As our business evolves and addresses the changing needs of our customers, we have refreshed our brand to reflect a bold future focused technology services company.
Our brand is unique and stands out from the crowd and the personality and people behind the brand brings it to life. These guidelines show a vibrant and dynamic brand going forward and is here to help you deliver clear and consistent communications, remember, keep it:
- Clean – keep it minimal, avoid overusing elements or the amount of content in communications
- Clear – We’re friendly, knowledgeable and brave in our tone of voice and we use clear typographic hierarchies to communicate clearly
- And fresh – Using our brighter, fresher colour palette and plenty of white space and authentic imagery to convey a dynamic and connected business
If you or a supplier need access to our brand assets, please click here. If you do not know this password and would like to request access, please contact Hannah Davies.
If you’re not sure or have any questions, you can always get in touch with us directly, by contacting Laura Perrott, - Global Director Digital and Brand or Hannah Davies, - Brand Marketing Executive.
The Colt Brand Team
Our brand
Our vision & purpose
Having a consistent brand helps us to bring every element of our DNA together, driving our purpose and getting us closer to achieving our vision.
Our vision: To become the most customer-oriented business in our industry.
Our purpose: Colt transforms the way the world works through the power of connectivity.
Our values
Our values reflect our culture and what we care about. They underpin everything we do. We are:
- Customer First - We put the customer at the centre of everything we do
- Accountable - We are responsible for delivering on our commitments
- Transformational - We embrace the need to change the way we do things in order to grow
- Outcome-focused - We focus on the result while encouraging others to get there
#ConnectivityMatters
Our strapline, 'connectivity matters', is an integral part of our brand. We enable businesses to thrive and economies to flourish. It's a promise to our customers and our people; it's key to our culture, the way we do things and how we work together. Find out more about why connectivity matters by watching our corporate video.
Logo use
The Colt logo
It is important that the Colt logo is reproduced consistently across all Colt communication materials. The logo should not be altered in any way and legibility of the logo should always be ensured. Typical uses of our logo are:
- Our logo is primarily used with the Colt Teal on a White background
- The Colt Black logo should be used when the Colt Teal logo cannot be used, for example in black and white printing
- If the logo is placed on imagery, ensure that the logo is clear with a good contrast to the background and away from busy background areas of the image
- The Colt logo works reversed out with the Colt Teal and all our supporting colours, but ensure legibility is suitable for the intended application(s)
- The Colt logo can be used in teal, black and white only
Artworks of all versions have been created for both print (CMYK) and screen (RGB) use.
Clear space
Please keep the space above, below and adjacent to the logo clear of other graphic elements, images and document edges. This allows the logo to be read clearly without confusion.
The amount of clear space is equal to the size of the 'o' in the logo.
Position, print
When designing for print our logo should be on the top left or right corner of the page. If required the logo can also be placed on the bottom left or right corner.
Position, digital
When designing for digital, our logo is placed in the top-left corner.
What not to do
As a general rule of thumb, if you don't see an example within this brand book, it's probably not allowed. Please don't…
- Redraw, retype or source our logo online
- Rotate or flip the logo
- Reorder / move the letters
- Stretch or distort our logo
- Recolour / use non-brand colours
- Add additional effects to our logo
Colt IQ Network
When using the Colt IQ Network logo or in text, you must use the full name - you should never refer to it as 'Colt IQ' or 'IQ Net'.
01 Black on white
.PNG | .EPS | .JPG
02 White on black
.PNG | .EPS | .JPG
Use of logo
The Colt IQ Network logo has been produced in two variations and is a sub logo. Depending on the space available please consider which logo works best in the space provided. This should not replace Colt's current logo and should not sit adjacent to the Colt logo. However it can be placed on the same page.
To maintain the details on the Colt IQ Network logo please ensure 'Powered by' is legible at all times.
Co-branding
Lockups & partner logo sizing
Using the Colt logo with other logos is simple, but there are a few steps to follow, shown on this page.
If you need a new lockup created, please contact the Brand Team.
The partner logo should look the same size as our logo.
A tall thin logo would be shrunk until its height or overall visual footprint is the same as our logo.
Similarly a short, wide logo would be shrunk until its width is the same as our logo.
Typography
Our fonts
Gotham is our primary font, to be used across all Colt communication and marketing materials.
When a system font is required – for example in email, or Powerpoint and Word documents sent to clients and partners – then Arial should be used.
Gotham is available for purchase from Typography.com. It is available for use on the web as part of the cloud typography service from Hoefler&Co.
For Japanese font alternatives, please use Meiryo UI.
Typography in use and hierarchy
Our primary font, Gotham, includes 4 weights: Light, Book, Medium and Bold.
The preferred and most used combination of weights is Light and Medium.
To create a consistent experience for the reader use:
- Light — for body copy, section headings and pull-outs
- Medium — for sub-headings
- Book and Bold — for extra emphasis or highlights if needed to help with the legibility and hierarchy
When using our fonts, ensure there is a clear hierarchy to help the reader navigate communications.
Do not add any effects to the text, such as glow or drop shadow.
For Japanese font alternatives, please use Meiryo UI.
Gotham
Connectivity matters: light
Connectivity matters: book
Connectivity matters: medium
Connectivity matters: bold
Arial
Connectivity matters: regular
Connectivity matters: bold
Typography, in use
When using Gotham, stick to the same sizes and style to create a consistent experience for the reader. Do not add any effects to the text, such as glow or drop shadow.
Headings weight 01
gotham light
Lorem ipsum dolor
Headings weight 01
gotham medium
Lorem ipsum dolor
Headings weight 01
gotham bold
Lorem ipsum dolor
Below are a few font pairings and layouts that follow this advice:
Text pairing 01
light + medium
Gotham light. Colt leads the way in enabling your digital transformation through agile and on demand, high bandwidth solutions.
Gotham medium. Colt leads the way in enabling your digital transformation through agile and on demand, high bandwidth solutions.
Text pairing 01
book + medium
Gotham book. Colt leads the way in enabling your digital transformation through agile and on demand, high bandwidth solutions.
Gotham medium. Colt leads the way in enabling your digital transformation through agile and on demand, high bandwidth solutions.
Text pairing 01
medium + bold
Gotham medium. Colt leads the way in enabling your digital transformation through agile and on demand, high bandwidth solutions.
Gotham bold. Colt leads the way in enabling your digital transformation through agile and on demand, high bandwidth solutions.
Text style
When writing copy, there are a number of style rules that should be adhered to, we've detailed and illustrated each of these rules:
Use sentence case for titles and headings
Do not place a full stop after headings and bulletpoints
Please use correct bullet points
Typography colour
When using standard body/paragraph text, please use black for legibility. While you are free to use the Colt Teal for headings or other areas where text is larger/heavier, please consider accessibility & readability.
Colours
Primary colours
We have refreshed our primary colour to be bolder and more vibrant, it should be used alongside plenty of white space.
Colt Teal should always be included in communications in some way, whether that is in the logo, graphics or typography, especially when using any of the supporting colours – we are, after all, known for our Teal.
Colt Teal
Pantone 3265
CMYK 70 0 40 0
RGB 0 215 189
HEX #00D7BD
White
Pantone n/a
CMYK 0 0 0 0
RGB 255 255 255
HEX #ffffff
Secondary colours
Our supporting colour palette is for use in the stream graphic (as detailed in the next section), text, tables, diagrams, charts, and other information design.
These colours should always support the primary Colt Teal.
Colt Blue
Pantone 2727
CMYK 85 24 0 0
RGB 0 153 255
HEX #0099FF
Colt Purple
Pantone 2607
CMYK 83 99 0 2
RGB 80 0 145
HEX #50009B
Colt Yellow
Pantone 2607
CMYK 0 24 100 0
RGB 255 196 61
HEX #FFC43D
Colt Pink
Pantone 2040
CMYK 0 95 45 0
RGB 239 71 111
HEX #EF476F
Colt Dusk
Pantone 3272
CMYK 94 0 48 0
RGB 0 165 155
HEX #00A59B
Colt Ash
Pantone n/a
CMYK 0 0 0 5
RGB 245 245 245
HEX #F5F5F5
Colt Charcoal
Pantone 432
CMYK 15 15 15 75
RGB 72 74 71
HEX #484A47
Black
Pantone n/a
CMYK 0 0 0 100
RGB 0 0 0
HEX #000000
Colour proportion
When creating a layout and employing the Colt colour palette, it is important to keep in mind the proportion of the brand colours you use. Colt teal or white should be the dominant colours in any layouts, followed by the other secondary colours. The graphic below is designed to show the relative colour proportions between the secondary and primary colours in a given layout.
Although individual pieces may vary, notice that the cumulative effect keeps the overall brand balance.
Stream graphic
The stream graphic is a born out of the wordmark, and symbolises connectivity and performance. Powerful connectivity creates powerful experiences.
The stream graphic symbolises:
- Connections
- Connectivity
- Performance
- Data flow
- Energy
Creating the stream graphic
The stream graphic consists of a ‘line’, a ‘circle’, and a ‘ring’. These elements are set on a grid of 60 degrees – the direction and angle of this should never be changed.
Only one colour should be used along any one path, with a choice/combination of line, circle, or ring. The shapes on one path can overlap.
A template file is available to download for creating new compositions. The grid is on a non-printing layer and should never be visible in the final design.
The grid
A path on the grid
The stream graphic on the grid
Final stream graphic (without grid)
Colouring the stream graphic
The stream graphic uses the primary and supporting colour palette, set to 100%, 60%, or 30% transparency.
Only one colour should be used along any one path, and the transparency of the line, circle and ring should vary to create a sense of flow.
100%
60%
30%
Scaling the stream graphic
The stream graphic can be used at different scales. When scaling the stream graphic template up or down, please ensure the grid and graphics are scaled proportionately, and that all the lines, circles, and rings are of the same size.
Using photography with the stream graphic
There are 3 ways to combine photography and the stream graphic:
- The stream graphic can be used over full bleed photography. The colour and the position of the stream graphic should complement the photography. Ensure the stream graphic does not cover faces, or any other important features in the image.
- Subject matter can be cut out and stream graphic overlaid as per the first treatment.
- Imagery can be set within a stream shape (excluding the ring) and used at a larger scale. This is the only time it can be used at a larger scale than the coloured stream graphics.
What not to do
When creating a new stream graphic composition do not:
- Leave out the use of Colt Teal
- Use the stream graphic in transparencies other than 100%, 60%, 30%
- Use multiple colours on the same path
- Put two solid circles overlapping, one should always be a ring
- Use the same transparency for either the line, circle, or ring when overlapping the shapes
- Use multiple scales of the stream graphic in the same composition
- Obscure the focal point in imagery
- Change the direction of the lines
Photography
Primary photography
When selecting photography it should be:
- Positive, friendly, and energetic
- Authentic, not posed or obviously staged
- Reflective of genuine connections and engagement
Our photography style is:
- Bright and fresh, using natural light as much as possible
- Complementary to our colour palette
- Uncluttered with a sense of space
- Slightly desaturated to feel more authentic
Supporting photography
There are times when more descriptive and functional supporting images are required, these should only be used at lower levels, such as within a document to support content or in lower level modules on a website.
These photographs should also follow our photography style:
- Bright and fresh, using natural light as much as possible
- Complementary to our colour palette
- Uncluttered with a sense of space
- Slightly desaturated to feel more authentic
What not to do
Do not use photography that:
- Is overly conceptual and cliché
- Lacks a clear purpose and focus
- Is overly posed
- Is a poor composition or badly cropped
- Is of poor quality or pixelated
- Shows disengaged people
- Has unnatural colouring of skin tones or overall image
Iconography
We have an extensive icon library that has been produced with lots of people across the business, so we should have something to meet your needs.
Please do:
- use icons in appropriate places to illustrate content in the adjacent paragraph
- keep consistent heights for each icon
- use consistent clear space around the icon
Please don't
- edit or alter the icons
- overlap icons with text
- over-use the icons in one context
Examples
Can't find what you need?
If there is something you need but cannot find, or if you have a new requirement, then please contact the Brand Team. We manage the icon library centrally so we can limit duplication. This way we can make sure everyone is using our icons correctly, repeatedly and consistently. We regularly check with the business to see if there are new icon needs, so if you want to be consulted about icons please drop us a note.
Brand assets
In our brand asset files section you will find download options for our assets, icons, tone of voice guidelines etc. This section is reserved for agencies and partners, and so is password protected. To view it please follow the link below and enter the password when prompted.
If you have forgotten the password, or would like to request access, please contact [email protected].
Tone of voice
This content is password protected. To view it please follow the link below and enter the password when prompted.
Website / UX
At Colt, our digital presence, and therefore our brand, encapsulates a wide range of tools and systems, from our corporate website, to Colt Online, to our careers site and many more.
Because of this, it is important we maintain a consistent brand identity across all of our web assets. These guidelines aim to help you remain consistent to that identity.
Video Guidelines
The Colt video guidelines are to enable our internal and external stakeholders to express our company brand and values in a consistent way.
Style
Our videos strike the balance between business and people. We avoid stock footage where possible, incorporating Colt staff and adding animated text to highlight key messages and bring the video to life. Bright backgrounds and light colour grading mean our videos come across and warm and friendly.
How to open a video
At the start of the video our Colt logo should be placed on a plain white, black or Colt teal background as per our Colt brand book guidelines. This should then fade into an optional title screen for the video using our Colt font Gotham, where Gotham is unavailable you may use Arial.
Lower thirds
Lower thirds are used to introduce the speaker in the video. In order to keep the lower thirds in line with the overall branding, use a teal box with white text in the brand font.
The name of the speaker is stated in the first row. In the second line we suggest stating the job role of the speaker using a smaller size font, please refer to the typography guidelines.
The position of the lower thirds depends on the way the speaker is facing (right of left). On a wide shot, it should be positioned with some distance from the side and the bottom of the frame. Watch this video for an example. On a tight shot, the lower thirds should be positioned in the corner bordering with the side and the bottom of the frame. Watch this video for an example.
Logo
Our logo is our most important brand element so we are very careful with how we use it. Our logo can be positioned - ranged far left, ranged far right, and at the top or the bottom of the screen. We recommend the ranged left logo is used digitally and remains on-screen throughout video. The logo should only ever be one full colour; white, black or Colt teal. The logo should never be stretched or distorted and must retain an exclusion zone around it. We use the 'o' in our logo to help us determine the size of the exclusion zone (see brand book for more details).
Imagery
Videos should use real people talking off-camera in colour. This should be done against a real or photograph background or a plain white background. If imagery is required, as per our imagery guidelines, photography and/or icons should be used. Photography must always reflect our Colt brand book where possible; what we do, where we do it, who for/us. Headings can be placed over video as long as they are clear and easy to read in the Colt font Gotham/Arial.
Stock footage
People videos should include Colt people. Please ask to use our bank of Colt stock videos. Talking head videos should also feature stock footage relevant to who we are and where we are based - our offices and environment.
Icons
Our icons are one-dimensional representations of concepts. You can use any of the colours from the Colt brand book where appropriate and use any icons from the icon library.
Motion Graphics
All motion graphic elements should be created in line with the overall branding guidelines, using primarily brand colours and for kinetic typography the Colt brand fonts.
Text
Text should be in Gotham bold for headings and Gotham medium for body copy. If these fonts are not available then Arial can be used. Text should be black on white backgrounds or white on Colt colour backgrounds. For more guidelines please refer to typography in the brand book.
Call-out boxes
If call-out boxes are being used, they should be a single block Colt colour with no gradients, shadows or textures. For customer references a call-out box should show with 'Customer case study' in white on a Colt colour background with another call-out box directly underneath with the customer name.
Subtitles
All motion graphic elements should be created in line with the overall branding guidelines, using primarily brand colours and for kinetic typography the Colt brand fonts.
Co-branding in videos
When it comes to Co-branding in videos, the branding elements are usually kept in the same way, as they would be in a regular Colt video. The only difference is that on the opening screen both logos appear at the same time in the centre of the screen, Colt logo left, the other logo next to it on the right.
Concluding a video
We should display our Colt logo or Colt IQ Network logo (where appropriate) on a plain white, black or Colt teal background with www.colt.net underneath in our Colt font Gotham / Arial.
Merchandise
Branded merchandise should comply with the guidelines in this brand book. Here are some examples. If you need any artwork approving for a new branded item, or contact details for our supplier, please contact [email protected].
Frequently asked questions
The Colt logo can be used in teal, black and white only. It’s primarily used with in Colt teal on a white background. A black logo should be used when the Colt teal logo cannot be used, for example in black and white printing. A white logo can be used on a background in any of the Colt colours.
If the application you are using does not allow Gotham font, use Arial instead. Make sure it's Arial and not Arial Black.
You can view the colour palette here.
HEX #00D7BD. View the Pantone, CMYK and RGB formats here.
The Colt Stream graphic is a visual element that makes up a key part of our brand assets. Unique to our brand, it’s made from the Colt logo and symbolises connectivity and performance.
Have a question?
Have a question about something not mentioned in any of our brand guidelines? Send us a question via email and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
