Brand Standards
This guide is a comprehensive reference to help all Bolton & Menk employees and representatives present a consistent, unified brand across all forms of communication and points of public/client interaction.
Think of it as part brand education and part ‘How To’ booklet— How to use the logo properly, how to specify our brand colors, even how to spell stormwater (spoiler alert—it’s one word).
This guide is reviewed and updated regularly by the marketing and creative studio groups.
What is a brand?
A brand is so much more than a logo.
A brand is like a reputation. It’s what people think and feel about a company, product, or service. A brand is an emotional reaction.
Brands exist exclusively in the minds of consumers but are heavily influenced by their owners through every decision, action and message they make, take, and communicate.
A logo is simply a visual representation of a brand – part of a visual identity system that conjures up opinions, thoughts, and feelings.
Why is branding so important?
A strong, trusted brand means a stronger, more successful Bolton & Menk.
People make purchasing decisions based on trust and emotion—no matter how hard we try to be objective. That is why protecting and managing our brand is vitally important. When people feel they can trust the Bolton & Menk brand they are more likely to choose us.
The building blocks of a strong brand
You may wonder if the Bolton & Menk marketing and graphics groups make up rules about branding depending on which way the wind blows or what is trending. After all, who cares if the logo is a little stretched or the on-screen green isn’t quite R:0, G:105, B:56? While it’s true that creative minds are excited by innovation, we know how important consistency is when building a brand. (You can be sure Coke doesn’t use a red that is ‘close enough;’ Nike hasn’t changed their swoosh because they were bored with it.) Our professional team has created a long- term strategy to help us build a strong brand. It includes a logo, tagline, brand pillars, why statement, marketing campaigns, and a service-based company culture.
This brand pyramid helps illustrate the components of a solid brand strategy:
Pillars
Community Centered
Our commitment to being highly-accessible to our clients and communities is rooted in a service approach focused on building trust and enduring partnerships.
Intentionally Collaborative
We embrace relationships to build a better quality of life for all people using an adaptive project approach supporting each unique community.
Genuinely Committed
Our dedication extends beyond mere effort, devoting ourselves to cultivating and delivering exceptional service.
Solution Driven
We provide comprehensive and sustainable outcomes by applying an appropriate combination of proven and innovative best practices to generate real solutions.
Tagline
Real People. Real Solutions.
The tagline “Real People. Real Solutions.” was born out of a process of internal self-evaluation, employee collaboration, and an analysis of competitor branding strategies.
It communicates our strengths, differentiates us from our competition, and gives clients and potential clients a taste of what they can expect when working with us.
The tagline should be supported by body copy, brand pillars, headlines, and other statements.
