Illustration WGU ILLUSTRATIONS
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WGU | STYLE GUIDE Illustration WGU ILLUSTRATIONS Illustration is one of our most important forms of communication. It has the power to capture and convey both abstract and complicated ideas quickly, then etch those ideas into the mind of the viewer. Illustrations not only decorate, they inform and inspire. WGU’s illustrative style combines strong organic shapes, flat fields of color, and subtle linear elements to create a progressive, contemporary look. ILLUSTRATION STYLE COLORS The WGU brand uses a bold, fluid color palette designed for flexibility across a broad array of communication mediums. Our illustrations use the same color palette to maintain brand consistency while allowing the illustrator a wide range of creative expression. COLOR PALETTE WGU PALETTE WGU Blue (Pantone 540) is the primary color for all WGU communications and should remain the primary color in layouts that use WGU illustrations. Our Secondary Blue (Pantone 2209), grays, and whites also play an important role in the WGU palette. Colors used in our illustrations should never overpower those predominant colors. WGU’s color palette also includes accent colors chosen to complement those blues and grays. These accent colors and their tints offer strong support to our primary blues in WGU illustrations. PRIMARY COLORS WGU Blue (Primary Blue) WGU Light Blue (Secondary Blue) WGU Blue is the core of our brand WGU Light Blue is complementary to identity and should always be our primary color, WGU Blue, and is the primary color in any university designated for the state name in our communication. WGU Blue is used in state logo-and-tagline lockups and our brand logo-and-tagline lockup. In department logos. It is also used illustrations, it is the suggested color for in the background elements of linear elements and often becomes our WGU’s illustrations. PRINT CMYK 66 12, 57, 100, PANTONE 540 CMYK 19 23, 23, 79, background color. PANTONE 2209 PRINT RGB RGB 0, 48, 87 73, 134, 160 WEB HEX: 003057 HEX: 4986AD WEB WGU STYLE GUIDE 2 Blue PMS-540 should never be used at less than full-strength. than less at be used never should PMS-540 Blue Primary WGU’s illustrations. WGU in be used should below represented tints color the Only details.) more for Illustrious” the “Using (See color. full-strength the of tint a50% as or full-strength either at illustrations in used are palette WGU’s in colors The TINTS ILLUSTRATION elements. background illustration’s the in color the as or elements, linear illustration’s an of color primary the as serve can that gray of shades recommended three provide palette illustration our in colors neutral The COLORS NEUTRAL COLORS SECONDARY communications. Accent colors and their tints often play a primary role in WGU illustrations. WGU in role aprimary play often tints their and colors Accent communications. our to energy visual add and attention attract to chosen colors bold five of consists palette accent The ACCENT COLORS 164, 194, 207 164, 194, PANTONE 99, 102, 106 COOL GRAY HEX: A4C2CF 2209 50% 63666A HEX: 10 PANTONE 80, 158, 47 158, 80, HEX: 509E2F HEX: 362 RGB CMYK RGB 79, 23, 23, 19 50% CMYK 40, 30, 20, 66 RGB CMYK WEB PRINT 78, 0, 100, 2 WEB PRINT WEB PRINT 167, 206, 151 206, 167, PANTONE 151, 153, 155 HEX: A7CE97 362 50% COOL GRAY PANTONE 246, 190, 0 190, 246, HEX: 97999B HEX: 7 HEX: F6BE00 7408 RGB CMYK 78, 0, 100, 2 50% RGB CMYK RGB CMYK WEB PRINT 20, 14, 12, 40 0, 29, 100, 0 WEB PRINT WEB PRINT 250, 198, 150 198, 250, PANTONE HEX: FAC696 715 50% 46 141, 246, PANTONE 217, 217, 214 217, 217, COOL GRAY HEX: F68D2E 715 HEX: D9D9D6 RGB CMYK 1 0, 54, 87, 0 50% RGB CMYK WEB PRINT RGB CMYK 0, 54, 87, 0 4, 2, 4, 8 WEB PRINT WEB PRINT 194, 146, 153 146, 194, PANTONE HEX: C29299 202 50% PANTONE 134, 38, 51 38, 134, HEX: 862633 202 RGB CMYK 9, 100, 64, 48 50% RGB CMYK WEB PRINT 9, 100, 64, 48 WEB PRINT 201, 152, 198 152, 201, PANTONE HEX: C998C6 513 50% 147, 50, 142 PANTONE HEX: 93326E 513 RGB CMYK 53, 99, 0, 0 50% RGB CMYK WEB PRINT 53, 99, 0, 0 WEB PRINT 217, 217, 214 217, 217, COOL GRAY HEX: D9D9D6 7 50% RGB CMYK 20, 14, 12, 40 50% WEB PRINT 3 WGU STYLE GUIDE TEXTURES AND LINEAR ELEMENTS TRANSPARENCY, GRADIENTS, AND TEXTURES Transparencies, gradients, and textures are not used in WGU illustrations; they utilize only flat fields of color. ORGANIC SHAPES & OFF-CENTER DESIGN ELEMENTS The WGU illustration style incorporates organic shapes and graphic elements that give the final product an unpredictable energy. That energy is further enhanced through the asymmetrical alignment of many of its background elements. ORGANIC SHAPES Organic shapes OFF-CENTER DESIGN ELEMENTS Off-center design elements WGU STYLE GUIDE 4 LINEAR ELEMENTS All WGU illustrations make use of some linear element in the main focal area of the illustration. That linear element can be straight or it can have a flowing organic quality, but it should always retain an uncomplicated simplicity. Organic elements Straight elements STROKE COLOR Linear elements used in WGU illustrations should always be in either WGU Blue (Pantone 540), Black, Cool Gray 10, or White. WGU Blue Black Cool Gray 10 White Pantone 540 STROKE WEIGHT We default to a 1pt stroke for WGU illustrations. STROKE CAPS AND CORNERS The stroke in linear elements in WGU illustrations uses the round cap and round join settings. WGU STYLE GUIDE 5 USING THE ILLUSTRATIONS PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER Putting all of these elements together for use in a practical setting is best achieved by following simple guidelines that vary based on the color of the background the illustration appears on. DARK BACKGROUNDS When illustrations appear on a dark background the stroke of the illustration will default to white. Fill colors for background elements will default to the full-color versions of any of the colors from our Accent Color pallet (See “Accent Colors” section). No color tints should be used. Special Note: Hero Illustrations (see “Hero Illustrations” below) that appear on a dark background should include a white box that contains and organizes any background elements. Dark background White stroke color Full-color fills LIGHT BACKGROUNDS When illustrations appear on a light background, the stroke of the illustration will default to Primary Blue, Black, or Cool Gray 10. Fill colors for background elements will default to the colors shown on our Illustration Tints (See “Illustration Tints” section). No full-color versions of our colors should be used. Light background WGU Primary Blue, Black, or Cool Gray 10 stroke color Tinted fill-colors (See “Illustration Tints” section) WGU STYLE GUIDE 6 TWO KINDS OF ILLUSTRATION HERO AND SPOT ILLUSTRATION These rules apply to illustrations that fall into one of two categories: Hero or Spot Illustration. These two approaches to illustration fill distinct needs. HERO ILLUSTRATION Hero Illustrations are used to tell complex stories. They typically feature one large central element, often a person, surrounded by illustrative elements that continue the visual narrative. HERO ILLUSTRATIONS: BACKGROUND & FOREGROUND The visual information that is represented in Hero Illustrations is more complex then that used in Spot Illustration. For this reason we approach the foreground and background of Hero Illustrations in different ways. FOREGROUND ELEMENTS The elements that appear in the foreground of Hero Illustrations carry the primary part of the visual messaging of the Illustration. They should stand out. For this reason, the foreground elements of a Hero Illustration will utilize full-color versions of the colors from our Accent Color pallet (See “Accent Colors” section). BACKGROUNDS ELEMENTS Elements that appear in the background of a Hero Illustration convey the illustration’s secondary information and should not overpower the primary information conveyed by the foreground information. For this reason background elements in a Hero Illustration use the less prominent colors from our Illustration Tints palette (See “Illustration Tints” section). Background elements Foreground elements WGU STYLE GUIDE 7 Special Note: Hero Illustrations that appear on a dark background should include a white box that contains and organizes any background elements. With this exception, Hero Illustrations that appear on a dark background follow the same rules as Hero Illustrations that appear on a light background. Containing box Dark Background SPOT ILLUSTRATION Spot Illustrations are simple visualizations of ideas that will be used as stand-alone pieces. While they are often simple distillations of a single idea, they can also be dynamic narratives of larger concepts. WGU STYLE GUIDE 8.