To meet accessibility standards, the City adheres to the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) AA standard for both digital and print materials. Text and interactive elements have a color contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1.

Our palette offers many combinations of colors, but there is potential to design something that does not meet ADA standards. If you are designing with our palette and unsure as to whether a specific color combination will work, we encourage you to use Adobe Color Contrast Checker  to determine if a color combination meets recommendations. If it does not, select a different combination.

Other special fonts may be used for specific projects and sub-brands. Headlines / Display / personality fonts can be used at times but should be used sparingly.

All PDF documents intended for digital distribution must be accessibility-compliant. CPIO will review and approve all PDFs created by external vendors before deliverables are finalized.

Creating accessible PDFs from the start is much easier than retrofitting them later. Retrofitting is complex, time-consuming, and requires specialized software and expertise. If your project includes the creation of PDFs, please ensure they meet accessibility standards.

​​​​​​​To be considered accessible, PDF documents must meet these standards:

• Text Content is selectable and readable by screen readers. Use live text instead of scanned images of text.
• File Name Descriptors are provided and accurate for document Title, Subject, Author, and Keywords metadata.
• Alternative text for all images, charts, and graphics to describe their content and purpose.
• Headings and Structure: Use proper heading tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) to define the document structure, aiding navigation for screen readers.
• Tags and Layers: Apply correct tagging and layering to ensure screen readers can interpret the content correctly.
• Tables: Ensure tables have designated headers and a logical reading order.
• Links: Include descriptive text for hyperlinks.
• Language Specification: Define the document's language setting to ensure accurate text-to-speech translation.
• Forms: Ensure interactive forms are accessible, with clearly labeled fields and logical tab order.
• Color Contrast: Use sufficient color contrast between text and background to ensure readability for individuals with visual impairments. Text should have a color contrast ration of at least 4.5:1.

Tell a Story:

• Photos should capture people, nature, infrastructure, landmarks, programs and services that make Fort Collins an amazing place to live.

Be Genuine:

• Avoid capturing moments that feel staged or disingenuous. Lifestyle photography should feel natural to the environment they are captured in.

Crisp & Vibrant:

• Avoid dark or monotone photos that lack clarity.

Avoid Busy Backgrounds:

• If the background is too busy, use a shallow depth of field to compensate when taking candid photos.

Include Diversity Tastefully:

• Photos should represent a variety of residents, but do not force "diversity" into every image to check a box. Our imagery needs to be authentic representations of our community.

City Logo Representation:

• In most cases, the City logo should appear in the early seconds of a standalone video and follow the proper brand use described above. 
• Always use the City logo, department-specific logos should not be used unless approved by CPIO.
• City logos should not be embedded into the entirety of the video, but can make appearances at the beginning, potentially on lower 3rds and the end of the video.

Location, Location, Location:

• Fort Collins has many beautiful and iconic places that can serve as a backdrop for interviews or transitions. Videos produced for the City should highlight familiar places and landmarks to establish a local perspective and keep it from feeling disconnected or cold. 

Lighting Matters:

• Videos should be toned and balanced so that there is a consistency and vibrancy to the story. Avoid harsh lighting (mid-day sun) or dark locations so that the subjects are clear and well represented.

Capture Quality Audio:

• If interviewing community members, it's important that the audio is professionally captured and balanced before going to production. 

Resolution Recommendations:

• All final produced video assets should have a minimum of 1080p quality and be broadcast ready, or, if developed only for social or online use, should be the highest available quality and in the best format possible for the intended platform.

Lower 3rds:

• Lower 3rds should be clearly legible and align with the City's brand standards and font use. Type should be large enough to read and allow people time to read them. 

City voice is clear, approachable and aspirational, with a strong emphasis on transparency, trust and community building. While the tone (formal or conversational, authoritative or friendly) can and should shift depending on the topic, audience, and communication medium, all City communications—whether a social media post, news release, website copy or formal report—should sound like the City.

All text should be written in AP Style. 

Carefully proofread all written materials. Ask another person to proofread as well; always use spell check.

Use active voice when writing, rather than passive.

Active: “City Council approved the plan …”

Passive: “The plan was approved by City Council …”

Use verbs as verbs, not nouns:

• Yes: “This offer will fund ...”
• No: “This offer will provide funding for ...”
• Yes: “The team will lead the program.”
• No: “The team will facilitate leadership of the program.”

Always write in complete sentences, rather than fragments (possible exception: bulleted lists).

Limit jargon – government, technical, legal, etc. If in doubt, have a nonexpert read it to see if it’s readable and understandable.

City of Fort Collins

• City – capitalized if referring to the City as an organization (City of Fort Collins, City staff, etc.). Generally, use “City” only for the City organization, staff or property.
• city – lowercase if referring to the general community (the city population, the northwest part of the city).

Tip: To avoid confusion, it is generally recommended to use a different term (e.g., Fort Collins, the community, etc.) when not referring to the City organization.

Fort Collins (never Ft.)

Community member (never “citizen,” also acceptable: resident, public, people, business, etc.)

Citywide – no hyphen

Regions & Areas

• Downtown: Downtown Fort Collins, the Downtown area, Downtown businesses, etc.
• Old Town: Use only for Old Town Square; everything else is Downtown.
• Northern Colorado
• Front Range

Cities, Towns & Counties

• City of Loveland, Greeley
• Town of Timnath, Wellington, Windsor
• Larimer County, Weld County

MAX Bus Rapid Transit – no “the”

Laporte Avenue – not LaPorte

City Council – no “the”:

Meeting types should be capitalized when referenced specifically, but not generally:

• Yes: City Council Meeting, City Council Regular Meeting, City Council Work Session
• No: City Council meeting, City Council regular Meeting, City Council work session
• Yes: City Council has a meeting today.
• No: City Council has a Meeting today.

Councilmember – one word

Councilmembers should be listed by title (see Titles section for formatting).

When listing multiple Councilmembers, the order should be:

• Mayor
• Mayor Pro Tem
• Individual Councilmembers in numerical district order