AMA Style Guide - American Marketing Association

American Marketing Association
Style Guide
Connecting. Informing. Advancing.

Table of Contents
Introduction
AMA Brand Building Blocks 3
Copy Tone 4
Design 5
Logo and Tagline 6
Color Palette 7
Acceptable Photography 8
Unacceptable Photography 9
Type Treatment 10
Motifs and Patterns 11
2

The Brand Building Blocks
Any discussion of the graphic standards
for the AMA must start with a thorough
understanding of the AMA’s mission and
value to the marketing community.
Connecting.
Informing.
Advancing.
After talking at length with AMA members
and marketing professionals about their
perceptions of the AMA versus other
marketing organizations, these three words
were chosen to express the AMA’s unique
proposition and value to the art and science
of marketing.
They constitute a terse anthem, reflecting
both the needs of our members and the
unique strengths of our association. They
are, in short, our raison d’être.
They are the inspiration for how we
should position everything the AMA
offers, combined with our well-defined
brand platform.
Attributes defined by AMA brand statements
Vision (To Be)
To be the leading marketing
resource and network, where the
best marketing talent gathers
to advance the profession of
marketing worldwide.
Mission (To Do)
The AMA is a professional association
for individuals and organizations
leading the practice, teaching and
development of marketing worldwide.
Our principal roles are:
Connecting: Serving as a conduit to
foster sharing knowledge and building
relationships.
Informing: Providing resources,
education, and career and professional
development opportunities.
Advancing: Promoting/supporting
marketing practice, thought leadership
and career success.
Brand Essence
(To Feel)
The AMA empowers me by
providing resources that inspire,
nurture and motivate me. I can
count on the AMA to keep my
marketing knowledge current and
provide a place where I can give
and seek advice and contribute to
something bigger than myself.
Brand Positioning
(To Say)
For marketing leaders, thinkers and
doers, the AMA is the only organization
that brings together marketing across
all specialities to collaborate and
inspire one another. Through relevant
information, comprehensive education
and targeted networking, the AMA
assists marketers in deepening their
expertise, elevating their careers and,
ultimately, achieving better results.
3

Copy Tone
From the Brand Statement, it is apparent
that the AMA strives to be a dynamic,
industry-leading organization, instrumental
in stimulating new thinking and enabling
individual career success.
Our copy should always reflect these
values, inspiring confidence in the AMA’s
singular ability to provide the information
and support that marketers need.
Copy should reflect a positive, practical
attitude, tackling even the most complicated
and pressing issues head-on, using clear,
straightforward language. Copy should
never use unnecessary jargon or
stilted language.
Clear. Concise. Positive. Keep the copy
simple, upbeat and inspiring.
Clear.
Concise.
Positive.
4

Design
The graphic motif has been carefully crafted
to evoke the unique and valuable qualities
of the organization. By adhering to the
motif as closely as possible, the AMA will
project a consistent and professional image
throughout all touch points with members,
prospective members and the marketing
community at large.
Important Elements
The motif is based on several key elements.
Used in combination, these elements present
the image of a dynamic, innovative and
authoritative organization.
Central to the motif is the radius-cornered
screen—a highly stylized representation of
the ubiquitous LCD or LED screen on which
so many of us depend for information, from
handheld PDAs and laptops, to 52-inch
plasma TVs.
The screens are used as a framing device to
present information or illuminate key ideas
with visual support.
Organized into patterns, the screens are
also used to evoke the AMA’s vital role in
connecting marketers with information and
with one another.
Finally, through the use of bold colors
and dynamic, high-contrast photography
treatments, the motif inspires confidence in
the AMA’s ability to advance the theory and
practice of marketing.
Always Innovating
This guide will help you combine these
elements in a style that is consistent yet
varied enough to accommodate virtually
any communication need.
But remember, these are guidelines, not
laws. The AMA must and always will stand
for creativity and innovation.
So please read this document carefully
and use the guidelines to help create a
consistent tone and feel for the AMA. Then
feel free to experiment, evolve and explore,
finding new ways within the brand look and
feel to communicate the AMA’s core values:
Connecting. Informing. Advancing.
Evolution of the
AMA Graphic Motif
5

Logo and Tagline
The AMA logo must be paired with the
phrase “Connecting. Informing. Advancing.”
once on every piece.
The use of this tagline should follow these
guidelines:
• “Connecting. Informing. Advancing.”
must always be separated by periods.
• In printed media, it must always be in the
Swis721 BT font. It may be used in hTMLfriendly
fonts for web-based pieces.
here are some examples of acceptable
ways to pair “Connecting. Informing.
Advancing.” with the AMA logo.
Connecting. Informing. Advancing.
Connecting. Informing. Advancing.
Connecting. Informing. Advancing.
Connecting.
Informing.
Advancing.
Connecting. Informing. Advancing.
6

Color Palette
The color palette is very diverse and is meant
to serve as a guide, rather than a strict rule
for colors.
Generally speaking, the palette is vibrant
and bold. It is unacceptable to use pale,
pastel colors, or muddy, dark colors.
Often, there are times when an illuminating
effect is used. A radial gradient with the
lighter color at the center and the darker color
at the edges lends itself to this technique.
Unacceptable Palettes
Pastels or Pale Shades of Color Are Unacceptable
Acceptable Color Palette
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Dark Red
c: 16
m: 100
y: 100
k: 7
r: 194
g: 32
b: 38
Pantone 1807 C
Pantone 137 C
Pantone 7495 C
Pantone 7461 C
Pantone 266 C
Pantone
Cool Gray 4 C
Pantone
Warm Gray 7 C
Light Red
c: 0
m: 82
y: 100
k: 0
r: 240
g: 85
b: 35
Pantone 179 C
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Dark Orange
c: 0
m: 32
y: 100
k: 0
r: 253
g: 181
b: 21
Light Orange
c: 2
m: 20
y: 57
k: 0
r: 247
g: 203
b: 128
Pantone 135 C
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Dark Green
c: 48
m: 21
y: 100
k: 2
Dark Blue
c: 73
m: 28
y: 0
k: 0
Dark Purple
c: 72
m: 76
y: 0
k: 0
r: 144
g: 164
b: 59
r: 51
g: 150
b: 211
r: 99
g: 86
b: 165
Dark Heather Gray
c: 23
m: 19
y: 16
k: 0
r: 196
g: 194
b: 198
Dark Charcoal Gray
c: 68
m: 61
y: 60
k: 47
r: 64
g: 64
b: 64
Light Green
c: 17
m: 0
y: 100
k: 0
Light Blue
c: 50
m: 7
y: 1
k: 0
Light Purple
c: 48
m: 50
y: 0
k: 0
r: 222
g: 226
b: 29
r: 117
g: 195
b: 234
r: 140
g: 130
b: 190
Light Heather Gray
c: 5
m: 4
y: 3
k: 0
r: 237
g: 237
b: 239
Light Charcoal Gray
c: 0
m: 0
y: 0
k: 69
r: 79
g: 79
b: 79
Pantone 381 C
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Pantone 297 C
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Pantone 265 C
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Pantone 7541 C
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Pantone 424 C
7

Acceptable
Uses of Photography Style
and Content
Bold, heroic photographs set the tone for the
new style of AMA imagery.
To highlight these bold images, the
background has been desaturated, while the
contrast and saturation of the foreground
content have been exaggerated.
Usage of both people and technology is
acceptable.
Keynote Speaker Photography
One important speaker may get individual
treatment (e.g., the New Photo examples at
right), but if several are used together, their
photographs should be made consistent in
quality and style. One possibility is to convert
them to black and white. They could then be
featured on vibrant, illuminated backgrounds
inside radius-cornered enclosures.
Examples of Speaker Photos
Original Photo Original Photo
New Photo
New Photo
8

Unacceptable
Uses of Photography Style
and Content
The AMA is looking toward the future, and its
photography should reflect this thought. It is
unacceptable to use dated, overused, cliché
stock photography.
here are some examples of unacceptable
stock photography.
The AMA Image Library
The AMA is providing royalty-free images,
in the AMA style, for use in your marketing
materials. Additional images may be provided
as they come available.
9

Type Treatment
The Swis721 BT family should be used in
printed pieces. (hTML-friendly fonts can be
used for web-based pieces.)
If room permits, headlines should use the
extended versions of Swis721. however, it
is acceptable to use other, more distinctive
fonts as headlines if they lend themselves to
the tone or spirit of a particular project.
If for some reason you are unable to use
Swis721, the helvetica Neue font family is an
acceptable alternative.
headline Fonts
Swis721 Ex BT
Swis721 Ex BT
Swis721 LtEx BT
Primary Fonts for Body Copy
Swis721 BT
Swis721 BT
Swis721 Lt BT
Sample
10

Motifs and Patterns
As stated in the introduction of this style
guide, the screens are used as a framing
device to present information or illuminate
key ideas with visual support.
There are several ways to creatively use these
elements. For example:
• On a slant as in Fig. 1, or straight up
and down.
• As a path that highlights focal points. In
Fig. 1, the path directs your eye to the
image and leads into the special offer
message. In Fig. 2a, the path is more
playful and staggered.
• As a subtle background pattern (Fig. 2a
enlargement).
• Also, as Fig. 2a shows, gradients can be
used in color bars. This can be a design
element or used to highlight copy.
Fig. 4 illustrates how text can easily
be incorporated inside the radiuscornered
box.
• As accents (Fig. 3).
Fig. 1: Screens as Framing Devices
As a marketer what are you
doing to improve your
marketability?
Get ahead in 2010 with an
AMA Membership.
Special offer
inside!
Fig. 2a: Screens as Staggered Framing Devices and as Background Pattern
Special
Membership
Offer!
Now 6/18
Click for details.
Fig. 3: Screens as Accents Fig. 4: Screen with Text Inside
11

May 2010
MarketingPower.com
800.AMA.1150
Connecting. Informing. Advancing.