Signage guidelines
Introduction Welcome to the signage guidelines for St John Ambulance premises, updated as of September 2012. These guidelines provide a signage standard for all St John Ambulance buildings, incorporating fresh and modern designs that reinforce our values and comply with the charity s corporate identity. By ensuring that our properties are welcoming, fit for purpose and recognisable as St John Ambulance buildings, we make our charitable services more widely available to the communities we seek to serve. It is important that we are easily understood and identifiable. We should look professional, ensure that our buildings are as accessible as possible, and present ourselves as a single, unified organisation. Please provide your signage supplier/professional adviser with these guidelines, and instruct them to contact the Creative Services team for approval of artwork before your signage is produced. These guidelines are to be regarded as mandatory unless special local circumstances apply, in which case you should consult Creative Services at National Headquarters before proceeding. What s new? The revised and updated designs for signage, updated to coincide with the organisation s move from a county to a regional structure, vary from the old designs in two ways. Firstly, in line with the revised style adopted for our printed publications, the curve device is no longer used. Secondly, signs referring to a building being used by a particular county, region or unit of St John Ambulance, or being used as a headquarters or training centre have been replaced by standard signs with no such identifying text. Visitors simply need to know that they are visiting St John Ambulance. The new, generic signs are simpler, cheaper (in that pre-prepared artwork can be provided in many cases), and further help us to maintain a unified public face for the organisation. Contact Creative Services: 020 7324 4205 creative-services@sja.org.uk my.sja.org.uk Page 1
Signage process There are a number of elements to consider when producing your signage. The Town and Country Planning Advertisement Regulations define all external signs as advertisements; appropriate planning consent may therefore be required for your proposed signage. You should also be aware that, in certain circumstances, other forms of statutory consent may be required including, for example, Listed Building and Highways consent. In all situations where you intend to erect signage, either on a building or site (including replacement signs), you should first consult with your local planning authority to establish what, if any, statutory consents may be required. It is always helpful in undertaking these discussions to show the local planning officer a drawing and other relevant details of what you propose. The detail contained in these guidelines will enable you to achieve this. Some signage contractors are able to undertake this consultation process and obtain the necessary consents on your behalf. However, you should remember that St John Ambulance remains legally responsible for ensuring that all necessary consents have been obtained prior to the erection of any such signage. In more complex cases, for example with listed buildings and within conservation or other special areas including national parks, you should consider instructing an appropriately qualified professional adviser to act on your behalf in obtaining all the necessary consents. You should allow sufficient time for this process which, dependent on the type of consent concerned, may take as little as two months, or, in more complex cases, a considerably longer time frame. Page 2
Compulsory signage 148mm It is a legal requirement under the Business Names Act 1985 that the full company name and registration information is displayed in a prominent place within a public area within a building. Therefore the following information needs to appear: St John Ambulance (company no. 3866129) St John s Gate, Clerkenwell, London EC1M 4DA Registered charity no. 1077265/1 St John Ambulance Company no. 3866129 Registered office St John s Gate, Clerkenwell, London EC1M 4DA Registered charity no. 1077265/1 105mm Company information sign Page 3
Using the logo The only version of the St John Ambulance logo to be used for building signage is the 3D version; this refers to the 3D-effect sheen within the roundel. Both the positive (black on white ground) and negative (white on black ground) styles are used for different signs, although the positive version is the default. Please contact Creative Services for high resolution versions of the logo in EPS format. 3D positive logo The exclusion zone 3D negative logo The logo must always be surrounded by an exclusion zone to ensure that it has maximum visual impact. The exclusion zone needs to be adhered to, whether the mark is placed directly onto a building or used as a graphic panel. Never position any other type, matter or graphic device within the pre-defined exclusion zone. When creating signage, the exclusion zone can be calculated by taking the measurement X from the letter m in the word Ambulance as shown. This calculation can be applied to all versions of the logo. Calculating the exclusion zone Page 4
How not to use the logo Misuse of the logo weakens its impact. You should not alter the logo in any way and it must always be reproduced from digital artwork provided by Creative Services. Do not: use the logo on a coloured background, or on a photographic background reproduce the logo in any colour other than black or white use alternate versions of the primary St John Ambulance logo (see examples, right) stretch the logo in any way, or use separate components of the logo (such as the roundel) in isolation attempt to recreate the logo using different fonts or alternative versions of the roundel. Do not use the centered version of the logo The only occasion when an element of the logo can be used in isolation is for the Projecting wall sign (see page X), which solely represents the roundel. If you are concerned that the primary version of the logo will not fit into the space you have available, please contact Creative Services to discuss your requirements. Do not use the thin version of the logo For more information on appropriate uses of the logo, contact the Creative Services team. Page 5
Our colour palette The St John Ambulance colour palette for signage consists of three colours: black, white and green. Black and white form the primary colour palette. Green is a secondary colour and is to be used only where specified. The colours have been chosen specifically to create maximum contrast: this makes text more easily readable for people with visual impairments. There are no exceptions to this colour palette. Pantone number C M Y K R G B Hexadecimal number 3425 100 0 78 42 0 102 68 #006633 Page 6
Typography The St John Ambulance typeface is Humanist 777 (the 777 is important). This should be used for all text on St John Ambulance signage. It is a clean and modern typeface which is available in various weights. Humanist 777 is a variation of Frutiger. The two typefaces are interchangeable. No other fonts are permissible on St John Ambulance signage. The words St John Ambulance in the logo logo are not in Humanist 777 font. Never try to recreate the words St John Ambulance in the logo using Humanist 777; always use the approved artwork. Humanist 777 Black abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ Humanist 777 Bold abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ Humanist 777 Light abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ Page 7
Font sizes Reading distance and letter size need to be taken into account to provide adequate signage for people with differing levels of vision. The minimum recommended letter sizes for text on St John Ambulance signage is as follows: Long distance reading 150mm caps height (Such as building entrances) Medium range reading 50-100mm caps height (Such as reception ID signs and directional signs in corridors) Close up reading 15-25mm caps height (Such as directories and wall mounted information signs) Please also note that: Consistent line spacing is essential and should be set no less than 1.5 Full capitalisation makes it more difficult for people to read signs and therefore it should not be used Symbols should be at least 100mm in overall height. Page 8
Text on signs All text on signage should be clear and concise. Please refer to the usual writing style guides on the resource site for clarification. Additional points to consider are: Always left align text. Don t justify or centre your text Do not use the ampersand ( & ) symbol. Use and instead Forward slashes don t need a space either side There is only one space after a full stop, not two Do not use full stops on the ends of points of lists on signage; not even on the last point As a general rule, only the first word of a point on signage takes a capital letter Exceptions include: names of places (eg. East Midlands) names of people job titles (eg. John Smith, Regional Director). Page 9
Principal external signage The St John Ambulance logo is the most recognisable aspect of the organisation s corporate identity, and therefore principal external signage comprises a large representation of the logo. The signage should be displayed prominently on the building, and be visible from as many of the main angles of approach as possible. The logo can either be printed onto a plain background panel, or recreated as a large three-dimensional cut out graphic in powder coated acrylic (as per the image on the front of this resource). Three sizes of the cut out graphic have been set to take into account a range of buildings: large (3,450 x 1,200mm), medium (2,300 x 800mm) and small (1,440 a 500mm). Do not alter the size ratio between the letterforms and roundel, or amend the logo in any way. Roundel profile 3D Letterform profile Cross-sections of the illuminated (above) and nonilliminated (below) variants of the cut-out graphic The cut-out graphic can be illuminated or non-illuminated. The illuminated variant comprises a 3D roundel (back-illuminated to create a halo effect), plus individually cut 3D letterforms which house the light source for back illumination. Light is also emitted from the cross. The non-illuminated version comprises a 3D roundel and individually cut 2D letterforms. Page 10 Roundel profile 2D Letterform profile
Positioning principal external signage x x x x x Positioning the logo An invisible exclusion zone needs to be in place around all applications of the logo. The exclusion zone needs to be adhered to whether the logo is placed directly onto a building (as in the three-dimensional cut-out design), or placed onto a plain background panel. X X X Never position any other type, matter or graphic device within the pre-defined exclusion zone. When creating signage, the exclusion zone can be calculated by taking the measurement X from the letter m in the word Ambulance. Example 1 Here are some examples of how to apply signage to building exteriors. The sign needs to be clearly visible, so positioning and size are key as well as deciding which sign you are going to use. X Example 2 Page 11
Secondary signage Projecting wall sign X Where the surface area on a building is limited, the roundel element from the St John Ambulance logo can appear as a projecting wall sign. There are two versions of the projecting wall sign: illuminated and non-illuminated. This projecting wall sign can only be used on buildings where the full logo already appears prominently as 3D cut out graphic signage or 2D/3D graphic panel signage. Front view Projecting wall sign size chart X Format Size 1 Size 2 Size 3 X measurement 1,200mm 800mm 500mm Profile Page 12
Directional signs Correct Please use the ISO 7001 recommendation for arrows, which is a solid arrow whose ends are parallel to the main stem, not cut off at 90 degrees. Incorrect The standard direction sign should not always be black copy on a white background, and should not include the St John Ambulance logo. Monolith signs are available from most signage suppliers; see p17 for information on sign dimensions. Please note: as a general rule, only the first word of a point on signage takes a capital letter. Car park Reception Exit Standard direction sign Direction monolith Page 13
Monolith sign 800 50 X ¼ X For monoliths of different sizes, refer to the Monolith dimensions (bespoke) diagram: 300 200 50 20% of height Y ¼ X 200 X Calculate the height of the black section as 20% of the height of the sign The height of the roundel (Y) in the logo is two thirds, or 66.6%, the height of the black section Use a measurement of X taken from the letter m in the word Ambulance as an exclusion zone above and below the logo Centre the logo The width of the logo dictates the width of the text box. 1500 Illuminated versions highlight the text, cross and halo. For this option, use a lightbox which leaves the cross and text showing through, cover the remainder in black and apply vinyl to the halo section as shade out. 300 20% of height Only the St John Ambulance logo should appear in the black panel at the top of the sign. Monolith dimensions (for a 1500 x 800mm Monolith dimensions (bespoke) Text should be at least 150mm caps height, and aligned left, apart from on the directional monolith where the direction of the arrows will dictate whether the text is aligned left or right. monolith sign) Please refer to the arrow design guidance. Only black and white can be used on these signs. Suggested materials: aluminium or acrylic, wrapped around aluminium poles. Page 14
Freestanding sign (single or double sided) The height and width of your freestanding sign will depend on where you plan to position it. The two diagrams indicate general sizes for either tall or small signs. The sign should be white, with black text. There are no exceptions to these colours. Text should be at least 150mm full caps height and aligned left. Suggested materials: acrylic panel with brushed aluminium poles. To work out the dimensions and positioning: Y equals the height of the m in Ambulance As indicated in the diagrams, use the Y measurement to calculate: the space above and to the right of the logo the space below and to the left of the phone number and URL the height of the text. Page 15
Location signs (main entrance) 594mm Location sign dimensions Centred logo Y To create a location sign for your building (usually displayed by the main entrance door, which leads to the reception), please refer to the Location sign dimensions diagram: Y equals the height of the m in Ambulance Use the Y measurement to calculate: the space above and to the right of the logo the space below and to the left of the phone number and URL the height of the text. Text must be at least 50-100mm caps height and aligned left. Y Y 08700 10 49 50 sja.org.uk Y 420mm The sign should be white, with black text. There are no exceptions to these colours. Suggested materials: acrylic. Please note: you should only use either the national St John Ambulance 08700 phone number (see above), or a regional contact number. Dimensions given are a default size (A2), although signs can be smaller or larger to fit space available, providing proportions are retained. Page 16
External descriptor signs (long signs) To create an external descriptor sign (see diagram): Measure the height of the sign. The height of the roundel in the logo is 25% of this measurement X is the height of the S in St John Y is the height of the m in Ambulance Use the X and Y measurements to calculate: the space around the black block the space above, below and to the right of the logo Use the External long sign text box dimensions diagram to calculate the text box area, using the X and Y measurements. The solid block should be either black, or Pantone 355, with white text. These colours have been chosen to give maximum contrast. There are no exceptions to these colours. Please note: as a general rule, only the first word of your text should take a capital letter. Text must be at least 50-100mm caps height and aligned left. Suggested materials: acrylic. Page 17
Vinyl window graphic x x Vinyl window graphics can be used on windows, on glass doors or panels, or as stand-alone signage. Stand-alone signage The graphic can be applied to a glass or acrylic panel. The diagram on the right indicates the size of the logo in relation to the size of the panel. x x Positioning the logo x Window signage The graphic can appear at the size you choose; you must take into account the positioning guidance to ensure that the minimum exclusion zone of X, where X is the height of the letter m in Ambulance, is adhered to. 200 mm 1700 mm X 50 mm 300 mm Glass doors and panels The logo must appear within (at least) the average 1400 mm X 50 mm eye line, which is between 1400mm and 1700mm from floor level. Please ensure that the minimum exclusion zone of X is adhered to. Please note that on glass doors and panels, the positive version of the logo may not be the most visible. In this case, use the negative version of the logo, on a semi-transparent black strip as pictured. Page 18 Glass door signage
Internal descriptor signs To create an internal descriptor sign, refer to the diagram: Calculate the width of the sign: the logo width is 40% of this measurement X is the height of the S in St John Use the X measurement to calculate: the space around the black block the space above, below and to the right of the logo the height of the text. Internal signs should be black and white. Text should be 50-100mm caps height and aligned left. Suggested materials: acrylic, foamex. Please note: as a general rule, only the first word of your text should take a capital letter. Page 19
Door plaques There are four styles of door plaques. Which you use is your choice, but aim for consistency throughout the entire building. Black vinyl door plaque To create door plaques: Calculate the height of the plaque as X Use the X measurement to calculate the text box dimensions and text height (equal to 1/3 X). Text should be 15-25mm caps height and aligned left. Brushed aluminium door plaque Suggested sizes for door plaques are between 200-300mm wide and at least 75mm tall, ensuring a minimum 50mm safe area around the sign. Please do not differ from these colour schemes. They have been chosen to create maximum contrast. White vinyl door plaque Green vinyl door plaque Page 20 Please note: as a general rule, only the first word of your text should take a capital letter.