1 - BRAND BOOK [2018 August]

BRAND 

GUIDE 

BOOK 

2018 

JULY 20, 2018 

See where 

experience 

takes you.

WELCOME 

to the Centennial College brand guidelines. 

This document serves as a resource for 

understanding and applying the 

Centennial brand, identity and creative 

expression. It outlines brand strategy, 

tone and voice, and provides standards 

for using logos, artwork, colour 

palettes, typography and other 

key visual elements. 

A living reference and a starting point for 

communications and creative professionals 

charged with articulating and representing 

the Centennial College brand, the document 

is intended to be a developing body of work 

that will evolve over time. 

See where 

experience 

takes you.

Centennial College Brand Guide 

2018 

Content 

What is a Brand .....................................................................................................4 

Why Brand Matters ................................................................................................6 

Our Services ..........................................................................................................8 

What is Our Brand ................................................................................................13 

Style Guide ..........................................................................................................24 

Creative Guide .....................................................................................................31 

Digital Properties .................................................................................................63 

Design Terminology ..............................................................................................83

What is a Brand?

What is a Brand? 

5 

It’s a logo, right? 

Well, that’s part of it. But a logo is actually a very small component of what gives a 

brand its lasting character, communicates the “brand promise” and ultimately 

sells the brand to consumers. What it does do is help to build sustainability and 

longevity by creating “fans” who will sell your product for you. 

Coca-Cola 

Coca-Cola’s history began in 1886 when Atlanta pharmacist Dr. John S. 

Pemberton’s curiosity led him to produce a distinctive tasting soft drink that could 

be sold at soda fountains. He created a flavored syrup that included cocaine and 

took it to his neighbourhood pharmacy, where it was mixed with carbonated water 

and deemed “excellent” by those who sampled it. Dr. Pemberton’s partner and 

bookkeeper, Frank M. Robinson, is credited with naming the beverage “Coca-Cola” 

as well as with designing the trademarked, distinct script, still used today. So, the 

drink initially gained a loyal following through the inclusion of cocaine in the 

original recipe. But long after it was removed, Coca-Cola has maintained its status 

as the world’s top selling beverage. 


What did Coca-Cola do right? 

A logo that never changed 

Reliable quality and taste – The only gaffe in Coca-Cola’s history is a failed 

recipe change in the ’80s, which consumers hated, and an unofficial name 

change to “New Coke”. A decrease in sales led to the rebirth of the original 

version, labelled “Coca-Cola Classic”. When “New Coke” was discontinued 

“Coca-Cola Classic” reverted to the name “Coca-Cola” like nothing had ever 

happened. 

Since the 1970s, Coke has become aligned with fun, friends and good times. 

Its slogans have included: 

▸ I’d like to buy the world a Coke 

▸ Have a Coke and a smile 

▸ Can’t beat the feeling 

▸ Open happiness 

Still think that a logo is the brand? 

Target, a huge retailer in the U.S.”, failed 

in Canada despite an identical logo and 

tremendous brand recognition when it 

couldn’t meet the brand promise for 

Canadian consumers who expected an 

American Target experience.

Why Brand Matters

Why Brand Matters 

7 

1966 

Warden Woods 

Centennial College was founded more than 50 

years ago and was the first college to open its 

doors as part of the province’s public college 

system. 

Its evolution over the past half century reflects 

that of our city and country. Today, Centennial is 

recognized as one of the most culturally diverse 

post-secondary institutions in Canada. 


Centennial College Brand Guide 2018 

The visual and verbal elements included in this 

guide help us utilize the power of our brand, 

applying it to materials we create in support of 

the College. By using the same colours, graphic 

elements and approaches to creative 

development, we all make the brand stronger 

and more cohesive.

Our Services

Our Services 9 

What we do 

Behind every Centennial College Viewbook, calendar, and bus, print, web and 

social media ad lies our talented Marketing and Communications team. We are 

also working behind the scenes on broadcast emails, posters, events and media 

stories. We’re innovative, forward-thinking marketing strategists, writers, 

designers, event planners, webmasters and social media gurus — and guardians 

of the Centennial College brand. We constantly look for new and creative ways to 

align our design, digital engagement and public relations support with the 

College’s mission and vision and the long-term strategic direction charted in 

Our Book of Commitments. 


Advertising 

Advertising is paid communication designed to inform and/or influence our 

distinct audiences: current and potential students, employers and partners in 

industry, community and government. We may determine that advertising is the 

best option for you, our internal clients, when you want to: a) raise awareness of 

something new or existing; b) encourage people to take action, i.e., enrol, attend, 

join, etc.; and/or c) recognize special achievements, milestones, etc. We’ll then 

work with you to decide which advertising media best suits your needs. Our 

advertising campaigns can encompass website display ads, organic/paid social 

media, newspapers, magazines, trade publications, bus shelters, bus wraps, 

television, directories, radio and more. 

Corporate Communications 

Corporate communications supports many areas of the College, helping to tell our 

story to various audiences. We work closely with the Office of the President and a 

range of departments to ensure employees receive timely information that helps 

them do their jobs and understand how they fit into the College’s overall strategy. 

We draft and edit broadcast emails and other messages that target your internal 

and external audiences: employees, students, alumni, employers and partners. As 

with other marketing materials, we then help you identify the best method(s) for 

reaching these stakeholders, put key details front and centre and punch up your 

message for maximum impact, and target the message to meet your audience’s 

informational needs. 

Additionally, Centennial Central, the employee Intranet portal, is your one-stop 

shop for information. From policies and photos of staff by department to starting 

a marketing request or finding out what is happening at the college, Centennial 

Central has what you need.


Graphic Design 

Graphic design merges creativity, strategy, communication and brand. It conveys a 

message through visual and textual components. Our designers work with you to 

create eye-catching and unique creative pieces such as posters, flyers, signage 

and booklets that help you achieve your goals. 

Media Relations 

Our Book of Commitments compels us to “lead the conversation” by sharing our 

success stories and we’re always keen to promote newsworthy developments 

from across the College. Mass media plays an important role in helping to ensure 

our stories are heard. Our broad-based media relations plan leverages paid 

advertising opportunities with strong unpaid editorial content. By reaching out to 

media outlets using traditional press releases, distribution networks and our 

social media channels, we garner media coverage of our students, programs and 

campus events as well as the awards celebrating our students’ achievements. 

The coverage we receive complements our robust College website. 


Public Relations 

We use continuous outreach and strategic communications to maintain the 

College’s positive public perception and strong brand recognition. Our 

stakeholders include all levels of government, employers, Colleges Ontario, the 

Board of Governors and the general public. Stronger relationships and ties with 

key influencers, industry champions and partners can help us further our mission, 

strategic goals and objectives. Public relations can include social media, media 

relations and events — all proven tools for telling our story. 

Photography 

A great photo can sometimes convey your story better than words. We work hard 

to capture the right imagery for the right context. Working with photographers, 

agencies and our in-house team, we photograph live events, coordinate 

professional photo shoots and handle a variety of coverage requests. Our data 

asset management tool is also a great resource for photos depicting our students, 

classrooms, programs and buildings. 

Social Media 

Centennial College continues to be a sector leader in social media. This important 

marketing and communications medium can help you reach your audience in a 

more direct and intimate way. As a result, social media helps us build 

relationships with key influencers, increases our brand awareness, and helps us 

gain competitive and audience insight that allows us to provide richer user 

experiences. Whether you’re hosting an event, introducing a new program/course 

or educating your audience about your differentiators, social media gets the word


out. We conduct both paid and organic campaigns, working with you to develop 

dynamic, relevant copy and creative materials. Want to learn more about our 

social media presence? See our social media directory. 

Video Production 

Lights, camera, action! Using our in-house and external professionals, we can 

collaborate with you to create a sleek and engaging visual experience that reflects 

the Centennial brand. We offer a full-service process, from pre-production to the 

final product. In pre-production, we gain a thorough understanding of what you’re 

trying to achieve and storyboard the idea. Then, during the production stage, we 

film, design and/or animate the footage. In post-production, we edit sound, music, 

graphics, footage, etc. before delivering the final product to you. The last step of 

the video production process is tailoring a targeted campaign designed to 

optimize views and engagement. 


Web Services 

Centennial’s website is one of the first places current and prospective students go 

to find what they want to know. We work with you to ensure that our website is a 

one-stop shop for all their informational needs by offering you a variety of 

solutions to help get your message across. We’ll determine if your content belongs 

on the front page or Student Hub sliders, or if it is best suited for the events 

calendar, Centennial Central or on its own landing page. We may suggest simple 

edits to an existing page or an update to our full-time program database. We also 

ensure our website is accessible and meets a WCAG 2.0 level of compliance with 

the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. 

Forms 

We can help you design your forms as fillable PDFs or online forms for easy 

distribution and use. 

Writing and Editing 

Need some help creating clear and concise copy to convey your message? We’ve 

got writers for that! Whether you need a snappy headline, an engaging description 

or an informative blog post, our team offers an array of copywriting and editing 

services to precisely position your program, department, service, etc. 

Make a Request 

All requests must be submitted using our online Marketing Request tool, which 

can be found on Centennial Central.


Questions to consider when making a request 

Who is your audience? The more narrowly defined, the better. 

What are your objectives and what are you trying to achieve? Do you want to: 

▸ Increase exposure (reach, impressions, views) 


▸ Increase traffic (page views, unique visitors, length of visits) 

▸ Increase engagement (likes, shares, comments, retweets) 

▸ Garner market insight (survey entries, comments) 

▸ Generate leads 

What is your budget? How much money do we have to work with? 

What medium do you want to use? 

▸ Print (newspapers, magazines, brochures, flyers, direct mail, etc.) 

▸ Broadcast (TV and radio) 

▸ Highly Targeted Programmatic Display Ads (website banners, big-box, 

leaderboard, sky scrapers, takeovers, etc.) 

▸ Social Media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, 

Tumblr and Google) 

▸ Outdoor Advertising (billboards, bus wraps, transit shelters, etc.) 

▸ Other 

What action do you want your audience to take? 

What is the single most important message you want your requested piece 

to convey? 

What is the timeline for this project? 

What other information can help us with this project? 

Who is your subject matter expert? You may need to provide us with a draft or 

written copy. We will revise the content to better align your message with our 

brand and fit this within the available creative space. 

Be sure to review the Service Level Agreement on Centennial Central.

What is our Brand

What is our Brand 

14 

Logo Strengths 

Distinctive colour (Centennial Green is unique to the College) 

Strong, simple design 

Easily recognizable 

Relevant tagline (See Where Experience Takes You) 


Brand Character Strengths 

First community college in Ontario 

Diverse and inclusive 

Commitment to growth 

Investment in research 

Signature Learning Experiences embedded into curriculum 

Convenient locations and campuses 

Brand Promise Strengths 

Experiential learning and leading industry professionals as faculty 

Ranked No. 1 for student and employer satisfaction in the Greater Toronto Area 

Quality education (among the Top 10 research colleges in Canada) 

Passion for education, equality and inclusion 

Our Book of Commitments 

Dedicated to community outreach


15 

Brand Positioning 

Category Dynamic 

Experience is everything 


Target Insight 

People who learn best by doing 

and seeking engaging 

life experiences 

EXPERIENCE 

WHAT’S NEXT 

Brand Power 

Future-forward experience 

critical for a global work world 

Our Commitments are to: 

1. Bring the New Essential Skills to a Global Community 

2. Drive Innovation and Entrepreneurship 

3. Offer the Map and the Compass 

4. Redefine the Relationship Between Education, Experience and Employment 

5. Make a Bigger Promise to Students 

6. Ensure Smart Stewardship and the Truly Sustainable College 

7. Lead the Conversation 

8. Offer a Signature Employee Experience


16 

Best Practices 

Our Marketing and Communications team is made up of industry professionals 

with the same education and expertise as any big name Toronto agency. Whether 

you require strategy, content or design, our team stays on top of the trends to 

ensure we maintain a competitive edge and follow the industry’s best practices. 

AODA Compliance 

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) aims to identify, remove 

and prevent barriers for people with disabilities. The AODA became law on June 

13, 2005. It applies to all levels of government, nonprofits and private sector 

businesses in Ontario that have one or more employees (full or part time, 

seasonal or contract). Centennial Marketing and Communications is bound to 

follow the AODA’s Information and Communication Standard. Our team is well 

versed on the intricacies of compliance and has access to tools to determine the 

accessibility of our materials, both online and in print. 


Text Readability 

Text on a coloured background is more difficult to read than black text on a white 

background. While you can still use black or white text on a colored background, 

it must meet an accessibility rating of at least Level AA of the Web Content 

Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), a set of international standards. You can use 

these colour contrast tools. In terms of font size, we recommend a font no smaller 

than 12px for web and print materials. 

Our Language 

Language is one of the most important elements of a brand. In this section, 

we provide guidelines for developing language that reflects and reinforces the 

College brand. 

These guidelines are intended for promotional applications such as marketing 

and advertising. They encompass: 

Tone 

“Tone” describes the way a written document sounds as you read it to yourself. 

Tone can be formal or informal, complex or simple, professional or casual. It can 

be modern, old-fashioned, approachable or remote. The styles of writing that 

Centennial uses most often are academic, business and student-focused.


17 

Using Centennial’s tone in your promotional writing will help you take advantage of 

the strength and recognition of the brand to leverage action. It will also help build 

greater cohesion and consistency across all College communications. 

Tone Words 

Nine tone words represent the unique character and persona of the 

Centennial brand: 


Grounded 

Relevant 

Compelling 

Actionable 

Credible 

Integrity-based 

Empathetic 

Innovative 

Inclusive 

Adopting the Tone to Your Writing 

To adopt this tone in your writing, consider these six points: 

1. Write with simplicity, force and energy. Be brief, ensuring every word, 

sentence and paragraph contributes to one overarching idea. 

More like: In 1966, MPP William Davis established Centennial as the first in 

Ontario’s new system of community colleges. 

Less like: The year was 1966 when William Davis, Ontario Education Minister 

made real a network of colleges to help the province become more 

competitive in an increasingly technological and global economy, and 

established Centennial College.


18 

2. Be ambitious and creative in your writing. Look for new ways of expressing 

familiar ideas, and find the interest in your topic. 

More like: Centennial is committed to growth and innovation, which is evident 

in the latest gems of our campuses, the Centennial Residence and Culinary 

Arts Centre and the Downsview Campus: Centre for Aerospace and Aviation. 

Less like: Our five campuses are located across the GTA. 


3. Address all sides of the story and make it clear when something is uncertain. 

More like: When implemented correctly, the new process can generate cost 

savings of up to 35 per cent. 

Less like: The new process generates cost savings of 35 per cent. 

4. Avoid slang and jargon, and define acronyms and esoteric terms when their 

use is unavoidable. 

More like: Clear writing makes website content (for example, words and 

numbers) easier to understand. 

Less like: Systematic linguistic transparency aids user consumption of 

digital content. 

5. Centennial is a special place. In your writing, convey the inspiration and pride 

we feel for our institution. 

More like: Have you considered residence at Centennial Place? Our brand new 

facility is home to more than 700 students and we can’t wait to invite you to 

make our Place yours. Centennial Place Residence…where students 

love living. 

Less like: Students requiring accommodations can apply for housing at the 

Centennial Place Residence. 

6. Avoid talking about the College itself, through “we.” Instead, speak directly to 

the reader using “you” and focus the writing on what the College can do for 

the reader. 

More: At Centennial College, you can take hundreds of programs. 

Less: At Centennial College, we offer hundreds of programs.


19 

Adding Your Interpretation 

We encourage you to interpret and apply tone as you would a colour palette or 

collection of visual assets. Use your creative sensibilities and promotional goals to 

decide which elements to employ. 

Base your decisions on your audience and the channel you are using to reach it. 

For example, as shown in the diagram below, you might emphasize certain 

aspects of the Centennial brand when addressing future students and accentuate 

others when communicating with current students and recent graduates. 


You might also adopt a more casual yet professional tone for digital channels than 

you would for print. And a video script will likely be more conversational than a 

webpage. Your audience and goals should drive these choices. 

Speaking to Future Students 

Grounded Relevant Compelling Actionable Credible Integrity-based Empathetic Innovative 

Inclusive 

Speaking to Current Students/Recent Graduates 

Grounded Relevant Compelling Actionable Credible Integrity-based Empathetic Innovative Inclusive


20 

Hallmarks of Centennial 

This section is intended to provide examples of how we connect each of the ideas 

in the document to the College’s history, culture and people. This should serve as 

a guide to creative work, particularly in developing body copy, and as a framework 

that further expands and expresses each of these core ideas. 

This section does not address tone or nomenclature, which are covered in their 

respective sections. Rather than being all-inclusive or serving as boilerplate 

language, the examples are starting points for aligning and sparking creative 

development around the essence of the Centennial brand. 


Signature Learning Experience 

This distinctive educational experience integrates the principles of global 

citizenship, social justice and equity. Programs’ applied and theoretical elements 

are delivered through a global and social lens that further enhances students’ 

employment marketability and prepares them for the global marketplace. 

The Centre for Global Citizenship, Equity and Inclusion (GCEI) 

With social justice in mind, GCEI works to actively engage students and the wider 

community in transformative learning to further develop inclusive working and 

learning environments, to foster new essential skills for an evolving global 

economy and to encourage civic action for social good. 

Indigenous Education Services 

The heart of our Indigenous engagement lies within our commitment to students 

and our desire to connect with Indigenous nations and communities to help 

enrich the Indigenous student experience. We believe that by working together, we 

can make a difference in Indigenous students’ lives so they can in turn positively 

impact their communities. 

Education Pathways 

Pathways provide opportunities for students to study at Centennial or other 

Canadian or international institutions by applying previously earned credentials to 

the continuation of studies. 

The Leadership Passport 

The Leadership Passport is a program, in addition to students’ regular studies, 

that enables student leadership development through hands-on learning activities 

both on-campus and in the community.


21 

Nomenclature 

At the College, we share a common language that is different from that used at 

any other institution of higher learning. Here we explain some of the most notable 

terms in that language. 

Centennial College 

Use this designation when referring to the College for the first time. Thereafter, 

it may be referred to as the College. C is always capitalized when referring to 

Centennial and lower case when referring to a college in general. (i.e., “The 

College has campuses throughout the GTA.” vs. “Universities and colleges often 

collaborate to offer joint programs.”) 


Global Citizenship and Equity Learning Experiences (GCELEs) 

GCELEs are the perfect mixture of learning, travel, adventure and social reform. 

These service learning-based experiences take place in a range of diverse 

locations around the world and are open to all students. 

Faculty-Led International Programs (FLIPs) 

Through FLIPs, students from a particular academic program travel abroad with 

faculty members for 10 to 14 days to gain first-hand experience and practical 

knowledge relevant to their field of study while earning credit for their studies 

overseas. Recent FLIPs have included Panama, China and Denmark. 

Centennial Advising and Pathways Services (CAPS) 

Our advisors provide students with up-to-date program information and connect 

them with on-campus resources to make their journey a smooth one. 

Schools 

Centennial College is made up of a collection of seven schools, each with its own 

Dean, faculty, administration professionals and support staff. 

Wearable, Interactive and Mobile Technologies Access Centre in Health 

(WIMTACH) 

WIMTACH brings together a proven multidisciplinary faculty/staff experience, 

diversity and depth of students, state-of-the-art facilities across five Centennial 

campuses, international reach, robust project management based on best 

practices and an extensive innovation ecosystem to benefit Canada’s health 

technologies industry.


22 

Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Services (ARIES) 

ARIES is a mechanism for growth and creating dynamic partnerships between 

students, faculty and our impressive roster of industry partners. Together, ARIES 

supports and advances learning, applied research, innovation and solutions that 

transform lives in our communities. 

Program Advisory Committees (PACs) 

PACs guide Centennial’s course curriculum and program direction, keeping them 

up-to-date and relevant. Made up of industry leaders, these committees help pave 

our students’ way by ensuring we provide them with the skills employers are 

looking for and the connections to launch a career. 


myCard 

myCard is a multipurpose ID/access card that gives students access to resources 

and allows them to make payments on campus. Students can load money onto 

their card for all their Centennial needs — free of fees. 

Co-op Programs 

Co-op gives our learners real-world, work-related experience they can add to their 

resume while they are still at Centennial. The paid opportunities not only help 

students decide the direction of their career and increase their chances of quickly 

establishing a successful career (with a higher salary) upon graduation, but they 

also assist in paying for their college education. 

Apprenticeship Programs 

Apprenticeships are opportunities to learn by doing. Consisting of on-the-job 

training with an employer and related in-class studies, Centennial apprenticeships 

range from two to five years and will prepare students for an exciting future as 

skilled professionals in the transportation, engineering, and child and community 

services industries. 

Stackable Credentials 

Our stackable credentials programming offers students an opportunity to 

graduate with a diploma in their area of study plus a certificate in one of our three 

stackable options. 

Colts 

The varsity sports teams for Centennial College’s Athletics and Recreation 

department are generally referred to as the Colts and our mascot is Bolt the Colt.


23 

Centre for Academic English (CAE) 

CAE provides free English tutoring and workshops for Centennial students at all 

campuses. The tutors are professional teachers with certification from TESL 

Ontario or TESL Canada. Tutoring is free for all full- and part-time students. 

Centre for Students with Disabilities (CSD) 

CSD is a confidential service that provides counselling, support, advocacy and 

accommodation for students with documented disabilities. 


Centennial Place Residence 

Centennial Place is home to more than 700 students and creates a positive 

experience that residents from all walks of life can enjoy. 

Centennial College Student Association Inc. (CCSAI) 

CCSAI is the voice of students on campus. Its team of spirited student leaders and 

dedicated professionals work diligently to enhance the student experience.

Style Guide

Style Guide 

25 

We advocate the use of proper grammar and punctuation at all times. Even when 

you are trying to achieve a casual style, it’s important to avoid distracting your 

readers with grammar or usage choices that appear unnecessary or careless. 

Within College communications, we refer to The Canadian Press Stylebook for 

grammar, punctuation and style guidance, and to The Canadian Press Caps and 

Spelling for capitalization and spelling rules. We encourage you to do likewise. 

There are a few exceptions to our use of The Canadian Press’ rules, but they serve 

as a base from which to start. 


Spelling 

Spelling poses a major problem in English because it is not phonetic and because 

its rules nearly always have significant exceptions. In addition, there are hundreds of 

words that have variant spellings in different parts of the English-speaking world, 

the principal difference being between the United Kingdom and the United States. 

Partly as a result of our historical links with Britain and our proximity to the United 

States, Canadian spelling has tended to waver between the forms used in these two 

countries. So, to this day, there is no clearly established Canadian standard. 

While a list of words that have variant spellings in British and American practice 

would run into the hundreds and still not be exhaustive, the great majority of them 

fall into a few well-defined classes, as listed below. The British variants are in the 

left-hand column, the American in the right-hand column. The Centennial preference 

is highlighted accordingly. 

Verbs ending in ise/ize and their derived forms: 

British 

civilise, civilisation 

organise, organisation 

specialise, specialisation 

American 

civilize, civilization 

organize, organization 

specialize, specialization 

Nouns ending in our/or: 

British 

colour, honour, favour 

Nouns ending in re/er: 

British 

centre, fibre, theatre 

American 

color, honor, favor 

American 

center, fiber, theater

Style Guide 

26 

Verbs with single L/double L and their derivatives: 

British 

American 

instil 

instill 

fulfil, fulfilment 

fulfill, fulfillment 

enrol, enrolment 

enroll, enrollment 

Verbs with single L/double L in the past tense: 

British 

American 

counselled, labelled, travelled counseled, labeled, traveled 


Nouns ending in ce/se: 

British 

defence, offence, pretence 

American 

defense, offense, pretense 

Treatment of the digraphs ae and oe in words derived from Greek 

and Latin: 

British 

anaemia, encyclopaedia 

Punctuation 

Spacing After a Punctuation Mark 

American 

anemia, encyclopedia 

As a general rule, in English there is no space before and only one space after a 

punctuation mark. 

No space before or after a question or exclamation mark when followed by a closing 

quotation mark, parenthesis or bracket. For example: The delegate added, “Is it not high 

time we tightened our belts and dealt with the deficit?” 

No space before or after a comma when followed by a closing quotation mark. For example: 

“Stop procrastinating,” she said 

No space before or after a colon when used to express ratios or the time of day using the 

24-hour clock, or to separate chapter and verse, volume and page, act and scene in 

references to books, plays, etc. For example: A slope of 1:4 

One space before and none after an opening parenthesis or bracket within a sentence; no 

space before or after a closing parenthesis or bracket when followed by a punctuation mark. 

For example: Please read the enclosed booklet (Using Your Modem); it will help you take full 

advantage of your new communication tool

Style Guide 

27 

No space before or between parentheses enclosing subsections, paragraphs, 

subparagraphs, etc., in citations from legislation. For example: subparagraph 

123(4)(b)(ii) 

No space before or after an oblique (/) when used between individual words, 

letters or symbols; one space before and after the oblique when used between 

longer groups that contain internal spacing. For example: yes/no but Language 

and Society / Langue et société 

Use of the Period 

The period is a “full stop.” It stops the reader more fully than the colon, semicolon, 

comma or dash. In many circumstances, each of these punctuation marks may be 

used in place of one of the others to lessen or intensify a break in the flow of the 

sentence or passage. 


Short signboard messages do not require a final period. For example, 

No Trespassing, Employees Only 

Do not use periods with acronyms and initialisms, compass directions (except 

in street addresses that do not appear on envelopes or packages), degrees, 

memberships and distinctions, SI/metric unit symbols, chemical symbols or 

mathematical abbreviations. For example: GCEI, BSc, km 

At the end of a quotation, a period comes before the quotation marks. 

For example: “If you’re going to touch on a hot-button issue, tread very 

carefully.” 

Use of the Semicolon 

The semicolon is used between independent clauses not joined by a coordinating 

conjunction but too closely related to be separated by a period. For example: 

“Inflation makes misery unanimous; it is universal poverty.” —Arthur Meighen 

Use of the Colon 

The colon may be used between two independent clauses not joined by a 

conjunction if the second clause explains, illustrates or enlarges upon the first. 

In such sentences, a semicolon would also be correct, but less effective. 

For example, “Put most simply, the colon looks forward or anticipates: It gives 

readers an extra push toward the next part of the sentence.” 

—The Canadian Press 

Stylebook – A Guide for Writers and Editors and The Canadian Press CAPS 

and Spelling.

Style Guide 

28 

Use of Apostrophes 

Apostrophes should only be used to denote possession (e.g., Bob’s car) or in 

contractions (e.g., “it is” becomes “it’s”) 

When used with plurals, no additional “s” should be used. For example: the 

employees’ suggestions 

Plurals of numerals should be formed by adding an “s” rather than an 

apostrophe: For example: the 1960s 


Numbers 

Generally, the rule of thumb is to spell numbers in long form up to the number 

nine. For 10 and above, they should be conveyed numerically. The exception is the 

start of a sentence. For example: Forty to 50 students were nominated for the 

award. Only nine students attended the ceremony. 

Dates and Times 

When writing dates, format them in the following ways: 

Month and year: February 2018 

Month and day: February 2 

Month, day and year: Feb. 2, 2018 or March 2, 2019 (in this instance, March, 

April, May, June and July shouldn’t be abbreviated) 

Day of the week, month and day: Friday, February 2 

Day of the week, month, day and year: Friday, Feb. 2, 2018 

On a table or form: 02/Feb/2018 

When writing times, format them like this: 

10:30 am 

2 pm

Style Guide 

29 

Capitalization 

Use Centennial College’s full name when referring to the College for the first 

time. Thereafter, it may be referred to as “the College”. The “C” is always 

capitalized when referring to Centennial and a lower case “c” is used when 

referring to a college in general. For example: “The College has campuses 

throughout the GTA.” vs. “Universities and colleges often collaborate to offer 

joint programs” 


When writing a title or a headline, capitalize the first letter of every word. 

The exception is the first letter of short connecting words such as “and,” “of” 

or “the” — unless these words are at the start of a headline. For example: 

The Best Part of College and University 

When capitalizing hyphenated terms in headlines, capitalize the term after the 

hyphen only if it’s a word by itself. For example: Co-op, Fast-Track, Part-Time 

and Full-Time 

Capitalize the word “the” when it is part of the name of an organization or 

brand. For example: The Business School, The Local restaurant. In all other 

instances, keep it lower case 

Use of Acronyms and Abbreviations 

When presenting an acronym or abbreviation for the first time, write the full name 

followed by its acronym or abbreviation in brackets. After that, use either format 

throughout the rest of the content. This rule does not apply when the acronym 

mentioned is widely known. For example: Centennial Advising and Pathways 

Services (CAPS) and Story Arts Centre (SAC) but DNA and CD. 

Use of links 

When creating an interactive link from a webpage or online document, avoid 

using general hyperlink texts such as, “Click here.” Add descriptive hyperlink 

text that will demonstrate the topic of the linked page. Also, avoid using the URL 

itself as a link, unless the document will frequently serve as print material. For 

example: “View all our full-time programs” and “As mentioned in our blog post 

about changes in contemporary journalism.” 

Always ensure URLs on social media and in print materials (even shortened 

URLs) are descriptive. Avoid acronyms and separate words by standard 

hyphens. For example: https://www.centennialcollege.ca/programs-courses/ 

full-time

Style Guide 

30 

Symbols 

Instead of using ampersands (&), always use the word “and”. 

Spell “per cent” with a space instead of using the % symbol, unless it’s on a 

chart. 

Always use “at” instead of “@”, unless it’s for email or social media usernames 


Use a standard, short hyphen when combining words or defining a range. 

For example: well-meaning, co-op, 2018-2019 

Use an en dash, with spaces before and after, when creating a separation in a 

title or between a title and its description. For example: Business 

Administration – Accounting 

Use an em dash, or long hyphen, when creating a break in the structure of a 

sentence: For example, em dashes can be like parentheses — that is, they 

enclose a word, phrase or clause — but they’re not for combining words 

Phone and Address Formats 

Use hyphens (not brackets or spaces) to break up phone numbers. 

For example: 416-289-5000 

When noting an extension, a comma always follows the main number. 

Abbreviate “extension” to “ext.” For example: 416-289-5000, ext. 123 

The College’s mail address should follow the below format: 


P.O. Box 631, Station A 

Toronto, Ontario, Canada M1K 5E9 

Common Mistakes 

“Postgraduate,” not “post-graduate.” However, to refer to our programs we use 

“graduate certificate” as the standard term 

“Post-secondary” not “post secondary” or “postsecondary” 

“Full time” and “part time”, but “full-time student” and “part-time job” 

“Resumé” with an accent instead of “resume”. To make an “é” appear in 

Microsoft Word, press Control, apostrophe (‘) and E at the same time 

“Well-being”, not “wellbeing” 

You can find more tips on TERMIUM Plus ® , a Government of Canada’s resource.

Creative Guide

Creative Guide 

32 

Logos 

In addition to our primary logo, Centennial College has a variety of logos, marks 

and graphics that express distinct facets of its identity. Our logo is the most 

important and recognizable element of our brand’s identity. It is a graphic symbol 

that represents our organization to the outside world and acts as an identifying 

and unifying mark. The logo is composed of two main elements: a grey/black 

rectangular box and the Centennial logo-type. 


Primary Logo 

The Centennial logo has two orientations, vertical and horizontal, that are to be 

used for very specific applications. 

Vertical 

Used by most print materials unless: 

Usage is for external host and our logo 

appears alongside others 

Logo or imprint area is too small for vertical 

orientation, i.e. on pens 

Logo may not be used in any orientation other 

than vertical for any printed material except 

with the approval of Centennial’s Marketing and 

Communications department. 

Horizontal 

Used by most web materials unless: 

Full logo is not supported in favour of a 

favicon for certain websites 

Logo may not be used in any orientation other 

than horizontal for any web or social site except 

with the approval of Centennial’s Marketing and 

Communications department.


33 

Logo Safe Zone 

The safe zone for both logos is the minimum distance that any other elements can 

be placed around them. The safe zone is determined by the x measure, which is 

always determined by the cap height of the letter “E” in CENTENNIAL. To maintain 

the integrity of the logo, the proportion of the x measure must never be 

compromised. 


Minimum size for the 

logo is 0.75 inches 

In print, the logo must 

not be less than 0.75 

of an inch in height.


34 

Black and White Logo 

In the event that colour printing is 

unavailable, use the black and 

white logo. 

If the logo is needed for engraving 

or on swag, please contact the 

Marketing and Communications 

department. 


Special Exception 

The Pride logo is only used in the 

month of June 

Favicons 

SH 

Centennial Central Centennial College Student Hub


35 

Correct Logo Usage 

CORRECT USE – Print 

The vertical logo used 

on white or light 

photo background 

The vertical logo 

used on a solid 

Centennial Green 

background 


CORRECT USE – Web 

CORRECT USE - Web


36 

drop shadow 

Incorrect Use 

outline 

remove box or add drop shadow 

remove fill colour or change colour 

Consistent use of the logo is essential. NEVER alter 

electronic artwork in any way. If you need assistance with the 

use of the logo, please contact the Marketing and 

Communications department. 

change colour 

DO NOT add any graphic treatment 

or change the colour of the logo 


DO NOT alter or change the 

proportions of the logo. For 

example: rotate, squeeze or stretch 

rotate 

increae box size 

stretch 

squeeze 

DO NOT alter the shape of the logo 

1 2 

2* 

3 

1) DO NOT use any (green) old logos 

2) DO NOT angle or display the logo 

horizontally 

3) DO NOT recreate the logo or change 

any of the components of the logo 

*web is horizontal (please 

see page 35 for exception)


37 

Download Logos 

Centennial College’s official logos are available on the Marketing Resoures page 

on Centennial Central. 


Centennial College Brands 

Centennial College Brand 

Academic Brand 

Departmental 

Brand 

Initiative Brand 

What is it? 

The Centennial College brand is the 

College’s overarching brand and 

must be represented by its logo on 

all internal and external promotional 

material (print and web) and all 

official documents. 

The Academic 

brands refer to 

the wordmarks 

associated with 

each of the seven 

Schools within 

Centennial College. 

Departmental 

brands refer to 

departments, 

centres, institutes 

and any other 

individual entities 

that are distinct 

offices of Centennial 

College. 

Initiative brands 

refer to special 

projects, events or 

initiatives led by the 

College, Schools or 

departments 

Colours 

The Centennial logo utilizes only 

Centennial Green and Grey 

(primary palette) 

Each School has 

been assigned its 

own colour from the 

secondary colour 

palette to be used 

in addition to the 

primary palette. 

Each entity has 

been assigned a 

colour from the 

secondary colour 

palette to be used 

in addition to the 

primary palette. 

Each initiative must 

use the colour of 

the parent School 

or department as 

well as the primary 

palette, except 

in such cases 

where the initiative 

involves more than 

one parent. 

In such cases, a 

different colour 

from the secondary 

colour palette, not 

assigned to one 

of the parents, 

will be used. 

Iconography Logo Icon Icon Icon


38 

Academic Brands 

Each School may request a wordmark, which is available in two formats and must 

be used as detailed below. Wordmarks for Schools must not contain additional 

icons or graphics. A secondary colour from the brand palette will be assigned. 

However, the use of colour, as opposed to black and white, will depend on how the 

wordmark is being used, at the discretion of the Marketing and Communications 

department. 


Academic School Brand 

School of 

Engineering 

Technology and 

Applied Science 

Academic School Brand – Use when 

Centennial logo is not already present. 

School of 

Engineering 



Academic School Brand – Use when 

Centennial logo is already present. 

For non-Centennial websites and 

properties, please use the version 

on the left. 

EXAMPLES Internal External 

School of 

Hospitality, 

Tourism and 

Culinary Arts 

OPEN 

HOUSE 

Wednesday, March 14 

OPEN 

HOUSE 

Join us 

anytime 

between 

5 and 7 pm 

Wednesday, March 14 

Tour our brand new: 

• Learning Facilities 

• The Local Cafe 

and Restaurant 

• Event Centre 

• Culinary and 

Bake Labs 

Tour our brand new: 

• Learning Facilities 

• The Local Cafe 

and Restaurant 

• Event Centre 

• Culinary and 

Bake Labs 

Join us 

anytime 

between 

5 and 7 pm 

Learn about our Part-time and Full-time programs 

RSVP to hospitality.pt@centennialcollege.ca 

or call 416-289-5000, ext. 2252 

937 Progress Avenue, 

Toronto, ON, M1G 3T8 

Learn about our Part-time and Full-time programs 

RSVP to hospitality.pt@centennialcollege.ca 

or call 416-289-5000, ext. 2252 

937 Progress Avenue, 

Toronto, ON, M1G 3T8 

School of 

Hospitality, 

Tourism and 

Culinary Arts 

centennialcollege.ca/hospitality 

centennialcollege.ca/hospitality 

1299_FEB18 

1299_FEB18


39 

Departmental and Initiative Brands 

Each centre, institute, special project or event may request a Departmental or 

Initiative brand wordmark, which is available in two formats and must be used as 

detailed below. Wordmarks for this group allow for the use of an additional icon in 

a secondary colour. The only additional colours possible to include in the icon are 

Centennial Green and Grey. 


Departmental Brand 

Use where the Centennial logo is already present. For other 

websites and properties, please use the version on the left. 

Initiative Brand


40 

Athletic Marks 

Athletic marks are important representations of the College’s competitive spirit 

and pride. In addition to athletics-specific executions, they are also commonly 

used in pageantry, promotional materials and general apparel merchandise to 

represent pride and unity as a college and as a wider community. 

Centennial Colts – Example 


Iconography/Rules 

Icons may be created for Departmental or Initiative brand wordmarks only and 

should be the assigned colour of the office requesting them. In cases where there 

are multiple project owners/departments, a secondary palette colour, different 

from the assigned colours of project members, will be used in addition to 

Centennial Green and Grey. 

Fonts/Rules 

Wordmarks must be one to three lines deep and in the Franklin Gothic URW text. 

Use of upper and lowercase lettering is permissible and font size and linear depth 

will depend on the number of words.


41 

Fonts 

Headlines, Sub Headers and Body Copy 

Headlines are meant to be bold and unafraid. Therefore, the preferred proportions 

of headline-to-body copy are intended to give the headlines a significantly larger, 

dominant presence on the page. There is no specific numerical value assigned to 

the ratio. 


EXAMPLE 

Whose Body 

Franklin Gothic URW Comp 

Demi (Headline) 

Franklin Gothic URW 

Heavy (Subhead) 


Heavy 

Is it, Really? 

Event facilitated by: Carlene Daley 

The Female Perspective of 

the Entertainment Business! 

Friday, March 23 | 11:30 am -2 pm 

Story Arts Centre | Room 191 and 193 


Demi (Sub-subhead) 

KADON DOUGLAS - Women in Film and Television Toronto 

Kadon Douglas is the Communications and Engagement Manager at Women in 

Film and Television - Toronto (WIFT-T). Founded in 1984, WIFT-T is a memberbased 

organization of both women and men who work in screen-based media 

that supports the development and advancement of women in the industry. They 

aim to promote women’s success by designing programs to help meet the needs 

of women at every stage of their careers and make connections among 

members. 


Book (Body text) 


Heavy (URL) 

Contact 

cdale03@my.centennialcollege.ca 

FranklinGothic URW 

Medium (brought by) 

Brought to 

you by: 

Social Action 

Fund 

 

Story Arts Centre 

951 Carlaw Avenue 

Toronto, ON M4K 3M2 


Heavy (Tagline)


42 

At Centennial, the following fonts are the only acceptable 

brand fonts: 

Purpose Print Web 

Main Headings 

Franklin Gothic URW or 

Anton Compressed 

Anton 

Subheadings 


or Unna 

Unna 

Body copy Franklin Gothic URW Open Sans 

Headings for sub-landing 

pages and Part-time/ 

N/A 

Roboto 

Online Learning 

Special events Alex Brush N/A 

Downsview Directional 

Signage 

Real Time Stencil 

N/A 


Those who do not have access to these fonts must use the Arial font in 

correspondence (i.e., letters, PowerPoint and email). 

PRINT FONTS 

Franklin Gothic URW is a simple and versatile sans serif font with a modern feel. 

This font family is the most flexible system available in the Centennial brand. 

All weights and faces are available but, where appropriate, must be used with 

discretion. Franklin Gothic URW is the primary typeface for headlines and body 

copy in printed marketing materials. 

Franklin Gothic URW Compressed – Headline 

Franklin Gothic URW Comp – Book 

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890$%&() 

Franklin Gothic URW Comp – Demi 


abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890$%&()


43 

Franklin Gothic URW – Body Copy 

Franklin Gothic URW – Book 


abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 

1234567890$%&() 


Franklin Gothic URW – Medium 



1234567890$%&() 

Franklin Gothic URW – Demi 



1234567890$%&() 

Franklin Gothic URW – Heavy 



1234567890$%&()


44 

Alex Brush is a beautifully flowing brush script. It has short ascenders and 

descenders allowing a legibility not seen in other script fonts. 

Alex Brush – Ceremonial 

Alex Brush – Body Copy 


abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890$%&() 


This font is to be used at the discretion of the Marketing and Communications 

department. 

Typeface: 

Realtime Stencil 



1234567890 

Realtime Stencil - Regular 

Do not distort the typeface’s kerning, tracking, and leading 

Realtime Stencil is a header typeface for 

Centennial College Downsview Campus 

Application 

Room number on door vinyl 

Building directories 

Text height 

130mm 

60mm (DCCAA) 

55mm (1 and 2) 

Directional wayfinding 60mm (1 and 2) 

Hangar entrance signs 

Admin. office entrance signage 

130mm (Larger signs) 

80mm (Smaller signs) 

55mm 

123A 123A HANGAR A 

On light surfaces, the text colour can be black only 

On dark surfaces, the text colour can be white or 

Downsview Yellow (0/0/88/3) only 

For signage and wayfinding, only caps are used 

DOWNSVIEW CAMPUS: CENTRE FOR AEROSPACE AND AVIATION 

WAYFINDING WAYFINDING SIGNAGE SIGNAGE TENDER GRAPHIC DOCUMENT 

GUIDLINES 

Prepared by MJMA: 

JULY 18, 2018 

This font is to be used only for diectional signage at Downsview Campus: Centre 

for Aerospace and Aviation.


45 

WEB FONTS 

Anton is a reworking of many traditional advertising sans serif typefaces. 

The letter forms have been digitized and then reshaped for use as a web font, the 

counters have been opened up a little and the stems optimized for use as a bold 

display font in modern web browsers. 


Anton – Headline 

Anton – Regular 



1234567890$%&() 

Unna has a soft look that is expressed through delicate serifs and strong stems, 

thus accentuating the typical neoclassical vertical texture. 

Unna – Body Copy 

Unna – Regular 



1234567890$%&() 

Unna – Bold 



1234567890$%&()


46 

Open Sans is a humanist sans serif typeface. This version contains the complete 

897 character set, which includes the standard ISO Latin 1, Latin CE, Greek and 

Cyrillic character sets. Open Sans was designed with an upright stress, open 

forms and a neutral, yet friendly appearance. It was optimized for print, web and 

mobile interfaces, and has excellent legibility characteristics in its letterforms. 


Open Sans – Body Copy 

Open Sans – Regular 



1234567890$%&() 

Open Sans – Semibold 



1234567890$%&() 

Open Sans – Bold 



1234567890$%&()


47 

Open Sans – Bold 



1234567890$%&() 


Open Sans – ExtraBold 



1234567890$%&() 

Correct Font Usage 

Download Fonts 

These are Centennial College’s official fonts. Consistent use of the fonts is essential, so 

NEVER alter fonts in any way. If you need assistance with using the fonts, please contact 

the Marketing and Communications department. 

CORRECT USE 



1234567890$%&() 

INCORRECT USE 



1234567890$%&() 

DO NOT USE ANY ITALIC FONTS (except for book titles)


48 

Colours 

It’s Easy Being Green 

Primary Palette for Print and Web 

The institution’s colour palette is a powerful and important asset in establishing 

a strong, consistent identity for the College. The primary palette features 

Centennial Green and Centennial Grey. 


These are to be used in all full-colour logos and across all communications and 

applications. 

Note that Centennial Green and Centennial Grey use Centennial-specific 

formulas to ensure greater production consistency and to better manage 

licensed use by approved College vendors. Centennial Green and Centennial 

Grey are available in Spot, CMYK, RGB and HEX formulas. 

Print Production 

When Centennial Green and Centennial Grey are printed as Pantone colours, 

they cannot be referenced by standard Pantone numbers. Designers and 

vendors must refer to approved colour swatches to ensure colour accuracy. 

Use the Pantone Coated (C) and CMYK Coated formulas when printing on coated 

paper stock. Use Pantone Uncoated (U) and CMYK Uncoated formulas when 

printing on uncoated stock. Swatch palettes with these colour values are 

available to download. 

There is no need to make changes to existing printed materials, however any 

reprints will be migrated to the new branding prior to printing.


49 

Primary Colours – Print and Web 

12 pt/12 px 

Black text 

12 pt/12 px 

White text 

12 pt/12 px 

White text 

We recommend a 

font size no smaller 

than 12 point/pixels 

to ensure AODA 

compliance for 

printed pieces. 


CENTENNIAL GREEN 

PMS C 380 

PMS U 387 

CMYK 20 / 0 / 93 / 0 

RGB 212 / 223 / 56 

HTML D4DF38 

CENTENNIAL GREY 

PMS C BLACK 7 

PMS U 447 

CMYK 67 / 60 / 58 / 42 

RGB 69 / 69 / 70 

HTML 454546 

CENTENNIAL TEXT 

CMYK 0 / 0 / 0 / 90 

Secondary Colours 

12 pt/12 px 

Black text 

12 pt/12 px 

White text 

12 pt/12 px 

White text 

12 px 

White text 

GOLDENROD 

PMS C 130 

PMS U 130 

CMYK 0 / 32 / 100 / 0 

RGB 242/ 169 / 0 

HTML F2A900 

SKY BLUE 

PMS C 7688 

PMS U 7688 

CMYK 69 / 19 / 4 / 0 

RGB 70 / 152 /203 

HTML 4698CB 

MARINE 

PMS C 326 

PMS U 326 

CMYK 81 / 0 / 39 / 0 

RGB 0 /178 /169 

HTML 00B2A9 

FLAME 

PMS C 7597 

PMS U 7597 

CMYK 0 / 85 / 100 / 4 

RGB 209 / 65 /36 

HTML D14124 

12 px 

White text 

12 px 

White text 

12 px 

White text 

12 px 

White text 

PURPLE 

PMS C 7447 

PMS U 7447 

CMYK 78 / 86 / 30 / 17 

RGB 80 / 61 / 107 

HTML 503D6B 

TRUE BLUE 

PMS C 2945 

PMS U 2945 

CMYK 100 / 53 / 2 / 16 

RGB 0 / 76 / 151 

HTML 004C97 

WINE 

PMS C 221 

PMS U 221 

CMYK 9 / 100 / 26 / 38 

RGB 145 / 0 / 72 

HTML 910048 

TURQUOISE 

PMS C 3145 

PMS U 3145 

CMYK 100 / 10 / 29 / 20 

RGB 10 / 119 / 139 

HTML 008598 

12 px 

White text 

RED 

PMS C 187 

PMS U 187 

CMYK 7 / 100 / 82 / 26 

RGB 166 / 25 / 46 

HTML A6192E 

These accent colours 

have been incorporated 

for accessibility 

purposes and to add 

design flexibility. 

12 px 

Black text 

DOWNSVIEW YELLOW 

PMS C 604 

PMS U 604 

CMYK 100 / 53 / 2 / 16 

RGB 234 / 219 / 27 

HTML EADB1B 

Downsview 

Yellow is ONLY 

used for Way 

Finding Signs for 

the Downsview 

Campus: Centre 

for Aerospace 

and Aviation.


50 

Colour Rules and Assignments – 

Internal vs External Communications 

Colour Academic Departmental/Initiative 


Flame 

School of Communications, 

Media, Arts and Design 

Alumni and Development | ARIES 

Turquoise 

School of Engineering, 



Enrolment / SLED | Libraries / 

Learning Centre 

Goldenrcvod 

School of Advancement 

Human Resources | 

Institutional Research Office 

Marine Part-time SIER | CSD and Counselling | COE 

Sky Blue 

Purple 

Wine 

School of Transportation 

School of Hospitality, 

Tourism and Culinary Arts 

COLT (Learning) | GCEI | OAPP 

myCard | Career Services and 

Co-Operative Education 

IT 

True Blue The Business School SaGE | International 

Red 

School of Community 

and Health Studies 

Life, Safety and Security | Suzhou 

Branding Rules 

Wordmarks must be one to three lines deep and in the Franklin Gothic URW text. 

Use of upper and lowercase lettering, font size and linear depth will depend on 

the number of words. 

School of 

Communications, 

Media, Arts 

and Design 

School of 

Transportation

1327_FEB18 

Immigration, Refugees 

and Citizenship Canada 

Immigration, Réfugiés 

et Citoyenneté Canada 


51 

Additional Graphical Elements 

Lines may be used as separators 

between the icon and text of a 

wordmark. 

Get Connected 

Stay Connected 


Brand Art 

This section introduces you to patterns, shapes and graphic treatments reflecting 

core principles of the Centennial brand, including ideas. These techniques and 

tools provide flexibility and depth in expressing the brand while providing a 

cohesive look and feel. 

Shading/Photos 

Photos used in mastheads should be coloured or they can be converted to 

greyscale if the overlay image is not very visible. The overlay should be as follows: 

Purpose Colour Percentage 

Internal 

Assigned colour or Centennial Green 

at the discretion of the Marketing 

and Communications department 

90% 

External Centennial Green 90% 

External 

English for 

Academic 

Purposes (EAP) 

Internal 

Are You New 

to CANADA? 

Do you want to communicate 

better at work? 

Occupation-specific 

Language Training 

(OSLT) 

Dream | Learn | Succeed 

FREE Workplace 

Communications 

Courses 

Make your dreams come true – improve your 

academic language skills in the EAP program 

•Business 

•Health Sciences 

93.3% graduate 

satisfaction rate 

with EAP program 

(from 2016-17 KPI 

Graduate Survey) 

•Human Services •Skilled Trades 

•Technology 

centennialcollege.ca 


To qualify, you must be a permanent resident or protected person and have intermediate-level English (CLB6 to 8) 

eap@centennialcollege.ca 

416-289-5000, ext. 7683 

centennialcollege.ca/ 

OSLT@centennialcollege.ca 

416-289-5000, ext. 7405 

centennialcollege.ca/


52 

Lines as Separators 

Lines may be used as content or section separators, but not as pure design elements. 

Use of Footers 

Footers are permissible but should only contain the other brand and call to action 

items. 


Use of Wordmarks 

Wordmarks may be used at the client’s request. In the absence of a wordmark, at a 

minimum, the Centennial logo must be used. 

Treatment of Multiple External Logos 

The Centennial logo (vertical orientation) must have an upper left or lower right corner 

position with bleed on all print materials, at the discretion of the Marketing and 

Communications department. Additional sponsor or partner logos will be arranged 

in a common position (at the discretion of the Marketing and Communications 

department) and will take a diminutive role to the Centennial logo. In cases where the 

Centennial logo is being used by an external sponsor or partner, it will be positioned 

at the discretion of the sponsor/partner in the vertical orientation unless it is one of 

multiple logos represented, in which case the horizontal format should be used. 

Swag 

The Marketing and Communications department can help you with your selection, 

design and purchase of promotional materials, otherwise known as swag. We work 

with a small roster of Purchasing-approved vendors to get you access to the best 

products and prices. 

Should you prefer to work directly with our vendors, please be sure to liaise with us 

via Patricia Delle Monache at pmonache@centennialcollege.ca to ensure brand 

compliance. 

EXAMPLES 

logo use 

is correct 

logo use 

is incorrect


53 

Photography 

Photography is an important element of the Centennial College brand. Wherever 

possible, avoid stock photography and use approved Centennial images. If using 

stock images can’t be avoided, they must be derived from the proper sources 

rather than copied from web photo banks such as Google Images. 

The College uses a roster of professional photographers and has a schedule for 

acquiring new program photos. If you do not have access to the Widen data 

access management system, we can source a relevant collection of images for 

your consideration. 


Should you require event photography, please notify the Marketing and 

Communications department one week in advance, as per the Service Level 

Agreement. We will arrange for on-site photography based on the event and 

dedicated budget. A briefing of the photos’ use and signed photo/video release 

forms for all participants (i.e. social media, print, website) will be required. 

Based on this briefing, we will orchestrate the most fitting coverage. 

EXAMPLES


54 

Photographic Style 

A camera lens is often the most direct route to an emotional connection with 

audiences —whether engaging our community with a photo of the perfect fall day 

on campus or captivating potential students with a view of student life. By defining 

and delivering a signature photographic style, we ensure that we’re presenting the 

College in an authentic and unique way. 


Portraits 

Portraits of students, faculty and other individuals should be strong, bold and 

genuine. The subject should be engaged with the camera, and have an air of 

confidence, intent and purpose. 

Whenever possible, photographs should show dimension, a sense of space and 

environment using a shallow depth of field. In these instances, the subject should 

be centred within the frame to bring balance and symmetry to the image. 

EXAMPLES


55 

Candid 

Candid shots should feel active, cinematic, purposeful, meaningful and genuine 

— like a snapshot in the midst of action. They should capture a sense of forward 

movement and illustrate an individual or group in pursuit of a goal or objective. 

Campus Grounds 

Grounds should be shot in one of three ways: 


Head-on: To evoke the feeling of being bold, confident, unafraid. 

Dynamic Angle: To suggest movement in architecture and landscapes. 

Cinematic: To lend an iconic, epic quality, with wide and aerial shots that 

achieve balance and symmetry on a larger scale. 

EXAMPLES 

Campus Grounds 

Candid


56 

Still life / Textural 

Still life and textural shots should feel purposeful and unique, providing a strong sense 

of place. 

Textural photos should not be used as main photographic elements, but as secondary 

graphics to add texture and depth to a layout. 


Where to Get Photos 

Approved photos are stored on the College’s data asset management system, Widen. 

If you require photo(s), please contact the Marketing and Communications 

department. Simply describe the photo and/or type of image you require and we 

will source a collection of images from which you can choose. 

Photography Considerations 

Good photography can help create a clear, consistent, genuine view of life at 

Centennial. To maximize the impact and authenticity of this perspective, it is important 

to avoid ambiguity in photographs and to use photography in ways that are consistent 

with the College’s brand. 

You must obtain permission via a photo/video release form in order for your photos 

to be used 

Avoid photography that portrays artificial settings or interactions, such as stock 

photos 

Do not use amateur/low resolution photos 

In order to be used, images must be high resolution (at least 300 dpi) and a 

minimum size, depending on use. Centennial must have the right to use them. We 

cannot use images sourced from Google Images or other noncommercial photo 

banks. Regardless of where you find them, this is copyright infringement. 

Additionally, high-resolution photos must be sent to us as attachments or via a 

file-sharing service such as We Transfer, Dropbox or Google Drive. 

Images embedded in Word documents, PDFs or Publisher are unacceptable.


57 

Corporate Templates 

Stationery 

Stationery acts as an important official expression of our identity. It signifies and 

identifies the many parts of the College as well as the individuals and roles within 

it. We have created a flexible stationery system to meet the needs of the College 

community. It includes several formats and options to accommodate a wide range 

of applications. 


Print Letterhead 

We recommend printing correspondence on official Centennial-branded stock, 

which we can order for you from the list of contracted printers. We can also help 

you customize the letterhead with your School or academic unit’s information. 

Electronic Stationery 

Electronic stationery is available for general staff and faculty use by way of a 

first-sheet letterhead page. The electronic letterhead option is available for 

download at Centennial Central. Do not adjust or change anything within the 

template. If you require something that is more customized (e.g., to contain the 

information of a specific School or department), please submit a request to 

Marketing and Communications. 

Envelopes 

Our #10 plain and window envelopes as well as our 9 by 12-inch and 10 by 

13-inch envelopes are available from Shipping and Receiving. We can also help 

you customize envelopes with your School or academic unit’s information. 

Business Cards 

Business cards can be ordered from Braund Supergraving (see Centennial Central 

for the order form), who will personalize the template with your individual information.


58 

EXAMPLES 


Toronto, Ontario, Canada M1K 5E9 

T 416-289-5000 


Stationery 


Bruce Williams 

Director 

Marketing and Communications 

941 Progress Avenue 

Toronto, ON M1G 3T8 

Tel | 416-289-5000, ext. 7144 

brucewilliams@centennialcollege.ca 

Mailing Address: 


Toronto, ON, Canada M1K 5E9 

facebook.com/centennialcollege 

twitter.com/centennialEDU 

linkedin.com/company/centennial-college 


Front 

Back


59 

E-signature Setup 

Refer to the email signature template to create your custom email signature, and follow 

the provided instructions to add your signature in Microsoft Outlook for PC or Mac. 

EXAMPLE 


EXAMPLE 

You must use the official Centennial E-signature. Failure to do so will be considered 

non compliance with our brand standards. 

E-blast Broadcasts 

E-blast broadcasts to any Centennial community should utilize Centennial-branded 

graphics. We can create custom graphics to help convey your message in an impactful 

and professional manner. 

DO NOT include any additional graphics or text format without the assistance of the Marketing 

and Communications department


60 

E-blast Banners Available 


800 

150 or 

200 

Text should be spaced horizontally to the letter “E” and tab over three times to 

the right with the arrow key on your keyboard 

Text should be left justified and be centred horizontally within the logo space 

If an icon is added to the right side of the banner, then an outline of (0.5pt) 

around the icon is needed 

Sizing for all ebanners is 800px x 150px if text is 1 or 2 lines or 200px if the 

line of text is 3 lines or more 

The file is exported as a png file or jpeg at a maximum quality of 72dpi


61 

PowerPoint 

The Marketing and Communications department has developed a PowerPoint 

template for general use. Whenever possible, please use the approved template. 

If you require a custom template for a specific project, please submit a request to 

the Marketing and Communications department. 

Correct Usage 


Correct 

▸ Store each presentation and its 

associated files in its proper folder 

▸ Be brief (no more than six bullets/ 

points per slide) 

▸ Use template fonts: Big (min. 28pts). 

If possible, test your slides by running 

them to see if you can read your slides 

from the last row of the room in which 

you will be presenting 

▸ Use Centennial colours as per the 

template. Remember that what looks 

good on your monitor may not 

necessarily look good on the big 

screen 

Incorrect 

▸ Rely on the program’s Autosave 

feature 

▸ Put everything you present on the 

slides. Remember, slides are just a 

visual aid. If you overload them, the 

audience will end up trying to read 

the slides rather than paying 

attention to you 

▸ Use colours/fonts outside of the 

template 

▸ Use too many animation effects, 

as they are distracting for the 

audience. Only use animation to 

make a point 

▸ Create contrast using font size and 

approved colours


62 

Powerpoint Template 

Logo slide – Primary colour 

Logo slide – Secondary colour example 


Title slide for schools, areas or departments 

(colour will vary depending on the colour assignment 

to your area) 

Body Copy slide 

Photo slide

Digital Properties

Digital Properties 

64 

Website Homepage 

News or Success Story – Do you have a news or success story worth sharing? 

Our Digital Content Specialists will work with you to develop a story and capture 

the appropriate image to accompany the story. This is a great way to highlight and 

showcase your academic school, centre, division, project or initiative. Make your 

coverage requests to the Marketing and Communicatios department. 


Hero Image Video – The hero image above the fold is prime real estate for our 

internal Centennial College stakeholders to promote events, programs, initiatives 

and any key messages that would be appropriate for an external audience. It is up 

to our Online Marketing Specialists to determine the best fit and site location for a 

message. 

Please abide by the following parameters: 

1280 x 720 pixels resolution 

24 FPS 

30 seconds or less in length 

No audio 

Slow motion (without lowering the clips FPS below 24). Please note that 

Marketing and Communications will determine if the video fits the brand 

standards prior to deploying to the production environment. 

Events – Any event, important date or special holiday should be added to the 

official Centennial College event calendar. 

Blog 


Guest bloggers are welcome to produce blog posts for the official Centennial 

College Blog. Please use the Marketing request forms to upload your blog 

submissions. 

Posts are typically around 500 words in length with a 700-word maximum and 

400-word minimum 

An eye-catching title is essential. It’s important to make it interesting without 

descending into full-on clickbait 

The aim of the Blog is student recruitment and engagement. So, the topic 

should always lead back to portraying the College as a place students want to 

be. This can be done through directly discussing what Centennial offers in 

terms of career and education development, or by highlighting the College’s 

unique activities, programs and courses


65 

The blog post’s tone should be conversational without being too informal. As a 

guest blogger, it’s OK to use your own voice as long as the language is 

appropriate and professional 

Include a few common Search Engine Optimization (SEO) search terms in the 

opening paragraphs. Utilize Google Trends 

Typically, blog entries are formatted into two or three sub-sections, with a title 

(heading 2) separating each section. However, this isn’t always the case. As a 

guest blogger, you’re free to put your own spin on it 


Try to include at least two hyperlinks in the story. For SEO purposes, the links 

should lead to trusted reputable websites outside the College and to internal 

College pages for programs, courses and other materials 

Your full name and title will be published at the bottom of the piece, so be sure 

to include it 

The title of the post must have a length of about 40-50 characters, including 

spaces 

Each post must come with a separate short “summary” paragraph that 

explains the piece. It may be a condensed, altered version of the story’s 

opening paragraph. Its length should be of about 150-170 characters, 

including spaces 

Each post must be accompanied by a single picture. The image must be a 

horizontal image (840 x 450px) 

Mobile 

The entire Centennial College website is optimized to be responsive for mobile 

and tablet devices. Responsive code is embedded within all video and image 

snippet codes, tables, accordion menus and content pages. If you are an 

Umbraco content editor and you are questioning the responsiveness of new 

content, please reach out to webupdates@centennialcollege.ca. 

Student Hub 

The Student Hub allows students to connect to myCentennial, eCentennial and 

myApplication to conduct all their school business. Students can also: 

Download essential student apps and upload myCard dollars 

Access essential school resources, including the IT Help Desk, Library, 

Athletics, the Centre for Students with Disabilities, Educational Pathways, 

Student Health and Wellness, Financial Aid, including Scholarships and 

Bursaries


66 

Learn about current events at the College and never miss an important date 

again! Our New Students section will highlight everything a student needs to 

know about getting started at Centennial College. We also have a complete 

guide for international students coming to Canada 

Centennial Central 

Centennial Central is our internal portal for everything an employee needs to 

be successful at the College. It provides a sense of community, with employeecentric 

photos, a “meet the team” section, news stories, email access, 

emergency notifications, awards and recognition, and polls. It also offers 

quick access to human resources, including benefits, pension, payroll and 

labour relations 


Employees can ask questions and engage with their colleagues by utilizing the 

interactive polls section right on the front page. The social media wall is also 

interactive, meaning a user can share, retweet and favourite right from the 

front page 

Downloadable forms, policies and documents ranked in order of most 

frequently downloaded reside on the front page of the site along with individual 

department pages 

Social Media 


Consistency – Consistency across all social media platforms is critical. It’s 

suggested you post at regular intervals, at approximately the same time of day. 

Posts can be scheduled in advance either on the platform itself or using a 

third-party social media management application tool like Hootsuite. It’s free to 

set up a basic account and it will help you manage your social adventure, all in 

one place 

Tone – Your tone should be friendly, informative, professional and 

conversational 

Target audiences – Be mindful of your primary and secondary audiences. 

You may belong to a single department/school, however you still represent the 

College as a whole 

Visual elements – It’s recommended every post on every platform contains a 

visual element, as posts with imagery perform better than those without 

▸ Images (photos and graphics) – Photos featuring behind-the-scenes, 

live-event action, students, staff and faculty “in-the-moment” are great 

examples of potential posts. Just don’t forget to obtain proper sign-off with 

the waiver and release form, which you can find on Centennial Central


67 

Accessibility 

Post types – Mix it up! Try posting different types of content such as videos, 

cinemagraphs, boomerangs, imagery, albums, quizzes, polls, blog posts, 

how-tos, etc 

Sharing is caring – Sharing with your audience applicable content from 

reputable sources and other College accounts is a great idea as it: 


▸ Provides your visitors with relevant and timely information they want and 

need (industry news and events) 

▸ Showcases you as a credible resource 

▸ Puts you in a better position to self-promote without coming off as too 

“salesy” 

If you’re sharing content – You should always provide your own perspective 

and give proper attribution by tagging sources using the “@” feature 

(e.g., where the article came from and who wrote it) 

Shorten and track – When posting URLs, use the link shortener bit.ly for more 

visually appealing links and to track click-throughs. If the content is being 

disseminated from a Centennial College handle, you can use our personalized 

vanity shortener, centenni.al. Check our Style Guide for instructions on 

formatting shortened URLs. If you require a URL to be shortened for social 

media purposes, please use the online request form located on the Centennial 

Central Marketing Resources page. 

Monitor comments and reviews – Regularly keep an eye on responses to your 

posts across all platforms. Students, alumni and other parties frequently reach 

out through social media with questions, comments and concerns, and expect 

to hear back in a timely manner. To maintain good public perception, it’s critical 

provide prompt and informational responses 

▸ Tip: You can monitor comments, mentions, engagement and other 

analytics for multiple social channels using Hootsuite.


68 

Marketing and Communications will grant certain departments and users 

access that allows for content to be scheduled on platforms other than their own. 

However, this content should, first and foremost, be scheduled and/or posted to 

your department-owned channels. College channels are a potential secondary 

option for cross-promotion. 

Posts you send to the main College accounts are deemed requests and we will 

consider all submissions. However, there is no guarantee these requests for 

cross-promotion will be granted. The digital marketing team considers various 

factors when determining whether or not content will be approved, including: 


Lead time: We request as much lead time as possible, with a minimum 48 

hour notice (exceptions may apply) 

Content value and audience: Posts must align with a large portion of our 

target audiences and provide them with some value 

Copy: Posts must be well written, concise and contain a call to action 

(e.g., learn more, register now, apply by March 1 

Post Imagery: All submitted posts must contain imagery that fits the sizing 

standards noted in the below platform overview 

Cover Photo Gallery 

We can work with you to help you infuse your social media presence with 

Centennial’s visual identity in your cover photo for Facebook, Twitter, Google+, 

LinkedIn and YouTube. Please contact webupdates@centennialcollege.ca for 

further assistance


69 

Social Media Planning Template 

The chart below is an example of how the Marketing and Communications team 

manages four of our social platforms, and the types of content posted to these 

channels. What your team can handle largely depends on the time and resources 

available for managing the selected platforms. We recommend beginning with 

smaller goals on only one or two platforms to successfully build your team’s 

social presence. 


▸ 4-8 posts/day 

▸ Every 1-2 hours 

▸ After hours posts 

do well between 

6-8pm 


▸ 1-3 posts/hour 


▸ Every 2 hours 

▸ 1 post/day 

▸ College/School/ 

department information 

▸ Photos 

▸ Photo albums 

▸ Events 

▸ Tweets with photos are 

better received than 

those without 

▸ Leverage popular/daily 

trends and hashtags 

▸ Student reminders and 

alerts 

▸ Photos 

▸ Videos (1 min. max) 

▸ Utilize popular hashtags 

(i.e., 

#MondayMotivation, 

#TBT) 

▸ Utilize re-posts 

▸ Career-focused info 

▸ Tips and advice 

▸ Geared to current 

students as well as 

alumni 

▸ Geared towards 

business professionals 

(“what’s happening at 

the College”) 

▸ Width: 1200 pixels 

▸ Height: 628 pixels 


▸ Height: 440 pixels 

▸ Width: 640/1080 

pixels 

▸ Height: 640/1080 

pixels 


▸ Height: 627 pixels


70 

Managing Negative Posts 

Start by documenting the negative post. Be sure to take a screen capture, 

noting the time, date, platform, the user’s handle/screen name, etc 

Delete the comments of and block any user who posts anything racist, 

derogatory, pornographic or otherwise inappropriate. Ignore comments simply 

intended to pick a fight (the public knows the difference between an actual 

issue and an internet troll). However, never delete or ignore negative comments 

with legitimate issues. These require a different tactic (see below) 


Managing negative posts is about acknowledging the issue, being sympathetic 

to how it may be affecting the user and keeping your cool by leaving your 

emotions out of it 

If you don’t know the answer to something, find out who does and either refer 

the user to a specific department or provide the answer yourself (if it’s 

straightforward). There may be others who have the same question, so it’s 

important to provide enough information for anyone reading the answer to 

understand (this is one reason responding in the public forum is good practice) 

Whatever you do, respond like a human (like you’re speaking to the person 

face-to-face, as much as possible). Avoid canned, robotic responses. If you feel 

comfortable, add your name and title to close the response 

If a negative user continues to rant after you have replied once (or twice in 

certain circumstances) and provided the information pertaining to the issue at 

hand, we recommend you stop responding 

Hashtags 

Hashtags are a great way to get more eyes on your content and aggregate content 

around a certain topic for years to come. If you’re looking for wider audience 

participation, you’ll want to use popular hashtags instead of Centennial-specific 

ones. However, also feel free to use the hashtags below and on the next page. 

Event 

Centennial Open House 

Convocation 

GCELE - Global Citizenship and Equity 

Learning Experiences 

Student Awards Night 


Hashtag 

#ChooseCentennial 

#DiscoverCentennial 

#CentennialGrad 

#GCELE 

#CCStudentAwards 

#CentennialCollege


71 

Mock Disaster 

Centennial Colts 

Career Week 

Mental Health Strategy 

Experience Centennial 

Engagement Week 

Centennial Wellness Kit 

Pride Centennial 

#CentennialMockD 

#ScreamGreen #GoColts 

#CareerWeekCC 

#CCLetsTalk 

#ExperienceCentennial 

#EngageCC 

#CCSurviveStress 

#PrideCentennial 


Instagram Stories Takeover Guidelines 

Pre-promotion of takeover: Before the big day, we need to spread the word 

about your takeover. Share the news on your social channels, especially on 

Instagram, and remember to direct users to Centennial’s Instagram account, 

@centennialcollege. We’ll also inform our audiences well in advance by posting 

across our platforms 

Introduction: Introduce yourself or the team taking over the account with a 

brief video explaining who you are, where you’re from and what followers can 

look forward to seeing 

Tone: Your tone should be friendly and conversational. 

What to post: 

▸ Posts should be 80 per cent video and 20 per cent photo for the best 

viewing experience for our audiences 

▸ Orientation for all posts should be portrait 

▸ Keep Instagram Stories between six and 10 posts. However, if there’s 

something amazing happening, feel free to keep adding. Just be cautious, 

as we don’t want viewers to get bored and overlook your content 

▸ Become a “live reporter” at events and behind-the-scenes activities and 

during everyday life. Be sure to explain to the audience what’s happening 

and what they’re looking at 

▸ Get creative! Use filters, stickers, boomerangs, superzooms, rewind, 

location and hashtag stickers and text double check for typos! 

Also, don’t forget to tag relevant accounts such as @coltsathletics, 

@ccsaitoronto and @centennialinternational


72 

▸ You can also try asking students or faculty quick questions, utilize polls, 

etc. Posts should be fun, interesting, and authentic. We want to 

showcase “real life” 

What NOT to post: It’s imperative the College maintains a high standard of 

conduct and positive public perception. As such, do not post anything the 

College would deem inappropriate such as drugs or alcohol, violence or 

threatening behaviour, and/or lewd content 


Ending your takeover: When it’s time to sign off, remember to let the viewers 

know. Wrap up your takeover with a simple, “Thanks for having me” or 

something more creative such as a video of you leaving the College or 

waving goodbye 

Snapchat Stories Takeover 

The above guidelines for Instagram Story takeovers also apply to Snapchat 

takeovers. Please see below for some additional Snapchat-specific guidelines 

Duration of daily My Story – Attention spans are short and Snap stories are 

easily exited. A good rule of thumb is to keep your stories under 90 seconds 

Sending snaps – Send all snaps to My Story as well as My Memories 

Saving snaps – At the end of every day, save the entire My Story, in addition to 

screenshotting the My Story views (send to webupdates@centennialcollege.ca) 

Saving messages – Save snap messages by holding your finger down on the 

text. You’ll have to do this for each individual message, as it won’t save the 

entire conversation. Messages you save will appear greyed out for both parties. 

You might want to save snap messages if you need to document inappropriate 

messages or to easily recall a conversation if you need to come back to a 

message later (since Snapchat erases all conversation history, daily) 

Video Guide 

Video captures the emotion, energy and natural visual interest of people, places 

and things. Like no other medium, video blends aspects of entertainment, 

education and information, making it a powerful communication tool. 

By tapping into the strength of the College’s storytelling approach, you can make 

videos with great impact and resonance.


73 

Brand Integration 

Every subject has many stories and many different ways of telling them. 

By applying key themes from Centennial’s brand platform, you can ensure that 

the story your video tells is aligned with, and benefits from, the brand’s reach 

and resonance. 

How do you integrate these themes into your videos? Try incorporating them into 

the questions you ask your subjects, and letting them inform your choice of music, 

filming style and emotion. 


Story Development 

Great stories are relatable, have an interesting and logical progression from 

problem to resolution, and connect with people on an emotional level. A few key 

practices can help you develop strong video stories. 

Establishing a Logical Flow 

▸ First, think about the overall flow of the piece. One best practice for 

effective storytelling is to break it down into three parts: 

▸ The beginning should focus on a relevant, relatable challenge or 

opportunity. Give some context for why the subject has taken the actions 

that your video will focus on 

▸ The middle gets into the heart of what the people in your video have done. 

Some challenges, setbacks or uncertainty can create tension that keeps 

viewers engaged 

▸ The end of a great story celebrates what the protagonists have achieved. 

If possible, feature people who have benefited from their efforts or have 

been touched by them 

Emotionally Engaging Your Viewers 

▸ You should establish the “mood” of the video during the pre-production 

phase. What should the audience feel when watching this video? 

You should be able move an audience emotionally through your choice 

of subject, music, the tone of the interview and your editing choices 

▸ Our nine brand tone words represent the unique character and persona of 

the Centennial brand and can assist in evoking sentiments in your video 

to emotionally engage viewers. Depending on the audience being 

addressed, certain tonalities can be emphasized or deemphasized


74 

Primary Video Elements 

Logos, Colours and Fonts 

Our logo is the most important and recognizable element of our brand’s identity. It 

is an icon that represents our organization to the outside world and acts as an 

identifying and unifying mark. Using the Centennial College logo, colours and font 

treatments can quickly and effectively bring the brand into your videos. 


You’ll find additional information regarding logos, colour palettes and fonts within 

this Brand Guide Book. 

For video purposes, the centred College logo is recommended. Because of its 

construction, it works best when centred within the frame. For legibility, we 

recommend using the full-colour logo against a solid background as the end 

bumper on any video piece. 

For a 1920px by 1080px video sequence, we recommend a logo that is sized at 

585.827px by 188.297px 

Text on Screen 

The most common text on screen takes the form of “lower-thirds,” which is the 

term used to title an individual subject or location. 

We recommend a two-line format for the presentation of lower-thirds, where the 

first line is the subject’s name and the second line is the subject’s title, degree, 

area of study, affiliation, etc. Utilize a single-line format when a two-line format is 

not applicable or necessary. 

Franklin Gothic URW and Open Sans are the preferred fonts for lower-thirds, styled 

with kerning set to 180 points. Size the first line at 50 points and the second at 

40 points, as shown in the example that follows. 

Our recommended placement of lower-thirds is at the bottom left or right of the 

screen, depending on the composition or location of the subject. Justify the text 

left or right accordingly. Always place lower-thirds within the title safe area, which, 

on a 1920px by 1080px frame, would be 120px from the left or right of the frame 

and 120px from the bottom of the frame.


75 

EXAMPLE 


Lower 

Thirds 

Lower 

Thirds


76 

Podcast Guidelines 

Check that the topic of your podcast has not been covered either on Centennial 

College’s site or on the wider Internet. If it has been covered, strategize ways 

your podcast can stand out 

Make notes about what you want to say before recording. You don’t need to 

stick to a script but notes will help you stay on track. Create an outline to 

reference as the podcast goes along 


Do proper research on your topic before presenting the podcast 

Make sure any people, organizations, products or programs in the podcast are 

properly named and you know the correct pronunciation in advance. Spelling 

out the names also helps if they’re tricky to a listener 

Keep the production professional by using professional recording equipment 

To ensure the audio is adequate, make a test recording before starting 

your podcast 

Clearly tell listeners the topic of your podcast at the start of the recording 

If you’re interviewing someone, prepare questions in advance to go along with 

your notes. Don’t be afraid to diverge from your notes if the interview goes to 

interesting places. When interviewing your guest, be sure to give him or her 

time to speak and don’t interrupt 

Podcasts don’t need to be long. Don’t feel obligated to fill an hour or or even 30 

minutes. Listeners are more likely to pick up and stay tuned to a shorter 

podcast, since it’ll take up less of their time. When in doubt, keep it simple 

Speaking of keeping it simple, don’t include music to fill time unless music is 

the point of the podcast. Also, keep to a minimum the usage of any other 

production elements such as sound effects 

Don’t be afraid to edit your audio a little bit but don’t alter it too heavily. 

For example, it’s a good idea to clip out long stretches of silence 

Listen to your recorded audio in full to ensure the content and technical 

aspects are of high, professional quality 

Provide program notes when you release your podcast, including links to 

anything you talk about 

If you discuss things that you are passionate about, your podcast will be 

interesting and resonate with your audience


77 

Web Elements 

Our digital platforms are some of our most widely used and visible communication 

vehicles, making them effective outlets for a wide variety of content. At the same 

time, our locally managed approach to web and interactive communications 

allows for creativity and enables each unit to effectively correspond with its 

respective audiences. 


Apply the elements described in this guide — fonts and headings — to create web 

pages that align with the Centennial brand. Doing so also provides a cohesive 

user experience that looks and feels consistent with other Centennial digital 

properties. 

These web elements can be used to build Centennial-branded web pages. 

They include font styles and hierarchies, photo ratios, and page elements. 

Digital Elements 

Logo 

Photography 

Brand colours 

Consistent writing or brand voice 

Font hierarchy


78 

Desktop 

Brand elements 

Approved Centennial 

photography or video* 


Title 

Font: Anton 

Effects: All caps 

Colour: White and 


*Images, logos and documents are stored in the Centennial digital asset management 

system, Widen. The videos are from the Centennial YouTube/Vimeo channels.


79 

Desktop Initiative / Departmental Brand 

Initiative brand 

elements 

Authentic Centennial 

photography or video* 


Title 

Font: Anton 

Effects: All caps 

Colour: White and 


Departmental brand elements 

Initiative brand icon 

*Images, logos and documents are stored in the Centennial digital asset management 

system, Widen. The videos are from the Centennial YouTube/Vimeo channels.


80 

Typography Hierarchy 

HEADING 1 


HEADING 2 

HEADING 3 

HEADING 4


81 

Mobile Display – Responsive Design 

Centennial College Brand Guide


82 

Tablet Display – Responsive Design 

Centennial College Brand Guide

Design Terminology 

83 

Design Terminology 

CMYK, sometimes referred to as four-colour process — or just process — uses 

cyan, magenta, yellow and black inks. CMYK is used for both offset and digital 

printing of full-colour images 

Spot colour, also referred to as PMS, uses the Pantone Matching System. Spot 

colours provide uniformity when producing colour as they are printed with a 

predefined ink mixture on a single plate. They are primarily used in offset 

printing but can sometimes be accommodated in a digital run 


Resolution should be a minimum of 300 dpi (dots per inch) for printing and 

72 ppi (pixels per inch) for web and mobile 

RGB colour is made up of red, green and blue hues that should be used in 

digital design for display on computer screens, televisions and mobile

See where 

experience 

takes you.

1 - BRAND BOOK [2018 August]

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