ACLS Certification Institute Brand Guide

WelcomeThe ACLS Certification Institute (ACI) is a separate and distinct brand from Career Step.

Though the brands are always represented as unrelated, the ACLS Certification Institute

brand still seeks to achieve the Career Step mission while upholding and advocating Career

Step’s core values of ownership, integrity, execution, customer focus, innovation, quality,

teamwork, and personal fulfillment.

The standards and guidelines set forth in this style guide define what makes the ACLS

Certification Institute unique from others in the market and must be consistently applied

to ensure brand integrity.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Brand Identity 4

Personality and Voice 6

Logo 8

Colors 10

Typography 12

Grid & Layout 14

Icon & Buttons 16

Imagery 18

Copywriting 20

Communications 20

4

BRAND IDENTITY

BRAND IDENTITY

• The ACLS Certification Institute (ACI) is our primary brand, and its main domain is

ACLS.com. Any customers who belong to ACLS.com should only interact with those

representing ACI or the ACLS.com brand (@acls.com emails, social media pages,

phone interactions, etc.) and should only be directed to other ACLS.com pages.

• As ACI is also represented on ACLScertification.com, BLSCertificationInstitute.com,

and PALStraining.com, these customers can be directed to pages on ACLS.com or

interact with representatives from the ACLS.com domain. However, the reverse is not

true—for example, ACLS.com customers should never be referenced back to

ACLScertification.com or any of the other sites.

• Both ACLS.us and ACLSrecertification.com maintain entirely separate brands and

should only ever reference themselves. Any email or communications from these

brands must be distinct and separate from all other entities.

It is important to note that while ACLS Certification Institute upholds the same

mission and values as Career Step the brands are always to be represented as

separate and unrelated. We do not at this time publicly acknowledge a relationship

between Career Step and ACI.

When Career Step acquired ACI, there were a number of online brands and presences

that came with it. Due to marketing and identity restrictions, the following rules must

be applied when representing these brands.

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URLs

URLs are also to be represented in all cases without the www and capitalized as outlined below. URLs

should be hyperlinked within text when it makes sense and improves user experience.

ACLS.com

ACLScertification.com

BLSCertificationInstitute.com

PALStraining.com

ACLS.us

ACLSrecertification.com

6

PERSONALITY & VOICE

PERSONALITY & VOICE

A strong, clear, consistent brand personality is important because it shapes how our customers think and feel about our brand. It is also how we connect with the audiences we serve.

While different messages and tones are appropriate for various audiences, the same core personality should come through all communications.

ACLS Certification Institute is:

Helpful — The healthcare providers we serve are busy and stretched thin. We provide the information they need in an easy-to-consume way that quickly provides the answers they’re looking for.

Expert — We know our business so our audiences can get about theirs. We are thought leaders in our space and are familiar with the details and nuances important to our consumers.

Professional — We are at all times respectful of the high demands placed on our audiences. We provide high-quality training and the best support to enable them to do their jobs to the very best of their abilities.

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Voice

The voice of the ACLS Certification Institute brand speaks to the overarching Career Step mission and

values while conveying ACLS Certification Institute’s unique personality. Our voice encompasses the

words, attitudes, and tone we use to craft messaging. It gives our audience a sense of who we are and

reflects our personality.

ACLS Certification Institute’s voice is...

Clear — Speaks to a specific need/goal in an open way that promotes understanding.

Concise — Strives to be straightforward and focused while avoiding extraneous words.

Educated — Reflects and conveys the clinical nature of our offerings.

Approachable — Connects through everyday language.

ACLS Certification Institute’s voice is NOT...

Arrogant — Avoids being all-knowing, overbearing, or condescending.

Casual — Avoids being flippant or ever approaching disrespectful.

Defensive — Avoids representing ourselves as the one and only answer. We are an excellent fit for many providers but not necessarily all—this is a fact we acknowledge and accept, not one that we apologize for or become defensive over.

8

LOGO

LOGO

Logo Usage and GuidelinesThe logo must be surrounded by clear space (see next page for specific examples). The minimum clear space required is the horizontal line in front of the first peak within the mark.

The logo must not be reduced smaller than the examples provided on the following page in either print or digital use.

The mark may be used independently as a graphic element to strengthen branding, as a social icon, or for secondary branding as needed. The mark itself should not be altered.

Please note that the Career Step and ACI logos are not to be used in tandem with each other. We do not at this time publicly acknowledge a relationship between Career Step and ACI. Please reference the Brand Identity section (pg. 4) for more information on the appropriate ACI relationship with other related brands.

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CLEAR SPACEBREAKDOWN

1.75” or 126px 1” or 72px 1” or 72px

10

COLORS

Primary Colors

The blue, red, and gray below should be used in all occasions of design and communications. These colors provide a bold and professional tone as well as strong contrast against the background colors. As a reflection of the logo, the primary colors should be used as primary (blue), secondary (red), and tertiary (gray).

ACI Blue

HEX#0d426a

CMYK100·77·35·21

RGB13·66·106

PMS654 C

ACI Red

HEX#ce413a

CMYK13·89·84·3

RGB206·65·58

PMS2033 C

ACI Gray

HEX#414042

CMYK68·62·58·46

RGB66·65·66

PMS7 C

COLORS

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Background Colors

These secondary colors—white, tan, and light blue—should be used when needed to divide content and visually distinguish hierarchy and layout. These colors are used only to support the primary colors, providing contrast and making content more digestible, with white being the most predominantly used.

ACI Tan

HEX#f0f0ed

CMYK4·3·5·0

RGB241·240·238

PMS9100 C

ACI Lt. Blue

HEX#d6eaf6

CMYK15·2·1·0

RGB214·233·245

PMS642 C

ACI White

HEX#ffffff

12

TYPOGRAPHY

TYPOGRAPHY

Typography Specifications

Consistent use of typography is essential to maintaining brand integrity and

recognition. The Lato font is used in all instances. Specific uses are as follows:

• Lato Light is used for hero titles

• Lato Black is used for heading 2 titles and graphical accents/glyphs

• Lato Bold is used for heading 3 and menus

• Lato Regular is used for body copy

• Lato Italic is used for quotations

Latoabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 0123456789 $%&(.,:;#!?)

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Hero Title Lato Light 40pt

HEADING 2 LATO BLACK 26pt

ACCENTS & GLYPHS LATO BLACK 10-26pt

HEADING/Heading 3 Lato Bold 13pt

MENUS LATO BOLD 12pt

Body Copy Lato Regular 12pt

Quotations Lato Italic 12pt

14

GRID & LAYOUT

GRID & LAYOUT

The Grid

Designs should follow a 1/3 grid system for text, imagery, and other graphic

elements (shapes, white space, etc.).

• Grids can use any ratio combination (2:1. 1:3, etc.)

• Design should avoid 1/2 page layout splits and other ratios

Layout

In general, layout should be clean with clear hierarchy and good division—without

inappropriately isolating content or disconnecting the messaging from the call to

action.

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Span Column

Ads, CTAs, banners, etc. should span full column

1:3 (or 5ths)

Example of 1:1:1 or 1:3 grid breaks

2:1 - 1:3

Example showing a 2-column span

16

ICONS & BUTTONS

ICONS & BUTTONS

Icon Application

Icons should follow the look and feel shown below, consisting of shape outlines and

having consistent line width. Shapes should be simple enough to identify at small

sizes and should clearly represent intended meanings.

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Button Hierarchy

Buttons must have a standard height and font. Button width before and after type

should be the same as the overall button height (see example below), allowing

width to adjust appropriately. Hover states need to be mobile friendly.

#ff4b3f

Hover States

55px 24pt Lato Bold (Aa) #ffffff

55px

Learn more

Learn moreLearn more

18

IMAGERY

IMAGERY

StyleThe general style of images should be in accordance with the guidelines outlined in

the Career Step Style Guide, which sets the tone for the branding of both Career

Step and the ACLS Certification Institute. The specific images used as examples are

not necessarily to be used in materials, but are provided to give an overall feel for

the branding of ACLS Certification Institute.

Usage

Images may be used under a white screened overlay to accommodate text or icons.

Images should be clear with good lighting, with a modern, professional look and feel.

Examples

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20

COPYWRITING

COPYWRITING

Copywriting Guidelines

Our writing style follows specific principles and guidelines, which are the foundation

of our written communications.

Start with how

People buy benefits, not features. Messaging must show how our offerings meet

individual needs rather than just how they check boxes on a product sale sheet.

Put audience first

Our audiences matter most. Our success is reflected through their success.

Use active voice

Passive voice can confuse readers and lengthens copy. Our readers are looking to

quickly find the information they need, and passive voice frustrates this.

Choose words carefully

Employ strong verbs. Clinical terms may be used as appropriate to promote under-

standing, but avoid unnecessary industry jargon, extra words, clichés, and acronyms.

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Be consistent in word and grammar use

Consistent use of specific words and grammar is important in maintaining a single

voice—for example, in all ACLS Certification Institute communications healthcare in

one word, internet is not capitalized, and serial commas are used.

22

COMMUNICATIONS

COMMUNICATIONS

It is important to note again that in all instances ACLS Certification Institute and

Career Step should be represented as separate and unrelated entities. We do not at

this time publicly acknowledge a relationship between these brands, and this must

be consistent across all areas of customer interaction (phone, email, social media,

events, etc.).

Please reference the Brand Identity section (pg. 4) for more information on the

appropriate ACI relationship with other related brands.

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Email Signature

When corresponding with any external audience regarding any ACI business, be sure to

use an email address with the appropriate domain (@acls.com, @aclscertification.com, etc.).

Please see the Brand Identity section (pg. 4) for more details on how these brands relate to

each other and should be handled.

Email signatures should be included to provide consistent branding within this touch point

with customers. Signatures must be formatted like the example below.

John C. Doeo. (555) 555-1234john.doe@acls.comACLS.com

Arial Bold, 14pt Black

Arial Regular 14 pt BlackHyperlinks

This logo ONLY