Visual Identity and Style - Charles Simeon Trust

A consistent and visual presentation of all Charles Simeon Trust media provides clarity, recognition, and a seamless experience for any interaction with the Trust. The following elements are a starting point for strengthening connections between the Trust and its various audiences. These guidelines are to be used as much as possible for documentation produced by the Charles Simeon Trust and being used for our initiatives. If you have any questions about the implementation of these guidelines, please contact the Director of Ministries.

LOGOS The Charles Simeon Trust logo is for use on all official print and digital communications. There are three official versions by color scheme for use. When possible, use the color version of the logo. .
		AI [112kb] JPG [3000×1500, 300dpi, 561kb] Web JPG [500×250, 72dpi, 104kb] PNG [3000×1500, 72dpi, 37kb] .
		AI [112kb] JPG [3000×1500, 300dpi, 561kb] Web JPG [500×250, 72dpi, 104kb] PNG [3000×1500, 72dpi, 37kb] .
		AI [112kb] JPG [3000×1500, 300dpi, 561kb] Web JPG [500×250, 72dpi, 104kb] PNG [3000×1500, 72dpi, 37kb] .
		AI [377kb] JPG [4200×800, 300dpi, 242kb] Web JPG [1000×190, 72dpi, 68kb] PNG [4200×800, 72dpi, 81kb] .
		AI [376kb] JPG [4200×800, 300dpi, 256kb] Web JPG [1000×190, 72dpi, 74kb] PNG [4200×800, 72dpi, 78kb] .
		AI [373kb] JPG [3000×1500, 300dpi, 287kb] Web JPG [500×250, 72dpi, 82kb] PNG [3000×1500, 72dpi, 76kb] .
. As you use these logo files, please keep in mind these guidelines: Don’t squish the logos. Keep the aspect ratio of the logo intact. Holding the SHIFT key in most programs will constrain the proportions when resizing the image. Don’t change the typeface. We have chosen the typeface to accompany the ‘S’ emblem. Changing the typeface in the logos will change the logo and the brand. Please note: The logo of the Charles Simeon Trust is a registered trademark in the United States and is licensed for use in Canada by the Charles Simeon Trust of Canada. Any use of the logo requires the express permission of the Charles Simeon Trust.
LETTERHEAD The Charles Simeon Trust letterhead can be used for the creation of official documents and correspondence. Please contact the Director of Ministries if you need the letterhead and/or design files. Again, please note: The logo of the Charles Simeon Trust is a registered trademark in the United States and is licensed for use in Canada by the Charles Simeon Trust of Canada. Any use of the logo requires the express permission of the Charles Simeon Trust. .
COLOR One of the most important recognition factors for the Charles Simeon Trust is our color palette. To incorporate colors outside of this palette can confuse our audiences and weaken our objectives for visual recognition of the brand. We use a single tan color in addition to black and white. .
		CMYK: 37 36 50 03 Web: #a39680 RGB: R=163, G=150, B=128 HSB: H=36, S=21, B=63 .
. TYPOGRAPHY Typefaces do more than spell words. Used consistently, they can in themselves become images or symbols for our look. We prefer to use three primary typefaces in most promotional documents: Intro (logo typeface, typically in all caps), Brandon Grotesque (for san-serif type), and Palatino Linotype (for serif type). Intro should only be used for headings and document titles. Please note: If Intro is being used, the body text should be a san-serif font. Brandon Grotesque should be used for the body text in most electronic and promotional applications. In the event that a transferable sans-serif typeface is needed, Calibri can be used. For the body text of most promotional print applications, Palatino Linotype should be used. In standard documents or in the event that a transferable serif typeface is needed, Times New Roman can be used. .
		Intro [32kb] This is to be used for titles only. .
		Brandon Grotesque [549kb] This is to be used for san-serif type in most documents. .
		Palatino Linotype [1.3mb] This is to be used for serif type in most documents. .
Regardless of which typeface you are using in a particular document, a few style rules should be followed: In general, you want to keep the number of typefaces used as small as possible. That is, in general, you want to use no more than two typefaces in a document or set of related documents. Mixing fonts (even those above) is a challenging thing. It is generally best to avoid mixing serif and sans-serif typefaces, or really having more than one font, in short documents (i.e., a few pages). In documents where there is a body text and title or sub-titles, it can be appropriate to mix serif and sans-serif fonts, but the mixture needs to be coherent and create contrast. In general, it is best to avoid mixing Palatino Linotype and either of our other main fonts, for example. See additional document style rules below.
STYLE Style guidelines regarding typefaces (including formatting), color, and the Charles Simeon Trust logo are located in those sections. The following guidelines are for styling the content of written material. In general, we follow the style guidelines of the Associated Press. Print copies of the AP Stylebook can be requested from the Director of Ministries or purchased online at Amazon.com. If the AP Stylebook does not address some aspect of style (e.g., biblical or theological aspects of style), we use the Society of Biblical Literature’s Handbook of Style [pdf, 900kb]. If some aspect of style is not addressed in either of those style books (e.g., additional academic aspects of style), we use the Chicago Manual of Style (Amazon.com). The following entries are exceptions or reminders on commonly used aspects of style. For graphic styling and typeface styling, please see the above sections of this online guide. If you have any questions about anything, contact the Director of Ministries. He will make all final style decisions. .
DOCUMENTS All documents created for the CST should have the following specifications: It is typically appropriate to use US Letter size (or A4 outside of North America). Use 1″ margins (left, right, top, and bottom). All text should be single-spaced with no additional paragraph spacing (not including manually inserted blank lines between paragraphs). Like all Christians, all text should be fully justified. The main text should be 11 or 12 points, titles 22 or 24 points, and footnotes 9 or 10 points. Section and document titles and sub-titles can be displayed using the “small caps” or “all caps” feature in your design or word processing software if using transferable typefaces. The preferred method of setting apart document titles is by using the Intro typeface. No other text should be displayed using the small caps feature. If you need to set apart a term or highlight a word, italics should be used, not quotation marks or underlining. Underlining should only be used for book titles (and even then, accepted practice is now italics and not underlining). See below. If you are making a list, remember: use bullets if sequence doesn’t matter, use numbers if sequence does matter. If you are making a bulleted list, use square bullets (not round or hollow), even second-level bullets. On official documents, it is normal to use the CST logo in black in bottom margin (right justified) with a 1″ width, and the CST copyright and year centered, in small caps (e.g. “Charles Simeon Trust © 2023”).
NAME(S) OF THE ORGANIZATION The Charles Simeon Trust is the legal name of the organization in the United States. We should use the whole name of the organization in text (using a lowercase “t” in “the” when embedded in a sentence; capital “T” when used as a stand-alone title; normal capitalization applies in other contexts). The preferred acronym or initialism for the second and subsequent use is “CST” or “the CST” (depending on grammar). If using the acronym, mark the first use accordingly: “the Charles Simeon Trust (CST).” Try to avoid “the Simeon Trust” (as it confuses us with two different UK charitable organizations) and it is NEVER “the Simeon’s Trust.” If national or geographic designations are necessary for legal reasons, then “the Charles Simeon Trust of the United States” or “the Charles Simeon Trust of Canada” are to be used. Avoid, if possible, such designations. The official acronyms in such situations are “CST/US” and “CST/C” for second and subsequent uses, again marking the first use accordingly. The Workshops on Biblical Exposition may be shortened to WBE on second and subsequent uses. Mark the first use accordingly. They may also be referred to as Workshops (capitalized). The Online Courses should not be abbreviated, but referred to as Courses (capitalized). All other abbreviations should be avoided until used first and given context (including in file names). The Chicago Course on Preaching can be shortened to CCP. As always, mark the first use accordingly. It should be noted that CST, WBE, etc., are acronyms and not abbreviations in the grammatical sense, though we are certainly shortening the names (i.e., abbreviating them), so one can be forgiven for using the wrong verb. Maybe. SERIAL COMMA Also called the Oxford comma, the CST uses the serial comma. When there are three or more items in a series, put a comma before the “and” or “or” that precedes the last item. In case of a series within a series, use semicolons to separate the outer series. The serial comma is important as it reduces confusion in lists where items could be misread as appositives and lists where individual items contain conjunctions. EMPHASIS It is never appropriate to use “quotation marks” for emphasis, only direct quotations (with very few exceptions, defined as three or more words). Likewise, using underlined or bold (or strong) typeface is rarely appropriate in normal text (with the names of books being the primary exception for underlining, though common practice has now moved to italics even for book titles). For example, italics is preferred for book titles in SBL style. In most cases, italics is the only appropriate way to show emphasis. For header text, the preferred order of text adornment is designated in the SBL style guide as bold. DATES The following date formats are for use in the United States. In all other countries, use the appropriate national format. Monday, September 24, 1759 September 24, 1759 September 1759 B.C.E. C.E. In text, years are always followed by a comma when the sentence continues. Example: Charles Simeon was born on September 24, 1759, in Cambridge. TIME Do not use periods or additional spaces in am/pm. Repeat in ranges. Use noon, not 12pm. Use midnight, not 12am (does not apply to schedules). Designate ranges with a dash OR “from/to.” Do not combine methods. Omit :00. Example: The morning session is 9am–11:30am. Example: Lunch is at noon. Doors will be open from 11am to 1:30pm. NUMBERS Spell out single-digit numbers. Use Arabic numerals otherwise. Exception: Always use a numeral with percent or when referring to verses or chapters in books of the Bible. Example: We noticed a 5 percent difference in his behavior, perhaps he finally read verse 9 of Proverbs 21. ADDRESSES Spell out directions, street names, and states, but use postal state abbreviations when followed by a zip code. Otherwise, spell out state names. Charles Simeon Trust P.O. Box 15212 Chicago, IL 60615 PHONE NUMBERS 773-752-9876 NUMBER AND ORDER OF ADJECTIVES It is generally considered overly ornate to use more than two adjectives. However, when using multiple adjectives, there is a standard order in which they must be used: opinion, size, age, shape, color, origin, material, purpose, and then finally the noun. WEBSITE ADDRESSES In text, always omit “http://” and “www.” unless required for functionality. Use end punctuation if the URL is part of a sentence. Example: You can find more information about the Workshops at simeontrust.org. This does NOT necessarily apply to letterhead, or other header and footer uses. ACADEMIC DEGREES List degrees in chronological order. No periods. Never use an apostrophe in plurals of degrees unless the degrees are also possessive. BA, BS MA, MS, MDiv, ThM PhD, DMin BIOGRAPHIES In general, when constructing biographies of speakers for use online or in print, we avoid conveying personal or family information (e.g., name of spouse and number or names of children, hobbies) for privacy reasons. FREQUENTLY USED TERMS The following are particular to the Trust or exceptions to the SBL and AP Styles: Bible, biblical biblical theology, systematic theology (capitalized when used as part of a title, including in the Online Courses) Course (when referring to the Online Courses as a proper category) CST, CST/US, CST/C, WBE, CCP email Internet (never internet) percent (never % in text) Workshop (when referring to the Workshops on Biblical Exposition as a proper category)