Department of Information
Graphic Standards Manual

Issued by the Office of Public Awareness.
Department of Information Graphic Standards

Practical ApplicationsGraphic Standards Manual

Stationery

The vertical grid continues through every digital and print application. Stationery, ID badges, business cards, letters, property labels, stamps and random office ephemera all follow the core guidelines.

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Black first

When possible, prioritize black as the dominant or background motif and use as few colors as possible. Deliberate minimalism and frugality.

Manual spread: black #10 envelopes and business cards, branded pencils, rubber bands, an eraser, an A6 memo pad on black stock, a stapler, a ruler, rubber stamps and black property labels with the seal.
Envelopes, business cards, pencils, memo pads, stamps and labels.Manual, pp. 40–41

Letter and envelope

Manual page: a US Letter template and a #10 envelope at 50% scale, both on a red 12-column grid overlay.
Standard North American letter and #10 envelope, at 50% with the 12-column grid in red.p. 39
A black Department ID badge on a lanyard, showing an officer photograph, name, number, seal and expiry date, with the back of the card.
A standard campus ID badge, shown at 100% in the manual.p. 38
ItemSize and gridType
Letter8.5 × 11in, 12 columns, 0.5in outer marginsLabels, dates, meta and technical information in Neue Haas Grotesk Roman 8pt. Body in Baskerville (or a serif) 8.5pt.
#10 envelope12 columns, 0.5in outer marginsSame styles and layout as the letter it carries. Return address: Department of Information, Office, City. "Official Business. Penalty for private use $300.00."
Business cardRecycled cardstock where possibleName in Bold; title, office, phone, email and departmentofinformation.org in Roman.
Memo padA6, on recycled text-weight paperHorizontal identifier and a form number top; "Confidential" in Bold at the foot.
ID badgeCR80 card, blackSurname in Display Black, given name and number in Bold, expiry date set large.

It is impractical to print standard letters on black stock, but black is permissible for envelopes and other smaller, anomalous mailers and stationery.

Office ephemera

  • Pencils. Black, with the horizontal identifier in Manila.
  • Rubber bands. In one of the official brand colors.
  • Erasers. A surplus of prototype MAGIC RUB™ erasers, developed with Prismacolor in the 1950s after a global public relations failure.
  • Staplers. Hundreds of Ellepi Klizia 97 staplers were donated by the Italian government in the late 1980s. It remains the official office stapler.
  • Rubber stamps. Stamping letters and documents with the seal is a sanctioned way to indicate officiality, authenticity and approval, without the bureaucratic entanglements of the legal team or chain of command.
  • Property labels. Black stickers with the seal, for Department assets on loan or in circulation.
  • Rulers. Metric, black, with the simplified mark.
Black-and-white photograph of a cramped mailroom with pigeonholes full of papers, a typewriter and a framed Department poster.
The mailroom of an early 1960s Department station house, location unknown.Manual, pp. 48–49