted by economic pressures or personal or professional risks.
+ We want our teammates to have personal lives that are not regularly affected by work.
I N D I V I D U A L
+ We encourage professional growth through empowerment and opportunities for innovation.
+ We are committed to rewarding high performance by team players.
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02 B RA N D ESS E N C E | PERSONALIT Y
YO U K N OW, L I K E . . . B U T N OT. . .
S M A R T informed, approachable academic, arrogant
F O R WA R DT H I N K E R
progressive, big picture
thinker, a leaderscience fiction
PA SS I O N AT Eenthusiastic, a champion,
determinedmilitant, overly-emotional
AU T H E N T I C approachable, frank unpolished
R E L I A B L Etrustworthy, provides
good valueboring, predictable
PA R T T H R E E
Visual Identity
While the brand essence is the heart and soul coming from within, the visual identity is the outward expression of 3Degrees.
The logo makes up only one component of the identity. Other elements such as type, color, photography and illustration styles all play an important role in defining and con-sistently representing 3Degrees as brand.+ Logo
+ Typography+ Color+ Photography+ Graphics
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03 V I SUA L I D E N T I T Y | LOGO
F U L L LO G O LO C K U P A N D
I T E R AT I O N S
The 3Degrees logo is made up of the numeral 3, the word Degrees (capital D), and a degree symbol, as well as a trademark symbol.
Use the full color 3Degrees logo whenever pos-sible. The full color, one-color and grayscale versions of the logo should be used primarily on white backgrounds. In rare cases they may be used on light backgrounds. For any darker or photograph backgrounds, the reversed ver-sion of the logo should be used.
F U L L CO LO R
R EV E RS E D
O N E CO LO R
80% B&W
L O G O T Y P E
M A R K E L E M E N T S
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03 V I SUA L I D E N T I T Y | LOGO
LO G O M A R K
The “3” and degree symbol from the logo can be used in this arrangement as a logo mark. It is intended to be used as a graphic design element, rather than an independent version of the logo. In most cases, the full logo should appear in conjunction with the mark.
When using the 3D mark as a graphic element, it should be arranged so that it slightly runs off the edge of the page, but in a way that still allows it to be immediately read as a “3”. As a general rule, the mark should be approximately 4x the size of the logo (when the 3 in the mark is compared the 3 in the logo).
The full color, one-color and grayscale versions of the logo should be used primarily on white backgrounds. In rare cases they may be used on light backgrounds. For any darker or photograph backgrounds, the reversed version of the logo should be used.
CO R R EC T CO R R EC T I N CO R R EC T
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03 V I SUA L I D E N T I T Y | LOGO
C L E A R S PAC E A N D S I Z I N G
It is important that other elements don’t crowd the logo or the logo mark. Please allow for space around the logo, min-imum the height of the “e” in degrees. For the logo mark, allow space minimum the height of the degree symbol.
The 3Degrees logo should not be used in body copy.
The logo may not be used at a size smaller than the minimum specified.
C L E A R S PAC E
M I N I M U M S I Z ES
P R I N T : 1 . 5 “ W I D E W E B : 7 5 P I X E L S W I D E
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03 V I SUA L I D E N T I T Y | LOGO
I M P R O P E R LO G O T R E AT M E N T
In order to maintain the integrity of the logo, please use the following examples as a guide of what not to do with the logo.
Thou shall not change the color of the logo.
Thou shall not apply any special effects to the logo.
Thou shall not resize or rearrange any logo pieces.
Thou shall not stretch or distort the logo.
Thou shall not change the angle of the logo.
Thou shall not place logo on busy photo or background.
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03 V I SUA L I D E N T I T Y | T YPOGRAPHY
M A R K OT
Arnhem
ABCDEFGHIJKLMN OPQRSTUV WXYZ123 4567890 @#$%&!?
ABCDEFGHIJKLMN OPQRSTUVWXYZ1234567890 @#$%&!?
Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz1234567890 @ # $ % & ! ?
Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz1234567890 @ # $ % & ! ?
L A B E L I N M A R K
Subhead in ArnhemBody copy in Arnhem Normal. It’s super easy to read. Looks modern and has class and flair.
Headline in Arnhem
LABEL IN ARIAL
Subhead in Georgia
Body copy in Georgia. It’s super easy to read. Looks modern and has class and flair.
Headline in Georgia
T Y P E S E T T I N G
Our stories are everything. Type styles help tell them with distinction and organization. Our type system keeps things tight, simple and highly versatile. Our typography palette includes a serif and sans serif:
Arnhem is a serif rooted in traditional typography but with an undoubtedly modern touch. Because of Arnhem’s exceptional reading quality, it’s suitable for large bodies of text.
+ Headline 1: Arnhem Bold
+ Subheadline: Arnhem Bold Italic
+ Body copy: Arnhem Normal
When Arnhem is unavailable or inaccessible (e.g. licensing, Google docs, Microsoft documents shared beyond 3Degrees), follow the same rules but use Georgia.
Mark OT is a new geometric sans that is strong, simple and bold in form. It’s roundess adds approachability while it’s thickness adds strength and confidence. We use FF Mark (always in ALL CAPS) for headlines, and descriptor text to compliment Arnhem.
+ HEADLINE 2: MARK OT BOLD
+ LABEL: MARK OT REGULAR
When Mark OT is unavailable or inaccessible (e.g. licensing, Google docs, Microsoft documents shared beyond 3Degrees), follow the same rules but use Arial.
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03 V I SUA L I D E N T I T Y | COLOR
G O L D E N R O D ( P M S 1 1 6 U )C M Y K 0 34 96 0
RG B 253 181 21
H E X FCB414
G R AY 1 ( P M S 4 2 9 U )C M Y K 45 34 32 1
RG B 147 151 157
H E X 93979D
M E D O R A N G E ( P M S 1 4 4 U )C M Y K 0 56 85 0
RG B 246 138 61
H E X F6893C
G R AY 2 ( P M S 4 3 1 U )C M Y K 57 45 40 8
RG B 1 17 123 131
H E X 757B82
DA R K O R A N G E ( P M S 1 6 6 5 U )C M Y K 3 74 77 0
RG B 234 104 7 1
H E X E96847
G R AY 3 ( P M S 4 3 3 U )C M Y K 63 56 50 24
RG B 92 92 97
H E X 5B5C61
C O LO R PA L E T T E - P R I M A RY
The mood of the color palette is meant to reinforce the tone of the brand: enthusiastic, approachable, optimistic, intelligent. The primary palette includes a range of mellow oranges with a complementary palette of cool grays. A sunny outlook on the future but with one foot firmly planted in reality.
Yellows and oranges: We do not recommend using yellow for any copy on material that would be projected on a screen.
Shades of gray: Sometimes it comes in handy to use different shades of gray as backgrounds in documents and presentations. As a general rule, grab our lightest gray and use it at a 15-25% transparency.
Please reference the graphs at the right for a guideline to the ratio of color usage.
P RO P O RT I O N S
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03 V I SUA L I D E N T I T Y | COLOR
P RO P O RT I O N S
L I M E ( P M S 3 6 7 U )C M Y K 47 0 77 0
RG B 145 202 107
H E X 90C96A
TAU P E ( P M S 4 5 1 U )C M Y K 42 36 58 6
RG B 150 143 1 15
H E X 958F72
N AV Y ( P M S 2 9 5 U )C M Y K 85 68 34 17
RG B 58 80 115
H E X 395072
AQ UA ( P M S 3 2 5 2 U )C M Y K 69 0 31 0
RG B 55 190 189
H E X 36BEBC
C O LO R PA L E T T E - S E C O N DA RY
Because 3Degrees caters to a variety of audiences and industries, the secondary palette exists to supplement branded materials as needed. For example, the light green and teal might add energy and spunk to something, whereas the navy and muted olive could be used to add calmness and sophistication.
The secondary and primary colors are not all meant to appear together, but to be used in various combinations depending on the direction of the piece.
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03 V I SUA L I D E N T I T Y | PHOTOGRAPHY
Warm. Quiet. Relatable. Cohabitation.
Photography should take inspiration from the primary and secondary color palettes. Subject matter should reflect subtle instances of cohabitation between mankind and nature. Overall mood should be calm, confident and relatable to the audience.
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03 V I SUA L I D E N T I T Y | PHOTOGRAPHY
P H OTO G R A P H Y G U I D E L I N E S
Photography is one of the most important elements in the overall mood conveyed through design. The imagery is the first and last thing people remember on whichever medium. It captures the personality of our brand.
The following is a framework to follow when creating or curating images for our brand so that all associated works possess a definitive visual vernacular and a degree of visual continuity maintained throughout.
Art direction ideas:
+ Using subjects in motion to provide energy to environments
+ Unique crop that leaves room for interesting composition, and ambiguity in the models’ identities
+ Graphic compositions using the environment
+ Subject offset from center (Position creates a unique composition for the story)
+ An interesting scenario of a natural situation, with a calm, thoughtful tone
+ Depth of field used to connect two subjects, leaving mystery to the story
Appearing cliche, staged or overly posed
Unrealistic and/or unrelatable “utopia” world
Nature by itself without subtle evidence of human/animal cohabitation
Looking corporate
Too much focus on the renewable technology
Poor lighting, poor quality and/or poor resolution
Things to avoid:
Genre Lifestyle
Environment The great outdoors or nature brought indoors
Lighting Natural light (explore high key and flare as options)
Wardrobe, props Stylish, quaint, casual, patterns, down-to-earth
Composition Off centered, depth of field, clear focal point
Color Palette Oranges, greens (primary and secondary palettes)
Other Themes International, diversity, business
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03 V I SUA L I D E N T I T Y | ICONOGRAPHY
I C O N L I B R A RY
Icons can be used as a means for breaking up bodies of copy and adding useful visual elements to illustrate various items. Whenever possible, use them to represent the appropriate label or close approximation. Generally the icons can be in goldenrod, but they also are available in gray.
1st REC airplane press release phone energy green builder x water restoration
wind industry
risk renewable cell award barrel of oil bicycle address car cow government green power program
up left right down check 1 check 2 business announcement communitysolar
forestry landfill
shopping CO2 consulting person design developer target builder empower social global
hydro carbon offset
solar tidal trees truck USA grid location portfolio
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03 V I SUA L I D E N T I T Y | GRAPHICS
C H A R T S & G R A P H I C S
When formatting charts and graphs in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, make sure you are using our brand typefaces and colors. To break through the grays and yellow-oranges, you can use colors from our secondary palette.
PA R T F O U R
Voice & Messaging
Having killer content and amazing visuals is part of the package, but tone of voice is key in wrapping the entire message up in one effective and memorable bow.
A tone of voice is not what you say, but how you say it. It is an expression of the people behind the brand. It both embodies and expresses the brand’s personality. It should be distinctive, recognizable and unique.
+ The 3Degrees voice+ Writing style
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0 4 VO I C E & M ESSAG I N G | VOICE
We’re smart, but casual.
We handle a lot of regulatory jargon, information-dense nuances, but avoid being dry and overly technical to our audiences. We be-lieve that a message is better when it’s simple to understand. We do not use obscure or unknown terms that may alienate.
We’re genuine.
We are confident in and proud of the quality of our offerings, but avoid over-embellishing or using buzz words that can sound like hype. We express ourselves warmly and personally. We are enticing but always natural, never contrived. We adopt an attitude of sharing that lets our innovation and enthusiasm shine through.
Our own conviction makes us compelling.
We do business from a place rooted in our deepest beliefs. We engage our audiences with compelling stories. We deliver the facts clearly and use descriptions that stir the imagination and emotions. But we are not excessive in our exclamations.
We’re optimistic, we’re human.
There’s a sunny side to everything (see solar panels). We find it’s much more productive to see the world through a glass half full to set and surpass our goals. When appropriate, we embrace humor and show our fun loving side.
P E R S O N A TO N E ( V I B E ) L A N G UAG E P U R P O S E
SmartDown to earth
A leader
StraightforwardEnthusiasticOf substance
HonestConfident
Warm
EducateEngage
Empower
3 D E G R E E S VO I C E
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0 4 VO I C E & M ESSAG I N G | TONE
TO N E
We aim for informal professional. Our words and voice are totally appropriate for a business situation, but are not stiff or overly formal.
+ We refer to 3Degrees in the first person (not third)+ We use the pronoun “we” to describe 3Degrees+ We use the pronoun “our” to describe 3Degrees (instead of its)
RIGHT: 3Degrees is proud of our participation in this important initiative.RIGHT: We are proud of our participation in this important initiative.WRONG: 3Degrees is proud of its participation in this important initiative.
AC T I V E VO I C E
Whenever possible, we use the active voice. The active voice is more powerful, direct and clear.
ACTIVE: The critic wrote a scathing review.PASSIVE: A scathing review was written by the critic.
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0 4 VO I C E & M ESSAG I N G | WRIT ING ST YLE
W R I T I N G S T Y L E
We follow AP style, which can be described as “down” and “open”. This is a modern, streamlined style that minimizes capitalization (the “down” part) and punctuation (the “open” part).
Numbers
+ Write out one through nine, use numerals for 10+.
RIGHT: Ruth has six cats but Willa has 10.
+ Write out percent (not %).
Bullet points
+ Always capitalize the first word after a bullet point.
+ If the bullet contains a complete sentence, end it with a period.
+ If it is a sentence fragment, no period should be used.
+ A list of bullets should either be all sentences or all sentence fragments (not a mix).
Em dashes
+ You should never have more than two em dashes per sentence.
+ The em dash should have a space before and after the dash.
RIGHT: If only we knew how to operate a sailboat — we would be home by now.
Other
+ Although our legal name is 3Degrees Group Inc., except for in legal documents, the company should be referred to as just 3Degrees.
+ Text is left justified, and we do not indent at the beginning of paragraphs. Instead we do a hard return at the end of a paragraph.
+ 99.9 percent of the time, we do not use footnotes. Instead link to the source material.
+ Only one space after the end of a sentence (not two)
WordsWhen in doubt, don’t capitalize.
+ Job titles: only capitalize when they precede the person’s name
+ Headlines: capitalize only first word and proper nouns
+ Department names: capitalize only specfic, not generic names
RIGHT: Carbon MarketsWRONG: Board of Directors
+ Do not capitalize a word just because you think it is important.
+ Do not capitalize a string of words that is commonly abbreviated, unless it is a proper noun.
RIGHT: power purchase agreementWRONG: Power Purchase Agreement
PunctuationLeave sentences “open” by minimizing punctuation.
+ No oxford comma
RIGHT: Apples, oranges and bananasWRONG: Apples, oranges, and bananas
+ Minimize use of hyphens by combining hyphenated words when possible. Use hyphens in compound adjectives only when not using them would be confusing.
RIGHT: website, kickoffWRONG: kick-off
