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The Maclay School Style Manual
and
Communication Guide
The Maclay School Style Manual and Communication Guide is to assist every aspect of the school in
creating and using consistent branding, ideas, messages, graphics, and images. The Advancement
Office and area of Communications would like to enlist your help to achieve this objective of
consistent communications standards by following this guide.
The standards and guidelines in this manual are designed to:


Ensure the consistency of graphic standards for print publications, signage, promotional
items, etc.
Define standards for use of the logo, marks, typography, style, and color for a variety of
common purposes.
Use of the name, marks, and identity of Maclay School may not be altered in any way or altered by
outside vendors without permission. Should you find a situation that is not covered in this
guideline, please contact the Advancement Office and/or the Director of Communications Kim
McWilliams, [email protected].
Preferred Typeface
Garamond is the preferred typeface. When possible, please select Garamond for printing.
Promotional brochures, items, t-shirts, and such can have design creativity and not be limited.
For Example:
Maclay School
Commonly Used Words
Alumni
Use alumni for mixed-gender groups. Alumnus is male, alumni is plural. Alumna is female; alumnae
are plural. The preferred use is plural – alumni.
Capitalization
Lowercase the word school unless using the full name: Maclay School, Lower School, Middle
School, Upper School.
Capitalize the names of the buildings (see buildings list)
Capitalize official course names: World History Honors, English I
Capitalize AP for Advanced Placement and use hyphen when using Pre-AP English
Hyphenate and capitalize: Pre-Kindergarten but no hyphen PreK3 and PreK4
Capitalize division names: Student Council, Technology, Admissions, Advancement
Commas
Separate items in a series with commas and make sure to insert a comma before a conjunction.
Example: academically, emotionally, physically, and artistically.
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Publicity Guidelines
What is News? A story’s newsworthiness is determined by the reporter and news outlet for which
he or she works. Schools offer many stories that may appeal to a general audience and, therefore,
are potentially newsworthy to mass media like newspapers and television. Other stories fit better in
school publications or Web site. If you have a story idea, please forward to the Communications
Director. Examples would be:
- Featuring new and innovative programs, classes
- Reflecting trends in education
- Human interest stories
- Student accomplishments that go above and beyond
Email Communication
Email blasts are sent at the discretion of the Communications Director who serves as gatekeeper in
order to avoid email overload to parents. General reminders, calendar events, congratulations, and
recognitions will be sent through the E-News sent out Monday by noon. E-News information
deadline is Sunday at midnight.
Special promotional events, fundraisers, post-season play and special sporting events (such as pink
out games, senior nights) may qualify for a separate email blast but should be limited to once per
season if possible with the exception of post-season play.
Email communication is encouraged for parent information and permission slips in order to
minimize postage costs and the labor of mailing.
Building Names
William W. Jablon Lower School/Administration Building. Built 1968, Renovation 2013
Bill G. Cartee Gymnasium. Built 1972
McKenzie Science Center. Built 1973
Dining Hall. Built 1985
Jacob C. Belin Middle School. Built 1989
Erica Elizabeth Davey Upper School. Built 1996
Marian Lawton Langford Library. Built 1996
Robert C. Webster, Jr. Gymnasium and Convocation Center. Built 2004
Pre-Kindergarten Building. Built 2011
The Peipers Field House. Built 2014
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Room Dedications
Marian Lawton Langford Library

Thomas J. Bixler II, M.D. and Jill Y Bixler Foyer

Frank S. Shaw, Jr. Board Room

Post Circulation Area

William W. Jablon Seminar Room

Wayne and Kitty Davis Upper School Reading Room

Maclay School Faculty Technical Processing Area

Edward Ball Garden
Erica Elizabeth Upper School

Cantey and Marilyn Higdon English Center

The Carolyn Wedeles Fixel Classroom (US English)

The Middleton Family Classroom (US English)

Jane Ware McConnell Social Studies Center

The Bruce Timm Family Classroom (US Social Studies)

The Archibald Family Classroom (US Foreign Language)

The Kathryn Karrh Cashin Classroom (US Foreign Language)

The LLT Development, Inc. Classroom (US Math)

Louis and Mary Sachs Courtyard

Dr. Francis A. Visconti Administration Building
William W. Jablon Lower School Building

Firman Lower School Reading Room

Sarah Ann Dailey Classroom

Lawson Susanne Mayfield Foreign Language Lab

The Unger Family 3re through 5th Grade Wing

The Dudley Family Kindergarten through 2nd Grade Wing

The William W. Jablon Lower School Science Lab
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Official Colors, Seal and Logo Usage Guidelines
The official Maclay colors are Royal Blue (Pantone 286) and White.
Royal Blue Pantone 286
White
Also acceptable is Navy (Pantone 281) and White.
Navy Blue Pantone 281
Secondary color options include Powder Blue (Pantone 283) and Black.
Powder Blue Pantone 283
Black
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Below are some basic guidelines to follow when implementing Maclay logos.
Minimum Size
To maintain their integrity and maximize their impact,
the Maclay Logos should be used at a minimum size
of 1” x1”.
Size standard exceptions for things such as pencils, key chains, etc. are permitted. See the
communications director for assistance.
Clear Space
A "clear space" equal to the ¼ the height of the logo must be maintained on all four sides of logos
when placed in printed publications or other materials. No graphic elements -- including typography,
patterns, illustrations, or photographs -- should appear within this space. This space allows the
official Maclay logos to stand alone for better recognition and protects them from blending with
text, headlines or other images.
Here is an example of how to measure for
“clear space”.
Unacceptable Acceptable Seal Designs (no longer used)
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Backgrounds
To ensure readability and maximize the impact of Maclay's visual identity program, the background
colors that can be used with the Maclay logos are carefully defined.


The color versions of the Maclay logos, Signatures should be used only on the following
background colors: White, Navy Blue, Royal Blue, Powder Blue, or Black.
To allow for more design flexibility, the visual identity system allows for the black version
of the Maclay logotype only to be used on any solid color background.
There is one notable exception to these guidelines: The color versions of the Maclay Seal and
logotype, can be placed on photographs -- provided that the photograph's colors and patterns do
not compete visually for attention. For example, placing one of the logos on the sky portion of a
photo is acceptable in most cases.
Acceptable Backgrounds for the Maclay Seal
White
Royal Blue
Navy Blue
Black
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Other Approved Logos
Royal Blue
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Acceptable Backgrounds for the Maclay Logotype
White
Royal Blue
Navy Blue
Black
If you have any questions about which logo is right for a particular application or about how to
incorporate a logo into your publications, please call or email [email protected] for
assistance.
Logo Application Tips


You may add drop shadows to the logo to enhance its presentation. These shadows may
only be in black, shades of grey, or white AND MUST BE SOFT SHADOWS ONLY.
Do not create new art or text using the Maclay logos other than those provided in the
official usage guidelines.

Do not add new words to any of the logos.

Do not reproduce any element at smaller sizes than the approved minimum size.

Do not attempt to reproduce the logo yourself.

Do not change the distribution of colors within a Maclay logo.

Do not reproduce a logo in colors other than the approved colors.

Do not embed the logo within a body of text.

Do not use logos on unauthorized background colors.

Do not add colors to white "reversed-out" artwork.

Do not distort, modify or add dimension to the logo.

Do not enclose the logo within boxes or shapes defined by white or any other background
color THAT DOES NOT FOLLOW THE CLEAR SPACE GUIDELINES.
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Athletic Logo Usage Guidelines
Thank you for doing your very best to represent the Maclay School brand and our athletics
programs in best possible light! By following these guidelines, we’ll make the Maclay brand well
recognized, our look will always be presented professionally, and we’ll make a greater impact on our
competitors and the community at large. Below are some basic guidelines to follow when
implementing Maclay logos.
Official Maclay Colors
The official Maclay colors that we will use to represent all Maclay athletic logos are (in order of
preference) ROYAL BLUE, NAVY BLUE, and POWDER BLUE, and the official PMS colors
are listed below as follows:
ROYAL BLUE
NAVY BLUE
Official Maclay Athletics Logos
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POWDER BLUE
Other Acceptable Logos
All officially approved logos can be found on the Faculty Share Drive:
Faculty/Templates-Maps-Logos
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Exceptions:
The metallic versions of the Maclay logos may be used also, and are not required to be in the above
official colors, but MUST BE USED AS PROVIDED (example below):
Minimum Size
To maintain their integrity and maximize their
impact, the Maclay logos should be used at a
minimum size of 1” x1”.
Size standard exceptions for things such as pencils, key chains, etc. are permitted. See the
communications director for assistance.
Clear Space
A "clear space" equal to the ¼ the height of the logo must be maintained on all four sides of logos
when placed in printed publications or other materials. No graphic elements -- including typography,
patterns, illustrations, or photographs -- should appear within this space. This space allows the
official Maclay logos to stand alone for better recognition and protects them from blending with
text, headlines or other images.
Here is an example of how to measure for
“clear space”
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Logo Use with Typography
If you need an athletic logo that includes type, please use the provided logo that includes your sport
name
Here is an example of an athletic logo with
a sport name:
Backgrounds
To ensure readability and to maximize the impact of Maclay's visual identity, the background colors
that can be used with the Maclay logos are carefully defined.





The color versions of the Navy Blue and Royal Blue Maclay logos (either with or without
white fill) should be used only on the following three LIGHT background colors: White,
Grey, or Silver.
The color versions of the Navy Blue and Royal Blue Maclay logos should be used only on
the following three DARK background colors, and MUST be the logos with white fill: Navy
Blue, Royal Blue or Black.
The color version Maclay logo in Powder Blue should only be used on a dark background
color, like Navy Blue, Royal Blue, Dark Grey, or Black. NOTE: A white background will be
acceptable under certain conditions.
The white "reversed out" versions of the logo can also be used on Navy Blue, Royal Blue,
Dark Grey, or Black.
To allow for more design flexibility, our logo usage guidelines allow for the black version of
the Maclay logo only to be used on any solid color background.
There is one notable exception to these guidelines: The color versions of the Maclay logos can be
placed on photographs -- provided that the photograph's colors and patterns do not compete
visually for attention. For example, placing one of the logos on the sky portion of a photo is
acceptable in most cases.
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Acceptable Light Colored Backgrounds for Navy Blue and Royal Blue Logos,
with or without White Fill:
White
Grey
Royal Blue on Silver
(without white fill)
(without white fill)
(with white fill)
Acceptable Dark Colored Backgrounds for Navy Blue and Royal Logos:
Navy Blue
Royal Blue
Black
(with soft white shadow)
(with soft white shadow)
(with soft white shadow)
Acceptable Backgrounds for Powder Blue Logos:
Navy Blue
Royal Blue
Black
Acceptable Backgrounds for Powder Blue Logos with White fill:
Navy Blue
Royal Blue
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Black
Examples of UNACCEPTABLE BACKGROUNDS:
If you have any questions about which logo is right for a particular application or about how to
incorporate a logo into your publications, please call or email [email protected] for
assistance.
Logo Application Tips


You may add drop shadows to the logo to enhance its presentation. These shadows may
only be in black, shades of grey, or white AND MUST BE SOFT SHADOWS ONLY.
Do not create new art or text using the Maclay logos other than those provided in the
official usage guidelines.

Do not add new words to any of the logos.

Do not reproduce any element at smaller sizes than the approved minimum size.

Do not attempt to reproduce the logo yourself.

Do not change the distribution of colors within a Maclay logo.

Do not reproduce a logo in colors other than the approved colors.

Do not embed the logo within a body of text.

Do not use logos on unauthorized background colors.

Do not add colors to white "reversed-out" artwork.

Do not distort, modify or add dimension to the logo.

Do not enclose the logo within boxes or shapes defined by white or any other background
color THAT DOES NOT FOLLOW THE CLEAR SPACE GUIDELINES.
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