WEBSITES
Our web authoring site is comprehensive and self-explanatory.
Please read the online guide at http://stagingweb1.britishcouncil.org/cms/ibd.
All websites must use the corporate Obtree templates and
any new websites must be approved by the E-Strategy and Development
team and are subject to British Council brand guidelines.
Produced by Javed Iqbal, Tony Bains, Andrina Pearson and
Suzanne Ashton
10 Golden Rules for getting the best from
our British Council brand
We are all familiar with the British Council brand, logo and visual
identity. It is a valuable asset to the organisation. Most of us don't
think about it much, perhaps we even take it for granted, but our name
and brand is something we need to protect and develop. If we use it
consistently and imaginatively, our brand will be a major contributor
to our success and growth.
The following 'golden rules' are a reminder of the most important points
about our brand - and explain you who can give you advice.
1. Use of branded standardised templates
a) If the site is owned by the British Council then it should use the
approved corporate platform (s), applications and the templates provided.
b) If the site is British Council owned but has been approved by Online
Services to be built on an external platform, the site still should
use our template design.
c) Any design produced by external companies must be approved by the
Design Team (Tony Bains).
2. Using our logo online
a) The British Council logo must be reproduced from the master artwork
available at http://identity.britishcouncil.org
b) The British Council logo must not be redrawn, combined or linked
with any other words, symbols or graphics devices.
c) The British Council logo must always be used at a consistent size
and position set by the header.
d) Any use of the logo online that is not on a standard template should
be approved by corporate Design Team (contact: Tony Bains).
3. Sub brands / Partnership brands
a) Sub brands may only be used for global products with prior agreement
of corporate Design Team. The use of these sub brand logos in the header
has to be approved by corporate Design Team (contact: Tony Bains).
b) Partnership brand logo’s can only appear in the header with
approval from corporate Design Team (contact: Tony Bains)
4. Domain Names
a) URLs of all websites should follow the format www.britishcouncil.org/nameofsite
b) Domain names should never be registered locally, but, through centralised
Domain name registration mechanism (contact: Javed Iqbal)
c) Staff should not register personal domains names using British Council
addresses.
d) If a site is not hosted by us we will need to set up a sub-domain
which would follow the format: http://nameofsite.britishcouncil.org
you will need to contact Online services to get both the sub-domain
and domain name set up (contact: Javed Iqbal).
5. Use of Graphics / Animation / Photography
/ Flash animation
a) All photography used must comply with the organisations Data Protection
standards. All images of people should be supported by the relevant
Data Protection forms. More information about our Data Protection policy
can be found on the intranet site: http://bcnet.britishcouncil.org:8000/infogov/dp/index.htm
b) All copyright compliance statements must be adhered to and tagged
accordingly. Any licensing issues, usage and time restrictions must
be monitored by the original purchaser.
c) Clip art should not be used to produce graphics. If in doubt clear
any usage with corporate Design Team (contact: Tony Bains).
d) Avoid the use of garish standard palette colours and flashing imagery.
e) All newly developed graphics/flash/animation images must be approved
by corporate Design Team (contact: Tony Bains).
f) The British Council logo must not be animated or deconstructed in
any way.
6. Tone of Voice / Writing for the web
/ Editorial guidelines
a) We must ensure that we uphold a consistent image of the British Council
in our writing by following our house style and editorial guidelines.
b) Our editorial guidelines must be followed, copies of the editorial
guidelines and the British Council Style guide can be found on our intranet
site: http://bcnet.britishcouncil.org:8000/brand/index.htm
c) Our online copy should be simple and straightforward. It should tell
the customers what they want to know, quickly and clearly. Advice on
writing online copy can be found at the e-Strategy support site http://stagingweb1.britishcouncil.org/cms/ibd-writing.htm
d) We are committed to delivering the highest editorial and ethical
standards in the provision of its content and services on all platforms
both in the UK and around the world. To help maintain this reputation,
compliance with the guidelines is mandatory.
7. Evaluation / Review / Decommissioning
/ Think Reputation
a) When you review your site you need to check that you are conforming
to all aspects of our online brand.
b) You should be using the correct template design, and variation should
have been approved by Tony Bains and the Online Services Team.
c) You are using the logo and any sub-branding correctly.
d) Your images should be appropriate for your site, be approved and
be of an appropriate standard.
e) All your pages should use simple plain English, be copy checked and
edited to avoid spelling mistakes.
f) You should decommission sites that are no longer needed. The Online
services team can help you to do this.
g) By developing something that does not conform to the online brand
standards you are damaging the brand and causing confusion to our customers,
so if you are unsure check with a member of the Design team or Online
services.
Moderation of User Generated Content
h) User generated content should be of the highest editorial and ethical
standards on all platforms both in the UK and around the world.
i) Moderation should be in compliance with the British Council’s
reputation, and values. For more information visit our Online Services
guidelines http://www.britishcouncil.org/home-editorial-values.htm.
8. Security
a) To protect our brand reputation and compliance with our legal responsibilities
around data security all public facing IT applications including websites
(especially those that collect any kind of user information) should
be security (penetration) tested by GIS. If you have developed a site
that is not hosted on a British Council platform you will need to contact
Global IT Security team to arrange to have the testing done (contact:
Terry Pipe)
9. Who you need to get approval
from
a) Overall design, look and feel including Image management –
Tony Bains
b) Logo and product names – Tony Bains
c) Overall design, look and feel including Image management –
Tony Bains
d) Tone of Voice – Michael Leiser, Chief Online Editor
e) Domain names and registration – Javed Iqbal
f) Security penetration testing – Terry Pipe, World Wide IT Security
Manager
g) Approval of business case for the site – Online services
10. Contact Points
a) On matters relating to domain names – Javed Iqbal
b) Security penetration testing – Terry Pipe, World Wide IT Security
Manager
c) Advice on all aspects of image management – Tony Bains or another
member of design team
d) On matters relating to the BC Logo and product names – Tony
Bains
e) Site development and evaluation – Suzanne Ashton
f) Decommissioning – Javed Iqbal
|
