brand book- google for work
DESCRIPTION
BRANSTRANSCRIPT
Partner Brand Book
Our playbook. Our game plan. Our plan for the game. Our book of plays. You know, strategy.
Work is more than calculating profits, balancing supply & demand or pushing paper. Work is people coming together to dream, hack, create, hustle and build.
People should connect easily to share ideas, develop them together, and get things done from anywhere.
Work is where we spend so much of our time. Technology should make work easier and faster, not harder. It should get out of the way so our ideas have space to grow and inspiration is free to strike at any moment.
When we use the tools that make our lives easier, work gets better.
The best of Google, now available for work.
-- Google for Work
Strategy
Brand Vision Statement
Home as aWorkspace
Non-TraditionalWorkspaces
TraditionalWorkspaces
Work the way you live
Strategy
We’re not “traditional Enterprise”
Once upon a time, work looked like Jack Arnold. You know, the dad from Wonder Years. He’d have a briefcase constantly in hand, dress shoes, slacks, tie, and a face like he had been sighing all day. Work had a strict 9-5 schedule and consisted mostly of frustrational fits with work tools and technology.
But that’s all changing. Jack wears a t-shirt, and sneakers to work now. Sometimes those sneakers are even slip-ons. *gasp* He’s stuffed all those important papers and folders into the cloud. The word “office” doesn’t even have a set address anymore. Jack can work from home, the coffee shop, a bar, in an airplane, and pretty much anywhere he needs to.
Google for Work helps Jack move faster, dictate his schedule, and make work more enjoyable. That’s what working the way you live is all about.
Google products touch millions of people but we’ll only focus on those that share our values.
Strategy
Speaking to Those Who Share Our Mindset
Tech Friendly Aspiring Curious Optimistic
Hold a positive view of technology and make it an active part of their life
Passionate, true to themselves, interesting, engaged, switched-on
Open-minded and like to explore new things
Enjoy life and always put forth their best efforts
Strategy
A belief in a better way to work.
Work doesn’t just happen in an office, on a laptop, or from 9-5 anymore. People desire freedom to work the way they live and we supply the tools to collaborate effortlessly, move fast, and to bring ideas to life.
The best of Google, now at work.
Google has transformed how we find and use information. Google for Work is leveraging the best of our consumer products and tailoring them to the business environment to help users create a totally new way of working that’s more fun and fulfilling.
Focus on the end-user.
Google for Work is focused on providing the tools to help users work smarter, easier, and on-the-go. We want to connect with workers who share our mindset and put the tools in their hands that empower them to work in their own way.
What does for Work mean? (Brand Positioning)
Strategy
The Shared Mindset
Users in businesses everywhere who know there is a better way to work (e.g., using the tech they use at home for work).
They are familiar with Google consumer products and they believe technology makes their livesmore productive.
These people have been forced for too long to use complex work tech that hinders their ability to work together and creates daily frustration as simple tasks become a chore. They want more.
And their aspirational mindset will drive them there.Team Manager
CXO
User
Admin
The SharedMindset
Strategy
Evolution of Work Tools
Future?
Strategy
Simple and consistent brand across products
Brand Hierarchy / Brand Architecture
Our Brand
Work the way you live.Our Vision
Our Technology
Our Campaigns “___________ has gone Google.” (tagline)across products, campaigns and events.
(consistent creative, businesses/schools have gone & activities are going)
Strategy
The Spirit of Work
Work is undergoing an exciting transformation. The old work systems of process, exclusivity and hierarchy are giving way to new ideas around exploration, transparency and networks.
Technology innovations are allowing workers to determine the ways that work best for them, rather than allowing work to dictate how they should get the job done. This new freedom is creating a happier, more collaborative workforce. And bosses are beginning to understand the productivity benefits of this new way of working.
Our brand voice should reflect this shift by handing power over to the end-user, rather than telling them what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. We are innovators and creators, but we’re not authoritarians or teachers. We have game-changing tools for the new workforce but we aren’t creating strict guidelines around how these tools are used; it is the user who creates the magic.
Brand Voice
this space isintentionally left blank
Strategy
Brand Voice
Our voice is:
Expert
Every worker
Fun
Intelligent
Smart
Casual
Charismatic
Offering
Sharing
Our voice isn’t:
Egotistical
A billion dollar corporation
Cheesy, trying too hard
Pretentious, know-it-all
IT nerd-speak
Slacker
Center of attention
Demanding
Selling
Our spirit animal is
Brand Tone
We should always talk to people like they are one of us—because they are. Keep it conversational and jargon-free. We don’t have to be stiff. But nobody likes blather, so make the point quickly and move on.
Google has always set a high standard for respecting our customers’ brains. If we intelligently tell people what our products do, our advantages will be self-apparent. We don’t have to over-explain; people will get it.
Make the magic, magic. We have some amazing, game-changing products. Let’s blow people away with them. Whenever we can let them discover the magic for themselves, we should. A simple “wow” is the greatest compliment we can be paid.
We are in the tricky position of needing to establish business cred without losing our Googleyness. We need to keep it light without making it light. Be confident, but lose the ego. Keep it about the customers and what works for them. Don’t wallow in the greatness of our products.
Simple
Smart
Surprising
Fun
UsefulKnow who we’re talking to, know what they need before they need it, and then don’t sell them. Tell them, show them or let our customers show them. The less we have to say it, the more people will believe it.
Strategy
How to be Google for Work chic. (It’s so hot right now.)
Brand Elements
Work has gone Google, and our logo says just that. Say hello, get to know it, become BFFs.
Whatever you do, please don’t modify or alter its elements. It’s not nice. And only use artwork that has been provided with this brand book.
You can find Google for Work logos here.
Getting to Know Our Logo
Horizontal logo
Horizontal logo w/ icon
Icon
We’ve taken the best of our consumer products and enhanced them for work. That being said, our product logos are like little babies of the momma Google for Work logo. Unless noted, product logos follow the same usage rules as the Google for Work logo.
Remember, if you’re creating any sort of content that features a single product and its corresponding icon, please do not distort or animate the icon in any way. In other words, let the icon be.
Each product (except the umbrella “Google for Work” and “Google for Education” brands) have an icon-based lockup with monochrome type, and an icon-free version with 4-color type on the word Google.
Find them all here.
Brand Elements
Product Lockups & Icons
Brand Elements
Google for Work is often partnered with other Google products and brands, such as the Google for Education, Cloud Platform, Chrome, and Android logos. These logos have their own usage guidelines, which can be found below. Follow the consumer brand guidelines for Chrome and Android when using them with Google for Work.
Other Google Logos
Brand Elements
Clear Space
What personal space is to people is what clear space is to our logo. And what no clear space is to our logo is what riding around in the trunk of a car is to people. Get it?
Basically, clear space is what we call the area surrounding the Google for Work logo. Try tokeep enough distance from any other graphic elements to ensure that the logo appears distinctly in any environment.
Make sure to give the logo at least one x-height distance away from the closest object on all sides.
Minimum Size
To ensure legibility of the logo, the minimum height of the gray Google logo should be no less than 22px, or 0.175in.
(Note: these rules apply to all product logos as well.)
Clear Space and Minimum Size
Brand Elements
If you are a business which was granted Google for Work Partner or Google for Education Partner status as part of the Google for Work Partner Program, you will be automatically granted access to a Google for Work and/or Google for Education Partner badge.
Only contracted Premier Partners may use the Premier designation.
We do not offer badges on a product level. All partners are either a ‘Google for Work Partner’ and/or a ‘Google for Education Partner’
Like other logos, please don’t modify or alter its elements
Partner Badges
Brand Elements
We want to make sure people can see our logo in any context, so we’ve made a gaggle of Google for Work logo variations for you to use.
Color Variations
The full-color logo is preferred and should be used whenever possible.
In cases where color reproduction just doesn’t look good, use the one-color 54% black or one-color reverse version for a clean, simple look.
Backgrounds
When used over photographic backgrounds, use one-color versions of the logo to provide contrast. On a light-colored photographic background, use the 54% black one-color logo. On a medium-to-dark photo background, use the reversed one-color logo.
Full-colorPreferred version
One-color 54% black
One-color reverse
Use one-color 54% black when applying over light photographic backgrounds
Use one-color reverse when applying over medium or dark photographic backgrounds
Color Variations and Backgrounds
Brand Elements
Just like you should never wake up a sleepwalking coworker, you should never alter the configurations of the Google for Work logo as provided in these guidelines.Here are some examples of some serious no-no’s:
Logo No-No’s
Do not display the “for Work” modifier in four colors.
Do not rotate, stretch, or distort the logo in any way.
Do not create alternate configurations of the logo.
Do not change the proportions of the logo elements.
Do not display the “for Work” modifier on its own.
Do not display a stroke on the logo. Do not add unnecessary effects to the logo.
Do not change the typeface of the “for Work” modifier.
Brand Elements
Logo No-No’s
Let’s promise to never use our logo like this.
And definitely don’t gif it.
Brand Elements
Logo No-No’s
What we are trying to say is, “Don’t do stuff like this.”
Brand Elements
Logo No-No’s
Brand Elements
We like our reds to taste like cinnamon. We like our yellows to taste like corn flakes. We like to test if people know the difference between palette and palate.
Seriously, when used consistently, our color palette helps provide a consistent visual identity across all communications. Use this color palette when designing materials for Google for Work. For all body copy, use Google for Work Gray, and accent using Google for Work Blue.
In lieu of the colors listed on this page, you may use the following PANTONE® Colors, the standards for which are shown in the current edition of the PANTONE formula guide. The colors, CMYK, RGB, and hexadecimal breakdowns shown on this page have not been evaluated by Pantone for accuracy and may not match the PANTONE Color Standards. Consult current PANTONE Color Publications for accurate color. PANTONE® is the property of Pantone LLC.
Color Palette
Google for Work Gray
54% Opacity Black
Hex #757575
RGB 117/117/117
CMYK 0/0/0/54
PMS Cool Gray 8
Google for Work Blue
Hex #4285F4
RGB 66/133/244
CMYK 71/30/0/0
PMS 2173
Google for Work Red
Hex #EA4335
RGB 234/67/53
CMYK 0/88/85/0
PMS 179
Google for Work Yellow
Hex #FBBC05
RGB 250/187/5
CMYK 0/25/100/0
PMS 7408
Google for Work Green
Hex #34A853
RGB 52/168/82
CMYK 76/0/92/0
PMS 7738
Brand Elements
Our tagline is the connective tissue in all of our marketing materials. It helps us sign off or start up our communications, and embodies the unique changes that Google is bringing to the workforce.
Defining Gone Google
Gone Google is our mantra. Scratch that, it’s our rallying cry. It means that something is improving. Maybe it’s a company or maybe it’s a process, but whatever it is, it’s becoming more efficient, more productive and more pleasant. And that’s our goal for work.
Gone Google is also a clever way for us to talk about the momentum of our customers. When a company has Gone Google, they have stepped into a totally new world of opportunity and teamwork. They now have access to tools that can transform their business, and we are happy to be a part of their journey.
Tagline: Gone Google
Brand Elements
Whether it’s old news or happened just five seconds ago, use the past tense version of our tagline when a company or activity has already converted to using Google.
(Example: Betabrand has gone Google.)
Gone Google vs. Going Google
When talking about someone or something currently in the process of going Google, the tagline switches to the present tense.
(Example: Working face-to-face is going Google)
The “is going” present tense is most applicable in broader terms, when you cannot yet state that an entire activity or entity has converted.
Brand Elements
“Work the way you live” is our brand vision and macro end-user promise. It’s what we believe in and deliver to our users. But be careful to never use the line in any of our creative assets. It should only be used in presentations for sales, events, and speaking notes.
Usage: Work the way you live
Brand Elements
Ah, and now the slide the type fanboys were waiting for. Typography is an important part of the Google for Work identity. We use Roboto to express a neutral, yet friendly appearance across all of our communications.
Roboto (Primary)
Roboto has a dual nature. It has a mechanical skeleton and the forms are largely geometric. At the same time, the font features friendly and open curves. While some grotesks distort their letterforms to force a rigid rhythm, Roboto doesn’t compromise, allowing letters to be settled into their natural width. This makes for a more natural reading rhythm more commonly found in humanist and serif types.
Roboto in all weights can be obtained through the Google Fonts website.
Arial (Alternate)
Arial, you’re cool but we’re only going to use you in cases where Roboto can’t be accessed. Never use Arial in print, and only sparingly online.
Typography
Brand Elements
Type Usage
This may be a no-brainer, but we just want to be safe. When designing for Google for Work, type must always appear clear and legible. Because, well, it’s more pleasant on the eye.
Google for Work uses white backgrounds and scale of type to create hierarchy within a communication piece. Headlines should be at least twice the point size of body copy, with all leading set to 1.2 times the font size.