Identity Guidelines Smithsonian 175 Year Anniversary
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Brand Guidelines
Version 1.1
Smithsonian 175 Year Anniversary After 10 years of often heated debate, on August 10, 1846, President James K. Polk signed legislation to establish the Smithsonian Institution. Since its founding, the Smithsonian has evolved into the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 19 museums, the National Zoo, and nine research facilities. On August 10, 2021, we celebrate the Smithsonian’s 175th anniversary, a unique opportunity, and a unique and urgent obligation, to share our spirit of learning and optimism about our future. While we will take pause and acknowledge our significant accomplishments, the anniversary is more than that—it provides a foundation for us to serve in new ways and with more impact. Our goal is to bring, physically and virtually, Smithsonian scholars, educators, and experts into cities, towns, communities, and schools in every state and territory. Our anniversary will also launch a period of exceptional activity across the Smithsonian in anticipation of the 250th anniversary of American independence on July 4, 2026. Together as One Smithsonian, we are rededicating ourselves to help Americans celebrate, reflect, and heal by reminding them of who we are and what we can be. Lonnie G. Bunch Secretary
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Brand Guidelines
Letter from Lonnie G. Bunch III
Table of Contents
Color 04 Typography 06 Primary Logomarks 09 Logomark Extensions 13 Rules & Use 17
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Brand Guidelines
Table of Contents
01 Color To be close to its parent-brand guidelines, the color palette of the Smithsonian 175 Year Anniversary logomark is directly derived from the Smithsonian’s approved brand colors.
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Brand Guidelines
Color
Color Primary The primary color palette is our resting place. It is designed to be used in situations where the brand palette is not being used. For instance, use these colors sparingly and only on white, black, or non-duotoned photography.
PMS: 2925 C / 299 U
PMS: 116 C / 109 U
BLACK
HEX: #009CDE
HEX: #FFCD00
HEX: #000000
RGB: 0 156 222
RGB: 255 205 0
RGB: 0 0 0
CMYK: 85 21 0 0
CMYK: 0 14 100 0
CMYK: 40 40 40 100
Secondary The secondary palette consists of six main colors. These colors complement the primary palette and are used to create emphasis and promote variety in content.
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PMS: 655 C
PMS: 7700 C
PMS: 0821 C
HEX: #002554
HEX: #165C7D
HEX: #74D1EA
RGB: 0 37 84
RGB: 22 92 125
RGB: 116 209 234
CMYK: 100 79 12 59
CMYK: 84 17 0 57
CMYK: 47 0 7 0
PMS: 158 C
PMS: 7409 C
WHITE
HEX: #E87722
HEX: #F0B323
HEX: #ffffff
RGB: 232 119 34
RGB: 240 179 35
RGB: 255 255 255
CMYK: 0 62 95 0
CMYK: 0 31 100 0
CMYK: 0 0 0 0
Brand Guidelines
Color
02 Typography Minion Pro and Basier Circle are the designated brand fonts used to support any additional promotional designs for the Smithsonian.
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Brand Guidelines
Typography
Typography
Basier Circle Characters
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789 Styles
About This Font
Regular Italic Medium Medium Italic Semibold Semibold Italic Bold Bold Italic
Basier Circle is a neo-grotesque sans-serif typeface. This modern and neutral font family is ideally suitable for logotypes, branding, and editorial design, as well as web and screen design.
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Brand Guidelines
Typography
Typography
Minion Pro Characters
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789 Styles
About This Font
Regular Italic Medium Medium Italic Semibold Semibold Italic Bold Bold Italic Bold Cond Bold Cond Italic
Minion Pro is inspired by classical, old-style typefaces of the late Renaissance, a period of elegant, beautiful, and highly readable type designs. Minion Pro combines the aesthetic and functional qualities that make text type highly readable with the versatility of OpenType digital technology, yielding unprecedented flexibility and typographic control, whether for lengthy text or display settings.
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Brand Guidelines
Typography
03 Primary Logomarks The Smithsonian 175 Year Anniversary logo is simple, bold, and refreshing. Because 175 years is a momentous achievement, the letterforms were customized to encompass the sun and everything it stands for.
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Brand Guidelines
The Lion,Logomarks Primary The Witch, and The Wardrobe
Primary
40% Scale
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Brand Guidelines
Primary Logomarks
Primary - Single Color
40% Scale
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Brand Guidelines
Primary Logomarks
Primary Positive
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Brand Guidelines
Primary Logomarks
04 Logomark Extensions Logo extensions were created to ensure correct usage in print and digital applications.
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Brand Guidelines Brand Guidelines
The Lion, The Logomark Extensions Witch, and The Wardrobe
Secondary
Banner/Web
Tertiary
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Tertiary
Brand Guidelines
Logomark Extensions
Secondary
Banner/Web
Tertiary
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Tertiary
Brand Guidelines
Logomark Extensions
Secondary
Banner/Web
Tertiary
Tertiary
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Brand Guidelines
Logomark Extensions
05 Rules & Use As this identity begins to build out into the Smithsonian ecosystem, it is important to use the logo correctly by not altering it in any way, shape or form. If there is an instance where our rules need to be expanded upon, please contact a brand supervisor.
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Brand Guidelines Brand Guidelines
The Lion, Rules & Use The Witch, and The Wardrobe
Rules
Clear Space The Smithsonian 175 Year Anniversary logo must have space to breathe, with rules concerning spacing and margins. It should not be cramped or overshadowed by other visual distractions. The logo clear space equals the ascent or ascender height of the letter [S] around all edges of the logo, which should be free from other graphics and interference. If there is an instance where this rule has to be broken, please contact a brand supervisor.
Size Parameters The logo may be resized as necessary. However, it should follow these minimum size requirements to ensure that it is still readable, even when scaled to smaller dimensions. .75”
Minimum Print Size To maintain the integrity of the primary lockup in print, a minimum width of .75 inches has been set against the Smithsonian logo.
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Brand Guidelines
Rules & Use
Logo Mockups
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Brand Guidelines
Rules & Use
If you are having trouble with anything in this guide, are missing brand elements from our website, or are unsure if your communication best represents the Smithsonian 175th Anniversary brand, please contact the Smithsonian brand team and we will be happy to help: branding@si.edu.
