Dawn Pedersen
The Anatomy of a Standards
Manual
 As a point of reference, it is suggested you include
any/all of these things in a graphic standards
manual:
 Introduction
 CEO Letter
 Brand Image Message
 How to Use this Manual
The Anatomy of a Standards
Manual
 Primary Identity Elements
 Brand Overview
 The Mark: Symbol & Logotype (Can the logo be
separated into a wordmark and symbol? Should it
always remain connected?)
 Typography
 Color Palette
 Imagery/Iconography (Do you use color, black-andwhite, or special duotone images? Do you use
illustration? If so, what type?)
The Anatomy of a Standards
Manual
 Primary Identity Elements (cont.)
 Shapes
 Staging Requirements
 Sizing
 Acceptable Usage
 Grids
The Anatomy of a Standards
Manual
 Selected Identity Applications
 Business Cards
 Stationery
 Business Forms (Fax form, invoice, transmittal,
etc.)
 Environments
 Signage: Interior & Exterior
 Vehicles
 Uniforms
The Anatomy of a Standards
Manual
 Selected Identity Applications (cont.)
 Advertising (How is it used on a billboard, full-page
ad, or direct mail piece?)
 Promotions (Is it okay to put the logo on a backpack,
cup, or toilet plunger?)
 Marketing Materials
 Corporate Communications
 Online (How does the logo work online? Does it
animate?)
 On-Air
The Anatomy of a Standards
Manual
 Additional Information
 Contact person & information (Who should someone
call when they are confused about usage?)
The Form of a Standards
Manual
 A standards manual can be:
 as small as a one-page PDF file showing the logo,
type, and color palette
 as large as a 300-page printed and bound book with
a companion CD full of the same information in
digital form
 printed with limited edition laser printouts
 printed with four-color process offset
The Form of a Standards
Manual
 The idea is to design a set of guidelines that serves
the needs of both the identity system and the
client.
 After the logo designing process, a designer will
understand the work process and personality of
their client.
 This information will help decide which format
will be most successful.
The Form of a Standards
Manual
 Having a printed manual, or printing one on
demand, allows the client to have a physical object
which makes the guidelines seem more real to
most users.
 Additionally, putting the entire manual, or
appropriate segments, on the client's intranet or
extranet is a smart idea for large, multi-user
enterprises.
 Consider that the implementation of the logo will
grow and possibly change, so creating a three-ring
binder style manual that allows for additional
pages to be added in the future is also a good idea.
Standards Manual Examples
Metropolitan Market
Metropolitan Market is a collection of neighborhood
grocery stores originally known as Thriftway. When
the business model changed from a discount
provider to a gourmet destination, SamataMason
was asked to capture and project the organization's
growing and unique character.
Standards Manual Examples
Metropolitan Market
The client needed an identity that was a quick read
with fresh graphic appeal, a visual language that
would speak to the active, urban, and upscale
customer in a distinctive contemporary fashion. It
was important that the branded personality said to
its young, adventure-shopper customer base, "this is
your place."
Standards Manual Examples
Metropolitan Market
The Metropolitan Market instore visual experience is
colorful and active, providing
almost too much visual
stimulation.
Single Mark
Standards Manual Examples
Metropolitan Market
To counteract the busy
atmosphere, SamataMason
chose a muted olive color with
an accompanying neutral
palette, and designed clean,
modern, fashion-driven
graphic elements that would
appeal to the younger highend urban customers.
Chalkboard Header Examples
Standards Manual Examples
Metropolitan Market
The graphic standards manual contains both a
letter from the CEO endorsing the program and a
statement
explaining the
importance of
consistent
standards.
Standards Manual Examples
Metropolitan Market
The new Metropolitan Market
logo (or "circle m") represents
a sense of organized
artisanship that is
meaningful and rich in
texture. The strict
mathematical relationship of
the "circle m" logo elements
may not be altered or
modified—it is a precise and
unchanging ratio.
Standards Manual Examples
Metropolitan Market
A page such as "Brand Mark
and Signature Display" helps
users understand the
relationship between the
identity elements, and
illustrates preferred and
secondary usage options.
Standards Manual Examples
Metropolitan Market
"The Signature" manual page
explains the rationale behind
the staging and visual
balance of the identity
elements. It shows three
configurations, all of which
are simple, precise, and
flexible enough to meet most
spatial applications.
Standards Manual Examples
Metropolitan Market
The Metropolitan Market
graphic standards includes a
"Brand Mark Color Usage"
page, which provides a quick
reference to the approved
colors, not only by listing the
Pantone numbers, but by
showing an example of what
the logo looks like in each
color version.
Standards Manual Examples
Metropolitan Market
The entire "Brand Elements" section of the manual
contains very detailed information on:
Staging Requirements
Sizing
Acceptable and Unacceptable Usage Variations
Positioning Methodology
Color Systems
Signature Applications
Typography
Design Motifs
Photographic Themes
Grid Systems
Standards Manual Examples
Metropolitan Market
Brand Overview
Directional Signs
Standards Manual Examples
Metropolitan Market
Monument Illustrations
Examples of Locations
Standards Manual Examples
City of Rotterdam
 Rotterdam is considered to be one of the cultural
capitals of Europe, and the city's mayor sought to
utilize this association.
 The goal was to promote the cultural aspects of the
city and enhance the perception of the city's
attractiveness, both to citizens and visitors.
Standards Manual Examples
City of Rotterdam
 At the heart of the design problem was the need to
develop an identity that would connect all the
various cultural activities in Rotterdam.
 The identity had to function as a logo system, and
it needed to be flexible enough to allow other
designers to use it.
 Users needed to receive clear guidelines in order to
be able to "play" with the system.
Standards Manual Examples
City of Rotterdam
Standards Manual Examples
City of Rotterdam
Standards Manual Examples
City of Rotterdam
Standards Manual Examples
City of Rotterdam
Standards Manual Examples
City of Rotterdam
Standards Manual Examples
City of Rotterdam
Standards Manual Examples
City of Rotterdam
Standards Manual Examples
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, a children's entertainment company
owned by Viacom, had been growing organically
over fifteen years to become a multifaceted global
brand. In the process, however, it had become
disjointed and was losing some of its cohesion. The
original logo, designed by Tom Corey, needed an
update and expansion.
Standards Manual Examples
Nickelodeon
AdamsMorioka was brought in as identity
consultants with a goal of bringing together
Nickelodeon's brand extensions, as well as unifying
the company's messages and visual vocabulary
across all media.
Standards Manual Examples
Nickelodeon
Overall, the brand needed to be more accessible and
less oblique to Nickelodeon's external, as well as
internal, audience. AdamsMorioka designed a
simple identity toolkit based on the original logo.
Standards Manual Examples
Nickelodeon
The identity system was intended to refocus Nick's
internal creative departments on the core promises
and messages of the brand, and encourage creative
thinking and execution.
Standards Manual Examples
Nickelodeon
AdamsMorioka designed the Nickelodeon Visual
System Basics as an explanation of the new visual
system. The thirty-eight page book is a 10" x 10"
spiral bound booklet with several short sheets and a
gatefold.
Standards Manual Examples
Nickelodeon
It contains a CD with digital files for the system.
The manual reflects the identity and message, is
lively and nontraditional, and focuses on positive
inspiration.
Standards Manual Examples
Nickelodeon
A list of the creative sources that may inform some
of the system's ideas is provided in the manual. This
encourages the Nickelodeon creative services
department to look at new sources, from Paul Rand
and Alvin Lustig to Andy Warhol and Alexander
Calder.
Standards Manual Examples
Nickelodeon
Rather than using these sources as forms to
slavishly copy, they provide insight into basic ideas
of modernism. The manual is bright, fun, concise,
and easy to follow.