International Brand Guidelines

We want the general public to see National College of Ireland as... 

• Working in partnership with students; guiding, supporting and encouraging them to achieve their ambitions and realise their potential.
• We aim to deliver an education that is student centred, where everything we do is dedicated to helping you achieve your ambitions and realise your potential.
• Standing for academic excellence and access to education for all. 
• Believing in a rounded education where student wellbeing is as important as the qualification they achieve.

Mission

• To change lives through education

Vision

• NCI will provide an inspiring educational experience that is innovative, responsive and enterprise focused

Values

• Genuine approachable and down to earth, honest and open.
• Inspiring concerned about the achievement of excellence.
• Understanding a partner, paying particular attention to the needs of others; recognising the individual as well as the education.
• Committed an ally in the face of difficulties students can face.
• Passionate about education and standards.

The first reference to our name should always be ‘National College of Ireland’. On subsequent references, you may use ‘NCI’ or ‘the college’ (note the small ‘c’).

Acronyms should generally not be separated by full stops (periods) or blank spaces. If you use the word ‘the’ before our name, it should not have a capital T.

So for example...

‘I went to National College of Ireland’ (is correct)
‘I went to The National College of Ireland’ (is incorrect)

Our logo is composed of two different elements. The ‘steps’ and the National College of Ireland logo type. Both elements are important to the brand and must not be interfered with, separated or adjusted in any way.

Sizing

• The logo must always be enlarged or reduced proportionately.
• The logo minimum size should never be smaller than 28mm wide. 

Download

• Coloured.png
• Navy.png
• White.png

To request a Photoshop file, please email international@ncirl.ie with the subject 'NCI Photoshop File Logo Request'.

Which Logo to use?

• Coloured: The NCI full-colour logo must only be used on a white or transparent background.
• White: The NCI white logo must only be used on a coloured background.
• Navy: The NCI navy logo must only be used on a light coloured background, where it may be difficult to view the white logo.

Logo Positioning

NCI Logo: The order of preference for our logo location is top right first, followed by the bottom right.

Partner Logo: If the use of third party/ sub-brands is required the recommended positioning is to the left of the NCI logo.

Our main fonts are Sanchez and Lucida Sans. Sanchez is used for titles, headings and hero texts. It should mainly be used in the styles black and bold. Keeping with the main NCI brand the body text is Lucida Sans.

• Heading 1, Sanchez Black 24pt
• Heading 2, Sanches Bold 16 pt
• Body Text, Lucida Sans 10pt

Primary Colours

The primary colours of the National College of Ireland International Office are green,  NCI blue, white, and overlaid pattern. The green gradient nods to our green island and surrounding seas. The pattern represents the Irish winds and sea waves, while also mirroring the steps from the NCI logo.

The Pattern

The pattern consists of a green background, a pattern layer and a gradient layer. While using the pattern make sure it isn’t stretched or in the wrong colour profile. The lines should flow from the top left corner to the bottom right corner. When resizing the pattern, the pattern layer stays the same size. The gradient layer changes size and the gradient line has to flow from the top left to the bottom right.

Secondary Colours

Secondary colours are only to be used sparingly. Use them when the design needs a little pop or if  you need to draw attention to something. For everybody to read our communication materials make sure to meet at least AA accessibility standards.

Colours in use

The main objective of the colours and pattern is to deliver a message. Choose the right combination for what you want to convey. Use secondary colours when there is a need to highlight certain information. Pick up to three secondary colours and use them sparingly, that way the design won’t be overly busy.

Holding Shapes

The holding shapes help to break up elements in the design. Depending on the layout, the holding shapes should emerge from the top or/and the bottom. In certain cases from the sides. They should only have two curved sides facing inward to the design. The curves should be noticeable but not too big. 

Speciality Holding Shapes

In cases with a lot of information, the shapes can overlap, creating a layered look. If a holding shape needs to float it should have rounded corners.

Pattern in shapes

When using the pattern in multiple holding shapes on the page it should flow from one to another, not start anew. When designing a booklet make sure that the pattern flows from one page to another by mirroring the pattern on the second page.

Our tone of voice as per our brand model is “grounded, helpful, professional and engaging”. However, there are some suggested additions when it comes to the tone of voice we use online, particularly for social media. A tone of voice that is also ‘casual’ and ‘friendly’ is recommended, taking care that this does not cross over into hypercasual or flippant (inappropriate jokes or language, textspeak etc.) which would dilute our credibility and could ultimately damage our brand.

Commonly Used Words and Phrases:

Academic degrees

• All degree abbreviations should be uppercase and without periods: BA, BSc, MA, MSc, PhD etc.

• The word “degree” should not follow a degree abbreviation (Use “She has a BA in HRM” not “She has a B.A. degree in HRM”).

Alumnus, alumni, alumna, alumnae

• Alumnus (alumni in the plural) should be used when referring to a man who has attended a school, college or university. Use alumna (alumnae in the plural) when referring to a woman, and alumni when referring to a group of men and women.

am, pm

• Lowercase, without periods

Ampersand (&)

• The ampersand can be used in job titles - Careers & Opportunities Officer – and where space is an issue (headers, the web), but should not otherwise be used in place of the word and.

Curricula, curriculum

• Curriculum is the singular form; curricula is the plural form. 

• Capitalise when using the official title of the department or office: For example, President’s Office, Marketing Department, Student Services, Students’ Union.

Photography

Always choose people. To help express the youthfulness and internationality of the office the main subjects in photography should be students. The photography should be natural and not seem staged. The subjects shouldn’t look directly into the camera. They should be enjoying their time and be proud to be in the NCI. Emotions are important. To introduce new students to NCI it is preferable to show the campus and surrounding area in promotional material.

Visit our Resources page for Photos and Downloads

NCI International offers a comprehensive selection of brand assets, including brochures, PowerPoint presentations, banners, posters, and social media materials. These resources are available for download upon request from the International Office at international@ncirl.ie.  We will provide you with the necessary resources to support you.