The Branding Guidelines
A complete branding guidelines for Highline Adventures and everything it produces
Version 1.0
01. The Brand
Highline Adventures is a brand set on creating fantastic outdoor activities for people of all ages to enjoy that cannot be experienced anywhere else in the Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez Valley area.
The following is a set of guidelines to help maintain a solid and cohesive brand identity across all branded materials and cultivate a professional level outdoor adventure experience that is welcoming to all.
Brand Values
At Highline Adventures, our core mission statement is to provide the ultimate outdoor experience for people of all ages to experience in the Santa Ynez Valley. We seek to educate visitors on the history, environment and culture of the area through series of adventures and outdoor activities.
Family Friendly
The attractions are designed to fit any age and experience level. Whether it's a timid child looking to safely explore the treetops or an avid adventurer looking to soar across the canyons, everyone will have a good time.
Environmental Education
Highline has an incredible amount of natural beauty and plenty of learning opportunities. It is our responsibility to teach visitors about the land and the importance of the conservation of this beautiful area.
Culturally Conscious
Conscious of all potential visitors, current and past. From creating a solid experience for people from around the world to telling the story of the Chumash tribe that established this land before us.
Fun & Adventurous
This is an adventure park meant to push boundaries and create a fun experience for all ages and walks of life. Creating a great time is our main objective.
Professionalism & Safety
While fun and games is our goal, we are also committed to providing professional and trained employees that will make sure the experience is safe for everyone.
Target Market
Our target market is a range of ages and walks of life. We will have families who want to find an adventurous time for all ages, tourists who are looking to experience the area, and your average Joe that is just looking to get a beautiful nature filled experience without having to walk 20 miles.
Families & Kids
Our main demographic is to showcase a family friendly environment that parents can bring their kids to and everyone has a great time.
Tourists
From proper signage to picking the perfect font we must cater to people of many different backgrounds and languages visiting the area.
Average Joe's
A large portion of the visitors will be "local tourists". People that are visiting the area from less than 150 miles away.
Educational Groups
Highline presents a great opportunity to provide educational experiences for local schools and youth groups.
Brand Voice
Our voice is the personal and honest tone that keep our customer base happy and connected. Considering our target market covers a vast age range, we want to make sure we are loud and outgoing while also family friendly and culturally conscious.
- Fun
- Simple
- Easy
Copy & Taglines
02. The Logo
The Highline logo was developed through inspiration from both simple cattle ranch branding and basic knot structures. We aimed to develop something that would pay homage to a ranch lifestyle while incorporating a looping and overlapping structure to suggest knots and ropes, specifically in the "H" creating a sheet bend hitch knot.
Logo Variations
Primary Logo
Full horizontal lockup
Secondary Logo
Vertical stacked version
White Logo
For dark backgrounds
Logo Mark
Icon only
Logo Construction
The logo is formed of simple mono-linear structuring to display an organic H knot. The structuring of the icon was to reference a simple welded cattle brand that would be made out of one single strip of iron.
Safe Zone
In order to reduce overlap and interference with the logo and to maintain its legibility and clarity in all assets, we have developed a safe zone for the logo:
- For Full Logo lock ups, the spacing needed around the full edge is the height of the H from the wordmark
- For the Logo Mark, the spacing around all edges is 20% of the size of the full logo mark
- The Secondary (Vertical) Logo will follow similar spacing to the Full Logo
Badge Logo
The badge logo was developed as a secondary and informative variation of the logo. It was inspired by park rangers badges and can be used for better layout purposes. The badge logo helps call out the Santa Ynez Valley location and further develop a local identity.
03. Typography
Primary Typeface
Neue Haas Grotesk Display Pro - 75 Bold
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
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1234567890!@£$%^&*
Our main typeface is Neue Haas Grotesk 75 Bold which is used as our primary wordmark lock-up typeface and also in all headlines, signage, and call to actions. Its heavy weight paired with clear legibility make it a perfect option for displaying our text so that there is little room for translation errors and it can be seen easily from distances.
Typeface Variations
- Display Pro - 75 Bold: Used for headlines and large call to actions
- Display Pro - 65 Medium: Used for body copy bolding
- Display Pro - 55 Roman: Used for basic body copy
- Display Pro - 45 Light: Used for soft call-outs within copy or for light headlines
04. Misuse
A strong brand is applied consistently. It is important that a brand mark is never altered. The logomark should stay in accordance with these guidelines. Never should the graphic nature of the mark be altered in any way.
Encroach on safe space
Realign text
Adapt the logo
Skew or stretch
Change orientation
Fill with patterns
05. Color Guide
Our colors are inspired by the natural surroundings in the Santa Ynez Valley. The primary green is pulled from the hills all around. The secondary blue is inspired by the ocean in the distance and the consistently clear skies. Our accent orange is inspired by the California Poppy blooms in the spring time. Our high accent yellow is inspired by golden sunsets along with the hillside hues over the late summer and fall months.
06. Digital
Social Icons
Here are some suggested social profile uses. List the sizes and a small description for brand consistency. How would the logomark/logotype be applied across all social accounts?
- Instagram: 110px x 110px
- LinkedIn: 400px x 400px
- Facebook: 360px x 360px
- Twitter: 110px x 110px
07. Samples
Business Cards
Here is an example of how the brand translates into key deliverables, in this case, a simple business card.
- Final Card Size: 85mm x 55 mm
- Includes logomark, contact information, and brand colors
Posters & Flyers
We want to showcase the landscape as well as fun experiences for all ages. Layering images of both can help set the tone for the area and the environment. We want to stick with our usage of large legible copy with short direct calls to action to drive consumers straight towards actionable experiences.
08. Photography
This brand is here to provide a fun, exciting, educational, and adventurous experience; so the photographs need to do the same. Initially we must capture establishing shots of the built out space, signage, welcome center and flora/fauna in the area. Then we focus on the people, all types of people.
Photography Guidelines
- Show a wide diversity of people enjoying themselves
- Capture smiling faces and pure excitement
- Use gimbals, lighting, drones and a variety of other tools
- Get POV shots from riders with GoPros
- Keep tones light and bright with soft warm tones
- Convey an inviting and safe environment
- Professional quality but not sterile or corporate
- Motion and still imagery must live within the same tone/mood
09. Iconography & Elements
Iconography & Symbols
There will be a long list of cohesive icons that will be used to help create clear directions and signage to go throughout the ranch. These icons will be scrutinized and devised so they are clear and understandable beyond any language barrier.
Graphic Elements
Topographic lines can be used throughout items to add outdoor touch. It should only be used lightly (around 30% opacity) on solid colored graphic elements and not interfere with the legibility of the items on top. If lines are used behind text, they must not disrupt the legibility of the information.
10. Safety & Signage
Directional Signage
Our signage needs to be clean, clear and concise. Since our customer base is a full range of ages and many may not have English as their primary language, we need to make sure everything is legible and easily translated.
Examples
- Orientation: Green background with white text and icons
- Trail: Yellow/gold background with compass icon
- First Aid: Red background with medical cross icon