simple energy brand book

BRAND BOOK

TABLE OF CONTENTSBrand ArchitecturePositioningMissionVision

VisualsPrincipal CharacteristicsLogoTypographyColor PaletteIconographyCustomer PhotosProduct Photos

ResourcesMicrosoft Office Templates

SIMPLE ENERGY BRAND BOOK

BRAND ARCHITECTURE

POSITIONINGWhat you do and for whom

Describes in clear terms (no marketing language) what you do. Makes clear your target market, what problems they face and how your company solves it.

MISSIONWhat you do and why

Similar to your positioning statement but with marketing language. Describes the company, what it does and its overall intention (its reason for existence). Supports the vision and communicates how you’re going to get there.

POSITIONINGWhere you’re headed

Where you want to be in 5-10 years Includes reason for being, core values and BHAG (big hairy audacious goal)

Establishes company standards and provide focus on a set goal.


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SIMPLE ENERGY’S POSITIONINGWhat we do for whom

Software as a service (SaaS) company providing utilities the best motivational and engagement tools to deliver energy savings and customer satisfaction to help them meet growing regulatory and customer demands.

In short:Deliver energy savings for utilities by engaging and motivating their users through dynamic and personal digital communications.


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SIMPLE ENERGY’S MISSIONWhat we do and why we do it

We motivate people to save energy.

We use data science, behavioral psychology, and energy analytics to build software that makes saving energy social, fun, and simple. We do this to create a more sustainable future.


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SIMPLE ENERGY’S VISIONWhere we’re headed

In 10 years, we will be the largest provider of energy-related goods, services, and software in the world.

In 10 years, we will reduce energy consumption by X% in the US and be an irreplaceable partner for utilities.


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VISUALS

PRINCIPLE CHARACTERISTICS

All visuals should reflect the established identity of the Simple Energy Brand:

• Simple• Approachable• Professional• Dynamic• New


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THE LOGO

LOGO MARK

Avoid white circle on dark gray or black. It looks like Sparky is howling at the moon.

FONT: Smythe Sans Light

All Simple Energy logos can be found at:Dropbox (Simple Energy)/Design/Simple Energy Collateral/Branding/Logos

-OR-https://brandfolder.com/simpleenergy


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LOGO DOs & DON’Ts

DO use ample space around the logoSurround the logo with a lot of white space so it can breathe. Use a white background whenever possible.

DON’T place the logo on top of busy photosHighly contrasted/textured photos can make the logo hard to read.

DON’T rotate the logoThe logo should always remain horizontal.

DON’T add drop shadows to the logoAll designs should look as “flat” as possible, within reason.


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www.SimpleEnergy.com

LOGO LOCKUPSIn certain contexts, the logo can be “locked up” with some other elements. Meaning that they are locked into this specific relationship to one another and form a single unit.

This lock-up is typically used at the bottom of a corporate marketing 1-pager.

The link below the logo can be changed depending on the audience that the piece is for. This example shows a link to a page we constructed for European Utility Week.

The B Corp Logo is optional.

This lock-up is used to represent our Marketplace Software As a Service.

This lock-up is typically used at the bottom of a consumer marketing paper report or email.

www.SimpleEnergy.com/EUW


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TYPOGRAPHY

TYPOGRAPHY

80% Opacity, Multiply

THIS IS A HEADLINE, OPEN SANS BOLD 22/24, ALL CAPSThis is an introduction paragraph, or larger option for body copy over all. 11/13

This is a subhead, Open Sans Bold 11/12THIS IS A SMALL TITLE, OPEN SANS BOLD 9/12, ALL CAPSThis is a body paragraph, Open Sans Regular 9/12

• These are bullets, Open Sans Regular 9/13 and 9/19

• The top line of the bulleted list should have a line height of 19 pts. The remaining lines in the paragraph should have a line height of 13 pts. This creates more space between bullets.

This is a callout, Open Sans Light Italic 13/17

This is a secondary callout, Open Sans Light Italic 9/13

This is a call to action, or CTA. Open Sans Light 20/22

*This is fine print, Open Sans Regular, 5/6

Used to introduce the overall piece

Used to introduce the overall piece, or for the whole peice for content-light pieces

Used to introduce the sectionUsed to describe the paragraph, flow chart, or graph following

Bullets are used for a list of points/items

Use custom spacing

Used to highlight the main idea

An option for a more subtle callout

Inspire your customers to take action. Period at the end, always.

This is used for citations. Should always be at the bottom.

“This is a customer testimonial. Open Sans Italic 12/14”

–This is the person who said it, a real Simple Energy user Open Sans Regular 12/14

When starting from scratch, copy & paste the paragraph above into new, standard sized InDesign documents. Paragraph styles

will populate automatically.


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COLOR PALETTES

PRIMARY COLOR PALETTE

BODY TEXT PRIMARY SUPPORTING TEXTHEADER TEXT PRIMARY PRIMARY BACKGROUNDSECONDARY BACKGROUND

RGB0, 0, 0

HEX#000000

CMYK78, 68, 67, 90

RGB83, 86, 92

HEX#53555c

CMYK67, 58, 50, 28

RGB169, 170, 173

HEX#a9aaac

CMYK35, 28, 27, 0

RGB247, 246, 247

HEX#f6f5f7

CMYK2, 2, 1, 0

RGB255, 255, 255

HEX#ffffff

CMYK0, 0, 0, 0

PRIMARY ACCENT

CMYK59, 0, 99, 0

PANTONE376

RGB177, 192, 68

HEX#75bf44


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SECONDARY COLOR PALETTE

RGB194, 28, 77

HEX#c11c4c

CMYK18, 100, 62, 5

RGB247, 148, 28

HEX#f7941c

CMYK0, 50, 100, 0

RGB255, 194, 13

HEX#ffc20d

CMYK0, 25, 100, 0

RGB140, 48, 130

HEX#8c3082

CMYK50, 95, 13, 0

RGB38, 176, 222

HEX#26afdd

CMYK70, 10, 5, 0

RGB23, 87, 148

HEX#165693

CMYK88, 64, 22, 4

RGB117, 191, 68

HEX#75bf44

CMYK59, 0, 99, 0

PANTONE376

ALWAYS use these colors to define the specific aspects of the product shown above. For example, orange is used to define the Data Warehouse.

DO use these colors to provide clarity for the reader. If all aspects of the product are discussed on the same page, these colors will help visually define them.

DON’T use these colors to define other things. For example, don’t use Marketplace Blue when creating a piece about email tags.

DON’T use these colors unless you must provide clarity to the reader.

UtilityCoNavy Blue

Engagement PlatformGreen

Data WarehouseOrange

MarketplaceLight Blue

CommunicationsPurple

When mapping out the Simple Energy product life cycle, use the following colors to define the different features:


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COMMUNICATING PRODUCT FLOW THROUGH COLOR


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COLOR HIERARCHY

Use this as reference as to what colors should be most dominant in any given piece.


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RGB156, 3, 31

HEX#9b021e

CMYK25, 100, 95, 20

RGB194, 28, 77

HEX#c11c4c

CMYK18, 100, 62, 5

RGB237, 82, 130

HEX#ed5182

CMYK0, 83, 23, 0

RGB255, 145, 191

HEX#ff91bf

CMYK0, 55, 0, 0

RGB255, 194, 105

HEX#ffc168

CMYK0, 26, 67, 0

RGB247, 148, 28

HEX#f7931c

CMYK0, 50, 100, 0

RGB224, 105, 5

HEX#e06805

CMYK8, 70, 100, 0

RGB196, 79, 0

HEX#c44f00

CMYK15, 80, 100, 5

RGB255, 217, 117

HEX#ffd875

CMYK0, 14, 65, 0

RGB255, 194, 13

HEX#ffc10c

CMYK0, 25, 100, 0

RGB204, 140, 10

HEX#cc8c0a

CMYK20, 45, 100, 0

RGB166, 155, 5

HEX#a56805

CMYK28, 60, 100, 15

RGB199, 235, 163

HEX#c6eaa3

CMYK20, 0, 45, 0

RGB148, 201, 102

HEX#a

CMYK45, 0, 78, 0

RGB117, 191, 69

HEX#75bf44

CMYK59, 0, 99, 0

PANTONE376

RGB74, 148, 61

HEX#49933d

CMYK75, 20, 100, 5

RGB140, 240, 255

HEX#8cefff

CMYK30, 0, 0, 0

RGB79, 212, 245

HEX#4fd3f4

CMYK50, 0, 4, 0

RGB38, 176, 222

HEX#26afdd

CMYK70, 10, 5, 0

RGB5, 120, 173

HEX#0577ad

CMYK88, 47, 12, 0

RGB97, 173, 227

HEX#60ade2

CMYK60, 20, 0, 0

RGB51, 130, 194

HEX#3382c1

CMYK80, 42, 1, 0

RGB23, 87, 148

HEX#165693

CMYK88, 64, 22, 4

RGB3, 56, 94

HEX#02385e

CMYK100, 80, 38, 28

RGB232, 158, 232

HEX#e89ee8

CMYK11, 40, 0, 0

RGB189, 107, 186

HEX#bc6bba

CMYK28, 68, 0, 0

RGB140, 48, 130

HEX#8c3082

CMYK50, 95, 13, 0

RGB105, 10, 102

HEX#680a66

CMYK65, 100, 25, 10

DATA COLOR PALETTE: CHARTS & GRAPHS ONLY

DON’T use these colors for icons, typography, etc.

DO use this palette for charts and graphs

DO use color to define different aspects of the product using guidelines from previous page if applicable. (Use green and gray as much as possible, for example.)


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ICONOGRAPHY

ICONS: HOW TO DESIGN

AVOID making icons that are hard to see at a small sizeOften times logos can be used at a very small size. Details can get lost if not designed with this in mind. The simpler the better!

DON’T create a sceneIcons are used to represent a concept, not to create a scene. (The same is not true for consumer facing marketing.)

DO use rounded cornersRounded corners invoke the logo.

DO use two graysDark gray and medium gray are used for added depth and interest.


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ICONS: HOW USEIcons can be placed within circles to generate visual interest if the piece calls for it. The icons should be all white. There should be plenty of negative space surrounding the icon. Please refer to the color guidelines to ensure appropriate color usage.


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IMAGERY

CUSTOMER PHOTOGRAPHYImages should evoke refreshing, hopeful feelings.

DO use a full bleedOften times when photography is included, it is full bleed.

DO crop the blue circleWhen including quotes, be sure to partially crop the blue circle.

BUILDING CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS IS GOOD BUSINESS

“My attitude toward my utility fundamentally changed: now I feel like they are with us, instead of against us.”

–Linda H., a real Simple Energy customer


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PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHYWhen creating product photos, there are two methods:

• Placeit shots, where the screenshot is placed within a photograph.

• In a device, where the screenshot is more straightforward.

DON’T lieWhile it’s okay to adjust designs to be more readable, do not add features that do not exist.

DO be selective about which photo to useWhen possible, choose photographs where the screen is easy to read. Make sure the context of the image matches the context of our customers and the product.

DO adjust the design to be readableIf needed, create a “marketing version” of a web design that is adjusted for maximum readability.

Flat device templates can be found here:Dropbox (Simple Energy)/Design/Design Assets/Templates

Placeit shots can be created on www.placeit.net-OR-

Dropbox (Simple Energy)/Design/Design Assets/Product Photos (placeit)


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RESOURCES

MICROSOFT OFFICE TEMPLATES

Microsoft Word Document templates can be found here:Dropbox (Simple Energy)/Designers Share Things/Templates/Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word Document templates can be found here:Dropbox (Simple Energy)/Designers Share Things/Templates/Power Point


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simple energy brand book

Design

simple energy logos

energy savings

logo logo mark

energy consumption

energy analytics

energy social

simple energys positioning

logo lockups