Brand Guidelines
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Contents 01 Our Mission
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02 Brand Voice
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03 Logo
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04 Color
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05 Typography
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06 Icons
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07 Print Samples
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08 Digital Samples
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09 Imagery
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10 Resources
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Mission Statement
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About Our Mission
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Our Mission
01
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Our Mission Formal Mission Statement For every product purchased, United By Blue removes one pound of trash from oceans and waterways.
Quick Mission Statement 1 product purchased = 1 pound of trash removed
• We build communities through waterway cleanups, instructive events, and social movements. • We lead by example to inspire change by innovating and sharing sustainable practices for the health of the planet. • We empower the individual: if one business can make a difference, so can one person.
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About Our Mission
• We do the least amount of harm possible in everything that we do.
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Brand Voice Brand Voice
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Our Customers
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Brand Rationale
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Brand Voice United By Blue is a down-to-earth brand that speaks to customers as if we’re friends conversing face-to-face.
We are: • Constantly curious, but never pedantic; not a bunch of know-it-alls. • Helpful and eager to teach, but never patronizing. • Realistic, but still optimistic for change; we see the best in people and approach issues in a positive light. • Confident, but humble. Open to admitting the faults if it means finding or facing the truth. • People with a clever sense of humor that point out relatable truths, never funny for the sake of making a pun or a joke.
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• Experts in sustainability, but ones who speaks in everyday vernacular so that anybody can follow.
Brand Stories • Waterway Cleanups • Solutions to Reduce Waste • Honest product development: manufacturing and materials • Community • Business as a Force for Good Page 7
Our Customers The Conscious Millennial: 70%
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• Age 25-35 • Lives in or close to an urban center • High income level • Highly educated • Inspired by and appreciates the outdoors, but not a very frequent camper. Will go on the occasional hike if they set aside the time, but most of their outdoor activities might include jogging, gardening, casual biking, walking their dog, yoga, hanging in the park--whatever gets them outside and is fun. • Interested in: travel, food, politics, trends. • Event or influencer driven. • Generally more sophisticated in style and culture, educated in conservation. • Conscious of inclusivity, wants to leave a good impact on the world. • Wants to preserve the planet because of global issues like pollution and climate change. • Shops at a range of contemporary and sustainable brands, legislature, and outdoor because of their varied lifestyle. • Purchasing priorities: Style
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Versatility
Fit
Function
Our Customers The Nature Lover: 30% • Age 30-45 • Mid income level • Loves nature in most any capacity: yardwork, running, bbqing, hiking, camping, fishing, climbing, road trips • Community-centric: uses parks, ponds, streams, backyards, or whatever their community has available for outdoor time • Shops traditional outdoor retailers (REI, EMS) and contemporary clothing brands. • Wants to preserve the outdoors because they want to see those places respected. • Purchasing priorities: Function
Versatility
Fit
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• Lives in the suburbs or somewhere slightly more remote
Style
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Brand Rationale United By We are United By Blue, a community linked by the oceans that surround us and a shared objective to protect them. We exist to provide a sustainable, functional alternative to fast fashion and to do serious conservation work along with it; in doing so we create a network of impact-driven individuals who can turn the tide on ocean pollution. We cultivate this community by honing in on shared values...
United By Community We believe in the outdoors for all and serve as a resource to get people outside, wherever they are. By building communities through waterway cleanups and local events, we promote conservation and exploration of our greater surroundings.
We exist not solely to profit but to benefit the communities in which we live, so we put people and planet first: we’re always raising our sustainability standards and facilitating easy ways for our customers to generate less waste.
United By Honesty We give our customers full transparency into our supply chains and business practices, and in turn they are confident with the impact of their purchases.
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United By Responsibility
United By Progress We continue to make advancements that ensure our output of good grows along with the company. That means finding new ways to use old materials, building new supply chains, and refusing to compromise when it comes to sustainable production.
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Logo Logo & usage
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Black & grayscale
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Logo clearspace
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Minimum sizes
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Incorrect uses
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Logo & Usage
W AV E S STA M P To be used as a design accent in layouts, and ONLY when “United By Blue” wordmark is also present.
STA CKE D LOGO
W O RDM A R K
To be used ONLY when horizontal logo is
To be used as a design accent in layouts, and
unable to fit within provided layout or crop
ONLY when the waves logo is also present.
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PR I MA R Y LOGO
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Black & Grayscale Sometimes, often due to production costs, only one color of ink is available and the logo must be reproduced using only one color. In this scenario, the logo must be used following the convention of using a light color type on a dark background or in a dark color type on
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a light background. The logotype and the symbol must be clearly distinguishable from the background color. You must honor the United By Blue palette when possible, using black or white if necessary.
Use 100% black color for the type.
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Use 100% white color for the type.
Logo Clearspace
from the other elements around it. The space required on all sides is roughly equivalent to the width of the waves circle. It never should be less than that. The logo must always fit into the clearspace area and can not
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The United By Blue logo requires separation
be intervened by other graphic elements which could hinder legibility of the brand.
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Minimum Sizes Our logo is the embodiment of our brand and must, at all times, be perfectly legible and without distraction. To ensure this, the logo should never be smaller than the minimum sizes shown below. Even at its minimum, the logo must be surrounded by the appropriate amount of clear
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space on all sides. Only use these smallest sizes when absolutely necessary
PRIMARY LOGO
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STA C K E D LO G O
W A V E S STA M P
Print: 1.5in width
Print: 0.5in width
Print: 0.4in width
Digital: 115px @72d
Digital: 115px @72d
Digital: 115px @72d
Incorrect Usage We’ve taken special care in creating the specific personality of the United By Blue logo and in selecting every rule laid out herein. The following are a few examples of practices that would violate our logo and identity system. Please use your best judgment so as not to violate any of the specific rules set forth here. If in doubt, check!
No other elements in the expanded logo
and/or applied
should be altered or adjusted.
Don‘t use non-approved color schemes
Don‘t scale, tilt or or destort the shape of
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Off-brand effects should not be used
the logo.
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Color Brand colors
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Additional colors
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Use of colors
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Brand Colors
SECONDARY BLUE
BACKGROUND SAND
Pantone: 7463 Solid Coated
Pantone: 7474 Solid Coated
Pantone: P 3-9 C
CMYK
100 / 63 / 12 / 67
CMYK
96 / 9 / 32 / 29
CMYK
8 / 7 / 14 / 0
RGB
6 / 34 / 51
RGB
0 / 123 / 140
RGB
239 / 234 / 223
Hex
#007B8C
Hex
#EFEADF
Hex #092532
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PRIMARY BLUE
USING THESE COLORS These 3 colors are the main colors for United By Blue. The primary blue is the most used color. It should be used for the logo, text, and for dark backgrounds. The logo should only appear in primary blue or white. The secondary blue should be used as a smaller accent color. This blue works great for buttons and CTAs. The Background Sand provides a warm tone, that softens the main brand blues. It can be used as a background color or an accent color. The usage of these brand colors can deviate for special campaigns (for example, Holiday) as long as most of the main colors are present. Page 19
Additional Colors These colors are secondary to the main M A R C H 2021 | U N I T E D B Y B L U E . C O M
United By Blue colors. The Accent Blue works great
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for small accents in print pieces. The Background Light Blue provides a lighter background option that works great for social media. The Text Grey works for large areas of text or for accent elements like lines and dividers.
Accent Blue
Background Light Blue
Text Grey
CMYK 86 / 0 / 32 / 0
CMYK 35 / 12 / 21 / 0
CMYK 48 / 29 / 26 / 76
RGB 0 / 174 / 179
RGB 178 / 201 / 201
RGB 79 / 87 / 92
CMYK used primarily to produce print applications with images. Example - brochure, flyer, poster etc.
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Color Usage RGB/HEX used for all screen based applications. Example - websites, apps
PANTONE used for print with only a few colors and no images. Example - business card, envelope etc. The palette allows the addition of secondary colors to enrich the visual identity as a whole. Lighter tints (up to 20%) of these colors are also allowed.
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Typography Headlines 17 Alternate headlines
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Subheads 19 Body copy
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Numbers 21
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The hierarchy
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Web safe fonts
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Headlines FONT USAGE
Abril Titling
Abril Titling is our most versatile typeface. It is
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
mainly used for headlines. This serif is complementary to our body sans serif. When the situation calls for it, it can be used for subhead copy. For usage in a headline, use Abril Titling Regular or Abril Titling Regular Italic.
1234567890!”§$%&/()=?+*#
Abril Titling can be used in sentence case, lowercase, and all caps. For headlines, we primarily use sentence case and lowercase. This
FONT ST YLES
typeface works well with long sentences. For headlines and subheads, it looks best tracked out at 25pt-50pts. Sample in use:
Regular / Italic / SemiBold / SemiBold Italic Bold / Bold Italic / Extrabold / ExtraBold Italic
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Titling Bold. For usage in subheads, use Abril
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
AaBb Page 23
Alternate Headlines FONT USAGE
KNOCKOUT JUNIOR FEATHERWEIGHT
Knockout Junior Featherweight is an
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
alternative headline typeface. We should only use Knockout for sale content/annoucements
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that need a large punchy title.
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Knockout Junior Featherweight is only used in one style, regular. It also should only be used in
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890!”§$%&/()=?+*#
ALL CAPS. It looks best when tracked out to 50-75pts. Do not use for long sentences. If the sentence is long, use our other headline typeface, Abril Titling Bold.
F O N T ST Y L E S
Sample in use:
Regular
AABB
Body Copy & CTAS FONT USAGE
PRAGMATICA
Pragmatica is used for body copy. It can be
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
used in all styles, but mainly it is used in Book and Bold. For body copy, it looks best when tracked out to 25 pt.
1234567890!”§$%&/()=?+*#
titles. For CTAs and buttons, it should be used in ALL CAPS and bold, tracked out to 150-200pts. CTAs can be underlined or in button format.
F O N T ST Y L E S
Extra Light / Extra Light Oblique / Light / Organic Cotton
Sample in use:
Recycled Polyester
Make A Statement Graphic tees made responsibly with organic and recycled materials. Now that speaks volumes. Stargazer Organic Cotton Bandana in Moonlit Ocean $10 Cultivate Community Short-Sleeve Graphic Tee in Bone White $25 Organic Chambray Pull-On Short in Chambray Indigo $35
Light Oblique / Book / Book Oblique Bold / Bold Oblique / Black / Black Oblique
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Pragmatica is also used for CTAs, buttons, and
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
AaBb Page 25
Hierarchy
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Abril Titling / Headlines
The quick brown fox
These fonts should be used in all United By Blue communications to project a consistent visual identity. This includes
Knockout Junior Featherweight / Alternative Headlines
THE QUICK BROWN FOX
Abril Titling / Subheads
The quick brown fox Pragmatica / Body Copy & CTAs
The quick brown fox
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THE RULES
promotional materials, advertising, digital assets, and printed materials. Do not use any fonts or styles except the ones outlined in this guide. In the case a United By Blue font is unavailable on web, for example, on a text based email, please use the fonts Arial and Georgia.
Web Safe Fonts FONT USAGE
Arial
In the case that our brand fonts are unavailable
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
example, a text based email, google slides, some shopify apps, please use only approved web safe fonts. These fonts should only be
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890!”§$%&/()=?+*#
used as a last resort. If possible, always use our brand fonts. The approved fonts are Arial and Georgia. Arial should be used for body copy. Georgia should be used for headlines.
Georgia ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
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on some web based applications, for
1234567890!”§$%&/()=?+*#
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Icons Icons can be utilized to quickly relay important information about our materials and manufacturing.
Icon Marks
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Icons in Use
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SoftHemp TM
EcoKnit TMTM SoftHemp
BisonShield EcoKnit TMTM
AllDay TM BisonShield Chambray TM
EcoDry AllDayTM Chambray TM
(R)evolution EcoDry TM TM
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TECHNOLOGY MARKS T E C H N O LO G Y M A R K S .
recycled cotton
recycled hemp
recycled polyester
T E C H N O LO G Y M A R K S .
organic cotton
corozo buttons
GOTS certified
tencel
stainless steel
hemp
yak
merino wool
shetland wool
M AT E R I A L M A R K S MATERIAL MARKS.
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Icons in Use
Natural Chambray Long-Sleeve
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Button Down in Moonlit Ocean $45 EcoKnit™ Striped Tee in Moonlit Ocean $30 Organic Pull-On Short in Moonlit Ocean $35
Organic Cotton
Recycled Polyester
Make A Statement Graphic tees made responsibly with organic and recycled materials. Now that speaks volumes. Organic Cotton
Hemp
Stargazer Organic Cotton Bandana in Moonlit Ocean $10
The Most Versatile Shirt in Your Closet
Cultivate Community Short-Sleeve Graphic Tee in Bone White $25 Organic Chambray Pull-On Short in Chambray Indigo $35
A classic button down that can be worn on its own, over a tee, or under a jacket. Made of breathable and comfortable hemp and organic cotton to take you from season to season.
4
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Shop the collection at target.com
1 product purchased = 1 pound of trash removed
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Icons in Use Redesigning (R)evolution™
Natural High-Neck Tank in Egret $20
We took our signature (R)evolution™ technology and paired it with
Board Short in Sienna $40
(R)evolutionTM
Mini (R)evolution™ Convertible Carryall in Sienna $60
streamlined designs to create the slightly smaller, more affordable versions of the best-selling bags you know and love.
Breezy tanks, fast-drying board shorts, and bags with room for sunscreen, snacks, sunglasses and then some. Just what the warmer months called for.
Mini (R)evolution™ Convertible Carryall in Sienna $60
(R)evolution™ Commuter Backpack in Spicy Mustard $70
24oz Insulated Steel Straw Tumbler in Sienna $28
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Your Daily Dose of Vitamin D
32oz Insulated Steel Bottle in Curry $35
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Shop the collection at target.com
1 product purchased = 1 pound of trash removed
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Print Samples Business cards
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Catalogs 26 Packaging 27 Store Signage
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Change Comes in Waves unitedbybl ue. c o m
The business card will be used for all official contact and communication of our company. These are the approved layouts. Always use double sided cards. Print on natural or recycled papers when possible. Cards should always be printed on a matte card stock.
BRIAN LINTON CEO/Co-Founder
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Business Cards
508.292.9427 brian@unitedbyblue.com 444 N.3rd St, Fl 6 | Philadelphia, PA 19123
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Catalogs
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Below is a sample of our catalog. To view the branding in action, check out our previous catalogs on issuu. They can be found here: https://issuu.com/bluemovement
Packaging
United By Blue’s packaging, both our direct to consumer mailers and our product packaging, utilizes a wave element to tie back to our mission. Our packaging should have a natural kraft paper feel, and use recycled/natural materials.
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Store Signage Store signage can vary from product signage utilizing lifestyle images, or fully text based/illustrated signage. Signage will vary depending on the campaign. Signage should be printed on a matte card stock.
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Digital Samples Website 31 Social Media
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Website Our website has been designed using a responsive grid system. It mirrors our print marketing in its use of colors and typography. For our website, we should use the hex colors outlined within the color section of this document. To make large changes to our website, we consult the M A R C H 2021 | U N I T E D B Y B L U E . C O M
team at Verbal + Visual.
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Social Media United By Blue has an active social media presence. We are most active on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Our Instagram posts should reflect our brand voice, and the photographs should feel natural. We utilize a combination of lifestyle imagery and UGC. We are transparent with our customers on social media. Our customers come to us for lifestyle inspiration and education on topics related to sustainability.
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Imagery Lifestyle 36 Still Life
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Cleanups 38
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E-Commerce in Studio
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Background Texture
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Print vs. Digital
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Lifestyle Photos should feel casual and confident, inviting. Select backgrounds that allow the clothing to stand out, or lend themselves to varied poses. Prioritize a clean, complementary color palette and a structural, geometric composition to the final image. Natural movement and a variety of natural facial expressions are highly encouraged. Each outfit should always be photographed from a front, side, back, and detail view.
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while staying relatable, warm, and
Representation of all ethnicities should be foundational to model selection; for each shoot, a minimum of 2/3 of models depicted should be BIPOC. If only two models are needed for a shoot, this number should be 50% or 100%.
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Still Life Still life imagery can be captured artificial or natural light. Utilize hard lighting with a soft fill to create a sculptural, geometric result and enhance textures. Background color selection should mimic brand or campaign colors. Use props like food, furniture, plants, etc. to give life to a scene or tell a story. Family shots which show multiple variants of one SKU should prioritize a color and texture story, and can employ
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in-studio or on-location, using either
a range of compositions. Use a human element when possible to also lend life to a shot (ex: hand reaching into a reusables scene)
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Cleanups Overall, cleanup documentation should have a strong feeling of community and impact. UBB Waterway Cleanup images are most impactful when they depict the following categories:
Volunteers and crew members working together to hand off trash and remove debris. IMPACT Large pieces of debris that carry a powerful “wow” factor SINGLE USE PLASTICS
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COMMUNITY
Water bottles, plastic bags, and straws floating in water (“floatables”) INDIVIDUAL Whenever possible, cleanup photos should feel personal. We should see peoples’ faces and expressions. Don’t be afraid to ask a volunteer or crew member to pose with their trash haul.
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E-commerce in Studio All e-commerce imagery shot in-studio should be shot on a Savage Soft Grey be naturally replaced in post while maintaining shadows to HEX#e8e8e8. Final crop should be a 4x5 ratio, 3200x4000px, final size below 600kb. Model poses should be relaxed and natural with a similar feeling to onlocation lifestyle photography. All products should be shot from every possible angle (front, side, back), plus packed interior and exterior shots for
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Seamless #90. Background must
bags to show pocket utility. Each apparel item should have one front flat shot in addition to on-model imagery. Both onmodel and still life e-commerce imagery should utilize hard lighting with a soft fill. Resulting images should be cleanly lit with accurate color while maintaining dynamic dimensionality.
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Use ocean images. The trick to using textures is that they have to be subtle and actually fall into the background, so that the foreground elements are easy to read and understand. It is one of the best ways to add depth to your design. Textures can be used in a way to highlight certain elements in your
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Background Textures
design. Utilize colors that complement the brand colors.
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Print vs. Digital There are different rules to follow when preparing images for print and digital platforms. Please follow these guidelines.
• Images should be in the CMYK colorspace. • File size should be no smaller than 300dpi. • Make sure images are properly resized, be mindful of “stretching” the image. • Export at a high resolution.
Digital
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• Images should be in the RGB colorspace. • File size should be 72dpi • Make sure images are properly resized, be mindful of “stretching” the image. • Export at a medium-low resolution (Can use “export for web” within Photoshop). • Max resolution for web upload is 600kb for imagery, or 1mb for GIF if absolutely necessary.
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Resources
Resource Links 53
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Resource Links Logo https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vqzc-h9CC51ValRLT0kR7btctX1opai5?usp=sharing
Fonts https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1gXWhzd3gL6pjNQKQ6nMELVxAaxBLlf5V?usp=sharing
Lifestyle Images
Product Images https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1p156w-iYJx_5sLRK3BWWVOWbSKAJN5u_?usp=sharing
Cleanup Images https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1JYRLHOn3C-X6_Zvw_FzUz2tammOJucUh?usp=sharing
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https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14S8DMUZs9yr0QKIm4i0EHBWpd0toKmlZ?usp=sharing
Ocean Textures https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16Os6HGGAyT5IbpJBDumm70w5azmTXOjJ?usp=sharing
Catalog Design Samples https://issuu.com/bluemovement
Our Website https://unitedbyblue.com/ Page 55
J U LY 2020 | U N I T E D B Y B L U E . C O M
U N I T E D BY B LU E 444 N. 3rd Street, Floor 6. Philadelphia, PA 19123 Phone 866.931.1143 E-Mail
blue@unitedbyblue.com