3345_alts6/16 10/4/00 4:20 PM Page cov1

Thinking inside
inside the box. AIGA identity and branding guidelines.
3345_alts6/16 10/4/00 4:20 PM Page cov2

Why is it important to build a strong,

appropriate, consistent AIGA brand?

To gain greater recognition and respect for

the AIGA, and to ensure that the AIGA
receives credit for all its actions and activities.

To increase perception of the AIGA as the

undisputed leader in supporting and
promoting excellence in design.

To build greater public awareness of and

respect for design.

To promote the value of professional graphic

design.

To attract new members.

To retain the members we have.

To gain greater financial support for the

organization.
3345_alts6/16 10/4/00 4:20 PM Page 1
Identity and branding…why worry?
Whether we want to be or not, we are a brand.
We’re out there—and our members and others
are continually forming opinions about us.
Those opinions will be positive, negative or
ambiguous. We need to participate actively in
influencing those opinions.
We can choose to be either visible or invisible.
We can either ensure we get credit for the
things we do, or we can do good things and
risk getting no credit for them. We can work
to be either understood or chance being mis-
understood. We can become perceived as
either a good brand or a bad brand; a clear
brand or a confusing brand; a helpful brand
or an irritating brand; a responsible brand or
an irresponsible brand. It’s up to us.
Is our logo our brand?
Our logo is a thing—it identifies us on objects
and in environments. In and of itself, it doesn’t
say a whole lot about the AIGA or graphic
design. As beautiful or unique as any logo may
be, it remains essentially inanimate. Without
being placed onto or into something, it has
very little meaning.
Branding starts when the identifier is placed
into an environment.
When our logo is placed into positive environ-
ments that reflect our goals, values and
initiatives, our organization will be well-
represented and our desired messages
delivered. Placed into a poor or inappropriate
environment, the logo may only serve to
misrepresent or confuse our goals, values and
initiatives, and may reflect negatively on the
organization.
By the same token, an environment, action,
product or service may be spectacular, but
without displaying our identifier it may afford
us little or no credit for our efforts.
Our visual identity—our logo and supporting
elements—identifies us. It says who we are.
Our brand is the activation and manifestation
of our goals, initiatives, mission and values. It
demonstrates what we are, and why we are.
The purpose of our branding program is to
evoke an appropriate emotional response
from the viewer by embodying—within all our
messages and actions—the positive emotional
characteristics of the organization.
The key
The key to successfully branding the AIGA is
individual responsibility.
All those involved in creating AIGA communi-
cations, environments and initiatives—
designers, writers, the creators of products or
services, the editors, the proofreaders—
must be personally responsible for ensuring
that the positive attributes of the organization
are embodied in every effort; that the members
and audiences are being well served; that the
organization is getting credit for all its efforts.
This cannot be accomplished merely with an
identity manual or systematic branding guide-
lines. It can only be achieved with thoughtful,
intelligent, creative efforts by thoughtful, in-
telligent, creative people.
We must program, write, design and deliver
all that we do according to who we say we are.
And then we must ensure that we are credited
for all we do by clearly identifying the AIGA
and the local chapters on everything we pro-
duce, every service we offer, every initiative
we initiate, every environment we create.
1
3345_alts6/16 10/4/00 4:20 PM Page 2

Our name

We actually have two names: our official name–

American Institute of Graphic Arts—and our
“casual” name, the AIGA. There is no “The” in
front of American Institute of Graphic Arts,
and no periods within AIGA.

Chapters also have both a formal and a casual The official name

name. For instance, Salt Lake City’s official

name is “American Institute of Graphic Arts,
American Institute of Graphic Arts
Salt Lake City Chapter,” while its casual name
is “AIGA Salt Lake City.” Official names are
used primarily in signatures and address
blocks (see page 4).

Casual names are used “conversationally,” in The casual name

text or in headings. While they may be used

freely, they may never substitute for official
AIGA
names.

Casual names should always be typeset in a

single typeface and weight—never emphasizing
any portion of the name. In the past, a diag-
onal slash between “AIGA” and the chapter “Casual” chapter names

location was required, but this is no longer

the case.
AIGA New York
Examples of official names:
AIGA Salt Lake City
American Institute of Graphic Arts
St. Louis Chapter
AIGA Indianapolis
American Institute of Graphic Arts Incorrect

Boston Chapter AIGA/Nebraska

American Institute of Graphic Arts
Colorado Chapter AIGAMinnesota
Examples of casual names:
AIGA Los Angeles Pittsburgh
AIGA Richmond
AIGA Philadelphia

2
3345_alts6/16 10/4/00 4:20 PM Page 3

The AIGA logo

In honoring our past, our new logo retains the

spirit of the previous identifier designed by
Paul Rand. But because the old logo had a ten-
dency to become lost among accompanying
type and graphics, the new logo carries with it
a bold background—a box that gives it more
The positive version of the logo
presence in cluttered environments. may be placed on any color back-
ground as long as the “box” shape
The letterforms have been redrawn, respaced is defined and the “AIGA” reverses.

and fattened for greater legibility. They can-

not be replicated with any existing typeface
and must never be modified.

On page 7 of these guidelines is a palette of 24

colors selected to support AIGA communica-
tions. It is preferred that the logo be repro-
duced in one of these colors, or in black or
gray. The large logo shown here is reproduced
in “National Blue,”which is similar to
PANTONE® 5415C.

The letters “AIGA” within the box are always

reproduced as a reverse—they should never be
reproduced as a positive. An outline version
of the logo is available for use on black or very
dark backgrounds. The outline allows the logo
box to be defined while still reversing the
AIGA letters to white.

The logo should be prominently displayed on

The reverse or “outline” version of
all AIGA communications. This doesn’t mean the logo is for use on medium and
it needs to be large—just recognizable. dark-colored backgrounds.

Imaginative use of the logo is encouraged.

Rather than having the logo simply placed on
communications as an afterthought, an effort
should be made to integrate and activate the
logo within communications.

Electronic artwork for both the positive and

reverse logos is available on the web at
www.aiga.org/common/chapters/
chapter_info.htm.

3
3345_alts6/16 10/4/00 4:20 PM Page 4

Signatures Formal signature The ratio of the width of the logo

to the width of the name is 3 units
to 8 units. The name is positioned
Every communication produced by the national below the logo so that the “I” of
office or a chapter should have a signature “Institute” aligns flush left with
the logo. The distance between
somewhere on it. the bottom of the logo and the top
of the “I” in “Institute” is equal to
A signature is the combination of an official the height of the “G” in “Graphic.”

name and the logo. Casual names (such as

AIGA Oklahoma) are reserved for “conversa-
tional” use and should never be combined
with the AIGA logo (see page 2).

The national or chapter official name does not

necessarily need to be placed next to or below
the logo to constitute a signature, but the two
should be somehow visually related. The
viewer should be able to understand that the
“AIGA” of the logo means “American Institute
of Graphic Arts,” and that this particular com-
munication is from the “[Location] Chapter.”
Formal chapter signature The second line of a signature is
centered below the first. The
leading to the second line is equal
to the distance from the base of
the logo to the base of the first line
of the name.

There are two types of signatures: formal and

informal.

A formal signature is the combination of the x

logo with the official national or chapter name
set immediately below in Filosofia Italic, x
upper- and lowercase.

Formal signatures are used for all stationery

items, including letterheads, envelopes, mail-
ing labels and business cards, and can be used
on other items whenever appropriate.
Electronic files for reproduction of the formal
signature are available at www.aiga.org/
common/chapters/chapter_info.htm.
Formal signature in When a formal signature is used
an address block within an address block, all copy
with the exception of “American”
aligns flush left with the logo.
American Institute of Graphic Arts
 Baltimore Chapter
 100 East Pratt St. 4th Floor
 Baltimore, MD 21202-1009
 www.aigabalt.org 

4
3345_alts6/16 10/4/00 4:20 PM Page 5

Informal signatures are also the combination Examples of informal

signatures
of the logo and the official national or chapter
name, but may be typeset in any font appro-
priate to the communication on which they
appear.
American Institute of Graphic Arts
Informal signatures and address blocks may Jacksonville Chapter
be used on any promotional or informational
communication other than stationery and
business cards, and national office business
forms.

American Institute of Graphic Arts, Seattle Chapter

Examples of informal
signatures in address blocks American Institute
of Graphic Arts
164 Fifth Avenue
NewYork, NY 10010

american institute of graphic arts

los angeles chapter
444 n. larchmont blvd.
los angeles, ca 90004
www.aigalosangeles.org

Incorrect The chapter “casual” name should

never be combined with the logo
to form a signature.

AIGA Chicago
855 West Blackhawk Street
Chicago, Illinois 60622

5
3345_alts6/16 10/4/00 4:20 PM Page 6

Type Filosofia Regular

There are two families of type that should be

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
used for all “permanent” AIGA materials,
including stationery, business cards, forms,
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
membership cards and signage: Filosofia and
Interstate. These typefaces may also be used
01234567890
wherever else they may be appropriate, but
chapter promotional materials and publica- Filosofia Italic

tions are not limited to these fonts and should

be produced in the typefaces that are most
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
appropriate to the subject matter being
presented.
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Both of these type families are available for
01234567890
PC and Macintosh. Filosofia is available from
Emigre Fonts (www.emigre.com). Filosofia Bold

Interstate is available from Font Bureau

(www.fontbureau.com).
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
01234567890
Interstate Black

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
01234567890
Interstate Light

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
01234567890
Interstate Light Condensed

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
6
01234567890
3345_alts6/16 10/4/00 4:20 PM Page 7

Color palette

In the past, our official colors were black, gray,

red and green. No more. The new color for
national is a slate teal, and now there’s also a
24-color palette from which chapters can pick 5855 C
their own personalized color or color combi-
nation.

The colors shown on this page are similar to

142 C 4515 C
the PANTONE® color standard numbers below
each. However, the colors shown throughout
this manual have not been evaluated by Pan-
tone, Inc. for accuracy and may not match the
PANTONE® Color Standards.For accurate color 5777 C 5487 C 5497 C 716 U
standards, refer to the current edition of the
PANTONE® Color Formula Guide.*

Any combination of colors in the palette can

325 C 5483 C
be used when producing print or electronic
communications. However, the use of these
colors for materials other than stationery is
not mandatory.
459 C 479 C

5493 C 711 U 5125 C

652 C 149 C 697 C

5415 C 451 C 4715 U

465 C 646 C 696 U

279 U
*PANTONE® is a registered trademark of Pantone, Inc. 7
3345_alts6/16 10/4/00 4:20 PM Page 8
3345_alts6/16 10/4/00 4:20 PM Page 9

Logo variations

The “box” of the logo doesn’t always need to be

a solid outline black, blue, red, green or purple
square. Nor does it need to be isolated from
other type and graphics as is the case with many
other logos.

The logo can become an object, a photo, an

illustration, part of a pattern, or combined with
text or image. It can be animated and made into
art. The idea is to have fun—but be responsible.
Make sure the proportions and integrity of the
box remain accurate and that it still “reads”as
the logo.

The rules regarding the positive and reverse

logos found on page 3 still apply. The letters
“AIGA”are always reproduced as a reverse out
of any background—never as a positive.

Na conscient ti ipito hossaggl

factatum neirbo et nitsu poen
legum odio que civiud neque
pecun modut est non et imper
ned soluta no bis elignet iptio
modut congue nihi est impedit
religuard odio que odio retsam
cupiditat, quas mulla est praid
omumd antet prehenderits ni
volup tate velit esse ensoluta or

9
3345_alts6/16 10/4/00 4:21 PM Page 10

Chapter print communications

Integrate and activate the logo. Have it relate to

and perform with the other visual elements of
a print communication.

It can be very small or very large, subtle or bold,

but it should always be recognizable. The logo
can serve as an endorsement on a graphic com-
munication, or as a graphic itself.

And remember, the environments into which

the logo is placed will have greater influence on
how the viewer regards the AIGA than the logo
itself will ever have.

Be
a
nt

st
tla

Sh

of Graphic Arts A
AIGA A

ot 2

u te tla
s t it nt
In
aC
n
ca

ha
eri

p te

000
Am

The examples shown here and on

the following spread are recrea-
tions of existing communications
and are for demonstration nd
ce
purposes only. er s ur
t
co igi Ut
ut r .
m vita iam ,
t
am ni s m is
fl c ju ia or
is n de as ven lab o
u o s i d
ti t d no im at mo
po t e sa in i t m t
O gis ne dm erc co eli
a e a x a v
m a b ala d e x e i te a
r u e ta ll
ve m n str ip or n up nu
i o u l l l
en s n eliq Do ivo gg
i . n a
qu i ut uat rit oss
in s eq de t h
ns en ia
co reh fug
er p eu
se
es

10
3345_alts6/16 10/4/00 4:21 PM Page 11

COLLAGE 2000

AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF GRAPHIC ARTS

CHICAGO CHAPTER
3316 NORTH LINCOLN AVENUE
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60657

11
3345_alts6/16 10/4/00 4:21 PM Page 12

BORDER TO BORDER

12
3345_alts6/16 10/4/00 4:21 PM Page 13

A m e ri c a n I n s t i t u t e o f G r a p h i c A r t s , Wa s h i n g t o n D C C h a p t e r p re s e n t s ( r ) e v o l u t i o n o f G r a p h i c D e s i g n – H o w d o y o u k n o w w h e re y o u ' v e b e e n ?

Pa r t 1 / We d n e s d a y, S e p t e m b e r 2 3 - U S d e s i g n H i s t o r y a n d U S Pa r t 2 / Tu e s d a y N o v e m b e r 17 - 2 0 t h C e n t u r y D u t ch G r a p h i c D e s i g n

    

 
   
,  

13
3345_alts6/16 10/4/00 4:21 PM Page 14

Chapter stationery
141 pt 37 pt

12 pt
Stationery sets for two chapters (Raleigh and
Six-line business card
Washington, DC) are illustrated here and X

should provide adequate guidelines for most

chapters when preparing their own artwork.
Several chapters, including Washington, DC,
furnish cards for each of their board members. 8 pt
In these cases, personal information such as align Christy White American Institute of Graphic Arts
e-mail or personal telephone numbers should President  Raleigh Chapter
always be listed under the individual’s name  PO Box 10849
 Raleigh, NC 27605
and never be included in the chapter address
 Tel 919 472 1326
information. Information for constructing
 cwdesign@mindspring.com
stationery items can also be found at
X
www.aiga.org/common/chapters/
chapter_info.htm.
141 pt 37 pt

12 pt
Typography
Seven-line business card
Letterhead and envelopes: X

10/13 Filosofia Italic.

Sequential all-cap abbreviations such as PO,
MD, DC are set in 9 pt Filosofia Italic.
8 pt
align Pat Taylor American Institute of Graphic Arts
Business cards: Advisory Board  Washington, DC Chapter
9/11 Filosofia Italic.  7832 Briardale Terrace
Sequential all-cap abbreviations such as PO,  Rockville, MD 20855
MD, DC are set in 8 pt Filosofia Italic.  Tel 202 347 3881
7.75/11 Interstate Black name.  Fax 301 963 6015
 www@aigawashdc.org
X
Mailing labels:
9/11 Filosofia Italic.
Sequential all-cap abbreviations such as PO,
MD, DC are set in 8 pt Filosofia Italic.
Seven-line business card
X
with personal e-mail
Logo
Color:
Chapter’s choice from the AIGA palette with
“AIGA” reversing out to white. 8 pt
align Elizabeth Lichtenstein American Institute of Graphic Arts
Student Liaison  Washington, DC Chapter
Size on letterhead and envelope: kamomi@kinetikcom.com  7832 Briardale Terrace
45 points x 45 points.  Rockville, MD 20855
 Tel 202 347 3881
Size on business cards and mailing labels:  Fax 301 963 6015
37 points x 37 points.  www@aigawashdc.org
X

14
3345_alts6/16 10/4/00 4:21 PM Page 15

144 pt

45 pt

24 pt


12 pt
American Institute of Graphic Arts
 Raleigh Chapter
 PO Box 10849
  Raleigh, NC 27605
 Tel 919 544 8770
American Institute of Graphic Arts  Fax 919 828 6804
 Washington, DC Chapter  www.aiga.com/raleigh
 7832 Briardale Terrace  
align
 Rockville, MD 20855 18 pt

 Tel 202 347 3881 18 pt

 Fax 301 963 6015
 AIGAWashDC@aol.com
 www.aigawashdc.org
 
12 pt
American Institute of Graphic Arts
 Washington, DC Chapter
 7832 Briardale Terrace
14 pt 256 pt  Rockville, MD 20855
14 pt 


10 pt
American Institute of Graphic Arts
 Washington, DC Chapter
 7832 Briardale Terrace
 Rockville, MD 20855
 

align

15
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National sponsor recognition

Corporations that have formed long-term

relationships with the AIGA under specified
national sponsorship terms are authorized to
use the national AIGA logo with specific spon-
the official talent agency
sorship recognition.

This use of the AIGA logo is authorized to a

sponsor only when it is licensed, in writing,
through a national relationship.
an official corporate sponsor

the official education sponsor

Local sponsor recognition

Chapters that offer annual sponsorship oppor-

tunities may authorize annual sponsors to
promote the relationship by using the chapter
NORTHERNPRESS
annual sponsor of AIGA Seattle
name in a designation indicating the sponsor’s
support.

Chapters can apply their own descriptions to a

the local annual sponsorship category, such as gold
“gold,”“annual,”“year-round,”etc.Whichever
sponsor
description is selected, the sponsor’s name

lb
or logo plus a simple tag line such as “annual of

d
sponsor of AIGA Miami” should be used to AIGA

S l Whi 8 lb
differentiate this recognition from a national
sponsorship.
ajax paper Wichita

®
h C ASS C C S
N
d
Pi
16
Printed on Neenah CLASSIC CREST ® Solar White 80lb. cover and 100lb. text
3345_alts6/16 10/4/00 4:21 PM Page cov3
3345_alts6/16 10/4/00 4:21 PM Page cov4

American Institute of Graphic Arts 164 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010 Tel 212 807 1990 Fax 212 807 1799 www.aiga.org