SKAO Brand Book

Brand Book March 2022 – v1.2

Introd /2

Introduction

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Introduction

Our Brand defines us and makes us unique.

The SKA Observatory Brand Book is one of the foundational documents of the SKAO, providing a high-level view of the Observatory’s mission, values, and associated identity. It conveys the SKAO’s brand vision and its underlying principles in a public-friendly format, describing who we are, what we aim to achieve and how, what we stand for and what makes us unique.

The SKAO Brand Book also aims to ensure the correct application of the brand and provides guidance for implementing the brand in the most consistent and compelling way, featuring the SKAO’s visual identity ‘system’, such as official colours, official typography, elements of iconography, brand architecture, etc. and provides a few examples. The visual identity is by design flexible and expandable, and will further evolve over time.

What is in a brand?

The brand permeates all aspects of our work, not just to the public, but to all our stakeholders.

Every SKAO employee is a custodian of the brand in their relationship with their peers, partners, and more generally anyone they interact with. It encompasses all of our visual material such as websites, banners, brochures, clothes, signage, etc.; our multimedia material such as videos, animations, artist impressions and photographs, but also our tone of voice in our communications and how we conduct ourselves.

“Every SKAO employee is a custodian of the brand in their relationship with their peers, partners...”

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Contents Our identity

05

Our brand guidelines

42

Who we are

06

Logo use policy principles

43

What we are delivering

08

Logo tree

44

Our vision

10

SKAO Logo metrics

46

Our mission

12

SKAO Logo dos and don’ts

47

Our boiler plate texts

14

SKAO Logo use on backgrounds

48

Our values

17

SKAO Secondary Logo (monotone)

49

Our design approach

18

SKAO Logo Pictorial (monotone)

50

Primary logo

20

Use of flags

51

Pictorial Mark

22

Fonts (brand typefaces)

52

Brand colour rationale

23

Brand primary colours

54

Typography

24

Brand accent colours – Science colour palette

55

Brand accent colours – Technology colour palette

56

Brand architecture

26

Brand accent colours – Sites colour palette

57

SKAO Facilities

28

Gradient colour

58

SKA Regional Centres

29

Special collaborations

30

Co-branding and external partners

31

Teams

32

Brand applications

33

ident /5

Our identity

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Who we are

One global observatory, two telescopes, three continents.

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Who we are The SKA Observatory will be one global observatory, operating two telescopes, across three continents, on behalf of our Member States and partners. The Observatory has a global footprint and will consist of the SKAO Global Headquarters in the UK, the SKAO’s two telescopes at radio-quiet sites in South Africa and Australia, and associated facilities to support the operations of the telescopes.

Constructing and operating these telescopes will position the SKAO as the leading research infrastructure for radio astronomy globally, providing science capabilities to the international astronomical community for decades to come.

Established as an intergovernmental organisation, the SKAO is the result of the committed collaboration of its participating Member States and institutions. Only through this combined capacity in resources, knowledge, and experience (industrial, technical, scientific and at policy level) will the SKA project be realised.

Style guide notes Pronunciation and spelling In English, SKAO should always be pronounced S.K.A.O - pronouncing every letter - and not “skao” as a single word. Note that it is natural to pronounce SKAO as “skao” in other languages such as French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish, among others.

Translations Official translations of the name “SKA Observatory” will be agreed with partners and provided in our upcoming style guide to ensure consistency in in-country communication.

The SKAO vs SKAO In English, an acronym that cannot be pronounced as a word is called an initialism.

Traditionally, it uses ‘the’ in front. (eg. the FBI, the UN, the USA, but Esa, Nasa, Cern, etc.)

When writing, write the SKAO. When speaking, it is acceptable to refer to either the SKAO or SKAO.

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What we are delivering

Radio

Microwave

infrared

Visible

Ultraviolet

The SKAO will construct two world-class complementary arrays of antennas operating in the radio part of the electromagnetic spectrum.

X-Ray

Gamma Ray

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What we are delivering Both arrays of antennas currently have technical names that reflect the frequencies they’re operating at. Discussions are underway with each host country to eventually name them more formally.

SKA-Low (SKA-LOW in technical documents) The SKA-Low telescope is an array of 131,072 2m-tall antennas -called log-periodic antennas- grouped in 512 stations, with up to 65km maximum separation between the most distant stations, will be built in Western Australia, covering low radio frequencies between 50 MHz and 350 MHz. SKA-Mid (SKA-MID in technical documents) The SKA-Mid telescope is an array of 197 dishes, each 15m in diameter, with a 150km maximum separation between the most distant dishes, will be built in South Africa, covering mid radio frequencies between 350 MHz and 15.4 GHz (with a goal of 24 GHz).

The sheer number of antennas means the SKAO’s telescopes require significant data processing both on and off-site to manage the extremely large volume of information they will collect. This deluge of data will be distributed to the user community via a global network of data centres called SKA Regional Centres (SRCs) located in Member States. The SRCs will act as windows to the Observatory for the scientists to collect and analyse their data, enabling the world-leading science it promises.

Square Kilometre Array We are gradually retiring the use of the full name Square Kilometre Array.

A legacy from the initial collecting area believed to be needed to achieve the telescope’s original ambition, it no longer reflects the breadth of scientific goals and the scale of today’s SKA project.

Its use should be avoided wherever possible and restricted to boilerplate statements and official or legal documents. Prefer the use of “the SKA telescopes”, “the SKA project”, “the SKA Observatory”, etc.

The SKAO vs SKA “SKA” should never be used on its own and should always be qualified with a noun, e.g. by saying “The SKA project”, “the SKA telescopes”, “SKA software” etc. SKAO is used to refer to the organisation overseeing the construction and operation of its telescopes. For example: I work on the SKA project, I work for the SKAO.

The SKAO’s telescopes vs SKA telescopes The SKAO will operate two radio telescopes. We sometimes refer to “the SKAO’s telescopes”, when wanting to clearly reference the Observatory but using “the SKA telescopes” is also appropriate.

Note that SKA infrastructure should always be plural, i.e. “the SKA telescopes” and not “the SKA telescope” SKA1 and SKA2 The use of SKA1 and SKA2 is being retired in public communications.

The SKAO is overseeing the delivery of the SKA project, consisting of the current baseline design for the SKA telescopes, to which there may be a future expansion. That expansion should not be quantified, as its exact scope is yet to be defined.

vision /10

Our vision

“The SKAO is one global observatory, with two telescopes, on three continents; a 21st century inter-governmental organisation with sustainability and respect to all our communities at its heart, driven by a commitment to fundamental science and technology.”

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Our vision in detail The SKA Observatory is a next-generation radio astronomy-driven Big Data facility that will revolutionise our understanding of the Universe and the laws of fundamental physics. Enabled by cuttingedge technology, it promises to have a major impact on society, in science and beyond.

As the world’s largest science facility, with a truly global membership, we take our responsibilities seriously: to help to educate the next generation and strengthen STEM; to ensure that innovations developed for the SKA project deliver impact and benefit society; to minimise our impact on the environment and contribute to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals; and to work so that the history and culture of Indigenous communities at the telescope sites are acknowledged, understood and protected.

Underpinning it all are our values. The SKAO is a place where everyone is treated with fairness and respect, where Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is embedded within the DNA of the Observatory and its staff, where new ideas are allowed to thrive, and collaborations with global partners, local stakeholders, and other scientific facilities are embraced.

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Our mission

Our mission is at the core of what we are here to deliver as an organisation.

It outlines our deliverables, while setting a bold ambition for our impact in the world.

“The SKAO’s mission is to build and operate cutting-edge radio telescopes to transform our understanding of the Universe, and deliver benefits to society through global collaboration and innovation.”

The SKA Observatory Convention defines the purpose of the SKAO as to facilitate and promote a global collaboration in radio astronomy with a view to the delivery of transformational science.

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Our mission in less than 140 characters When space or time is limited, our short mission statement can come in handy. Short and punchy, it is designed to be used on social media platforms, or if you find yourself in an elevator with Elon Musk.

As SKAO

“We build and operate cutting-edge radio telescopes to transform our understanding of the Universe and deliver benefits to society.”

As funders “[Country/Institution] is funding the SKAO to build and operate cutting-edge radio telescopes to transform humanity’s understanding of the Universe and deliver benefits to society.”

As partners “[Organisation/Institution/Company] is helping the SKAO build and operate cutting-edge radio telescopes to transform humanity’s understanding of the Universe and deliver benefits to society.”

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Our boiler plate texts The SKAO “The SKAO, formally known as the SKA Observatory, is an intergovernmental organisation composed of Member States from five continents and headquartered in the UK. Its mission is to build and operate cutting-edge radio telescopes to transform our understanding of the Universe, and deliver benefits to society through global collaboration and innovation.

Its two telescopes, each composed of hundreds of dishes and thousands of antennas, will be constructed in South Africa and Australia and be the two most advanced radio telescopes on Earth. A later expansion is envisioned in both countries and other African partner countries.

Together with other state-of-the-art research facilities, the SKAO’s telescopes will explore the unknown frontiers of science and deepen our understanding of key processes, including the formation and evolution of galaxies, fundamental physics in extreme environments and the origins of life. Through the development of innovative technologies and its contribution to addressing societal challenges, the SKAO will play its part to address the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and deliver significant benefits across its membership and beyond.

The SKAO recognises and acknowledges the Indigenous peoples and cultures that have traditionally lived on the lands on which the SKAO facilities are located.”

To be used in formal settings, for example at the bottom of press releases, the SKAO boiler plate is meant to provide all the essential information to someone who is not familiar with the SKAO. It cannot be altered or modified without prior approval from the SKAO Communications team.

Where space is limited, the first paragraph of the SKAO boiler plate can be used on its own.

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Our boiler plate texts The SKA project “The SKA project is a global science and engineering effort overseen by the SKA Observatory (SKAO) to build two of the world’s largest radio telescopes in Australia and South Africa. 131,072 antennas will compose SKA-Low, the SKAO’s low frequency telescope in Australia, while 197 dishes will compose SKA-Mid, the SKAO’s mid frequency telescope in South Africa.

The SKA telescopes will conduct transformational science and help to address fundamental gaps in our understanding of the Universe including the formation and evolution of galaxies, fundamental physics in extreme environments and the origins of life in the Universe.”

To be used in formal settings, for example in publications and scientific papers, the SKA project boiler plate is meant to provide essential information to someone who is not familiar with the project or telescopes. It should not be altered or modified.

Where space is limited, the first paragraph of the SKA project boilet plate can be used on its own.

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Acknowledging the SKAO SKA-related work, including technical descriptions and analyses of SKA hardware and software Authors are asked to use the following statements when acknowledging the SKAO in documents and publications.

This work is based on activities conducted as part of the international SKA project, under project/contract <PROJID> funded by <funder>. The authors acknowledge the resources provided by the SKA Observatory (SKAO) in producing this work.

Furthermore, authors are encouraged to use our boilerplates in part or in whole when first referring to the SKA project and the SKAO. Informing the SKAO Where work is conducted as part of a contract between the SKAO and the parties, specific contractual obligations apply, and authors are required to liaise with the SKAO Communications team and with their local representative on the SKA Communications network prior to releasing any published paper, article, official blogpost, official social media post, video or similar, related to their involvement and activities in the SKA project.

Results using SKA science data The SKAO’s Access Rules & Regulations stipulate that authors should acknowledge the SKAO in their publications making use of SKA science data using the following text.

The science data products that led to this work are based on observations taken by the SKA Observatory on behalf of project <PROJID>. The authors acknowledge the resources provided by the SKA Observatory (SKAO) and the SKA Regional Centre (SRC) Network in producing this research. The authors, the SKAO and SRC Network recognise and acknowledge the Indigenous peoples and cultures that have traditionally lived on the lands on which the SKAO and SRC Network facilities are located.

Furthermore, authors are encouraged to use our boilerplates in part or in whole when first referring to the SKA project and the SKAO. Informing the SKAO “This work is part of a project that has received support/funding from the SKA Observatory (SKAO) under the <name of grant> grant agreement No XX. “This project has received support/funding from the SKA Observatory (SKAO) under the [name of grant] grant agreement No XX”

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Our values Our values are at the heart of who we are and what we stand for. They define our standard of conduct. Every SKAO employee is expected to embody these values in their professional relationships. They were defined through extensive consultation with both internal and external stakeholders.

Diversity & Inclusion

Creativity & Innovation

Excellence

Collaboration

Sustainability

We aim to create a welcoming and inclusive environment where everyone feels they belong, there is fairness and respect for everyone as an individual, and diverse perspectives and ideas thrive.

We will foster a culture of creativity and innovation where we take time to seek innovative, better solutions and problem-solving, focusing on delivering value to our user’s community.

We value professional excellence in the delivery of world class transformational science. This is founded on ways of working where leadership, integrity, personal responsibility and safety are at the heart of everything we do.

We are aligned around common goals and actively create and promote collaborative working across cultural and geographical, functional and specialist boundaries. In doing this we will communicate appropriately and in an open manner, delivering on commitments and building long term supportive, trusting and professional relationships.

We take a long-term view and ensure sustainability is integrated into everything we do, taking into account social, financial, ecological and environmental responsibilities, both globally and locally. In doing this we demonstrate care towards the people, places and resources on which we rely and seek to build longterm sustainable relationships.

Desiring to deliver one of the most visionary and ambitious science projects of the 21st century involving significant international cooperation.

Recognising that the scale and ambition of the Square Kilometre Array demand a global effort with long-term investment.

In the SKAO Convention Commited to an organisation where diversity and equality are promoted and respected.

Embracing the potential for scientific discovery to contribute to advances in technology and innovation and to deliver a broader benefit for industry and society.

Commited to testing the limits of engineering and scientific endeavour and to exploring fundamental questions in astronomy and physics.

Noting that the Square Kilometre Array will be a next generation radio telescope facility that has a discovery potential far greater than any previous instrument.

Dedicated to realising the full ambition of the Square Kilometre Array Project.

Desig /18

Design approach

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Our design approach The “wow” factor First and foremost, we want to convey that “wow” factor, and instil in people a sense of wonder and infinite possibility that reflects the SKA project’s scope and ambition to explore the Universe. Our brand should always be simple, clear and modern and above all, inspiring, reflecting an ambitious 21st century global science project. Science, Technology and the Sites are at its heart, and should appear throughout the brand. It should also be future proof and able to grow over time as we embark on new ambitious projects and initiatives.

Inspiring. Innovative. Modern. Futuristic... Compelling.

Sustainability by design Our visual identity has been developed with environmental sustainability in mind.

We believe good design should not only be attractive and effective, but it should also be responsible. The graphic design of our visual identity considers both printing and digital forms to reduce and minimise carbon.

For materials that are more likely to be printed, we have adopted a ‘light ink’ strategy where the designed items should use less ink, meaning less pigment use for commercial printing and less energy and ink cartridge use for consumer / desktop printing. Wherever possible, our printing is already FSC compliant, and/or recycled.

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Primary Logo The carefully crafted SKAO logo is at the heart of our brand identity. The combination of a lettermark and pictorial mark distils the essence of our organisation and its values while creating a unique symbol.

It was important for our logo to have a clear link to astronomy and radio astronomy and to reflect our global nature but also our connection to the sites from which we will operate, while being simple, modern and inspiring.

The SKAO’s logo is protected under article 6ter of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, a dedicated protection system for Inter-Governmental Organisations.

This means that the 177 States party to the Paris Convention and the Members of the World Trade Organization not party to that convention should take appropriate measures to refuse or invalidate the registration or prohibit the use, as trademarks, of the SKAO’s logo, full name and acronym, or signs that would be confusingly similar to them, if this could mislead the public as to the existence of a connection between the user/applicant and the SKAO.

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Primary Logo (rationale) The SKAO logo is a conceptual design that contains a number of visual elements that are symbolically connected to our vision, mission, values and purpose.

The dots Representing early galaxies in an expanding Universe, but also particles or material ejected from an exploding star. Linked together, they represent our global network of regional centres where SKA data will be accessible to the science community, but also the open star cluster of the Pleiades - known by civilizations world-wide for thousands of years - as seen from our telescope sites in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Pleiades have traditionally been known as the Seven Sisters by Aboriginal Australians and the Rain Stars by the Khoekhoen of southwestern Africa, symbolising at the same time our global membership and our connection to the land and heritage of the sites from which we will operate.

The hidden star Hidden in plain sight at the centre of our logo, symbolising how radio astronomy studies the invisible Universe.

The explosion Representing the Big Bang and our original ambition to look back to the Cosmic Dawn when the first stars and galaxies formed; but also, as an exploding star, the particular focus of radio astronomy on the study of extreme events and the transients they form such as pulsars.

The gradient The blue-red gradient, representing the concept of blueshift and redshift and the accelerated expansion of the Universe that the SKAO will study by mapping the position of billions of galaxies and their evolution throughout time.

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Pictorial Mark Contained in roundel, our pictorial mark features all key elements of the logo, including the gradient, exploding star and Pleiades.

Over time, the pictorial mark on its own will become instantly recognisable and synonymous of the SKAO. It is to be used sparingly and has been primarily designed for digital use. However, its use can also be broadened out to enhance a layout design.

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Brand colour rationale Our visual identity features a number of carefully selected colours and tones. We have chosen colours based on concepts that are important to the SKAO and using colour theory we have then curated these into complimentary colour swatch themes..

Brand Primary Colours Two main colours make up our primary colour swatch. These should be used as a priority over all other colours and make up the majority of use in all communications.

Blueshift Navy and Redshift Magenta are the colour tones used in our logo. These two colours symbolise the accelerated expansion of the Universe that the SKAO will study by mapping the position of billions of galaxies.

Brand Accent Colours These are a diverse set of colour swatches based on themes and sampled from photography that is relevant to the SKAO. Colour theory has then been applied to ensure these colours complement each other.

Science (vibrant colours) Colours representative of 21st century radio astronomy, modern imaging and cosmic structures revealed by SKA pathfinder and precursor telescopes and multi-wavelength images, symbolising our synergies with other observatories.

Technology (metallic colours) Colours representative of the cutting-edge technologies at the heart of SKAO hardware, such as the metals used in antennas, processing boards, and optical fibre.

Sites (earthy colours) Colours representative of the sites from which SKAO will operate, their ancient geology, as well as the human endeavour and the Indigenous culture and heritage synonymous with them.

Noto /24

Typography

To reflect its global nature and ambition, the SKAO has chosen Noto as its main font.

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Typography

Noto Sans – Light

Noto font family

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789 ?!&@“”%*#£( ). ,©

When text is rendered by a computer, sometimes characters are displayed as “tofu”, little rectangular boxes to indicate your device . doesn’t have a font to display the text, for example: Noto has been developed by the famous foundry Monotype to address this and achieve “no more tofu”.

It is an open source font that is widely available across computers and devices as part of standard font libraries. Designed to eventually support all languages - it already spans more than 800 of them - with a harmonious look and feel, it is particularly suited to writing in languages such as Chinese, Japanese and Korean.

Noto was also used to digitise and preserve rare and endangered languages, thus fulfilling a cultural and heritage custodianship role closely aligned with our values.

A comprehensive set of Noto fonts and tools will be made available on the SKAO website for cases where users do not have it.

Verdana font family In scenarios where it is not possible to use the SKAO primary fonts (Noto family), the system font Verdana font should be used as a fall back solution. We have selected Verdana as it has similar visual characteristics to the Noto typeface family and should be available on all popular desktop computer operating systems for PC, Mac and Linux.

Noto Sans – Regular ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789 ?!&@“”%*#£( ). ,©

Verdana – Regular

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789 ?!&@“”%*#£( ). ,©

Verdana – Bold

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789 ?!&@“”%*#£( ). ,©

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Brand architecture

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Brand architecture

The brand architecture is a critical element of our brand, consisting of a hierarchy of sub-brands to make sure they form a coherent whole and are part of a single brand family with common elements such as colours, fonts, themes, etc.

Simplicity and consistency are at its core.

Our brand architecture is based around key principles: The whole is more important than the sum of its parts, meaning consistency is key It supports the goal of a long-lasting, sustainable and professional brand and as such is forwardlooking to be as future-proof as possible It is user-centric, and serves partners and associates so they can visually promote their association with the SKAO

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Brand architecture | SKAO Facilities SKAO Facilities

SKAO Global Headquarters

SKAO facilities are branded using the main SKAO logo and include the function the facilities fill.

These logos identify the SKAO-owned spaces and as such should feature prominently at these facilities, e.g. on indoor and outdoor signage.

However, please note that they are not to be used on digital branding (such as social media channels), stationery, merchandise, or apparel.

GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS

SKA-Low Facilities

SKA-LOW SCIENCE OPERATIONS CENTRE

SKA-LOW ENGINEERING OPERATIONS CENTRE

SKA-Mid Facilities

SKA-MID SCIENCE OPERATIONS CENTRE

SKA-MID ENGINEERING OPERATIONS CENTRE

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Brand architecture | SKA Regional Centres SKA Regional Centres All SKA Regional Centres (SRCs) are part of a global computing network that aims to support the SKAO’s data processing needs.

Full colour SRC network logo

Single colour SRC network logo

Localised versions of the SRC network logo including the country’s flag are available for use by the SRCs in a national context of relevance to funders. Each SRC is able to use this dedicated logo, providing them high-level visibility and recognition as a part of the SKA project.

Australia

Candada

China

France

Great Britain

Germany

India

Italy

Japan

Netherlands

Portugal

South Korea

Spain

Sweden

South Africa

Swiss

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Brand architecture | Special collaborations Spin-offs

Spin-off format

Spin-off example

Project format

Project example

The spin-off brands allow any company or product stemming from work on the SKA project to claim their association with the SKAO brand in their marketing.

Projects Joint projects or initiatives (e.g. exhibitions, outreach projects, etc.) that the SKAO is leading or involved in, with defined goals and generally time-limited.

Formatting details A horizontal line extending to the width of the spin-off name or logo should be used and followed by lower case text in Noto-Light typeface and with in-line use of the Monotone SKAO logo. Ensure sizing of text and SKAO logo is precision accurate with baseline and ascenders matching that of the SKAO logo. Avoid recreating these graphics if possible and use existing ‘Special collaboration Spin-off’ or ‘Special collaboration Project’ graphic assets, available on request from SKAO Communications Team.

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Brand architecture | Co-branding and external partners Co-branding is key to an international endeavour like the SKA project with many partners. While the SKAO logo is protected and reserved for official SKAO use, we are keen to make sure that official partners can use the SKAO brand where relevant. This should always be done in co-branding with their own institution, and the SKAO logo should never be used on its own without prior approval from the SKAO Communications team.

As a fundamental principle, stakeholders who’ve been authorised to use the SKAO logo or one of its derivatives should always use their own brand as the primary communication and follow its guidelines, and should use the SKAO logo as described in the brand guidelines.

SKAO as the major lead partner

SKAO is in equal partnership with others

SKAO as a minor supporting partner

When SKAO leads the delivery of a project, service or event then preference should be given to SKAO branding and all other partner logos should be placed in less prominent positions. The SKAO logo should always be larger in scale and more obvious, partner logos should featuring labelling text in Noto Sans above the partner logo and formatted as: ‘in partnership with’

When SKAO is a joint partner or taking an equal role in the delivery of a project, service or event then both partner logos should be used in equal scale and form and separated with a ‘|‘ pipe separator bar. This model is the basis for cobranding under the cooperation agreements with CSIRO and SARAO.

When SKAO is taking a minor supporting role with one or more partners in the delivery of a project, service or event then the lead partner logo should be used in prominent positions with the SKAO logo used at smaller scale. The combined logo group should feature labelling text in Noto Sans above the logo lock-ups formatted as: ‘in partnership with’

SKAO is the lead SKAO partner is the lead partner

SKAO is the lead SKAO partner is in the SKAO lead partner is in thewith leadmultiple partner supporting with multiple partners supporting partners

SKAO is in the lead SKAOpartner is in equal with SKAO partnership multiple is in equal supporting with partnership one partners otherwith one other

SKAO is in equal A partner partnership is the Awith lead, partner one SKAO other is the arelead, one SKAO or more areminor one or supporting more minor partners supporting partners A partner is the lead, SKAO are one or more minor supporting partners

in partnership with

in partnership with

tner with multiple supporting partners

SKAO is in equal partnership with one other

A in partnership with

in partnership with

in partnership with

in partnership within partnership in partnership with with

in partnership with

in partnership with

in partnership with

in partnership with

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Brand architecture | teams Teams ‘Teams’ elblems serve to identify specialised teams within the SKAO or within the wider SKA project, such as collaborations between institutions to deliver key elements of the project (e.g. software teams).

The SKAO Communications Team will determine whether a team is eligible for an emblem and if so, will produce the emblem in consultation with the team.

Emblems Eligible teams are provided with a unique emblem, produced in consultation with them by the SKAO Communications team. An emblem is not a logo, and should never be used on its own on a support without at least the SKAO logo present. Where relevant, the logos of partner institutions may be included on some supports.

teams emblem

A I ASSEMBLY, INTEGRATION AND VERIFICATION

A I

SKAO TEAMS | AIV Emblem - Isolated use (single tone variant)

ASSEMBLY, INTEGRATION AND VERIFICATION A I ASSEMBLY, INTEGRATION AND VERIFICATION

SKAO TEAMS | AIV Emblem - Isolated use (full colour variant)

SKAO TEAMS | AIV Emblem - Isolated use (reversed tone variant)

teams badge (horizontal variant)

teams badge (vertical variant)

A I

A I

ASSEMBLY, INTEGRATION AND VERIFICATION

ASSEMBLY, INTEGRATION AND VERIFICATION

Badge A I

A badged version is produced for cases where there is limited space, to ensure the team is recognised as being part of the SKAO’s work.

A I

SKAO TEAMS | AIV Emblem + SKAO Badge (single tone variant)

ASSEMBLY, INTEGRATION AND VERIFICATION

A I

A I

ASSEMBLY, INTEGRATION AND VERIFICATION

ASSEMBLY, INTEGRATION AND VERIFICATION

SKAO TEAMS | AIV Emblem + SKAO Badge (full colour variant)

SKAO TEAMS | AIV Emblem + SKAO Badge Alt (single tone variant)

ASSEMBLY, INTEGRATION AND VERIFICATION

SKAO TEAMS | AIV Emblem + SKAO Badge (reversed tone variant)

SKAO TEAMS | AIV Emblem + SKAO Badge Alt (full colour variant)

SKAO TEAMS | AIV Emblem + SKAO Badge Alt (reversed tone variant)

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Brand applications | SKAO branded merchandise - Coffee cups

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Brand applications | SKAO branded merchandise - Coffee cups

Option one - Logo on front and arms

Brand applications | SKAO branded apparel - Polo shirts

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BLACK T-SHIRT

Brand applications | SKAO branded apparel - Polo shirts

Option two - Logo on front with flags, emblem on back

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Brand applications | SKAO branded apparel - Cycling

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Brand applications | SKAO branded vehicles - Toyota Land Cruiser

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Brand applications | team apparel - T Shirts T-Shirt design

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Brand applications | teams apparel - Baseball caps A I Stitched

A I ASSEMBLY, INTEGRATION AND VERIFICATION

Dye sublimation printed

A I ASSEMBLY, INTEGRATION AND VERIFICATION

Dye sublimation printed

Coffee Cup design

Brand applications | SKAO Teams apparel - Coffee cups

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brand /42

Our brand guidelines

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Logo use policy principles • T he SKAO logo is fully protected under the WIPO legislation and no blanket approvals exist for its use. This also applies for any use of the SKAO sub-brands that are part of the brand architecture.

• P ermission to use the SKAO logo or any of its sub-brands shall be granted by the SKAO Communications team supported by an internal Brand Committee, is time- and purpose-specific, subject to performance and will require renewal.

• T he use of the SKAO brand, including its primary logo, pictorial mark and visual identity is reserved to the SKAO and joint activities with partners where the SKAO is involved. Initiatives that sit outside of SKAO’s scope, do not involve or are not endorsed by the Observatory, cannot use the SKAO brand.

• S KAO projects or collaborations or those making use of the SKA or the SKAO name may not develop their own logo, visual identity or brand without consulting the SKAO Communications team first to ensure consistency and compliance with the SKAO Brand principles.

• A ll requests to use the SKAO logo and its derivatives shall be made via web-form providing information on use and will require acceptance of SKAO Brand’s Terms & Conditions. Non-compliance with these T&Cs will result in immediate withdrawal of the permission to use the SKAO brand.

Use of communications channels Use of communications channels using the name SKA or SKAO is reserved to the SKAO, and use of the SKAO brand is restricted to those channels owned and run by the SKAO. Members of the SKAO (Governments and nationallevel institutions representing Member States in the SKAO) should use their own, existing communications channels with their own, existing visual identity distinct to that of the SKAO to promote relevant milestones and developments as well as their involvement in the SKAO, ensuring their affiliation with and role within the Observatory is clearly stated.

In the case of countries where a national consortium exists to manage the participation in the SKAO, this consortium should use their own, existing communications channels with their own, existing visual identity distinct to that of the SKAO to promote relevant milestones and developments as well as their involvement in the SKAO.

/44

Logo tree

Do you work for the SKAO?**

Who are you?

I want to use the SKAO logo!

The SKAO brand, including our primary logo, all sub-brands and visual identity are governed by a brand architecture and brand guidelines to ensure consistency in the use of the brand. This logic tree is meant to help anyone understand whether they can use the SKAO brand and how.

Any request should be made using the SKAO logo request web form to allow us to log and keep track of all requests for monitoring and reporting purposes.

Where there is a case to use the SKAO logo or one of its derivatives, a Brand committee composed of representatives from the relevant SKAO departments (Programme, Operations, Procurement, Legal, Communications) will make a decision whether to grant use. This decision will be informed by whether the requestor is fulfilling their legal obligations to the SKAO, whether the use adheres with the SKAO’s Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct for meetings, and whether the use of the logo might bring the SKAO into disrepute.

Yes - you can use the SKAO logo when performing your duty as an SKAO employee.

No Are you part of a team working with or for the SKAO?

SKAO partner institution* Do you have a formal relationship (signed agreement, contract, MoU, other) with the SKAO?

Yes - you might be able to get an SKAO team logo.

Yes - Depending on the circumstances:

Are you involved in SKAO-related activities through some other means?

• you can use the SKAO | Partner logo.

Yes - contact us

• you might be able to use the SKAO logo under our co-branding rules.

No

No

SKAO affiliation

Are you part of the SKA Regional Centre Network?

No - contact us.

Other

Yes - you can use the SKA Regional Centre Network logo when representing the network or its country application in the context of your country-specific SRC activities.

Do you represent a project receiving funding from the SKAO...

No

...solely funded by the SKAO?

Are you a company...

As a fundamental principle, stakeholders who’ve been authorised to use the SKAO logo or one of its derivatives should always use their own brand as the primary communication, and should use the SKAO logo under the cobranding rules as described in the brand guidelines.

Yes - you can use the SKAO Project logo.

...that is a spin-off of SKA work?

...part-funded by the SKAO?

Yes - you can use the SKAO Company spin-off logo.

If you have any questions or have a request that doesn’t fit in any of these categories, please get in touch with the SKAO Communications team at:

No

brand@skao.int

Yes - you can use the Joint Project logo.

. ..that has developed a product from SKA work?

Yes - you can use the SKAO Product spin-off logo.

No

Are you serving in an official capacity on an SKAO body (Council, SEAC, Science Working Groups, SKACON, etc.) or are you involved in SKAO-related work or development?

Yes - you can use the SKAO logo under our co-branding rules in the context of your SKAO activities.

No

Key:

Decision by Brand Committee

* Partners are organisations, institutes, and companies working with the SKAO to help us deliver our mission. ** Working for SKAO covers any employee, secondee or intern working for SKAO.

/45

Logo tree I am developing commercial products (mugs, pens, etc.).

Can I use the SKAO logo?

Use cases

No

I am planning to run an event*** or other activity in relation with the SKAO.

Is SKAO involved in the organisation or sponsoring the event?

Other?

No

Yes - you can use the SKAO logo under our co-branding rules.

Do you have a formal relationship with the SKAO?

I’m developing (outreach) material (brochure, film, presentation, conference poster, blog, website, etc.) related to SKAO activities.

Yes - See ‘SKAO partner institution’.

Other?

Does your institution have a formal relationship with the SKAO? Yes - you might be able to use the SKAO logo under our cobranding rules.

Are you affiliated with the SKAO?

No

Yes - see ‘SKAO affiliation’.

Are you a journalist, producer or science communicator?

Yes - contact us.

*** Having an SKAO employee on the organising committee does not automatically grant use of the SKAO logo, nor does it automatically imply endorsement of the event by SKAO.

/46

SKAO Logo metrics Exclusion zone An area of isolation should be established to ensure the correct use and legibility of the logo. A space at least the size of a 1/2 of the logo must always be left around the logo.

The 1/2 of the height of the logo is used as a unit of measurement to calculate the area of isolation around the logo.

Minimum sizes The logo will become illegible if scaled too small. For printed materials, do not reproduce the logo at sizes below 20mm wide.

For digital displays, do not reproduce the logo at sizes below 50 pixels wide.

20mm

50px

/47

SKAO Logo dos and don’ts

Company logo

Do use correct logo.

Do not distort.

Do not lock it up another logo.

Do not add shadows.

Do use the correct spacing.

Do not rotate.

Do not recreate the logo.

Do not change transparency.

Do use the white logo on dark colours but always use our full colour logo where possible.

Do not crop.

Do not change the colour.

Do not add the primary full colour logo over a busy image.

/48

SKAO Logo use on backgrounds

Exploring the Universe with the world’s largest radio telescopes.

The preferred placement of the logo is top-left aligned, as a minimum, allow a space margin of the relative depth of the logo (as a minimum). If top-left placement is not aesthetically achievable, top-right, bottom-left and bottom-right can be used as fall back placement options.

Exploring the Universe with the world’s largest radio telescopes.

If placing the logo over complex imagery, consider using white backgrounds to create a container or backing area for the logo, this allows for placement of the full colour SKA Primary.

Exploring the Universe with the world’s largest radio telescopes.

Alternatively, if the image presented is dark enough and the design aesthetics or subject matter require less focus on branding, consider using the SKAO Logo Monotone version in white to create a contrast efficient reversed out logo.

/49

Secondary Logo (monotone) Whilst the SKAO Primary Logo is the main full colour version and should always be the first choice, there will be situations or occasions where it may not be possible to use it.

For example, where a white background is not available to place it on, or the full colours within the SKAO Primary logo cannot sit well or compliment with other elements within a design layout.

For these cases or similar we have developed a single colour version of the logo that can be used as a substitute.

Most implementations of this would be in white, reversed out of a darker toned background, but the primary brand colours of Blueshift Navy, Redshift Magenta or neutral tones such as black or grey may also be used when applying to restrictive media.

/50

Pictorial mark (monotone) To compliment the SKAO Secondary Logo Monotone version, we have created a monotone pictorial mark for consistency.

/51

Use of flags The SKAO is an exemplar of the international nature of science in the 21st century and the power of science diplomacy.

Once membership of the SKAO has stabilised, we will display the flags of our Member States on some material and apparel to reinforce the international and global nature of our organisation.

Examples of use of the flags of the SKAO’s Member States.

Exploring the Universe with the world’s largest radio telescopes.

Exploring the Universe with the world’s largest radio telescopes.

/52

Fonts (brand typefaces) Noto Sans - Light Our main font which is used for all typographical messaging where necessary. Use for headlines, body text and long paragraphs, use on white backgrounds and toned backgrounds (but only for the latter where it is legible).

Noto Sans – Light

Noto Sans – Medium

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789 ?!&@“”%*#£( ). ,©

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789 ?!&@“”%*#£( ). ,©

Noto Sans –Regular

Noto Sans –Bold

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789 ?!&@“”%*#£( ). ,©

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789 ?!&@“”%*#£( ). ,©

Noto Sans - Medium Use to emphasise a messaging point in normal body copy or bold headlines.

Noto Sans - Regular and Bold Use as secondary typeface weights for variety or when Noto-Light and Noto-Medium are becoming less legible.

Use over backgrounds or for small type.

Noto Mono A mono-spaced font so spacing is not proportional to character. It lends itself to technical text, metrics and footnotes. Do not use for long body-copy. Use sparingly to add a sense of scientific modernism.

Noto-Mono ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789 ?!&@“”%*#£( ). ,©

/53

Fonts (fallback typefaces) In scenarios where it is not possible to use the SKAO primary fonts (Noto family), the system font Verdana font should be used as a fall back solution.

We have selected Verdana as it has similar visual characteristics to the Noto typeface family and should be available on all popular desktop computer operating systems for PC, Mac and Linux.

Verdana – Light ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789 ?!&@“”%*#£( ). ,©

Verdana – Bold ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789 ?!&@“”%*#£( ). ,©

/54

Brand primary colours Two main colours make up our primary colour swatch. These should be used as a priority over all other colours and make up the majority of use in all communications.

Blueshift Navy and Redshift Magenta are the colour tones used in our logo.

These two colours symbolise the accelerated expansion of the Universe that the SKAO will study by mapping the position of billions of galaxies.

Note: As a modern, 21st century brand, our colours were designed primarily for digital use, and are thus based on the RGB color model.

If your use is primarily digital, refer to the RGB codes. CMYK equivalents are available for print, but will look more dull.

If in doubt, ask the SKAO Communications team for advice.

100% Black Blueshift Navy

Pantone: 2745c C: 100

R: 7

Hex:

M: 99 Y: 20 K: 30

G: 0 B: 104

#070068

Redshift Magenta

Pantone: 213c C: 3 M: 100 Y: 35 K: 0

R: 231 G: 0 B: 104

Hex: #E70068

/55

Brand accent colours – Science colour palette Colours representative of 21st century radio astronomy, modern imaging and cosmic structures revealed by SKA pathfinder and precursor telescopes and multi-wavelength images, symbolising our synergies with other observatories. This colour palette is primarily designed for use in SKAO’s science-related products and material.

Pantone: 3035c Hex: #003D51

C: 97 M: 68 Y: 47 K: 38

R: 0 G: 61 B: 81

Pantone: 504c Hex: #562A31

C: 46 M: 80 Y: 62 K: 53

R: 86 G: 42 B: 49

Pantone: 1575c Hex: #EF7C38

C: 2 M: 63 Y: 87 K: 0

R: 239 G: 124 B: 56

Pantone: 1565c Hex: #F49E6B

C: 1 M: 45 Y: 62 K: 0

R: 244 G: 158 B: 107

Pantone: 393c Hex: #EFEA78

C: 9 M: 1 Y: 66 K: 0

R: 239 G: 234 B: 120

The GLEAM view of the centre of the Milky Way obtained by MWA in radio colour. Credit: Natasha Hurley-Walker (ICRAR/Curtin) and the GLEAM Team.

Pantone: 296c Hex: #0D1D2C

C: 89 M: 75 Y: 55 K: 68

R: 13 G: 29 B: 44

Pantone: 539c Hex: #0E2538

C: 93 M: 77 Y: 51 K: 58

R: 14 G: 37 B: 56

Pantone: 289c Hex: #17243D

C: 93 M: 82 Y: 48 K: 53

R: 23 G: 36 B: 61

Pantone: 7461c Hex: #087CBB

C: 85 M: 44 Y: 4 K: 0

R: 8 G: 124 B: 187

Pantone: 374c Hex: #C1D66E

C: 28 M: 2 Y: 73 K: 0

R: 193 G: 214 B: 110

C: 15 M: 30 Y: 46 K: 0

R: 217 G: 179 B: 142

Pantone: 346c Hex: #74C095

C: 56 M: 2 Y: 53 K: 0

R: 116 G: 192 B: 149

Central portions of the Milky Way galaxy captured by MeerKAT. (Credit: SARAO. Adapted from results published in Heywood et al. 2019)

Pantone: 302c Hex: #0B3B5C

C: 100 M: 77 Y: 40 K: 30

The galactic center as seen by MeerKAT. (credit: SARAO)

R: 11 G: 59 B: 92

Pantone: 279c Hex: #4689C8

C: 72 M: 38 Y: 0 K: 0

R: 70 G: 137 B: 200

Pantone: 178c Hex: #EB5C5D

C: 2 M: 79 Y: 59 K: 0

R: 235 G: 92 B: 93

Pantone: 727c Hex: #D9B38E

/56

Brand accent colours – Technology colour palette Colours representative of the cutting-edge technologies at the heart of SKAO hardware, such as the metals used in antennas, processing boards, and optical fibre. This colour palette is primarily designed for use in SKAO’s products and material related to engineering activities, big data, software, technology, etc.

Pantone: 3308c Hex: #004337

C: 90 M: 47 Y: 73 K: 51

R: 0 G: 67 B: 55

Pantone: 554c Hex: #205B42

C: 85 M: 40 Y: 78 K: 34

R: 32 G: 91 B: 66

Pantone: 532c Hex: #1B1E2A

C: 82 M: 74 Y: 55 K: 68

R: 27 G: 30 B: 42

Pantone: 7408c Hex: #F7BE00

C: 3 M: 26 Y: 100 K: 0

R: 247 G: 190 B: 0

Pantone: 490c Hex: #5D2A2B

C: 41 M: 81 Y: 69 K: 52

R: 93 G: 42 B: 43

C: 24 M: 17 Y: 18 K: 0

R: 193 G: 198 B: 202

A Tile Processing Module (TPM) for the SKA-Low telescope: Each TPM converts and digitises the signals from 16 antennas, with more than 8,000 TPMs in total.

Pantone: 432c Hex: #313D47

C: 79 M: 65 Y: 53 K: 44

R: 49 G: 61 B: 71

Pantone: 431c Hex: #5B6770

C: 67 M: 51 Y: 45 K: 17

R: 91 G: 103 B: 112

Pantone: 430c Hex: #7C868B

The Max Planck prototype dish on site in the Karoo, and AAVS 2 prototype antennas on site in Australia.

C: 55 M: 40 Y: 38 K: 5

R: 124 G: 134 B: 139

Pantone: 429c Hex: #A0A7AB

C: 40 M: 29 Y: 28 K: 0

R: 160 G: 167 B: 171

Pantone: 428c Hex: #C1C6CA

/57

Brand accent colours – Sites colour palette Colours representative of the sites from which SKAO will operate, their ancient geology, as well as the human endeavour and Indigenous culture and heritage synonymous with them. This colour palette is primarily designed for use in SKAO’s products and material referring to the telescope sites, local heritage, local communities, etc.

Pantone: 469c Hex: #6A3F23

C: 39 M: 70 Y: 88 K: 43

R: 106 G: 64 B: 35

Pantone: 1395c Hex: #9B6017

C: 31 M: 62 Y: 100 K: 19

R: 165 G: 96 B: 24

Pantone: 729c Hex: #B5814E

The MeerKAT telescope in the South African landscape and the completed AAVS station on site in Australia.

C: 26 M: 50 Y: 77 K: 7

R: 181 G: 129 B: 78

Pantone: 1365c Hex: #F9B34C

C: 1 M: 33 Y: 80 K: 0

R: 249 G: 179 B: 76

Pantone: 716c Hex: #EB7802

C: 4 M: 64 Y: 100 K: 0

R: 235 G: 120 B: 2

gradi /58

Gradient colour

/59

Gradient colour (tones) Graduated colours, when used together with flat colours, add movement and volume to compositions.

They can be used in any type of marketing material.

Blueshift Navy C: 100 M: 99 Y: 20 K: 30

Redshift Magenta C: 3

R: 231

Hex:

Pantone

M: 100 Y: 35 K: 0

G: 0 B: 104

#E70068

PMS 213c

R: 7 G: 0 B: 104

Hex: #070068

Pantone PMS 2745c

/60

Gradient colour (prominence) The presence of each colour can vary, Main but blue should always be the most prominent colour.

gradient

Main gradient

To maintain that proportion, Redshift Magenta never should be more than 40% of the composition.

%

50

e

e on um enc t m r ni in ou Mi rom ol p f c o

e

e on um enc t m r xi min ou a l M ro o p f c o

The SKA Observatory Brand Book is owned by the SKAO Communications Team.

Development:

William Garnier, Director of Communications, Mathieu Isidro, Communications Manager

Visual Identity and design: Carbon Creative | https://www.carboncreative.net Original concept:

Summa | https://en.summa.es

Contact:

brand@skao.int

Acknowledgments: CERN, ESO, ESA, EMBL, UK Research and Innovation, The Royal Astronomical Society, Vera Rubin Observatory.

With special thanks to Fabienne Marcastel Landua, Art Director at CERN. The SKAO recognises and acknowledges the Indigenous peoples and cultures that have traditionally lived on the lands on which the SKAO facilities are located.