Accessibility to prioritise inclusivity for audience

We recognise that the young people we support often face accessibility challenges and greater barriers to entry.

Our Commitment to Accessibility The King’s Trust is committed to ensuring accessibility in all our communications and materials. We recognise that young people who benefit from our support are often those who face the greatest accessibility challenges and barriers to entry.

This means ensuring our logo and colour combinations meet AA or AAA standards according to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). This ensures legibility and inclusiveness across all our communications.

Accessibility is essential for some, but beneficial for all. It is our responsibility to create content that breaks down barriers, ensuring that The King’s Trust is open and accessible to as many people as possible.

Barriers to Accessibility Low Literacy Skills Ensuring clarity and simplicity in our communication.

Using English as a Second Language Providing materials that are easy to understand. Permanent Disabilities Designing content with accessibility tools and inclusive practices in mind.

Neurodivergence Offering diverse ways to engage with our content. Additionally, accessibility is a consideration for everyone, as individuals may face temporary or situational challenges.

These can range from recovering from an injury, like a broken wrist, to multitasking, such as holding a child while using a laptop.

AA Standard Compliance The King’s Trust is committed to meeting at least AA accessibility standards, to ensure that our content is accessible to a wide range of individuals, including those with disabilities.

Our accessibility guidance and the brand guidelines together promote readability, clarity, and usability. Achieving AA standards is one way we can ensure that our content is accessible to a wide range of individuals, including those with disabilities.

Our General Accessibility Guidance (UK) and these brand guidelines together promote readability, clarity, and usability. Minimum Sizes and Colours To ensure clarity and accessibility, we adhere to minimum size requirements for our logo, written text and visual elements, as detailed in the logo chapter on page 8.

The colour contrast between text and background is carefully selected to maintain readability across all formats.

Our guidelines provide specific colour pairings that ensure content is clear and accessible at all times, as detailed on pages 22-23. Contact the Marketing team for assistance and support, detailed on page 2.

1976 Sans Application

1976 Sans Light Perfect for digital body copy, ensuring clarity and reducing eye strain, especially in longer text blocks.

1976 Sans Regular Ideal for general subheadings or captions and body text in both print and digital formats, balancing readability and presence.

1976 Sans Medium Suitable for subheadings without overshadowing the main headline. Works well in both print and digital.

1976 Sans SemiBold Used for larger subheadings and emphasised text in print, ensuring important information stands out while maintaining hierarchy.

1976 Sans Bold Used for headings where subheadings are text are used in support.

Logo that defines our distinctive brand.

The King’s Trust logo is a primary brand asset that should be used consistently to build awareness, trust, and credibility. The logo is composed using two fixed elements;

Brand Icon: A crown symbol formed by three figures, representing a young person supported by mentors, supporters or staff, symbolising empowerment and community.

Brand Wordmark: The wordmark that reflects our heritage and mission using a unique and timeless type treatment originating from the 1960s and modernised for today.

Logo Equity

Timeless Application The King’s Trust primary logo is carefully crafted with a focus on balance and proportion, uniting the icon and the wordmark in a cohesive brand logo to build equity over time.

These elements are designed to work together and should never be separated or altered in proportion, unless otherwise indicated in this VIS.

The continued use of Master Red ensures brand continuity, while the updated logo represents a modern, forwardlooking mission, capturing the evolving identity of The King’s Trust while staying rooted in its legacy.

We never use the word “The” in our logo

Logo Spacing

Square Exclusion Zone

Maintain a safe exclusion zone around the logo.

The space can be measured using the central circle in the crown icon as a guide to scale the width and height resulting in a square exclusion zone.

The square exclusion zone space should remain free of other graphic elements unless placed on a photographic image or pattern background.

Note: The only exception is when the logo is placed over photography. See the photography page 9 for further guidance on backgrounds.

Circle Exclusion Zone

Maintain a safe exclusion zone around the logo.

Logos in circles are used frequently, especially in social media. The exclusion zone is measured using two of the central circles in the crown icon as a guide to scale the circumference.

The circle exclusion zone space should remain free of other graphic elements unless placed on a photographic image or pattern background.

Note: The only exception is when the logo is placed over photography. See the photography page 9 for further guidance on backgrounds

Logo Scaling

Minimum Sizes

Minimum size logos will not be a common size used but we will sometimes need to reproduce our brand in small spaces.

For clarity and accessibility, our logo can be used small but must never be smaller in height than 15mm (for print) or 90px (for screen).

Note: There is no maximum size.

Logo Application on Photography

When placing The King’s Trust logo over photography, it is crucial to ensure that the logo remains clear and legible while adhering to brand guidelines.

While the clear space rule may be relaxed slightly in these cases, the logo should always be used in its primary colours or in white.

Avoid placing the logo over busy or complex areas of the image, such as areas with high contrast, strong patterns, or distracting elements that might hinder readability.

Instead, position the logo over cleaner sections of the image where it can stand out. This ensures that the brand is still represented strongly while maintaining visual harmony with the photograph

Tagline that emphasises our commitment to serve.

The King’s Trust tagline supports our mission and aligns perfectly with the story of our logo.

It emphasises our commitment to serve and uplift young people, acting as a clear statement of our purpose and encapsulates our dedication and mission.

Working For Young People

Tagline Scaling

Tagline Presence Our tagline should be used thoughtfully, providing value, clarity, while maintaining overall brand consistency. Our VIS allows flexibility in adapting the tagline to specific contexts or audiences, ensuring relevance.

Using the tagline is particularly effective when engaging with new audiences, maybe at the entrance to an event, or launching the brand in new regions or countries.

Our tagline helps in setting the tone for new audiences.

There are three approved ways to incorporate the tagline:

1. Signature In support of The King’s Trust logo positioned directly below.

2. Statement Alongside The King’s Trust logo but larger, two lines and has sufficient distance as to not impede the logo.

3. Stand-out A headline role that creates immediate impact.

In this instance The King’s Trust logo plays a supporting role. Please consult the Marketing team for guidance

Colours have clear roles and retain our heritage.

The King’s Trust colour palette is designed to maintain a consistent and recognisable brand identity across all communications.

It is categorised into three groups:

- Primary Colours

- Secondary Colours

- Neutral Tones

Each fulfilling distinct roles in our brand’s visual narrative

Colour Principals:

General Design Direction:

Consistency is Key Ensure the colours specified in the VIS are used in a way that maintains the visual coherence of our brand. Our primary Master Red and white should dominate, supported by secondary and neutral tones.

Guided by Purpose Each colour has been selected for both its aesthetic appeal and its ability to convey the values and mission of The King’s Trust effectively. Use these colours thoughtfully to resonate with our audience.

Colour Combinations Limit to three colours where Master Red and white are supported by an accent secondary colour. Always select combinations that ensure strong contrast and readability.

Off-White If you are creating a materials with the intention of printing either commercial printing or using an office printer please use PT White. Off-White is for on-screen only.

Colour Surfaces:

Digital vs. Print

When working with our primary and secondary colours, it’s important to consider the medium—whether your final output will be on screen or in print.

Colours may appear more vibrant in digital formats (RGB) compared to traditional printing processes (CMYK/PMS), where some colours may shift slightly.

Always be mindful of “colour pairings,” ensuring that chosen combinations not only look good together but also meet accessibility standards for contrast and readability.

Merchandise Materials When selecting colours for merchandise, please take into account the base colour and material of the products, ranging from hard goods to soft goods (e.g. water bottles to hoodies and corporate gifts).

The type of material selected can change how the brand colours may look, and it is important that we make every effort to closely match our colour system

Colour Logos

Limited Colour Usage

We only permit our logos to be reproduced as;

1. White logo on Master Red

2. Master Red logo on white

3. Midnight Grey logo on white

4. White logo on Midnight Grey

All exception requests for logo colour should be directed to the Marketing team.

Typography with clarity and accessibility

Typography creates purposeful texture, guiding users to read and understand the hierarchy of information.

The right typographic treatment and controlled use of type styles help manage content display, keeping it simple, effective, and aligned with the brand’s voice.

Typography Principles

Two new custom typefaces to The King’s Trust brand have been designed for specific reasons;

1. Headlines ‘1976 Condensed’ — A bold compact clean font that creates impact for prominent messages and creates a strong visual hierarchy. This font is only available in all-caps.

2. Subheadings and Body Text ‘1976 Sans’ — A rounded, sans-serif font family that allows us to clearly organise information and guide the reader through our content.

The weight choice of 1976 Sans should reflect the text’s importance and context.

See page 20 for guidance. By adhering to our typography guidelines, designers can effectively use The King’s Trust brand system to create clear, organised, and visually appealing communications that reflect the brand’s values and aesthetic.

Typography in Colour

We do permit type in certain colours as outlined on pages 22-23.

Please keep type colours purposeful on white and Master Red backgrounds. Avoid using 1976 Sans in Master Red for longer form body copy, as it can be difficult to read. Digital vs. Print - Lighter weights (1976 Sans Light and Regular) are preferred for digital to reduce eye strain

- 1976 Sans Medium and SemiBold weights are better for print or communication at a distance to ensure readability.

- 1976 Bold for headlines. Embedding Custom Fonts For documents such as PPT, you can embed our custom fonts directly into the file.

This ensures that even when sharing with someone who doesn’t have The King’s Trust fonts installed, the presentation will look exactly as intended.

Please see page 24 for guidance on how to embed custom fonts.

Typography Colours:

Typography on Master Red Background The King’s Trust typography colour pairings are designed to balance vibrancy, contrast, and accessibility across all applications.

By strategically selecting combinations that meet accessibility standards, particularly AA and AAA guidelines, we ensure clarity and legibility across digital and print media.

Master Red remains the cornerstone of the brand as our core background colour, while secondary and neutral tones provide flexibility for creative expression such as accents.

Pass — permitted to use this way

Fail — Don’t use this way

Thoughtful colour pairing ensures that our message remains impactful and inclusive, no matter the platform or audience.

Typography on White Background

White will always be required as a core background colour.

This page indicates which colours are permitted and in what capacity on a white background Pass — permitted to use this way Fail — Don’t use this way

Thoughtful colour pairing ensures that our message remains impactful and inclusive, no matter the platform or audience

Embedding Fonts

Font Consistency

To maintain a unified and professional brand identity, all King’s Trust communications should use our custom brand fonts, 1976 Sans and 1976 Condensed, wherever possible. Consistent use of these fonts helps build brand recognition and trust.

For documents created in Microsoft Office (such as PowerPoint), you can embed our custom fonts directly into the file. This ensures that even when sharing with someone who doesn’t have The King’s Trust fonts installed, the presentation will look exactly as intended, preserving our brand’s visual identity.

If you’re unsure how to embed fonts, please refer to the guide opposite or reach out for technical support.

Tone of Voice to guide all our communication

Our communication is guided by four pillars:

Empowering We inspire confidence and capability in young people.

Inspirational Our messages are uplifting and motivating.

Optimistic We maintain a positive and hopeful outlook. Determined Our mission is to work for young people.

Inclusive We are committed to ensuring we are accessible to all our audiences

Devices that unify our initiatives and programmes

The King’s Trust programmes and initiatives have distinct lock-up devices, creating a unified yet flexible identity that encompasses all our endeavours.

Brand devices help visually distinguish our programmes and events while maintaining a cohesive brand identity across all communications

Brand Devices

Brand Device Construct

The King’s Trust primary logo is always used in our brand devices ensuring brand prominence and consistency.

A margin space of two circles, using the central circle in the brand icon as a guide, separates the primary logo from the programme or event name. This promotes uniformity and alignment in all brand devices.

Messaging Alignment

Programme and event names should match the exact height of The King’s Trust logo and align at the baseline to ensure visual harmony and balance. Programme and Event Names Ideally, names should be two words for simplicity and impact and spread across two lines for a clear and balanced read alongside the primary logo as shown here.

Brand devices are always created using the ‘1976 Condensed’ font by a professional designer only provided it’s creation is approved by The King’s Trust Senior Brand & Marketing team.

Brand Devices

Words Count and Word Count

Brand devices are titles and impact statements not sentences. Long names previously used in The Prince’s Trust events and fundraising should be avoided; opting instead for shorter, two-word, more immediate names,

e.g., From; “PROUD TO BE A GOLD PATRON” To; “GOLD PATRON” From; “RAISING FUNDS FOR THE PRINCE’S TRUST” To; “RAISING FUNDS”

Note: Our primary logo communicates The King’s Trust, therefore please never replicate our name in a brand device.

Legacy Names

The programme names will carry forward and we recognise there will be many legacy (PT branded) items in use for some time to come. We ask that you replace them as soon as it is commercially viable to do so. Legacy names with a single word (e.g., RISE or PULSE) or are acceptable. New and future programmes and events are encouraged to consider two words for simplicity, impact and not overpower The King’s Trust logo