TABLE OF CONTENTS
About Us
05
Brand Strategy
06
Toolkit
08
Crowne Plaza Logo
10
Colour Palette
34
Typography
37
Photography Styling
40
Icon Styling
43
Secondary Graphics
44
Appendix
46
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HELLO, WE’RE CROWNE PLAZA!
ABOUT US
Crowne Plaza is a chain of full service, upscale hotels catering to business travelers and to the meetings and conventions market. It forms part of the InterContinental Hotels Group family of brands, which include InterContinental Hotels & Resorts and Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts, and operates in 52 countries with more than 400 hotels, usually located in city centres, resorts, coastal towns or near major airports.
USING THESE GUIDELINES
The Crowne Plaza corporate identity is a visual representation of our brand positioning. These guidelines will be used as a reference for you in bringing consistency across all Crowne Plaza communication platforms. These following pages explain the multiple iterations of the Crowne Plaza corporate identity system, and the rules around using them correctly to create an inspiring and forward thinking brand. Please follow these guidelines carefully. We have developed these guidelines to help build and maintain a clear, consistent and successful visual identity.
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CROWNE PLAZA BRAND GUIDELINES
BRAND STRATEGY
BRAND NARRATIVE
We’re made for today’s modern business traveller. We see the importance of a work-life balance and here at Crowne Plaza, we provide a range of exciting facilities catered especially to your business travel needs. We listen to your needs and will adapt our services to bring you only the best travel experience. We provide carefully planned routes and recommendations based on insights, experience and relationships with local travel companions with similar visions. Experience an authentic business travel like never before, with us!
BRAND POSITIONING
“Work Hard, Play Harder” Crowne Plaza is a mid tier travel bespoke hotel that speaks to the new age of modern business travellers. Targeted towards adults from ages 25-38, Crowne Plaza provides a unique and personal travel experience for the enthusiastic business travellers. With facilities that are engaging and refreshing, we want to reinforce the important balance of work and leisure. Let our team of out-going, well-equipped and friendly individuals act as your local guide. We’ll recommend places that cater to your personal interests.
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BRAND VALUES
Authentic Innovative
BRAND PERSONALITY
Contemporary Flexible Approachable
TONE OF VOICE
Casual, friendly Light-hearted Bold
BRAND ARCHETYPE
The Regular Guy/Girl The Jester
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CROWNE PLAZA BRAND GUIDELINES
TOOLKIT
CROWNE PLAZA TOOLKIT
The identity components are a toolkit used to express the brand and its personality. The Crowne Plaza toolkit comprises of the Crowne Plaza logo lock-ups, the Crowne Plaza wordmark, a family of typefaces and our brand’s colour palette. When used correctly, all of the components would help create a strong brand voice. The following pages examine each element in depth.
1. Crowne Plaza Logo 2. Wordmark 3. Typography 4. Primary Colours 5. Secondary Colours
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1.
4.
PANTONE 7463C PANTONE 726C PANTONE COOL GRAY 1C
5.
PANTONE 482C PANTONE 650C PANTONE COOL GRAY 3C
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3.
Neutraface 2 Text Book Neutraface 2 Text Demi Adobe Caslon Pro Regular Adobe Caslon Pro Bold
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CROWNE PLAZA BRAND GUIDELINES
THE LOGO
LOGO RATIONALE
Here at Crowne Plaza, we acknowledge that millennials are indeed the forthcoming generation in the business travel industry and we aim to provide business travellers a hospitality experience that goes beyond just a place to stay. We’ll provide our travellers with a unique and personalized travel experience inspired by the street around them. Although each Crowne Plaza hotel has its own character, rest assured in finding the familiar Crowne Plaza hustle, wherever we are. This is philosophy extends to our logo. Re-imagining Crowne Plaza as place “to be” rather than just a mundane hotel. The arrows represent travel and direction, and how Crowne Plaza is open to newer ideas be it for business or leisure.
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CROWNE PLAZA BRAND GUIDELINES
RATIONALE
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The logo is flexible and interchangable with each location; reflecting it’s promise of familiarity across all chains.
LOGO GRID
The dimensions of the logo are to be followed proportionally when reproducing the logo onto other surfaces.
6.5x x
2.5x
4. 5x 1.5x 4x
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CROWNE PLAZA BRAND GUIDELINES
MINIMUM SIZE
To achieve maximum impact, always feature the Crowne Plaza logo prominently and make sure its size is relative to its environment. The Crowne Plaza logo should never be reproduced at sizes smaller than 20mm in print, and 75 pixels wide in digital applications.
CLEARSPACE
Always provide adequate clearspace around the Crowne Plaza logo to maintain its legibility and integrity. The amount of clearspace necessary is proportional to the size of the Crowne Plaza logo. The minimum amount of clearspace around all sides of the logo is equal to half (.5x) the overall height of the Crowne Plaza logo (x).
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Digital
20mm
75px
Clearspace
.5x
.5x
.5x
.5x
x
x
.5x
.5x
.5x
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.5x
CROWNE PLAZA BRAND GUIDELINES
POSITION (1 of 2)
The Crowne Plaza logo is a logo that is flexible and adaptable to the size of its canvas. It should always and only be used to fit 85% of the margin of its canvas. It is also flexible and adaptable to headers / titles. Please refer to the examples as shown.
1. The logo should be flexible and adaptable to size of its canvas. Across all canvas sizes, there should be a margin/clearspace of 85% of the canvas before the logo. All 4 corners have to be of equal margin space. This is to ensure consistency across all sizes. This framing system should be kept consistent and the arrows should not be overused. 2. The logo need not be in a single form, rather, it can be interchangeable with the header and sub-head; with the sub-head being the wordmark. The same rules of flexibility across all canvases and sizes, including margins, apply.
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CROWNE PLAZA BRAND GUIDELINES
POSITION (2 of 2)
To ensure that this system is fully utilised to create cohesiveness and consistency, the following positions are strictly not allowed. Please refer to the examples.
1. Do not place the logo on any corner of the page 2. Do not align the logo on the Y-axis, or place it in the center of the page.
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CROWNE PLAZA BRAND GUIDELINES
TWO-COLOUR LOGO LOCK-UP
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The Crowne Plaza logo uses two out of three of its primary colours in its two-colour logo lock-up. Using Crowne Plaza’s beige on navy lock-up is preferred. Whenever possible, our logo lock-up should be represented in full colour to maintain consistency and integrity through all forms of communication, be it print or digital.
Beige on Navy Lock-Up
Navy on Beige Lock-Up
Grey on Navy Lock-Up
Navy on Grey Lock-Up
ONE-COLOUR LOGO LOCK-UP
The one-colour logo lock-up should only be used where a one colour print job is required. In these situations, using Crowne Plaza’s white on navy lock-up is preferred. In instances where black is the only colour printed, a black version of the logo is acceptable.
White on Navy Lock-Up
White on Beige Lock-Up
Navy on White Lock-Up
Beige on White Lock-Up
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CROWNE PLAZA BRAND GUIDELINES
VIOLATIONS
1. Do not change the its opacity 2. Do not drop shadow 3. Do not outline 4. Do not scale out of proportion 5. Do not create outline for the logo 6. Do not use colours apart from the colour palette 7. Do not rotate 8. Do not place on similar background
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CROWNE PLAZA BRAND GUIDELINES
WORDMARK RATIONALE
Our Crowne Plaza wordmark uses a geometric san serif, Neutraface 2, that represents Crowne Plaza being friendly and approachable as a brand. The looser tracking of the word-mark gives a modern, sophisticated look.
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LOGO GRID
The dimensions of the logo are to be followed proportionally when reproducing the logo onto other surfaces.
4.75x
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CROWNE PLAZA BRAND GUIDELINES
MINIMUM SIZE
To achieve maximum impact, always feature the Crowne Plaza logo prominently and make sure its size is relative to its environment. The Crowne Plaza logo should never be reproduced at sizes smaller than 25mm in print, and 80 pixels wide in digital applications.
CLEARSPACE
Always provide adequate clearspace around the Crowne Plaza logo to maintain its legibility and integrity. The amount of clearspace necessary is proportional to the size of the Crowne Plaza logo. The minimum amount of clearspace around all sides of the logo is equal to half (.5x) the overall height of the Crowne Plaza wordmark (x).
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Digital
25mm
80px
Clearspace
.5x
.5x .5x
.5x .5x
x
x .5x
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.5x
.5x
CROWNE PLAZA BRAND GUIDELINES
POSITION
The Crowne Plaza wordmark should only be used when there’s a space constraint, or if there’s an overusage of the arrows in one page.
1. Wordmark is anchored to the top left margin or corner of the page 2. Wordmark is anchored to the top center margin along the y-axis 3. Do not place the logo on any other corner of the page, or in the centre of the page along the y-axis
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CROWNE PLAZA BRAND GUIDELINES
TWO-COLOUR LOGO LOCK-UP
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The Crowne Plaza logo uses two out of three of its primary colours in its two-colour logo lock-up. Using Crowne Plaza’s beige on navy lock-up is preferred. Whenever possible, our logo lock-up should be represented in full colour to maintain consistency and integrity through all forms of communication, be it print or digital.
Beige on Navy Lock-Up
Navy on Beige Lock-Up
Grey on Navy Lock-Up
Navy on Grey Lock-Up
ONE-COLOUR LOGO LOCK-UP
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The one-colour logo lock-up should only be used where a one colour print job is required. In these situations, using Crowne Plaza’s white on navy lock-up is preffered. In instances where black is the only colour printed, a black version of the logo is acceptable.
White on Navy Lock-Up
White on Beige Lock-Up
Navy on White Lock-Up
Beige on White Lock-Up
CROWNE PLAZA BRAND GUIDELINES
VIOLATIONS
1. Do not change the its opacity 2. Do not drop shadow 3. Do not outline 4. Do not scale out of proportion 5. Do not create outline for the logo 6. Do not use colours apart from the colour palette 7. Do not rotate 8. Do not place on similar background
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CROWNE PLAZA BRAND GUIDELINES
COLOURS
PALETTE
The colours of a company are important as it plays a huge part in company recognition. Colours are one of the key elements in identifying a brand. These are the colour guidelines to keep the coporate colours consistent and accurate for brand recognition, the colours should be used according to the ratio below.
Pantone 482C C=14 M=23 Y=28 K=2
Pantone 7465C C=100 M=81 Y=44 K=45
Pantone 650C C=22 M=11 Y=7 K=0
Pantone Cool Gray 3C C=24 M=18 Y=19 K=1 Pantone 726C C=12 M=26 Y=40 K=2
C=100 M=100 Y=100 K=100
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Pantone Cool Gray 1C C=0 M=o Y=0 K=11
CORE COLOUR
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Crowne Plaza’s core colour is navy blue and beige. This colour combination is used for all core deliverables.
CROWNE PLAZA BRAND GUIDELINES
VARIATIONS
1. Primary Colour 2. Primary Colour 3. Black and White 4. Greyscale 5. Reverse White
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TYPOGRAPHY
FONT FAMILY
Typography plays an important role in our brand expression. Our system incorporates a mix of Neutraface 2 and Adobe Caslon Pro across all communications, be it printed or digital. A contemporary typeface combination, the Crowne Plaza identity system uses two different weights of Neutraface 2 Text and two different weights of Adobe Caslon Pro, which provides visual distinction and differentiation in emphasis for text and headlines.
Neutraface 2 Text Book
Adobe Caslon Pro Regular
ABCabc123
ABCabc123
Neutraface 2 Text Demi
Adobe Caslon Pro Bold
ABCDEFGHIJKLM NOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdejfghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
ABCDEFGHIJKLM NOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdejfghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
ABCDEFGHIJKLM NOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdejfghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
ABCabc123
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ABCDEFGHIJKLM NOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdejfghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
ABCabc123
CROWNE PLAZA BRAND GUIDELINES
WEB TYPOGRAPHY
FONT FAMILY
Universal fonts are required for communications displayed on websites, e-mail newsletters and mobile applications etc. Web versions of Neutraface 2 and Adobe Caslon Pro are available. However, in such situations that an alternative is required, a googlesafe font would be used in its place. In order to maintain consistent brand identity, Open Sans and Lusitana, google-safe fonts, have been chosen for Crowne Plaza. The rules for Neutraface 2 and Adobe Caslon are also applicable when using Open Sans and Lusitana respectively. The minimum size for any web font is 9pt.
Open Sans Regular
Lusitana Regular
ABCabc123
ABCDEFGHIJKLM NOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdejfghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789 Open Sans Semibold
ABCabc123
ABCDEFGHIJKLM NOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdejfghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
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ABCabc123
ABCDEFGHIJKLM NOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdejfghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789 Lusitana Bold
ABCabc123
ABCDEFGHIJKLM NOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdejfghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
TYPOGRAPHY
USING NEUTRAFACE 2
Neutraface 2 should only be used in headers and sub-headers. The point size of the header to the sub-head should always be in a ratio of 1:2. All headers and sub-headers should always be in uppercase. The point size of Neutraface 2 for subheads should never be lower than that of the body copy (i.e. if you have a 10pt body copy, the minimum point size of the Neutraface 2 subhead is also 10pt.)
USING ADOBE CASLON PRO
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Adobe Caslon Pro is to be strictly used for body copy only. Adobe Caslon Pro can only exist in one composition with Neutraface 2.
CROWNE PLAZA BRAND GUIDELINES
PHOTOGRAPHY STYLE
Photography is key as it helps to express Crowne Plaza’s brand personality and character. Our brand attributes of authenticity and friendliness should be portrayed when creating imagery. Photography should always aspire to be of the highest quality possible and always excite the viewer with it’s content and unique and stylistic approach. Across all touchpoints, all imagery should should shots that are authentic, natural and non-staged. Studio shoots should not be used to retain a down-toearth vibe. For images that feature people, their attire should be business-casual and should showcase them in open spaces. As part of the Crowne Plaza philosophy, we want our travellers to connect to not just the city, but to each other, creating a Crowne Plaza community. For images that showcases facilities or places, facilities should have a decent sense of depth, perspective and focal point, showing a bigger picture.
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CROWNE PLAZA BRAND GUIDELINES
TYPE ON IMAGERY
In order to achieve full clarity of text against imagery, all images with text on it should have a black opacity layer over it with an opacity of 30%. This helps to bring out the content of the image. For header type on imagery, a stylistic set of Neutraface 2 Display Inline is used to bring emphasis to the text as well as to create a greater brand recognition.
OPEN SPACES FOR OPEN COLLABORATIONS
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ICON STYLE
Our icons are used only for our digital touchpoints and wayfinding in the hotel. The icons are styled in a similar way and are based off the grid that was used to construct the logo.
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CROWNE PLAZA BRAND GUIDELINES
SECONDARY GRAPHIC
The secondary graphics shown are to be utilised appropriately to enhance the brand image and allow further brand recognition. The graphics include the extension of the arrows into a pattern. The pattern formed represents the constant flow of travel and movement in the hotel. It reflects the diversity and flexibility of service that the hotel aims to provide for its guests. The secondary graphics is to be used only to pull up the entire background with text. In an event that there is text, an opacity of 30% is applied. Without any text, the secondary graphic can be used in its full form. It should be only in either the primary color of Navy Blue or Beige. Do not alter, add or attempt to recreate the graphic element. Scale the pattern to the size of intended use accordingly. 1. Standard Form 2. Against a background in opacity 100% 3. Against a background in opacity 30%
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CROWNE PLAZA BRAND GUIDELINES
APPLICATIONS
CORPORATE STATIONARY
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Namecards, Letterhead, Envelope
WAYFINDING (1 of 2)
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CROWNE PLAZA BRAND GUIDELINES
WAYFINDING (1 of 2)
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WEBSITE
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CROWNE PLAZA BRAND GUIDELINES
iPAD
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MISC
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CROWNE PLAZA BRAND GUIDELINES
MISC
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