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City of Fort Collins
 

Communications and Public Involvement

Communications and Public Involvement

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home city services Communications and Public Involvement Vendor Brand Overview

City of Fort Collins Brand#

View of downtown Fort Collins from Old Town Square

The City of Fort Collins has specific brand and accessibility standards to ensure that content we share with the public is professional, high-quality and accessible for all.

Vendors creating products for the City (photos, videos, graphics, etc.) must also adhere to City brand and accessibility standards. 

Specific standards are outlined below. Vendors who wish to work with the City must first pass a brand and accessibility quiz. Passing this quiz is required before project work begins. 

If you have any questions about the City brand please contact creatives@fcgov.com. 

Access Quiz

City of Fort Collins logo with minimum spacing requirements shown

The width of the “C” in “City” is the minimum space that should be left along all sides of the logo.

The City logo MUST appear on all official City communications and projects. 

Exclusion Zone: The width of the "C" in "City" is the minimum space that should be left along all sides of the logo. 

Logo Usage#

Three examples of how the City logo can be displayed in adherence with City of Fort Collins Brand Standards

The City logo should always be shown in a one color format with clear contrast.

1 Color Logo Only: The City logo should always be shown in one color format with clear contrast. 

Minimum Size: For instances when a small logo is required, the minimum width should be no smaller than 1.125". For digital uses, the minimum size is 100 pixels. 

NOTE: On rare occasions, smaller versions of the logo may be necessary, but must be approved through the Communications and Public Involvement Office. The logo must always remain legible and cannot be skewed or squashed in any way. 

Working with City Colors#

Colors in this palette are carefully selected for use within the City of Fort Collins- do not alter in context. This palette contains three sub-palettes (see below) that allow for varying levels of complexity and expression in 
designing city-branded materials.

For projects that have specific sub-brands or themes, the City will provide vendors with specific assets to use for projects. 

Display of City's three sub-palettes

The City has three-sub palettes, Municipal, Central and Supporting, that allow for varying levels of complexity and expression in designing city-branded materials. 

  • Municipal Palette: These colors are the most basic representation of the City brand. Best Uses: icons, graphics, backgrounds, large type, regular type
  • Central Palette: These are the primary colors that should be used to represent the City brand. Best uses: icons, graphics, backgrounds, large type, regular type
  • Accent Palette: These are the secondary colors available to support the Central Palette in representing the City brand. These colors should be used in support of the Central Palette shades to help achieve proper contrast and readability. Best uses: icons, graphics, backgrounds, on dark, full spectrum

ADA Contrast Compliance#

It is important that all materials created for the City adhere to standards for accessibility and readability. To meet these standards, we adhere to the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) AA standard for both digital and print materials. To meet this requirement, it is important that 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 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.

The City's Creative Services team will provide resources including a City ADA Brand Guide to external vendors who are awarded a contract after successfully completing this brand/ADA training. 

Screenshot of Adobe color contrast checker showing combination of 2 city colors

Typography#

Image of Gotham Family Font guidelines for styles, weights, and use

The City's Primary font is the Gotham Family. Styles include Gotham, Gotham Narrow, and Gotham Condensed. Typically used by Creative Services, Gotham is preferred in the development of City-Branded materials.

Example of Arial Family Font and guidelines for styles, weights, and use

Our Secondary font is the Arial Family. Styles include Arial and Arial Narrow. This font is used City-wide for general communications, presentations, and documents. 

Other special fonts may be used for specific projects and sub-brands. 

The Communications and Public Involvement Office will provide vendors with specific fonts for projects. 

Crowd enjoying downtown businesses.

General Photo Guidelines#

The City of Fort Collins is a vibrant and colorful community and our photos should reflect that. Here are some tips when curating or producing photography for the City.

General Photo Guidelines#

Tell a Story:

  • Photos should capture people, nature, infrastructure, landmarks, programs and services that make Fort Collins such 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.

Additional Things to Note:#

Credits:

  • Photos developed for the City of Fort Collins will be added to the City's photo library.
  • Photos will be credited to the City of Fort Collins only and will not include the photographer or 3rd party company's name. No 3rd party watermarks or branding of any kind should be added to City photos.

Resolution:

  • Photos provided to the City should be at the highest resolution possible.

Photography in Public:

  • Although taking photos at a public event does not require photo release forms, we ask you to be thoughtful when taking pictures of residents and children, and be willing to avoid specific people or remove photos if asked by a resident.

General Video Guidelines#

Video is a powerful medium that can bring attention to the meaningful work being done at the City. Below are some things to keep in mind if developing a video on behalf of the City of Fort Collins.

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. 
    • Unless authorized through CPIO (Communications & Public Involvement Office), department logos SHOULD NOT be used. 
    • 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, the highest quality and 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. 

Closed Captioning:

  • SRT files should be included with all videos that capture voice to allow for a more accessible experience. Make sure any lower 3rds or added text elements are placed to allow for captions and reduce crowding or covering important information that is not spoken.