IMAGE COMICS | BRAND GUIDELINES

The opportunity to redesign the identity of the one of the most revered comic book publishers is a chance that many designers should love, regardless of their interest in the artform. An accessible format for storytelling and art has limitless potential, especially for a company like Image Comics. This rebranding of Image Comics is not simply for the sake of updating the near two decade old company’s identity, but to unify and clarify their company into a visual language that will help make them stronger.

I am pleased to present the brand guidelines that I have spent the last several months designing for Image Comics. These guidelines are the result of a comprehensive exploration of the many ways in which Image Comics can increase the consistency of visual communications associated with the comic book community. A consistent application and implementation of these guidelines will help you build your ongoing efforts to communicate your message.

I appeciate the opportunity to work with Image Comics on this project and look forward to seeing these guidelines implemented into Image Comics’ brand.

introduction

table of contents

1Identitylogologo usagename and tagline

2Colorprimary palettesecondary palette

3Typographyoverviewusage

4Associationbrand board

5Print Mediacomic coversstreetwear

6Electronic Mediawebsite

poster series

word map

1identity

identitylogo

identitylogo

BlackC/M/Y/K 0/0/0/100RGB 30/30/30HTML #1E1E1E

WhiteC/M/Y/K 0/0/0/0RGB 0/0/0HTML #FFFFFF

1” or 72px

x

x

x x

T H E I M A G E C O M I C S L O G OImage Comics has had the same logo since the creation of the company in the mid-90’s, and while the exploration of this new logo was not founded upon a reason to simply create a new logo, a logo that better communicated the brand of image comics was necessary.

The logo is a squared off “i” form, similar to the current logo in that capacity, however it features squared off edges, mimicking the format of the comic page layout. It is primarily in black and white for the same reason, since several of Image Comics’ most popular publications featured black and white artwork. It is at a 5 degree rotation, outside of numerological reasons, but the slight angle adds a dimension of dynamic movement, commenting on the artwork of the published comic having the same quality while still being a 2-dimensional medium.

The new logo is the primary visual exspression of the brand and accompanies all printed material. Correct and consistent usage of the logo is necessary in order to maintain and strengthen the Image Comics brand.

M I N I M U M S I Z ETo ensure legibility the allowable minimum printed size of the Image Comics logo is 1” in height proportionately balanced. The minimum electronic size is 72 pixels in height. The print size assumes 300dpi or higher, and on screen resolution is based on 72 dpi resolution.

C L E A R S P A C EThe Image Comics logo must stand out clearly from its surroundings. It must be free from interference of nearby text or graphic elements the will compromise the visual impact of the logo. Always surround the logo with at least a quarter inch of space around it, or at least one eigth of the size of the logo.

x

identitylogo usage

identitylogo usage

C O R R E C T U S A G EThese examples demonstrate the proper usage of the Image Comics logo.

The standard appearance of the logo is black and white, but when placed on any high contrasting background it is to be knocked out.

In order to maintain consistency with a given comic book, where the type in the title of the comic is a specific color, the logo can be filled to match that specific color only.

The dot in the “i” will animate on the Image Comics website ONLY, this treatment is not to be applied in any other published materials.

I N C O R R E C T U S EDo not stretch the logo.

Do not change the rotation of the logo (including righting the logo).

Do not outline the logo.

Do not change the color of only part of the logo.

Do not put the black logo on a high contrast background color or image.

Do not fill in the text of the word “Image” with any color.

identityname and tagline

2color

image comics

imagenot

Image Comicsnot

VIOLENT. VISCERAL. VIRULENT.

Whenever possible, Image Comics should be referred to by its full name, Image Comics, so as to avoid confusion with the uninformed. Where possible, always have the name appear in all caps.

The name can be broken into two lines if necessary, and comics should appear below Image so long as it still reads as Image Comics.

There is no necessary lock-up for the tagline of Image Comics, but these words define the character of the brand and the publications put out by Image Comics.

colorcolorprimary palette secondary palette

BlackC/M/Y/K 0/0/0/100

WhiteC/M/Y/K 0/0/0/0

Blood RedC/M/Y/K 15/100/100/0R/G/B 210/35/42

Putrid GreenC/M/Y/K 85/32/89/21

As an extension of the colors often seen in the publications of Image Comics, the primary colors of the brand and logo are black and white.

Black and white are timeless and refined, and when used together create a bold and impactful result due to the high contrast between the two colors.

Fetid BrownC/M/Y/K 46/58/92/38

Web Gray 1C/M/Y/K 04/03/02/0R/G/B 242/241/242

Web Gray 2C/M/Y/K 01/01/01/0R/G/B 251/249/249

Web Gray 3C/M/Y/K 25/19/18/0RGB 192/192/195

In addition to our primary black and white brand, a palette of secondary colors has been designated for usage in print and web media when specifically promoting the brand. Other colors may be introduced depending on the applied medium.

3typography

typographytypographyoverview usage

P R I M A R Y T Y P E F A C E S ( W E B )T Y P O G R A P H YUsing these primary typefaces will help reinforce consistent branding and building a strong identity. The following typefaces are approved for the specific medium only.

Web typefaces will consist of Lucida Sans Regular for all body copy and Rockwell Bold for any headline type.

The primary typefaces for print advertisements will consist of Alte Haas Grotestk, specifically when promoting the tagline. All body copy for print advertisements will be Helvetica Neue.

Lucida Sans Regular

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

1234567890.;:’!?

Rockwell BoldabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ1234567890.;:’!?

P R I M A R Y T Y P E F A C E S ( P R I N T )Alte Haas Grotesk BoldabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ1234567890.;:’!?

Helvetica Neue

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

1234567890.;:’!?

T Y P O G R A P H I C S T Y L EUsing only these typefaces will help build a uniform style and will increase recognition of the Image Comics brand.

Avoid setting the type in italics, hyphens, underlines, or punctuation other than periods and commas. Headlines and the tagline are to be set in all capital letters whenever online or in print.

Do not change the color of only part of the logo.

Do not put the black logo on a high contrast background color or image.

Do not fill in the text of the word “Image” with any color.

Do not use italic typefaces unless necessary.

Do not use (unnecessary) punctuation or hyphen-ation@$*{}

Do not underline the text.

4association

associationassociationbrand board brand board

B R A N D A S S O C I A T I O NThis brand board associates the artwork and imagery that is both recognizable to the current audience, and reaffirms what Image Comics at its core is about, beautifully drawn and intelligently written comic books.

Associating the textures of offset printing, as well as blood and rust clarify the feeling of visceral comics, a word that can be described many of the illustrations featured in Image Comics’ works.

It also serves to identify the primary branding colors (black, white, and red) to demonstrate the association with current artwork when integrating with the new brand.

associationassociationword map word map

W O R D M A PThese words serve to identify what Image Comics’ new brand will demonstrate.

explosive

illuminating

intelligent

artistic

visceral

focused

independent

connected

5print media

print mediaprint mediacomic book covers comic book covers

L O G O A P P L I C A T I O NThese selections of current Image Comics publications demonstrate the varying ways which the new identity can be applied successfully. It is important to note that none of these applications violate the preset rules.

print mediaprint mediastreetwear streetwear

T- S H I R T D E S I G N SAside from the comics themselves, one of the most common items sold by vendors is the T-Shirt. These T-shirts reflect not only specific titles, but also demonstrate the tagline in a visual capacity that can be worn by fans of the various publications.

The intial designs are for The Sword, The Walking Dead, and Proof, but other designs can be developed by request. It is important to treat these designs as more than just generic logo slapping, as each one directly involves both the person wearing it and a potential audience that will view it.

print mediaprint mediaposters posters

V I O L E N T , V I S C E R A L , V I R U L E N TThese posters seek to visually represent the tagline, as well as the brand colors and secondary colors.

www.imagecomics.com www.imagecomics.com www.imagecomics.com

6electronic media

electronic mediaelectronic mediawebsite website

M O D E R N , C O N N E C T E D , A R TIt is important to emphasize comic book illustration as much as possible with the brand. The new identity, through its new look and adaptibility, seeks to promote the artwork and writing of the comics more. The website should do the same, and a move towards black and white using the images from the comic books for a sense of dynamic contrast allows people to focus on the publications more.