Our identity is very important – it affects how people feel about us and whether they want to engage with what we do. Our brand represents what people think about the name Kent Union. It includes experiences, perceptions, ideas and opinions. We know that our identity is largely formed by what we do, but our communications and visual identity are important too. They need to express our values: Professional, Responsible, Inclusive, Democratic and Excellent.
This book outlines Kent Union’s approach to branding and communications. It provides guidance on how to use images and words that help us express our values. Our corporate identity reinforces our charitable purpose as an organisation that empowers Kent students, supports our staff and motivates our thousands of volunteers.

We have been in existence since 1965, when a small group of Kent students got together to represent all the other students on campus. We’ve grown just a bit since then but the purpose of our organisation is the same. All our people are motivated by the desire to empower Kent students to have a voice, fulfil their potential and get where they want to in life. It’s what makes us all wake up and come to work every day.
Our people are creative, fun and great at what they do. We all embrace the ethos of volunteering and the power of the collective voice of students. We believe in the value of the student movement and the importance of students’ unions in the University experience.
Although we run a diverse range of services, how and why we run them is always the same - to empower students.
This is at the heart of everything we do.

A clearly defined, communicated and understood brand essence ensures that we:
 Project a single, clear, strong and real image of what we do

Can market our services more easily
 Increase the support we receive from our stakeholders
Kent Union provides a range of services and support for Kent students whilst representing their views to the University and in society.
The implication of these attributes is that Kent students have a more fulfilling experience at University, making them well rounded citizens and leading to their greater satisfaction in life.
Kent Union’s brand essence: Fun. Opportunities. Potential.

Our values are Professional, Responsible, Inclusive, Democratic and Excellent.
These values represent how we are viewed from the inside by our employees as well as by our members. Our culture is reflected in our brand image and our brand image in our culture; we are on the inside what we are on the outside.
Our values are inherent to our organisation and act as guideposts for all our people to deliver upon our brand’s promise. They impact on the types of services we provide and the people we want to hire. Our brand values are an extension of what we stand for.

We know from experience that when it comes to our visual identity, consistency is everything. Consistency helps break down misunderstandings. It helps us stand out from others around us. And it ensures people can trust in what we say and do. Whether it’s on a poster, on our website, in one of our Outlets or when speaking with our people, our visual identity should be the same.
The guidelines contained within this book will help us to project a consistent image of our brand. Over the next few pages you’ll find out how you can apply our corporate identity.

This is our Master logo. It is the main element of our brand identity and therefore must be used consistently. It is used to represent our whole organisation.
Usage
Our Master logo can be printed with the text black or white dependant on how it is being used. These are our preferred Master logos. It cannot be converted to other colours.
Where possible our Master logo must be used with our Colours Bar. Exclusions include single colour print where the full white out or black logo will be used.
Our Master logo is used on all Kent Union corporate messaging and communications. This includes our website, socia l media accounts, internal messaging and any communication that does not come from one of the five areas of our organisation.
The Master logo features Kent Union’s website address. The exception to this is our website where the logo does not include the website address. When the logo is on other web platforms it will be used with the web address underneath. When required a white text version is available for use.
You should always be able to read our logo. It needs to be clear.

There is an exclusion zone around our logo. This prevents any other image or message interfering with the Kent Union logo.

Positioning
For internal communications such as policies, the Master logo will generally sit in the centre of the page.
Always follow the exclusion zone rule when positioning the Kent Union on a page.
For the website, the logo is displayed in the top left hand corner of the screen.
For external communications, the Master logo should be displayed either in the centre or the bottom right of the page.

Colour
Our Master logo includes five colours. We call this our Colours Bar.
The colours represent the five areas of our organisation. They show that everything we do links back to our charitable purpos e.
By using our Colours Bar, we demonstrate that all the areas of Kent Union are run in the same way. Each area is of equal importance to us as an organisation. Our Colours Bar also promotes our brand value of inclusivity.
Our Colours Bar must not be changed in our Master logo. The order of the colours is very important to us.

Partnerships and sponsorship
Sometimes we work with other organisations and need to incorporate their brand identity into our own communications. It is important that we adhere to their guidelines but we must remember that it is primarily a Kent Union message. Our logo and brand must not be overshadowed by another’s.
Where possible, sponsor or partner logos should appear on the back cover of our publications. If they are to appear on the front cover, they should be positioned to the left of our Master logo.
When our partners and sponsors use our logo, they must follow the guidelines outlined within this book and the following rule s regarding application:

Only the full Master logo including the Colour Bar must be used

The Kent Union logo should be as prominent as any other partner or sponsor logos .

We also have a Partner Stamp which can be used by some of the organisations we work with. This represents the relationship between us. A black or white Partner Stamp can be used.
The stamp can be overlaid anywhere on printed literature or web based messaging.

We have five logos representing the areas of our organisation. These use the colours contained within our Colours Bar.
Each one of the services we provide falls under one of our areas and colours.
Use on service branded material
Kent Union runs a number of diverse services as part of its family. The majority of these services has its own brand identity .
The look and feel of service branded material should primarily reflect the brand identity of the service. Howev er the Colours
Bar should be used to denote the link back to the organisation.
Printed materials use the Colours Bar across the top of the page and Area Tab – the Tab represents the area of the organisation the message is coming from. The Tab is always presented in the fourth position on the Colours Bar. The order of the rest of the colours in the Colours Bar do not change.
When advertising for one of the services, the Master logo is not used.

Usage on Printed Publications
The consistent Colours Bar and Area Tab will feature on:
- Flyers
- Posters
- Pull up banners
- Banners
- Business cards.
Where possible, posters and flyers are designed in portrait.
When printing flyers, the front page features the message from the service. The reverse of the flyer provides an impact message relating to the service area and the relevant contact details. The reverse is printed in a solid colour for the area of the service with white text.
For some print based marketing such as menus, the Colours Bar is not needed however the material must include the relevant area colour and contact information.

Usage on T-Shirts
There are a number of different ways our logo can be used on T-Shirts.
1. Generic
These are T-Shirts printed in all five of our colours and can be used by any staff or volunteer. They include our White Master logo on the front. On the reverse they include the word Staff or Volunteer.
2. Area Specific
These T-Shirts use the colour for the area of the organisation. They include the Area Tab logo and the service’s own logo.
3. Outlets
These T-Shirts are used within Kent Union’s Outlets. They should use a colour that best suits the working environment. They include the Area Tab logo, service logo and the word Staff on the reverse.
4. Event Specific
These are T-Shirts developed specifically for an event such as Party in the Car Park and Freshers’. They use the colour relevant to the event itself and the Master logo in full colour if possible.

Usage on Digital Communications
All our plasma adverts and website banners must feature our Colours Bar and the Area Tab. For consistency, they must always be used at the same size. If the message is not from one of the areas of our organisation, the advert uses our Master logo.
Our email newsletters must feature our Colours Bar and Master logo. News within the newsletter must be colour coded to the area of the organisation.
The home page of our website features our Master logo and Colours Bar. Each section is colour coded to the area and the Area
Tab is used across the top banner. News featured on the home page is colour coded to the area.

Usage on Our Buildings
A Master logo must feature on the outside of all our buildings. The colour areas are used to denote what services are located within the building.
Inside our buildings, the full colour palette is used for wall design and decoration. The main colour used in each location denotes the service provided within that area.

We have an additional stamp which can be used if we want to reinforce that the message is from the students’ union. This stamp can be used on any materials including print, web and external marketing. It allows us to highlight ourselves as the students’ union at Kent and puts students at the heart of all we do.

What not to do with our logo
1.
Do not use our old logos
2.
Do not create our logo in different colours
3.
Do not rotate our logo
4.
Do not stretch our logo
5.
Do not change the colours in our Colours Bar
6.
Do not use our Colours Bar in one solid colour
7.
Do not place other imagery or text within the exclusion zone
8.
Do not use our Black logo on a dark coloured background
9.
Do not use our White logo on a light coloured background

Colour
If using colours not within the Kent Union colour palette, complimentary colours should be chosen.

Typeface
The fonts we choose to use are a crucial element of our brand identity. Using these fonts regularly helps enforce consistency and build recognition of our brand. It ensures that people are able to identify our communications as coming from Kent Union.
Our Primary Typeface is Knockout. It is used within our Master Logo. It should also be used for Titles and Headlines. Upper case should only be used for Titles and Headlines. On our website, we use an identical font called Bebas.
Our Secondary Typeface is Open Sans. This should be used for Body Text including Web Body Text. The font comes in many weights. For Body Text, lower case should always be used.

Photography
The use of real students in our photographs is an important part of our brand identity. Photos help promote the strategic objectives of our organisation and publicise students’ achievements. They can strengthen our reputation and help promote our services, events and information.
The imagery we use must be fun, inspiring, colourful and represent the diverse mix of students studying at the University of Kent.
All the photographs we use should focus on the activity rather than the individual(s) and all the individuals we choose to use must be appropriately dressed.

Tone of Voice
The way we talk about ourselves helps to represent our personality. It’s no good just saying we are professional and inclusive, we need to embody these values in how we talk to others. The way our organisation speaks help build up an impression of our brand and ensures that people form positive opinions about the work that we do.
Our tone of voice is based upon our brand values, which are:
Professional
Responsible
Inclusive
Democratic
Excellent
It is important to have these values in your mind when writing copy.

Our personality
Our personality is based on characteristics that support our brand values. It is important that our personality shines through in all our communications so people can tell the type of organisation we are.
Our personality is friendly, approachable, genuine, inspiring and innovative.
Everything we say is truthful and must make a valid point – we don’t believe in writing simply to fill up a page. Our brand values and essence of our organisation must be represented in our communications.

To help ensure that the Kent Union brand promotes a consistent look and feel, we have the following templates resources available.

Letterhead

Business cards

Flyer

Poster

Banner


Plasma Advert

Web banner

Newsletter

PowerPoint

Prezi

Internal document

We welcome your feedback
For additional information and feedback please contact Kent Union’s Marketing Department on kentunion@kent.ac.uk.