aiga guidelines

inside the box.inside AIGA identity and branding guidelines.Thinking

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Why is it important to build a strong,appropriate, consistent AIGA brand?

To gain greater recognition and respect for

the AIGA, and to ensure that the AIGA

receives credit for all its actions and activities.

To increase perception of the AIGA as the

undisputed leader in supporting and

promoting excellence in design.

To build greater public awareness of and

respect for design.

To promote the value of professional graphic

design.

To attract new members.

To retain the members we have.

To gain greater financial support for the

organization.

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Identity and branding…why worry?

Whether we want to be or not, we are a brand.

We’re out there—and our members and others

are continually forming opinions about us.

Those opinions will be positive, negative or

ambiguous. We need to participate actively in

influencing those opinions.

We can choose to be either visible or invisible.

We can either ensure we get credit for the

things we do, or we can do good things and

risk getting no credit for them. We can work

to be either understood or chance being mis-

understood. We can become perceived as

either a good brand or a bad brand; a clear

brand or a confusing brand; a helpful brand

or an irritating brand; a responsible brand or

an irresponsible brand. It’s up to us.

Is our logo our brand?

Our logo is a thing—it identifies us on objects

and in environments. In and of itself, it doesn’t

say a whole lot about the AIGA or graphic

design. As beautiful or unique as any logo may

be, it remains essentially inanimate. Without

being placed onto or into something, it has

very little meaning.

Branding starts when the identifier is placed

into an environment.

When our logo is placed into positive environ-

ments that reflect our goals, values and

initiatives, our organization will be well-

represented and our desired messages

delivered. Placed into a poor or inappropriate

environment, the logo may only serve to

misrepresent or confuse our goals, values and

initiatives, and may reflect negatively on the

organization.

By the same token, an environment, action,

product or service may be spectacular, but

without displaying our identifier it may afford

us little or no credit for our efforts.

Our visual identity—our logo and supporting

elements—identifies us. It says who we are.

Our brand is the activation and manifestation

of our goals, initiatives, mission and values. It

demonstrates what we are, and why we are.

The purpose of our branding program is to

evoke an appropriate emotional response

from the viewer by embodying—within all our

messages and actions—the positive emotional

characteristics of the organization.

The key

The key to successfully branding the AIGA is

individual responsibility.

All those involved in creating AIGA communi-

cations, environments and initiatives—

designers, writers, the creators of products or

services, the editors, the proofreaders—

must be personally responsible for ensuring

that the positive attributes of the organization

are embodied in every effort; that the members

and audiences are being well served; that the

organization is getting credit for all its efforts.

This cannot be accomplished merely with an

identity manual or systematic branding guide-

lines. It can only be achieved with thoughtful,

intelligent, creative efforts by thoughtful, in-

telligent, creative people.

We must program, write, design and deliver

all that we do according to who we say we are.

And then we must ensure that we are credited

for all we do by clearly identifying the AIGA

and the local chapters on everything we pro-

duce, every service we offer, every initiative

we initiate, every environment we create.

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The official name

American Institute of Graphic Arts

The casual name

AIGA

We actually have two names: our official name–

American Institute of Graphic Arts—and our

“casual” name, the AIGA. There is no “The” in

front of American Institute of Graphic Arts,

and no periods within AIGA.

Chapters also have both a formal and a casual

name. For instance, Salt Lake City’s official

name is “American Institute of Graphic Arts,

Salt Lake City Chapter,” while its casual name

is “AIGA Salt Lake City.” Official names are

used primarily in signatures and address

blocks (see page 4).

Casual names are used “conversationally,” in

text or in headings. While they may be used

freely, they may never substitute for official

names.

Casual names should always be typeset in a

single typeface and weight—never emphasizing

any portion of the name. In the past, a diag-

onal slash between “AIGA” and the chapter

location was required, but this is no longer

the case.

Examples of official names:


St. Louis Chapter


Boston Chapter


Colorado Chapter

Examples of casual names:

AIGA Los Angeles

AIGA Richmond

AIGA Philadelphia

Our name

“Casual” chapter names

AIGA New YorkAIGA Salt Lake CityAIGA Indianapolis

Incorrect

Pittsburgh

AIGA/NebraskaAIGAMinnesota

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In honoring our past, our new logo retains the

spirit of the previous identifier designed by

Paul Rand. But because the old logo had a ten-

dency to become lost among accompanying

type and graphics, the new logo carries with it

a bold background—a box that gives it more

presence in cluttered environments.

The letterforms have been redrawn, respaced

and fattened for greater legibility. They can-

not be replicated with any existing typeface

and must never be modified.

On page 7 of these guidelines is a palette of 24

colors selected to support AIGA communica-

tions. It is preferred that the logo be repro-

duced in one of these colors, or in black or

gray. The large logo shown here is reproduced

in “National Blue,” which is similar to

PANTONE® 5415C.

The letters “AIGA” within the box are always

reproduced as a reverse—they should never be

reproduced as a positive. An outline version

of the logo is available for use on black or very

dark backgrounds. The outline allows the logo

box to be defined while still reversing the

AIGA letters to white.

The logo should be prominently displayed on

all AIGA communications. This doesn’t mean

it needs to be large—just recognizable.

Imaginative use of the logo is encouraged.

Rather than having the logo simply placed on

communications as an afterthought, an effort

should be made to integrate and activate the

logo within communications.

Electronic artwork for both the positive and

reverse logos is available on the web at

www.aiga.org/common/chapters/

chapter_info.htm.

The AIGA logo

The positive version of the logomay be placed on any color back-ground as long as the “box” shapeis defined and the “AIGA” reverses.

The reverse or “outline” version ofthe logo is for use on medium anddark-colored backgrounds.

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Signatures

Every communication produced by the national

office or a chapter should have a signature

somewhere on it.

A signature is the combination of an official

name and the logo. Casual names (such as

AIGA Oklahoma) are reserved for “conversa-

tional” use and should never be combined

with the AIGA logo (see page 2).

The national or chapter official name does not

necessarily need to be placed next to or below

the logo to constitute a signature, but the two

should be somehow visually related. The

viewer should be able to understand that the

“AIGA” of the logo means “American Institute

of Graphic Arts,” and that this particular com-

munication is from the “[Location] Chapter.”

There are two types of signatures: formal and

informal.

A formal signature is the combination of the

logo with the official national or chapter name

set immediately below in Filosofia Italic,

upper- and lowercase.

Formal signatures are used for all stationery

items, including letterheads, envelopes, mail-

ing labels and business cards, and can be used

on other items whenever appropriate.

Electronic files for reproduction of the formal

signature are available at www.aiga.org/

common/chapters/chapter_info.htm.

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� 100 East Pratt St. 4th Floor�

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Formal signature

Formal chapter signature

Formal signature inan address block

The ratio of the width of the logoto the width of the name is 3 unitsto 8 units. The name is positionedbelow the logo so that the “I” of“Institute” aligns flush left withthe logo. The distance betweenthe bottom of the logo and the topof the “I” in “Institute” is equal tothe height of the “G” in “Graphic.”

The second line of a signature iscentered below the first. Theleading to the second line is equalto the distance from the base ofthe logo to the base of the first lineof the name.

When a formal signature is usedwithin an address block, all copywith the exception of “American”aligns flush left with the logo.

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Examples of informalsignatures

American Institute of Graphic ArtsJacksonville Chapter

Examples of informalsignatures in address blocks

Incorrect

American Institute of Graphic Arts, Seattle Chapter

American Instituteof Graphic Arts164 Fifth AvenueNewYork,NY 10010

american institute of graphic artslos angeles chapter444 n. larchmont blvd.los angeles, ca 90004www.aigalosangeles.org

AIGA Chicago 855 West Blackhawk StreetChicago, Illinois 60622

Informal signatures are also the combination

of the logo and the official national or chapter

name, but may be typeset in any font appro-

priate to the communication on which they

appear.

Informal signatures and address blocks may

be used on any promotional or informational

communication other than stationery and

business cards, and national office business

forms.

The chapter “casual” name shouldnever be combined with the logoto form a signature.

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Filosofia Regular

Filosofia Bold

Interstate Black

Interstate Light

Interstate Light Condensed

There are two families of type that should be

used for all “permanent” AIGA materials,

including stationery, business cards, forms,

membership cards and signage: Filosofia and

Interstate. These typefaces may also be used

wherever else they may be appropriate, but

chapter promotional materials and publica-

tions are not limited to these fonts and should

be produced in the typefaces that are most

appropriate to the subject matter being

presented.

Both of these type families are available for

PC and Macintosh. Filosofia is available from

Emigre Fonts (www.emigre.com).

Interstate is available from Font Bureau

(www.fontbureau.com).

Type

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

01234567890



01234567890



01234567890

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ01234567890



Filosofia Italic

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In the past, our official colors were black, gray,

red and green. No more. The new color for

national is a slate teal, and now there’s also a

24-color palette from which chapters can pick

their own personalized color or color combi-

nation.

The colors shown on this page are similar to

the PANTONE® color standard numbers below

each. However, the colors shown throughout

this manual have not been evaluated by Pan-

tone, Inc. for accuracy and may not match the

PANTONE® Color Standards. For accurate color

standards, refer to the current edition of the

PANTONE® Color Formula Guide.*

Any combination of colors in the palette can

be used when producing print or electronic

communications. However, the use of these

colors for materials other than stationery is

not mandatory.

Color palette

5855 C

5497 C

142 C

5483 C

5487 C

459 C

325 C

5777 C

5493 C

652 C 149 C

5415 C

465 C

451 C

646 C 696 U

279 U

711 U

4515 C

479 C

716 U

5125 C

697 C

4715 U

*PANTONE® is a registered trademark of Pantone, Inc.

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Logo variations

The “box” of the logo doesn’t always need to be

a solid outline black, blue, red, green or purple

square. Nor does it need to be isolated from

other type and graphics as is the case with many

other logos.

The logo can become an object, a photo, an

illustration, part of a pattern, or combined with

text or image. It can be animated and made into

art. The idea is to have fun—but be responsible.

Make sure the proportions and integrity of the

box remain accurate and that it still “reads” as

the logo.

The rules regarding the positive and reverse

logos found on page 3 still apply. The letters

“AIGA” are always reproduced as a reverse out

of any background—never as a positive.

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religuard odio que odio retsam

cupiditat, quas mulla est praid

omumd antet prehenderits ni

volup tate velit esse ensoluta or

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Chapter print communications

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Integrate and activate the logo. Have it relate to

and perform with the other visual elements of

a print communication.

It can be very small or very large, subtle or bold,

but it should always be recognizable. The logo

can serve as an endorsement on a graphic com-

munication, or as a graphic itself.

And remember, the environments into which

the logo is placed will have greater influence on

how the viewer regards the AIGA than the logo

itself will ever have.

The examples shown here and onthe following spread are recrea-tions of existing communicationsand are for demonstrationpurposes only.

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COLLAGE 2000

AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF GRAPHIC ARTS

CHICAGO CHAPTER

3316 NORTH LINCOLN AVENUE

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60657

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BORDER TO BORDER

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,

American Inst i tute o f Graphic Arts , Washington DC Chapter presents ( r )evolut ion of Graphic Des ign–How do you know where you 've been?

Part 1/Wednesday, September 23 - US des ign H is to r y and US Part 2/Tuesday November 17 - 20 th Centu r y Dutch Graph ic Des ign

13

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TypographyLetterhead and envelopes:

10/13 Filosofia Italic.

Sequential all-cap abbreviations such as PO,

MD, DC are set in 9 pt Filosofia Italic.

Business cards:




7.75/11 Interstate Black name.

Mailing labels:




LogoColor:

Chapter’s choice from the AIGA palette with

“AIGA” reversing out to white.

Size on letterhead and envelope:

45 points x 45 points.

Size on business cards and mailing labels:

37 points x 37 points.

Chapter stationery

Stationery sets for two chapters (Raleigh and

Washington, DC) are illustrated here and

should provide adequate guidelines for most

chapters when preparing their own artwork.

Several chapters, including Washington, DC,

furnish cards for each of their board members.

In these cases, personal information such as

e-mail or personal telephone numbers should

always be listed under the individual’s name

and never be included in the chapter address

information. Information for constructing

stationery items can also be found at

www.aiga.org/common/chapters/

chapter_info.htm.

12 pt

X

X

141 pt 37 pt

align

8 ptAmerican Institute of Graphic Arts�

� Washington, DC Chapter�

� 7832 Briardale Terrace�

� Rockville, MD 20855�

� Tel 202 347 3881�

� Fax 301 963 6015�

� [email protected]

Pat Taylor �

Advisory Board

align

X

X





� Tel 202 347 3881�

� Fax 301 963 6015�


Elizabeth Lichtenstein�

Student Liaison�

[email protected]

12 pt

X

X

141 pt 37 pt

align


� Raleigh Chapter�

� PO Box 10849�

� Raleigh, NC 27605�

� Tel 919 472 1326�


Christy White�

President

Six-line business card

Seven-line business card

Seven-line business cardwith personal e-mail

3345_alts6/16 10/4/00 4:21 PM Page 14

15

�

18 pt

24 pt

144 pt

45 pt

12 pt

12 pt

18 pt

align

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�

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� Raleigh Chapter�

� PO Box 10849�

� Raleigh, NC 27605�

� Tel 919 544 8770�

� Fax 919 828 6804�

� www.aiga.com/raleigh�

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� Tel 202 347 3881�

� Fax 301 963 6015�

� [email protected]�

� www.aigawashdc.org�

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14 pt

14 pt

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10 pt

256 pt





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3345_alts6/16 10/4/00 4:21 PM Page 15

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National sponsor recognition

the official talent agency

an official corporate sponsor

the official education sponsor

Corporations that have formed long-term

relationships with the AIGA under specified

national sponsorship terms are authorized to

use the national AIGA logo with specific spon-

sorship recognition.

This use of the AIGA logo is authorized to a

sponsor only when it is licensed, in writing,

through a national relationship.

Local sponsor recognition

Chapters that offer annual sponsorship oppor-

tunities may authorize annual sponsors to

promote the relationship by using the chapter

name in a designation indicating the sponsor’s

support.

Chapters can apply their own descriptions to

the local annual sponsorship category, such as

“gold,”“annual,”“year-round,”etc.Whichever

description is selected, the sponsor’s name

or logo plus a simple tag line such as “annual

sponsor of AIGA Miami” should be used to

differentiate this recognition from a national

sponsorship.

NORTHERNPRESSannual sponsor of AIGA Seattle

ajax paper

a

gold

sponsor

of

AIGA

Wichita

3345_alts6/16 10/4/00 4:21 PM Page 16

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American Institute of Graphic Arts 164 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010 Tel 212 807 1990 Fax 212 807 1799 www.aiga.org

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aiga guidelines

Documents

good brand

consistent aiga brand

irritating brand

confusing brand

bad brand

inside aiga identity

aiga communications

respect forthe aiga