/w=3840,quality=90,fit=scale-down)
This page contains the City of Boston brand guidelines for colors, typography, and logo usage specific to the Planning Department.
The new logo was created by the City of Boston’s Creative team, with guidance from leadership, to represent and be inclusive of all of our major business lines - Planning & Zoning, Development Review, Real Estate, and Urban Design. The intent is that whoever comes to the Planning Department for information or support may see something different in this logo. A resident may see a house or an apartment building; a developer or Downtown worker may see towers; a planner, designer, or real estate professional may see Boston’s crooked streets, parcels of land, or a zoning map.
Fully embracing a new identity and visual takes time, but we hope that you will be proud to represent the City of Boston with our new look.
For the comprehensive City of Boston brand guidelines, please view the link below.
LANGUAGE GUIDE
Below is guidance on how to refer to the Planning Department linguistically, along with other communications-related guidance. Please do not hesitate to reach out to the Communications Team if you have questions or are uncertain how to phrase something related to the new department.
- Do not acronymize our name/identity in any way. We are the Planning Cabinet or Planning Department depending on the context (for example, the Zoning Commission is considered part of the Planning Cabinet; the Planning Department is made up of our staff and various divisions). In either context, you can shorten it to “Planning.” We are not ‘City Planning,’ the ‘City Planning Department,’ ‘CP,’ ‘CPD,’ ‘BPD,’ ‘PD,’ or any other acronym.
- Regarding Article 80 meetings, you should say “The Planning Department will host…” or “Planning Department staff will host...”
If you have notices that go out automatically and there are templates that exist in Salesforce or elsewhere, please send them to communications ASAP so we can review and see if anything needs to be rewritten and/or rebranded for July 1, so you will have new templates ready to go.
- Each team within the Planning Department will be referred to as a ‘division’ so as not to be duplicative. For example, the ‘Urban Design Division’, the ‘Real Estate Division.’
- Our planning team under Aimee Chambers will add zoning to their name and be known as the ‘Planning & Zoning Division
- On July 1, all staff should update their email signature.
- Regardless of whether your paycheck continues to come from the EDIC for retirement purposes, your management structure is within the Planning Department, and your signature should say Planning Department.
- When discussing our work, speak from the point of view of the City of Boston and/or the Planning Department.
For example, press releases following Board meetings will be reframed as:
The Planning Department this month recommended and received approval of x planning initiatives and zoning amendments, and x new development projects from the BPDA Board.
- While the majority of our business will be done under the Planning Department name and brand, there are specific legal documents that must be issued on behalf of the BPDA. Here are examples of the types of documents that will come from the Planning Department vs. the BPDA:
- Planning: planning or design initiative documents, presentations to Boards and Commissions, press releases, marketing materials, community presentations, (even if the release, materials, presentations, etc. are about BPDA-owned land), and contracts executed by the Planning Department (ex. consultant services)
- BPDA: lease agreements, post-approval Board agreements, contracts executed by the BPDA (ex. land disposition agreements, agreements under MGL Ch. 121A or 121B, urban renewal documents, construction and other contracts exclusive to BPDA-owned real estate)
If you are responsible for drafting one of these BPDA documents, you should use the BPDA name, but never the old BPDA branding.
BPDA branding should not be used under any circumstance after July 1. The only branding we will use beginning on July 1 is City of Boston branding.
LOGO
Planning Department
Primary logo This is the primary logo and should be the most used option for projects specifically related to the Planning Department. When using this lockup, you should not use an additional City of Boston logo, as it would result in “City of Boston” being displayed twice. The goal is to avoid repetition.
The Planning Department logo should always be accompanied by the City of Boston’s primary logo. Without it, the Planning Department logo itself does not provide enough context.
This logo should be used exclusively for email signatures, and social media profiles, such as Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.
City of Boston
Guidance on Combining Two or More Logo
For projects that involve collaboration or have a broader relationship with the City of Boston, you may want to include both the Planning Department and City of Boston logos. Just keep in mind not to show the City of Boston name twice in two logos.
Option 1
The letter “B” logo here is treated as a secondary logo, so placement should be flexible. The perfect location will depend on your project, so feel free to place it where it fits best. You don’t need to include the letter “B” logo, as the primary logo already declares “City of Boston.”
Option 2
The Planning Department logo does not say “City of Boston”, and it should always be accompanied by the City of Boston’s primary logo. Without it, the Planning Department logo itself does not provide enough context.
Option 3
Always start with City of Boston.
This shows the overall relationship of the project, as there are times when we will collaborate with other city departments on projects, and we should include their logos as well.
COLOR
Color relationship
Color Accessibility
Complying with color contrast guidelines is not only a legal and regulatory requirement, reducing the risk of potential lawsuits and promoting a positive public image, but it is also crucial for ensuring that everyone can read and fully understand the information provided. By prioritizing color contrast, especially for individuals with visual impairments, we make sure that all users can access and leverage the relevant content effectively.
/w=32,quality=90,fit=scale-down){kind=small}
- Charles Blue: Use dark blue for typographic headers, and as way to add contrast and weight to lighter pages. Use this color when you need something to look more official.
- Optimistic Blue: Use this blue for normal links and buttons, and as a background color. You should also use this color for the overlays on photography. Use this color when you need to inject warmth into a layout (and can be a little less official). Don’t use this color on top of Freedom Trail Red.
- Freedom Trail Red: Use this color minimally. Red can be an alarming color and should be used carefully. Never use Optimistic Blue on top of Freedom Trail Red (and vise versa). They are too bright and vibrate when used on top of each other.
Supporting Blues
#061622
The darkest of these should be used very rarely – when you need something that resembles black.
#0C2639
The next darkest-blue is used for our footer background color, so that it can bump up against our primary dark blue without issue.
#45789C
The desaturated blue can be used when you need text to visually recede.
#51ACFF
The brightest blue is used as a substitute for our primary bright blue when it needs to appear on a dark background.
Supporting Grays
#58585B
#D2D2D2
#EOEOEO
#F2F2F2
Data Visualization Color Palette
Depending on your role or the projects you’re working on, you may need a wider range of colors or more accessible colors to create data visualizations, such as charts, graphs, and maps. Please use the guidance from the City of Boston DoIT GIS below. Only use these colors for data visualization.
TYPOGRAPHY
Visual reference:
Montserrat
Use it for Navigation, buttons, and primary headers. Always use it in UPPERCASE semibold or bold.
Lora
Use it small for body text, or large and italic for quotes or other special secondary text.