Metro marketing and information guidelines Contents Contents Our visual identity 3 Ticketing and Gating About the style guide 7 TVM banners 56 Logo usage 21 Validators 57 Corporate colours 23 Gating vinyls 58 Typefaces 24 Stationery Pictograms 25 Control Centre 59 Leaflets Metro Depot 60 Front covers 26 memo 61 Back cover 32 Appendix 1 Poster templates 33-41 Destination lists 62-71 Margin reference 42 Appendix 2 Carriage Cards 43 Onward Travel Station posters and timetable quantities 72 Route map 44 Station timtables 45-46 Onward Travel 47 Destination lists 49 Passenger charter 50 Safety and Security 51 Engineering 52 Major Line Closure 53 Escalator Safety 54 Emergency notice boards 55 Metro Marketing design guide 2 Our visual identity Our visual identity for Metro, has been developed specifically to reflect and convey our vision and values in our communications. Using it we communicate our vision for service excellence to our customers, partner organisations, the media and the local people of Tyne and Wear. These guidelines provide comprehensive information on how to produce communications material in our visual identity. We also include plenty of examples so you can see how our guidelines can be applied creatively and effectively. Our goal in these guidelines is simple: to provide a framework that makes it easy to develop clear, consistent and creative communications which reflect and reinforce our brand. These guidelines are not static and we expect them to evolve and respond to the new applications and challenges of running our business. Metro Marketing design guide 3 From values to visuals Metro is part of everyday life for all the people of Tyne ­ and Wear. So it’s vitally important that we respect the different needs of our customers by ensuring that our communications are inclusive, legible and accessible. We can do this by thinking carefully about the language and imagery we use as well as the way that we lay out our communications. In this guide we include a style guide to provide consistency in Metro information and a Make more of summer. Enjoy unlimited travel with a Metro DaySaver. range of layout grids to help with layout, typefaces and colour. nexus.org.uk/metro @My_Metro /mymetrotw Major line closure To allow for modernisation Haymarket to Airport and Four Lane Ends Sunday 4 August to Friday 30 August Northumberland West Airport Bank Foot Fawdon Regent Centre Longbenton Benton Park Monkseaton Four Lane Ends Palmersville Shiremoor Monkseaton Callerton Kingston Wansbeck South Gosforth Parkway Park Road Whitley Bay Ilford Road West Jesmond Cullercoats The coast Jesmond Haymarket Chillingham Meadow Tynemouth Newcastle City Centre Monument Road Wallsend Howdon Well St James Manors Byker Walkergate Hadrian Road Percy Main North Shields Central Station River Tyne Gateshead Felling Pelaw Jarrow Simonside Chichester Hebburn Bede Tyne Dock South Heworth Gateshead Shields Stadium Brockley Whins Main Bus Interchange Fellgate East Boldon Rail Interchange Seaburn Ferry Stadium of Light Park and Ride St Peter’s nexus.org.uk/metro River Wear Sunderland City Centre Sunderland Pallion University South Hylton Millfield Park Lane During the closure no trains will run between Trains will be running between the following Haymarket, Airport and Four Lane Ends. locations but not to the usual timetable. Bus replacement services will run frequently, - South Shields and Haymarket calling at or close to all affected stations. - South Hylton and Haymarket Metro tickets will be sold on the buses and your - Four Lane Ends and St James season ticket/Pop card will be valid. (Monday to Friday, 6:18am-8:42am and 3:42pm-5:54pm - Bus 900 Haymarket to Four Lane Ends every other train will begin at Longbenton, excluding - Bus 901 Haymarket to Airport Bank Holiday Monday) - Bus X901 Central to Airport - express service, - St James and Four Lane Ends stopping at St James only (Monday to Friday, 7:08am-9:32am and 4:32pm-6:42pm every other train will continue to Longbenton, If you usually interchange at South Gosforth, please excluding Bank Holiday Monday) note there are two bus replacement stop locations, Station Road and Haddricks Mill Road (near The For specific train times or help planning your Brandling Villa pub). Only bus 901 will stop at both journey call 0191 20 20 747 or use the Journey locations, bus 900 will stop on Haddricks Mill Road Planner at nexus.org.uk or traveline.info only. If travelling from South of the Tyne towards Approximate bus replacement journey times: Northumberland Park we suggest you travel by - Haymarket to Airport - about 55 mins Metro via Monument and Wallsend (and vice versa). - Haymarket to Four Lane Ends - about 27 mins - Express service Central to Airport - about 23 mins From Saturday 31 August we will run to all stations and to normal timetable. Your journey will take longer so please leave extra time for travel. Updates on modernisation work are available at @My_Metro and /mymetrotw nexus.org.uk/metro M ETRO Metro Marketing design guide 4 Our vision and values There are few people living in Tyne and Wear whose daily lives are not touched in some way by Metro. It might be getting to work, or taking the children to school. It might be a day out shopping, a family trip to the coast or enjoying a night out on the town without worrying who will be driving home. We aim to provide a service which is ‘part of everyday life’. We also aim to provide, plan and promote a public transport service which can improve the economic prosperity of Tyne and Wear, and the daily lives of its people. The £350m Metro: all change modernisation programme will deliver improvements which are focused on the needs of our customers but looking to the future, will create the travel networks people will want to use in decades to come. Metro Marketing design guide 5 The Metro brand The Metro brand is how the customer identifies with us. It’s formed by a combination of factors, not just from Target audience Commuters marketing, advertising or PR, but from all areas where Leisure goers the company interacts with customers. Students Users and non-users For example, the conditions of the stations, train Brand values Brand Car users reliability, behaviour of staff and information sent out. Quality personality Modern Honest/open Progressive We must strive to communicate the same message as Positive Part of everyday all of the above factors have an impact on how our Positioning life/community customers view Metro. ‘Part of everyday life’ How people How customers want to feel The brand wheel captures these different elements want to be seen Safe which contribute to the Metro brand: Important Relaxed Valued What customers Comfortable want Security Reliable and frequent train service Information Convenience Affordability Metro Marketing design guide 6 1 About this style guide The aim of this guide is to provide total consistency for Metro information. The suggested styles within this document will apply for all information; however, there may be exceptions in some circumstances. Where this occurs Nexus will supply the approved versions. 2 Write for your audience Always bear in mind who you are targeting. Be concise. Do use: • short sentences (keep it to the point) average 15-20 words • simple, everyday words (try to use words people will be searching for) • a friendly tone (talk to your reader) - say, ‘you’, ‘we’ (it makes it sound more personal) • a friendly/welcoming tone Don’t use: • jargon or technical language • complicated words • repetition • too much detailed information/’welcome’ messages Metro Marketing design guide 7 3 DDA compliance It is important to use plain English that avoids jargon and abbreviations. For people with vision impairments the most important issues are the size of text, contrast of text against background and the avoidance of italics, stylised typefaces and capitalisation. Always left align text with a ragged right-hand edge. This keeps the words all the same distance apart. (Justified text leads to gaps that can be mistaken for the end of a sentence.) Finally, avoid the use of words that are considered unacceptable by disabled people. Not acceptable: Acceptable: The disabled Disabled people Handicapped - Wheelchair-bound Wheelchair user Disabled toilet Accessible toilet The blind Vision impaired Metro Marketing design guide 8 4 Simple words Simplicity is the key to understanding. Short words in short sentences present the audience with fewer obstacles to comprehension. For example: • Assistance - help • Numerous - many • Attempt - try • Discontinue - stop • Subsequently - later. 5 Jargon Try to avoid jargon. Try to replace it with real accessible language instead. For example, the company says the new model will cause a paradigm shift. Avoid the jargon by saying, it’s a big change in the generally accepted point of view. 6 Abbreviations Avoid unnecessary abbreviations. If you have to use abbreviations, spell out the word or explain what it is when it first occurs (eg Network Ticketing Limited (NTL), Concessionary Travel (CT)). After this it is acceptable to continue with the abbreviation. When using abbreviations, there should be no full stop. The only common exception to the rule is ‘no.’ when standing for ‘number’. Metro Marketing design guide 9 7 Capitalisation Always keep capitals to a minimum. Using too many The first word of a direct quotation which is a sentence: capital letters is distracting to the eye, spoils the Metro Director, John Brown, said: “We are determined to appearance of the page and makes reading difficult. crackdown on a minority of people who think they can get away with travelling on Metro without a ticket.” Never write in all capitals as this can be difficult for But there is no capital letter if the quotation is not a partially sighted people to read.