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look and feel

look and feel
Use full bleed impactful images
Use simple & intriguing headlines.
graphic elements add humour
make text clearly legible
maps are handy
design. less is more
use brand colours to fit design
Keep layouts simple and clean.
Use down to earth paper

look and feel

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The way we design and communicate should reflect the way we are. Take this page from a golfing mailer for example, it's unconventional. It's not your typical golfing shot where men with diamond pattern jumpers impressively whack golf balls into the distance. Instead it talks about Wales as if it were one gigantic golf course, which is a more original way to talk about Welsh golfing. It's simple, clean and not too over the top. It is what it is. The way Wales is.

Click more top tips below.

IMAGESLIDE image: look and feel

Use full bleed impactful images

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They show off Wales. Take the Wales Millennium Centre, if you're going to show a glorious image of it you might as well give it as much space as possible. You can use smaller supporting images to add texture, but not too many, or it'll end up looking cluttered. Keep framing simple and consistent, so as not to distract from the image. Be big, be bold. There's a lot of Wales worth celebrating.

See the section on this site for more photography tips.

IMAGESLIDE image: Use full bleed impactful images

Use simple & intriguing headlines.

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They draw people in and make them want to read more. And if you want to add more interest, unusual placement works well. But remember only do it when it’s relevant, like with trees and art.

IMAGESLIDE image: Use simple & intriguing headlines.

graphic elements add humour

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They are friendly and fun. A graphic lobster can liven things up no end. But use them carefully. If you start putting them all over the place, no one will appreciate them when they do appear.

IMAGESLIDE image: graphic elements add humour

make text clearly legible

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Text isn't much use if no one can read it. So try and keep it above 12pt. Especially if it’s on a rougher paper like newsprint. And if it's going over a picture make sure it sits on an area of solid colour, blue skies are great for that.

For more information on our typeface see the secetion on this site.

IMAGESLIDE image: make text clearly legible

maps are handy

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Use them so people know where you're talking about. But don't make them too complicated. Just enough information so that people roughly know that that's next to that, and that other place is near there.

IMAGESLIDE image: maps are handy

design. less is more

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We're not ones for fussiness or flashiness here in Wales. That goes for design too. Don't be afraid to be single minded. A simple idea and a simple execution can say a lot more than a bombardment of information and pictures. Take this St David's Day gift pack. It contains a real bunch of daffodils and an 'Instant Florist' flower arranger thingy. It's not over the top or glitzy. It's just a memorable Welsh way to say happy St David's Day.

IMAGESLIDE image: design. less is more

use brand colours to fit design

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Our main brand colours are red, black, grey, and green. We have lots of other colours in our supporting palette, but use them sparingly, it shouldn't look like a colour explosion. Take this brochure spread.
The blocks of colours are used to highlight the text on the side while also picking up the colours in the photographs. And there's still room for lots of white space which keeps them clean and tidy.

For more information about our colour palette see the section on this site.

IMAGESLIDE image: use brand colours to fit design

Keep layouts simple and clean.

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It's all about getting the balance right between the pictures and the words, with lots of white space thrown in. That way the elements won't feel like they're fighting each other. If a page is well laid out then people will understand it intuitively. Then they can get on with reading about Sherpas.

IMAGESLIDE image: Keep layouts simple and clean.

Use down to earth paper

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Nothing too shiny or spangly. We use sustainable paper stock with a natural finish, which not only looks nice but is also recycled. So it's good for the environment. Uncoated is best and avoid laminates and UV varnishes.

See the section on this site for more information on paper use.

IMAGESLIDE image: Use down to earth paper

logos

Our Logos are an important part of the Wales brand identity. They convey our brand values and help tie together our messages across different markets. Click the link for more information

colour palette

Our colour palette is a key part of the brand identity for Wales. Using these colours in a consistent way will help to make all of our Wales communications distinctive and easily recognised. Click the link for more information.

type face

It is important that all materials produced under the Wales brand use one common typeface/font. This consistency aids recognition and ensures that materials from different sectors appear to be from the same 'family when used together. Click the link for more information.

photography

We should present a clear picture of what Wales is really like. The photographs we use should reflect the brand values and distinctive things that make Wales what it is. Click the link for more information about photographic styling and the image library.

paper

Paper

The paper we print on should reflect our brand values and have a natural look and feel. Click the link for more information.

best practice

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look and feel

look and feel

Use full bleed impactful images

Use simple & intriguing headlines.

graphic elements add humour

make text clearly legible

maps are handy

design. less is more

use brand colours to fit design

Keep layouts simple and clean.

Use down to earth paper

the Wales brand

communicating the brand

best practice

gallery

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