Style Guide
Ta ble
Section I: Br and Overview of
Contents
The Toy Soldier Story 6 How to Use This Guide 7
Section II: Br and Personalit y Voice & Tone 10 Meet the Master 12 Descriptive Key Words 15
Section III: Br and Mechanics Logo Config urations 18 Sizing, Scaling & Clear Space 20 Brand Mark Blunders 22 Typography 23 Color Palette 25 Image Samples 26
Section I V: Br and Application Stationery System 30 In-Store Signage 31 Exterior Applications 32
Brand overview what does it
MEAN?
the toy soldier
story Remember when the good guys always won, the whole universe lived in your backyard, and your imagination supplied limitless special effects? Recapture the innocence of infinite possibility, say hello to long-forgotten friends, and give your own children the gift of wideeyed wonder. Our trove of gently-used vintage treasures are meant to be loved and played with, not shelved as collector’s items. Bring home a piece of your childhood and rediscover the magic of play.
philosophy Quite simply, we believe our most beloved toys never lose their magic; we just need a gentle jog of our favorite memories from time to time.
purpose It is our mission to rekindle the wonder of childhood, invigorate the imagination and infuse a spirit of play into a serious, grown-up world.
promise We are committed to carefully curating a collection of high-quality, gently-loved vintage toys & games for grown-ups and children alike.
6 • about toy soldier •
br a n d ov erv i ew
how to use this
Guide It is absolutely essential to build the strength of the Toy Soldier brand through consistent representation of its values and vision. This manual provides our employees, agencies, and partners with standards and guidelines for visual and editorial applications in the marketplace. In order to inspire the trust of our valued customers—both present and future—the utmost care must be exercised to ensure the Toy Soldier brand maintains a cohesive, familiar image across all forms of communication.
“Questions, old chap? I’d love to chat over a spot of tea, but if you’re not the tea-drinking sort, do feel free to post an electronic inquiry to me at brand_manager@toysoldier.com.
”
br a n d ov erv i ew
• how to use this guide • 7
Brand personality how does it
F EEL?
voice & tone The editorial tone of the Toy Soldier brand is always formal, but its personality is expressed in two distinct voices; that of the company, and that of our British ringmaster, Cogsley.
The Company
Cogsley
While both voices must strike a
Cogsley is pompous without ever
delicate balance between precision
being arrogant or condescending.
and pomp, the company should
His stiff, blustery formality is
err on the side of precision. The
courteous, sincere, and sometimes
intent is to be clearly understood
unintentionally ridiculous.
by the reader at all times while maintaining the patient, sincere voice of a high-school English teacher. The tone is amiable, but never overly familiar.
Cogsely’s unique voice is intended to emphasize personality over precision, and for that reason should be used sparingly. His tendency to overblown verbosity
When choosing a word or phrase,
often causes him to spout serious-
aim for a high-school reading
sounding nonsense words, and he
level. Do not sacrifice clarity for
never uses a short word where a
formality, and be sure a word’s
longer one will do even if it means
connotation is appropriate for
adding a superfluous suffix. His
its context. Use of contractions,
phrasing is decidedly British, he
jargon & slang are discouraged.
delights in military jargon, and he rarely employs contractions.
10 • voice & tone •
br a n d per sona li t y
“I generally insist on proper grammaticism, but I find an occasional bit of nonsensicality to be quite bracing.�
“I do believe a compendious style guide is of no less vital importance to a brand than marching orders to a tin army.�
meet t he
master Greetings Fellow Brand Masters, Kindly permit me to introduce myself; I am Cornelius Cogsley III, Ringmaster, Protector of Play Time, and Soldier of the Toy Guard. I was born into circus life, the son of a particularly portly woman and a disproportionately slender gentleman. In time, I came to regard the frippery of cavorting clowns and dancing dogs as rather undignified, and purchased a commission in the service of the Toy Guard. It is my sworn duty to lead my regiment of happy toy soldiers in preserving the magic of childhood memories from the dreadful peril of worry, care, and general grown-upness. I am also ordered to inject a bit of humorosity into the proceedings wherever possible. I hereby pledge to you my faithful assistance in the campaign to promote the cause of innocence, magic, and wondermentation in whatsoever capacity you might require. Respectfully yours,
br a n d per sona li t y
• meet the master • 13
wonder
descriptive key
words
Magic
imagination
play br a n d per sona li t y
• key words • 15
Brand mechanics how does it
WORK?
logo
configurations
Standar d Configur ation
Horizontal Configur ation
Symbol Configur ation
Our preferred version is vertically
The
The
stacked & centered.
may be used when the standard
authorized if our name or standard
version is too tall.
logo
horizontal
configuration
symbol is
configuration
prominently displayed
elsewhere on the page.
Full color, standard configuration
Full color, horizontal configuration
Full color, symbol configuration
One color, standard configuration
One color, horizontal configuration
One color, symbol configuration
18 • logo configurations •
br a n d m ech a n ic s
is
Other Color Options When the full or 1-color logo offers insufficient contrast, use a reverse or transparent version.
Transparent
Reverse full color
Reverse one color
scaling &
sizing 1½ inches (1.5")
2 inches (2.0")
2½ inches (2.5")
1 inch (1.0")
Standar d
Horizontal
Symbol Only
Preferred size for the standard
Preferred size for the horizontal
Preferred size for the symbol
configuration is two inches (2")
configuration
configuration is one inch
left to right; minimum size is one
half inches
inch
minimum size is one and a half
(1") left to right.
inches
20 • scaling & sizing •
is
(2½")
two
a
left to right;
(1½") left to right.
br a n d m ech a n ic s
and
(1") left
to right; minimum size is three quarter inches (¾") left to right.
clea r
space
=
=
x
x
=
measuring
clear
x
Our brand mark must always be
When
space
When the pictogram is displayed
clearly displayed & free from any
around the logo, use the ‘T’ from
alone, use the feather and cog
visual distractions.
Toy as a guide as shown above.
from Cogsley’s hat.
“Clear space faithfully guards our logo in the battle for our audience’s attention. Huzzah!” br a n d m ech a n ic s
• clear space • 21
brand mark
blunders 1) Do not separate or reconfigure the elements of the brand mark.
The Toy Soldier logo is the cornerstone of our brand. As such, it is vital to display it correctly in order to build and maintain a consistently recognizable brand. Here are just a few examples of how
not to display our logo. If
2) Do not alter the colors or opacity of the brand mark or use it as a watermark.
you have questions, please contact brand_master@toysoldier.com.
Grand Opening!
3) Do not combine or obscure the mark with text, images or graphic elements.
4) Do not stretch, squeeze, rotate or otherwise change the proportions and orientation of the brand mark.
2 2 • brand mark blunders •
br a n d m ech a n ic s
typo gr aph y
Headline
RINGMASTER abcdefghijklm nopqurstuvxyz Subhead & Body
im fell english A a B b C cD d E eFf G gH h I iJ jK k Ll MmNnOoPpQqR rSsTtUuVvWw XxYy Zz 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 ? ! ; & . ,
Supplemental Typeface
Goudy Old Style AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJjKkLl
When necessary for visual clarity, technical expressions or missing glyphs, Goudy Old Style may be
MmNnOoPpQqRrSsTtUuVv
substituted for IM Fell English in
WwXxYyZz 1234567890?!;&.,
body copy & captions.
br a n d m ech a n ic s
• t ypog raphy • 23
color palette
Carney rgb
125.30.0
cmyk hex
27.91.99.24
#
Firebreather rgb
219.99.55
cmyk hex
9.74.88.0
#
Midway rgb
93.123.78
cmyk hex
65.34.80.17
#
Plume rgb
86.90.103
cmyk hex
68.59.44.22
#
Stardust rgb
216.171.67
cmyk15.30.88.0 hex
#
Sawdust rgb
163.140.112
cmyk hex
35.40.60.5
#
Peanut rgb
115.62.18
cmyk
36.62.98.40 hex #
Calliope rgb
52.25.111
cmyk hex
52.73.78.75
#
br a n d m ech a n ic s
• color palette • 25
image sa mples
Promotional images should fit into one of three categories; past or present-day families playing with
vintage
toys,
children
playing alone with vintage toys, & vintage-looking photographs of circus-themed toys or scenes.
26 • image samples •
br a n d m ech a n ic s
br a n d m ech a n ic s
• image samples • 27
Brand application how does it
LOOK?
stationery
system
Cogsley Ringmaster
22 Circus Ring Carnivale, FL 800.123.4567
30 • stationer y system •
br a n d a pplicat ion
in-store
signage
“While you most certainly cannot put a price tag on joy, these smart little tags look rather splendid on our toys.” br a n d a pplicat ion
• in-store signage • 31
Exterior applications
32 • exterior applications •
br a n d a pplicat ion
br a n d a pplicat ion
• exterior applications • 33