Download the Visual Identity Manual (PDF) - IPS Inter Press Service

Inter Press ServiceCommunication for a Closer WorldInter Press Service (IPS) is committed to having a cohesive visual identity system that reinforces its position as an international non-governmental organization in the fieldof development and communication, and as the world's leading provider of information on global issues and sustainable development from the perspective of the South.The consistent and correct use of identity elements enhances IPS' image worldwide, making clear that each of its functional parts - editorial, regional, technical, services -contribute to its global makeup.I n t r oduct i o nAs times change, internal and external evolution demand an update of the graphic expressions of an institution's identity. In the case of IPS, this task is made more difficultby the fact that an international association of journalists and its news agency share the same icons. Furthermore, this objective must be accomplished without breakingaway from its past, its traditional brand that has enjoyed a remarkable positioning in the international scene where IPS belongs.Conceptually, Veraz and its IPS counterpart - the IPS Special Projects Office - have tried to achieve what is a designer's most difficult goal: to have both content anddistinctiveness within a simple format. This is difficult because in fact, today's world is becoming increasingly more uniform, replicating itself in a model commonlyattributed to an alien, ghostly globalisation process, one that hides a cultural and economic system attempting to present itself as final. This process perpetuates what IPSconsiders not just unsustainable but also dangerous inequalities, and permanent aggression against the environment. In our new logo, the world we intend to represent isdepicted in the more accurate proportions of the 'Peters map', instead of the North-centered Mercali map formerly used in the old logo. The map says that we are global andthat we have a fair vision of the world. Next to the map, there is the acronym of IPS -- and both are surrounded by a thread that conveys the notion of unity and movementsimultaneously. The subtle opening on the upper right and lower left sides allows for a sense of depth absent from the old IPS logo.Visually, the logo breaks away from the authoritarian message inherent in square forms, in order to adopt a friendlier, round, global line. As an association of journalists anda news agency, this approach brings us closer to the graphic language that is largely perceived as being associated with the concept of communication. Hence, this emergesas a totally natural development.The chosen colours guarantee smoothness and lightness. In the perceptions of humans, blue is commonly linked to the purity of the sky and water, while yellow brings in thewarmer images of the sun, wheat, oranges -- ''The Earth is blue,'' shouted an excited Yuri Gagarin during the first human flight to outer space. Politically, blue is the colour ofthe United Nations, humankind's main hope for peace, development, freedom and equity. The one-color version of the logo opts for different tones of blue, allowing an oftenresource-strained organisation to remain true to its identity.In short, the new logo represents commitment of IPS to bring the world closer to itself, which means making it more human, bridging and shortening the distances betweenNorth and South, East and West, Poor and Rich. In contributing to the enormous task of making another world possible, IPS has an editorial philosophy that matches itsinstitutional mission: digging out the story underneath. The implementation of these graphic standards will be overseen by the IPS Special Projects Office, under the directsupervision of the Director General. This office, in consultation with Veraz, will provide ongoing consultation, interpretation and advice related to the creative application ofthese standards to IPS' central and different regional and country offices.2