Brand and Identity Guide
Published October 31, 2023
For the most recent version, please visit www.vhcs.us/pr.
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Vestavia Hills City Schools Brand and Identity Guide
What Is a Brand Identity?
A brand identity is the visual representation of a business or organization. It is a way to set these entities apart from one another and to build support for the products and services they offer.
Some of the world’s largest companies are instantly recognizable by their logos. The design, colors, and typefaces they use help to build a perception of the company’s mission and core values. These companies make their branding highly visible so that customers are reminded of where they do business and who they support.
Vestavia Hills City Schools has an established brand identity and the policies and procedures in place to protect it. Our school system is nationally known for academics, athletics, and philanthropy and is followed closely by other school districts, media outlets, and organizations across the United States. The VHCS brand represents more than just the schools, however; it represents the tens of thousands of students, alumni, employees, residents, and community members who are a part of the school system’s legacy.
The following standards are the brand authority for Vestavia Hills City Schools; and all VHCS stakeholders, internally and externally, are expected to operate in accordance with these standards.
BOARD POLICY 4.4.4
The names, logos, and other brand collateral associated with each of the Board facilities are the property of the Board and protected under applicable state, federal, and/or common law trademark.
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Vestavia Hills City Schools Brand and Identity Guide
Color Palette
Color is perhaps the strongest driver of emotion and recall among all brand identity components. The official color palette of Vestavia Hills City Schools communicates our school system’s commitment to excellence.
The primary colors of Vestavia Hills City Schools and each of its individual schools are Pantone 288 Blue and Pantone 200 Red, and have remained so since the school system’s inception. Hexadecimal, RGB, and CMYK color values are shown on this page.
This version of the Brand and Identity Guide includes the addition of two secondary colors: gold and light blue. These colors may be used for accent/trim purposes only and may not take the place of the primary colors.
COLOR CONTRAST
Color contrast is very important for legibility. To ensure text is legible, do not use red text on a blue background, or blue text on a red background. Dark text should always appear on a light background, and light text should always appear on a dark background. For the benefit of readers with colorblindness, do not rely on color as a means of drawing attention to your text.
PMS 288
BLUE
#23356F
PRIMARY VHCS COLORS
PMS 200
RED
#C32032
C: 100 R: 36
M: 91 G: 53
Y: 26 B: 111
K: 15
C: 16 R: 195
M: 100 G: 32
Y: 87 B: 50
K: 6
PMS 124
GOLD
#EAAA00
SECONDARY COLORS (ACCENT/TRIM ONLY)
PMS 115-5
LIGHT BLUE
#7DCBF1
C: 0 R: 234
M: 27 G: 170
Y: 100 B: 0
K: 8
C: 48 R: 125
M: 16 G: 203
Y: 0 B: 241
K: 5
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Vestavia Hills City Schools Brand and Identity Guide
Typography
An effective brand identity uses high-quality typography to communicate an organization’s personality and ensure that designs have a consistent appearance. VHCS recommends several fonts for specific purposes. Please note, some of these fonts require a license for use; details on licensing are available from the VHCS Office of Public Relations.
GALLIARD
The words “Vestavia Hills City Schools” and the names of schools in the Institutional Mark are written in Galliard with letterspacing set at 300 points. Galliard should only be used in logo designs or headlines.
WINNER SANS
Athletics typography is set in the Winner Sans font. This font is not limited to athletics programs and may be used for any school-sponsored or district-sponsored activity. (Note: Winner Sans replaces United Serif from previous versions of the Brand Guide.)
ROBOTO / ROBOTO CONDENSED
The Roboto and Roboto Condensed font families are free, open-source fonts available from Google and may be used without a license. Roboto Condensed Bold is recommended for logo lockups and headings with letterspacing set at 150 points. (Note: Roboto Condensed replaces Univers Condensed from previous versions of the Brand Guide.)
ALTERNATE FONTS
VHCS staff should strive to use simple, easy to read fonts that are widely available and reflective of the school system’s commitment to excellence. Remember that a user's own device — not the designer — determines how fonts appear in documents, emails, and web pages.
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Vestavia Hills City Schools Brand and Identity Guide
Institutional Mark
The Institutional Mark forms the basis of the Vestavia Hills City Schools brand. By having no border on the letters V and H, the Institutional Mark serves as a visual representation of the school system’s mission of “learning without limits.”
The Institutional Mark serves as the primary mark of Vestavia Hills City Schools and each of its nine schools. It should be used as the main identifying device in all institutional activities. It is not limited to use solely in an educational capacity and can be adopted for use by school-affiliated clubs, organizations, groups, athletic teams, etc.
The Institutional Mark is available in the standard red-blue colorway as shown, as well as in the solid-color variations shown below. Logo-wordmark lockups are available for each school and the district.
The Institutional Mark is a federally registered trademark (®) under USPTO registration number 7193258. It is also a state registered trademark (™) under Alabama state registration nos. 117-290, 117-292, 117-293, and 117-294.
APPROVED ALTERNATE COLORWAYS
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Vestavia Hills City Schools Brand and Identity Guide
VH Block Mark
The VH Block Mark is recognizable throughout Vestavia Hills as the iconic lettering of Vestavia HIlls High School’s varsity athletics teams. It is deeply rooted in the marks historically used by the school and school-sponsored organizations.
The VH Block Mark may be used by any school or school-affiliated group as a branding identifier. This mark is most commonly associated with school-affiliated activities, teams, clubs, and organizations, though its use is not limited to those purposes.
The VH Block Mark is available in the standard red-blue colorway as shown, as well as in the solid-color variations shown below. In all uses, both letters in the mark must be the same color.
The VH Block Mark is a registered trademark (™) under Alabama state registration nos. 117-286, 117-288, and 117-289.
APPROVED ALTERNATE COLORWAYS
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Vestavia Hills City Schools Brand and Identity Guide
1REBEL Mark
The 1REBEL Mark and 1REBEL slogan lockup are additional graphic identifiers of Vestavia Hills High School and adopted by the district as a whole to work with all VHCS-affiliated teams or organizations. The full mark is a tribute to legendary head football coach, Buddy Anderson’s famous saying, “When you play one Rebel, you play us all.” This saying has become an iconic message for all Vestavia Hills City Schools students, faculty, staff and alumni and has long been used by the school community with pride.
The 1REBEL Mark can be used by any group associated with the school or school system. It is available in the standard red-blue colorway as shown, as well as in the alternate colorways shown below.
The 1REBEL Mark is a registered trademark (™) under Alabama state registration nos. 117-298 and 117-299. Federal trademark registration (®) is pending.
APPROVED ALTERNATE COLORWAYS
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Vestavia Hills City Schools Brand and Identity Guide
Script Marks
Primarily used in baseball and softball (but not limited to these sports), the Script Wordmarks represent the heritage of these sports programs. These traditional marks are designed with inspiration from traditional baseball and softball elements, but can be adopted by other school affiliated organizations.
The Script Marks are available in “Vestavia,” “Vestavia Hills,” and “Rebels” designs in several approved colorways shown below.
The “Rebels” Script Mark is a registered trademark (™) under Alabama state registration no. 117-295. The word phrases “Vestavia Rebels” and “Vestavia Hills Rebels” are registered trademarks (™) under Alabama state registration nos. 112-151, 112-252, and 112-253.
APPROVED ALTERNATE COLORWAYS (AVAILABLE FOR ALL SCRIPT MARKS)
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Vestavia Hills City Schools Brand and Identity Guide
Old English V Mark
The Old English V is a mark with historical ties to the Vestavia Hills High School baseball program. The mark was first established under the leadership of Hall of Fame baseball coach, the late Sammy Dunn. The mark has since become an iconic part of the team’s history and the school system itself. The Old English V is primarily used for baseball but can also be used for other school-affiliated teams and programs.
The Old English V usually appears in the solid blue colorway as shown, and it is also available in the alternate colorways shown below.
The Old English V is a registered trademark (™) under Alabama state registration no. 112-149.
APPROVED ALTERNATE COLORWAYS
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Vestavia Hills City Schools Brand and Identity Guide
Vestavia Hills High School Crest
Designed by some of the school system’s first students, the Vestavia Hills High School Crest is part of the school’s history and legacy and is reserved for use in formal high school communications only.
The Crest was digitally rendered in 2023 to make it available to the school community in a high-resolution vector format for print and web. School staff and vendors should use this digital version of the Crest moving forward. It is available in full-color and monochromatic colorways as shown.
The digital version of the Crest may be obtained from the VHCS Office of Public Relations.
APPROVED ALTERNATE COLORWAY
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Vestavia Hills City Schools Brand and Identity Guide
School-Specific Designs
Individual schools are permitted to create alternate designs which support the various activities, character touchstones, and programs associated with each school. These designs may also be used on school-affiliated apparel, signage, and merchandise.
When creating alternate designs, schools must adhere to the following guidelines:
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Vestavia Hills City Schools Brand and Identity Guide
Incorrect Brand Usage
The following are examples of inappropriate usage of the Vestavia Hills City Schools brand elements. Whenever there is a question, please contact the VHCS Office of Public Relations for guidance.
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Vestavia Hills City Schools Brand and Identity Guide
Trademarks and Licensing
TRADEMARK INFORMATION
The logos of Vestavia Hills City Schools are the property of the Vestavia Hills Board of Education and are registered trademarks. These logos may not be used, modified, or transferred to any other person or entity without the expressed written consent of Vestavia Hills City Schools.
Registered trademarks include the Institutional Mark and VH Block Mark, the 1REBEL Mark, the Old English V, the “Rebels” Script Mark; and the word phrases “Vestavia Rebels” and “Vestavia Hills Rebels.” The names, logos, and other related brand materials in use by each VHCS school are also protected under common law trademark standards and Board of Education policy. Any items that incorporate these trademarks must adhere to federal and state trademark law and this Brand Guide.
LICENSING PROCEDURES
Businesses, community partners, and individuals who wish to create, market, and/or sell items bearing any of the registered trademarks of Vestavia Hills City Schools must enter into a licensing agreement with the Board of Education. The licensing process ensures that vendors are working in partnership with Vestavia Hills City Schools and in support of its mission. Licensed vendors must adhere to all brand guidelines and may be required to submit designs to VHCS for review before production. Unless otherwise agreed to in writing, officially licensed partners are required to pay a license fee on the sale of any items to the general public which contain the registered trademarks of VHCS. Items which are sold directly to a VHCS-sponsored team, club, or group do not incur license fees.
To learn more about the licensing process and see a list of officially licensed VHCS vendors, please visit the VHCS website or contact the Office of Public Relations at (205) 402-5144.
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Vestavia Hills City Schools Brand and Identity Guide
Brand Guidelines for Staff and Students
Vestavia Hills City Schools staff and students may use the VHCS logos and brand elements for programs, teams, fundraisers, and initiatives that support the mission and core values of the schools and school system. When doing so, the following guidelines must be followed:
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Vestavia Hills City Schools Brand and Identity Guide
Staff Purchasing Decision Tree
Is the purchase for a school-affiliated athletic team’s use?
If Yes:
Contact Athletic Department to order.
If No:
Will item have trademarked logos on it?
If Yes:
Use a licensed vendor. ⇨
If No:
You may use any vendor.
Find a list of licensed vendors at www.vhcs.us/Page/4348.
If vendor does not have a license, please direct them to the VHCS�Public Relations Office to obtain one.
1204 Montgomery Highway
Vestavia Hills, AL 35216
(205) 402-5100 | www.vhcs.us