1. Northumberland is a collection of independent spirits
Northumberland is a collection of independent spirits. It is this mix of attitudes, approaches and ways of doing things that makes us special.

2. Your independent spirit comes from your:
Pride
Distinctiveness
Authenticity
Local wisdom
Strength & self belief
Individuality

3. Who are we?
WE ARE NORTHUMBERLAND
Boilerplate provides a definitive description of Northumberland and communicates our independent spirit.
Creates a sense of belonging across partner communications
MUST appear word for word
Can be created using any colours from our palette.
Size and format flexible (Minimum point size 6pt Swiss 721 BT Medium)

4. The logotype and the strapline (‘An independent spirit’) reflect the competitive proposition:
Shape - gives Northumberland a voice - a clear voice, proud and strong Rougher edges to the typography and shape create a looser, more natural feel which reflects the natural and rugged beauty of the landscape.
CREATES a more authentic, less sanitised feel

5. To offer flexibility our logo can appear in any of our colours.
Ensures the brand looks good in spring, summer, autumn and winter
We can provide these as eps files or jpgs
Avoid black and white unless printing in black and white
The speech mark is an important part of the logo and should not be used elsewhere without the writing

6. Our brand must always be reproduced consistently with a strong, proud voice
The brand needs room to breathe – exclusion zone, determined by the height of the letter ‘D’ around each edge of the logo. Nothing must be within this zone
People must always be able to read our name – logo must not appear smaller than 40mm wide

7. The type in the logo is transparent, so that background colours and photography show through
Creates flexibility and adds depth
Ensure that colours are complementary and the logotype is legible
Ensure there is sufficient contrast
Always use our EPS files (Where possible) to ensure the correct colours
Only place the logo on a white background when there are no other options

8. Favourite position is top left:
Therefore our brand is always visible as the owner and voice of the communication pieces
On A4 documents – recommended size is 72mm wide

9. Typeface: Bold and strong, reflective of our brand.
Swiss 721 BT (Swiss 721 BT Black Condensed)
If Swiss 721 BT not available use Arial/Arial Bold
Bold copy should always be left aligned
Header Blocks
– use short words
- approx 5 – 6 words
- CREATES impact and retains readability and clarity of headings
- Word size – can be flexible – determined by the importance of each word
Leading consistent throughout (Gap between lines and words)

10. Proud Welcoming Individual Conversational
Proud - it takes time to get to know us. We are proud of our county and want to protect it
- Strong, clear, honest messages
Welcoming - Communicate in an open, friendly way
Individual - Our local knowledge and wisdom lead and make us different
Conversational – Playful and friendly, always time to chat or joke.
- Use personal pronouns (I, we, you)
- Sometimes cheeky, but always truthful and down to earth
Express ourselves in a simple, straightforward manner
Born from natural and man made juxtapositions and contradictions Juxtapositions – close together (Side by side) for comparison or contrast

11. Hand drawn boxes to reflect the energy and independent nature of Northumberland
Adds character to our communications
Used to hold photography, colour blocks and to define edges of communication pieces

14.
Media Library – Logos, boilerplates?
Download the full marketing guidelines