Identity Guide 2018 Edition
Introduction
SUSUtv’s new identity encapsulates everything that it is in 2018. In our first ever major overhaul, our programming and committee structure have been realigned. Our brand has now caught up with how our content has changed over the years. Splitting videos into eight distinct areas designed with the user in mind, SUSUtv’s focus is now clearer than ever, an ethos reflected in our renewed clarity of communication.
This identity guide is only the tip of the iceberg and intended as a quick reference guide. On our systems you can find myriad templates and assets for use, all applicable under the station’s new unified identity. Visit tinyurl.com/SUSUtvAssets to view the whole library of available items. If you’re having trouble with any of it, or feel there’s something missing, you can send Dave Williams an email: asstman@susu.tv.
The Logo
Composition 1
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Both SUSUtv’s logo (opposite) and its insignia (above) exhibit straightforward composition. Pre-requisite items to retain in the new logo were the green colour and power symbol that been a staple of the icon since 2010. This symbol was redrawn and reproportioned, and now aligned with the centre of a larger exterior circle. Circles are connected to completeness, energy and movement. They have no end. For a station striving for progress and innovation, these are highly appropriate characteristics. This kickstarts the visual grammar of the entire SUSUtv identity.
The circle implies a centre and draws the eye. This focus and clarity is at the heart of the SUSUtv identity. The shape’s recognisability in silhouette allows flexibility for the future. The move to lush green from lime green was prompted by the connotations of each shade. Green is associated with nature, growth, success, harmony and youth - all beneficial for the context of SUSUtv. Yellow, however, has connotations of cowardice, deceit and caution. By contrast, blue is thought to show knowledge, loyalty and inspiration. This is why the move was made towards the latter.
The logo itself is comprised entirely of text. It is deliberately unambiguous in order that there is no confusion over our name or its stylisation, and continues the station’s bold, clear ethos. The first portion, “SUSU”, is not dissimilar to the logo of SUSUtv’s parent body - although the station’s was released and in use before that of SUSU itself. The regularity of this type, using set typeface Sofia Pro, is aesthetically pleasing and neatly fits a geometric container. As detailed later in this chapter, this can be displayed in either the set off-black or off-white colour. The use of a modern font gives it a visual stress, a feature
associated with power and strength. The “tv” intentionally breaks the established grid. This flourish, coupled with the handwritten style imply innovation and creativity. These elements are traditionally associated with interest and expression. This logo deliberately contrasts rigidity with flexibility, in terms of colour and type. The “tv” letters are custom shapes, not part of a font. The logo as a whole defines the scope SUSUtv’s new identity can encompass and means it will not look out of place alongside virtually any chosen style.
Evolution
SUSUtv was created in late 2006 and its original logo (above left) arrived soon after. This yellow, dot matrix-style iteration, representing the station’s name at that point “SUSU.TV” - was used across the entire brand.
station’s independence as it increasingly came under the control of students.
In 2010, the longest-standing logo yet was unveiled. Incorporating the power icon that would become a staple of the SUSUtv brand, this new look (above right) also changed the station’s theme colour to lime green, and brought about the name as it is still stylised in 2018. This coincided with a turning point in the
The name remained but taking feedback onboard from current members and alumni, a new brand, programming structure and logo was created. The lush green logotype and logomark were launched at the start of 2017, bringing the whole of SUSUtv’s brand into line. These continue into 2018.
In 2016, a brand review was undertaken as part of the station’s tenth anniversary.
Tech Specs Logomark
Background Gradient Angle: 120 Start: #26cb63 End: #26cb8c Completion: 60% Symbol Fill: #f8f8f8 Drop Shadow (Optional) Opacity: 10% Colour: #2f2f2f X-Offset: 0mm Y-Offset: 0mm Blend Mode: Multiply Blur: 1/9 of Logo Width
Logotype
SUSU Text Typeface: Sofia Pro Semi Bold Tracking: -60 Fill: #2f2f2f tv Text Fill: Gradient As Above Drop Shadow (Optional): As Above
Combination
Background Gradient: As Above Symbol: As Above Drop Shadow (Optional): As Above
Space b
y
a
x
Simplicity is at the heart of the SUSUtv brand, so clear space and clarity of design is key. The logos must be given room to breathe. The free space that must be allowed around the logo is always a third of its height. To put it into mathematical terms, as laid out above, x = a/3; y = b/3 This is always the case for the logotype, but at sizes above 100 x 100mm, the logomark boundary can be reduced to a sixth if necessary. More space is always preferable.
When aligning the logotype, bear in mind that several letters break outside the grid. When aligning horizontally, use the top left curve of the first ‘S’ and the right of the ‘v’ as the boundaries. When aligning vertically, use either of the ‘U’s. Within the SUSUtv brand, it is usual to centre-align but other options are perfectly acceptable if they better match the logo’s destination. Left-alignment is preferable to right. Boundaries must still be preserved at the edge of the canvas.
Size File Width Alignment Block Width
Minimum Height: 5mm = 14px
Alignment Block Height, a
File Height
Minimum Width: 10mm = 28px
Red indicates regions outside the alignment block.
Minimum sizes are specified in order that each logo retains legibility. These are based on a conversion of 72 pixels per inch, the standard for digital materials. Print resources require resolution of 300 ppi or higher, in which case size should be recalculated.
Block Height, a (mm)
For the logotype, dimensions given are of the alignment block. Its complete height is 1.23 times the size of the block, so the minimum height of the complete file is 6.19mm (18px). There is no maximum size for any version of the logo to be displayed at. Regardless of size, no logo should be used in continuous text in place of the word “SUSUtv�.
File Height (mm)
File Width (mm)
5
6.19
20,35
10
12.38
40.69 61.04
15
18.58
20
24.77
81.38
25
30.96
101.73
50
61.92
203.46
60
74.31
244.15
70
86.69
284.84
80
99.08
325.53
90
111.46
366.23
100
123.85
406.92 610.38
150
185.77
200
247.70
813.84
250
309.62
1017.30
300
371.54
1220.75
Variations
The default SUSUtv logomark.
The default SUSUtv logotype. This should be the variation used whenever possible.
Single-tone versions of the SUSUtv logos exist for use in different situations.
alongside other logos or tying into branding of existing series or events.
Using a full-colour logo is always preferable since green is the signifier of the brand. It may be more aesthetically appealing to use a single-tone version sometimes, such as if displayed on a multi-coloured background,
Only the full-colour version of the logomark features an illuminated symbol. For all other versions, this region is transparent. It is recommended, and simplest to use the existing files supplied.
Selection Correct Use of the Logos
Incorrect Use of the Logos
LIVE online
(left) Do not distort/rotate the logos. (right) Do not place text on top of or alongside the logos inside the exclusion area. Do not recolour the logos; only use the supplied files. Do not place the logos in a frame of any kind. Do not add any outline/stroke to the logos. Contrast logo colours for emphasis.
The logotype is SUSUtv’s default logo; use this whenever possible.
The ‘combination’ logo should only be used at very large sizes.
It is not interchangeable with the logomark. This should be treated as an insignia and only used where a symbolic contribution is more impactful, such as when the destination area is small.
Only supplied logo asset files should be used, and these should only be resized - no other alterations should be made. Examples of correct use of the logo are displayed above left. Examples of misuse are above right.
Typography
Set Typeface
University of Southampton Students’ Union Television As one of the two main ways of communicating information to SUSUtv’s audience, the presentation of text is integral to the station’s identity.
Sofia Pro dovetails with the station’s style aesthetic and design language. It is clean, efficient and doesn’t distract from the message it is conveying.
Sofia Pro is SUSUtv’s typeface. Designed in 2012 by Olivier Gourvat, it supports many languages, has more than 500 glyphs, case-sensitive forms, small caps, stylistic alternates, fractions and tabular figures.
Companion typeface Sofia Pro Condensed is never used in place of the standard iteration.
This flexibility and reliability make it ideal for use across SUSUtv assets.
The four weights of Sofia Pro used at SUSUtv are detailed opposite.
Italics is used only for the entirety of a subtitle, names and emphasis in body copy.
Sofia Pro Black
University of Southampton Students’ Union Television Used for display text - headlines and titles - only or for emphasis in body copy.
Sofia Pro Semi Bold
University of Southampton Students’ Union Television Used for titles, subtitles or for emphasis in body copy.
Sofia Pro Medium
University of Southampton Students’ Union Television Used for subtitles.
Sofia Pro Light
University of Southampton Students’ Union Television Used for titles (if displayed at a large size) or body copy.
Sizing
50pt 40pt
35pt 30pt 25pt
Type should never appear below 6pt. There is no maximum limit to type size. Heavier weights should be used decreasingly as type grows smaller. The fact that the SUSUtv identity is top-heavy here means that generally larger type should be at heavier weights, particularly given type will usually be displayed at multiple weights on each asset. Standard body copy size is 10.5pt. Body copy is not often employed on SUSUtv assets, so depending on whether the type’s destination is in a video, in print or for digital publication, ‘baseline’ type size will vary. A number of point sizes are used between 6pt and 20pt, but beyond this it is usual to use type in increments of 5pt - 25pt, 30pt, 35pt and so on.
20pt
Type is structured at three levels; no more three typeface weights are used on any single asset.
16pt
When sizing between degrees of type structure, use roughly three-quarters of the size above, rounding to the nearest multiple of 5 or suggested point size.
12pt 10.5pt 8pt 6pt
For example: 40pt Title (first degree, Black) 30pt Subtitle (second degree, Semi Bold) 16pt Body (fourth degree, Light)
Spacing
University of Southampton Students’ Union Television
NEWSFEED
Automatic line spacing.
NEWSFEED
Automatic tracking.
Tracking of 150.
N E W S F E E D Tracking of 450.
SUSUtv Presents
Elections Night Live 2018 Live on Facebook from 19:00.
University of Southampton University of Southampton Metric (top) and optical kerning (bottom).
Manual, proportional line spacing with three type sizes.
Line Spacing
Tracking
This only applies where multiple lines of text appear together, ie body copy. In this situation, set spacing to automatic.
Tracking should be left at 0 by default. Unless there is an issue with space, tracking should be never be lower than -20. Tracking is increased at increments of 50 over 100 (25 and 75 are used).
When manually positioning lines of text, vertical distance between each must be at least half the text height of the smallest line. There is no maximum distance to be left between lines but it is encouraged to keep instances of spacing proportional.
Body copy can be justified to make use of the design grid, but only for more than two lines. Kerning should be set to ‘Optical’ for the most aesthetically-pleasing type distribution.
Complementary Fonts
Southampton
Southampton
Southampton Back to Black
Southampton
Southampton
Southampton
Anders
FatFrank Heavy
Handletter
Bunya
Horseferry
Southampton
Southampton
Bureau Grotesque One-Three
OCR A Extended
Southampton
Southampton
Eurostile Extended
Ottomat OT
Using fonts other than Sofia Pro is fine, but they must differ significantly from it.
they can only be used for series or event names. The rest of the text on the asset or video must still be in Sofia Pro.
For this reason, typefaces such as Gill Sans MT are not to be used. Other sans serif examples which are different enough to be used include Arial, Galano and various grotesque and gothic examples. Other typefaces can only be used as features, and in conjunction with Sofia Pro. This means
When pairing fonts, the most successful combinations feature typefaces in two different categories. Since Sofia Pro is sans serif, this means handwritten, mono or serif fonts, for example, will work best with it. It is also strongly advised to use typefaces with upper and lower case.
Formatting
Different types of formatting can be used for emphasis in different ways.
including ordinals. Unless there is cause not to do so, proportional lettering is preferable.
System bold functionality, for example in Adobe Photoshop, is not used. Instead use a heavier weight where possible.
Continuing from previous type hierarchy advice, use numbered lists if possible and appropriate. Bulleted lists are also used.
Natural and artificial italics or underlining are employed to draw attention to a particular phrase or detail. This is also the case with small caps, superscript and subscript,
Different forms of similar characters should be used correctly, for example types of quotation mark or em and en dash. This is detailed in the Language chapter.
Colours
Palette FF2727
F8F8F8
FF9327
2F2F2F
FFFF27
Brands usually have a very restricted palette, often utilising only four colours. However, when encompassing an entire television station and the breadth of content SUSUtv exhibits, this is not realistic. Each sub-brand and series is restricted, as shown by the genre swatches opposite. There is still plenty of choice for designers to be able to achieve the desired look, whilst still staying within the established station identity.
93E53D 26CB63
Apart from creating darker shades as covered below, no colours outside of these two pages are to be used on SUSUtv assets. A grid of permitted colours is available.
26CB8C 26CBB6
AC6B2A
268ECB
D57F28
6326CB
FF9327
8C26CB
FFBC78
C127A4
FFF7A6
Expanding the Palette The SUSUtv brand is focused on light colours but sometimes it is necessary or better to contrast this with darker shades. To expand the palette in this way, two extra colours can be found by taking the key colour (in this case #FF9327) and locating points 20% and 40% of the way between this and the palette off-black (#2F2F2F). Extra colours beyond this and the genre swatches should not be necessary and are not used.
FF2727
FFFCD8
Originals
E4F9EB
A8EFBB
77DF9E
268ECB
FFF7A6
26CBFF
FFF7A6
Music
FFBC78
FFAEAE
E4F1F9
AED5EC
77B8DF
Documentaries
FFBC78
6326CB
FFE4E4
E4F9FF
26CBB6
FFAEAE
Nightlife AEECFF
77DFFF
E4F9F6
AEECE4
77DFD1
Culture
FF5D5D
EBE4F9
C4AEEC
8A5CD8
Genre Swatches Entertainment 26CB63
News FF83DC
Sport FF9327
Combining Colours
Analogous Triadic Complementary
The genre swatches are monochromatic but it is more common to use analogous, triadic or complementary colours when designing supporting materials. Contrast intensifies colour. Fully saturated colours create a lively impression. Black and
white alter the way neighbouring colours are perceived. Proportions can also alter perceptions of colours and their relationships. Placement of colour is as important as the selection of colour itself.
Example Gradients 268ECB
FFAEAE
26CBFF
40%
50%
55%
AEECE4
FF83DC
A8EFBB
FF2727
FF9327
93E53D
FF9327
FFFF27
50%
60%
C127A4
26CB8C
26CBFF
F8F8F8
268ECB
FF83DC
Language
Design Language
The design language of SUSUtv is reflective of the rest of its identity; straightforward, uncluttered and accessible.
to combine these - for example a rectangle with a semi-circle at each end. Only two shapes may be combined at a time however.
The message of each asset should be instantly clear.
Repetition of shapes can also be a powerful tool. Opacity values are usually multiples of 20%. Simplicity and confidence of design are key mindsets when creating assets.
SUSUtv design is very geometric and obeys grid systems. In this way, simple shapes (rarely more than five-sided) can be effective visual tools. Occasionally it may be beneficial
Shapes are not normally shown inside one another but overlap can be visually pleasing.
Iconography
The SUSUtv brand supports high-quality photography and illustration. All imagery must be displayed at appropriate sizes; there should be a clear focal point in each image, from posters to single frames in a video.
If photography is used, its resolution when at its final scale should not be lower than that of the document it forms part of. For digital materials, this usually requires 72 pixels per inch (ppi) but 300ppi for print assets.
Imagery does not have to cover an entire canvas, but the message should be instantly obvious to a viewer. This complements the clarity and direct attitude of all other aspects of SUSUtv’s identity.
If illustrative imagery is selected, use of vector graphics is paramount. The combination of photography and illustration can also be effective. Frames can be a beneficial tool to draw attention to iconography on an asset.
Style & Tone
Drug companies are making a killing Advertising slogan for Dying for Days
Skin to die for Advertising slogan for Six Feet Under
Danger: Ice Advertising slogan for Shackleton
As mentioned throughout this guide, the key to the SUSUtv identity is clarity of communication. SUSUtv’s current written and visual styles go hand-in-hand. Both are professional and direct. Always say what you mean; there is no point in confusing an audience. Always consider what message you’re trying to get across. If the creator is unclear, the
audience are guaranteed to be. SUSUtv’s tone of voice is upbeat and has personality. We express our individuality to stand out and create a written style that our readership will remember. Sound bites are very effective tools for keeping communication simple. Above are examples of attention-grabbing headlines from commercial campaigns.
Writing Copy Date
Monday 1 January 2018 Mon 1 Jan 01/01/2018 Time
13:48 1:48pm
Job titles should be capitalised, eg Director of Creative Production.
Use an en dash (–) for time measurements (2015–18, Tuesday–Wednesday).
Use ‘and’ instead of ‘&’ unless in a title.
Use an em dash (—) in place of a colon.
Do not use full stops in acronyms or after initials. Captions and titles do not have full stops at the end.
Other more common terms are stylised as website, 3D, email, voiceover etc.
Use italics rather than quotation marks to denote the title of shows, films, books etc. Use a hyphen (-) for words broken over two lines, for fractions (four-fifths) and to join words (well-balanced).
Numbers one to ten are written out, but 11 onwards are written in numerals. All numbers starting sentences are written out (Twelve years ago this week). To pluralise numbers, add an s (1950s).
Communication
Danny Rickard Station Manager SUSUtv fb.com/SUSUtv | @SUSUtv Email signature
Online communication is more disposable than print communication, so it is almost more important to be attention-grabbing here. Consider memorable slogans, created consistent with SUSUtv values, and how best to present them.
Email signatures are unified, and external parties should always receive a similarly polite, enthusiastic attitude from SUSUtv’s members.