WORKING WITH PARTNERS TO ACHIEVE OUR GOALS

© WWF / Jason Houston

The environmental challenges reshaping our world are too big for any one company or organization to solve alone, therefore, we work with partners to achieve our goals.

To avoid any confusion or misrepresentation, we must be clear about why and how we are working within any type of partnership, including with businesses, donors and public sector bodies.

The purpose of these guidelines is to outline our brand requirements for internal and external partnership communications – all within the context of ‘together possible’, our organizational commitment to working collaboratively with others.

While partnerships teams are expected to follow these guidelines, we appreciate that some flexibility may be required in particular circumstances. Nevertheless, it is important that the following principles are always adhered to: we communicate clearly why we’re working in partnership, and we use the WWF logo correctly.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

Note that the use of our logo and name by third parties is always subject to agreement. Make sure you contact the relevant team – corporate , public sector or fundraising – when discussing partnerships and ahead of using these brand partnership guidelines.

Our guidelines refer to three areas of communication:

IN ‘OUR WORLD’

When working in a partnership where the initiative is led or funded by WWF.

IN THE ‘SHARED WORLD’

When working in a joint relationship where no one member of the relationship should be seen to take an overall lead.

IN ‘THEIR WORLD’

When WWF is working in partnership, but the initiative is led or funded by the other partner.

CORE ELEMENTS OF PARTNERSHIP COMMUNICATIONS

The core elements of partnership communications are:
  1. The partnership statement
  2. The partner logos
As the only element that clearly explains the purpose of the partnership, the partnership statement must always be included, and be extremely visible, in partnership communications.
The inclusion of partnership logos, although recommended, are of secondary importance.
When the two elements are included together, these are known collectively as the partnership badge.

1. PARTNERSHIP STATEMENT

© WWF / Greg Funnell

THE PARTNERSHIP STATEMENT: PROVIDING CONTEXT

Our mission is complex and our partners wide ranging, which could lead to possible misunderstandings among audiences.

So when WWF works with a third party – whether we lead the communications or not – we must therefore clearly explain to our many audiences WHY we have formed this partnership.

The easiest and simplest way to provide clear context is to agree, with our partners, on a partnership statement. Such a statement will also help to improve your partner’s communications.
The partnership statement must clearly describe the partnership aims, avoiding being vague or generic.

FOR EXAMPLE:

WWF and (partner name) are working for a better future. 

WWF and (partner name) are working in partnership to reduce water use in clothes production. 

The partnership statement should appear everywhere that a partnership is represented, with the exact phrasing agreed upon at the contract stage.

THE PARTNERSHIP STATEMENT: STRUCTURE

The partnership statement needs to clearly and concisely represent the partnership aims.

The statement is structured into the following way, split into two sections A and B.

Part A outlines who are members of the partnership. We recommend to word part A as shown in the example. Using the words ‘working in partnership’ (or similar, for example ‘working together‘) ads a sense of clarity which is of utmost importance for the audience.

Part B outlines the partnership objective(s). Part B should contain sufficient detail to contextualize the partnership for audiences while remaining as concise as possible. Always ensure the statement includes a full stop, when used inside and outside of the partnership badge.

Exact phrasing should be agreed at the contract stage.

THE PARTNERSHIP STATEMENT: TYPOGRAPHY

In our world, we can use Open Sans Semibold or Arial Bold for the partnership statement. More information on our typography page.
In ‘their world’ the rules around partnership statement typography are loosened. This allows the partner the freedom to present the statement in a manor more fitting to their own brand, subject to the agreement of all partners.
OPEN SANS
ARIAL BOLD

2. PARTNERSHIP LOGOS

© WWF / Jaime Rojo

LOGO USAGE WITH ONE PARTNER

The logos of partners are used to illustrate and support the partnership statement.

When used, we recommend the order of the logos should reflect the partnership statement.

In ‘our world’, WWF should appear first; in ‘their world’, WWF should appear second; and in the ‘shared world’, assets creation should be discussed between stakeholders.

Our preference is for logos to be included. However, we appreciate that this may not be possible in all situations. So if space is restricted, only the partnership statement (providing context) continues to be the mandatory element.

More information on logo usage is available on the Partnership Guidelines PDF.

LOGO USAGE WITH MULTIPLE PARTNERS

When there are multiple partners, the same basic rules apply.

In ‘our world’, WWF should come first in the list. This is followed by other partnership logos, which should normally appear in alphabetical order. However, this approach may not be possible where one partner has a particularly strong contribution or where the partnership agreement requires a particular partnership listing.

For the sake of clarity, we recommend that the main partners always appear on the cover page of a communication. Supporting partners can be mentioned, along with their logos, on the inner pages.

CONSTRUCTION AND LAYOUT


© WWF / Jean-Luc Ray

PLACEMENT OF PARTNERSHIP STATEMENT AND LOGO

The guidelines allow for flexibility about where the partnership statement and logos are placed in communication assets. The key thing is to ensure that the partnership statement is highly visible to audiences so they can see the context for any partnership arrangement.

In most normal circumstances, we would recommend the following approaches:

In our world:

the WWF logo will already appear on our communication. So ensure there is no duplication of WWF logos to prevent unnecessary repetition.

In the shared world:

assets creation should be discussed between stakeholders. The only mandatory element is the partnership statement.

In their world

ensure that the partner logo only appears once to avoid duplication.

IN ‘OUR WORLD’

IN THE ‘SHARED WORLD’

IN ‘THEIR WORLD’

CREATING BALANCED LAYOUTS – HORIZONTAL GUIDELINES

The partnership badge uses the height of the WWF Logo to create balanced layouts.
The height of the WWF Logo has been divided by 6. This gives us 3 separate guides (A, B & C) and a centre line to use when creating the corporate partnership badge.
Note that the same rules apply to the WWF logo when used independently, or used within the partnership badge. This includes the rules around clearance space and minimum size. Fully constructed assets will be available for download to prevent the need to re-create assets.
More information is available on the logo page.

IN ‘OUR WORLD’

IN THE ‘SHARED WORLD’

IN ‘OUR WORLD’

The partnership statement must be left aligned and set at 8pt on 10 leading. The copy does not need to sit on the A, B and C logo guides, but does need to be centred vertically.

Complete information on how to create balanced layouts is supplied in the downloadable assets folder.

CREATING BALANCED LAYOUTS – VERTICAL DIVIDERS

The width of the partnership badge is adjustable, which ensures it is usable in all situations.
There are two elements to the horizontal layout of the badge – the horizontal ‘spacers’ and the divider line.
The spacers are 4.5mm wide (at 100%). The divider lines are 1pt wide and black (CMYK: 0/0/0/100, RGB: 0/0/0) and line up with the top and base of the WWF logo.

FLEXIBLE PLACEMENT

The position of the partnership badge is flexible and can be placed where needed in the layout. This is especially useful in the ‘shared world’ and ‘their world’.
If space is limited, it is still important to provide context – audiences must understand why we have formed a particular partnership. In that scenario, only the partnership statement must be included.
When using a partnership badge, we strongly recommend adding a margin between the badge and the edge of the page or screen. As a guide, the page margin should be at least 1/4 of the size of the WWF logo.

LAYOUT EXAMPLES

PRINT EXAMPLES

In ‘our world’ example – reduces dual panda logo

In ‘their world’ example

‘Shared world’ example

ONLINE AND SOCIAL EXAMPLES

Online / social example
When needed, a partnership badge can be reconstructed so that it includes only the logos. This allows the partnership statement, which must be included elsewhere on the layout, to be used in more creative executions.
Banner examples
In situations where the logos can’t be used, due to space or size, the partnership statement can be used by itself.
Online/social
Vertical banner
Horizontal banner

PARTNERSHIP COMMUNICATION IN ACTION

PUBLICATION EXAMPLE: MULTIPLE PARTNERS IN ‘OUR WORLD’

This example shows the partnership badge with multiple partners. The rules previously outlined apply.

USAGE ON WHITE: IN ‘OUR WORLD’

Like the WWF logo and Boilerplate Badge, we do not need to show the box boundary when used on white. We do not need to add keylines or any other elements.
Visit the logo page for more information.

SOCIAL MEDIA & VIDEO: IN ‘THEIR WORLD’

This example uses the logo only ‘lock-up’ version of the partnership badge. Because this is an example in ‘their world’, the GEOX logo appears first.
The partnership statement is written in the caption of the LinkedIn post. This ensures that the statement is clear and legible.

PUBLICATION EXAMPLE: IN ‘OUR WORLD’

All of the elements sit on the WWF Grid. The partnership badge can be created in programs such as InDesign or Illustrator.

More information on the grid usage in the publication page and logo page.

SOCIAL MEDIA & VIDEO: IN ‘OUR WORLD’

When using video and image content on social media, it is important to be very clear on what you want to achieve by promoting your partnership to different audiences.
To make sure the partnership statement is legible at all times and due to potentially small screen sizes, the partnership statement should be shown in the caption of the social media post.
Here, the partnership statement is included in the caption and so stays highly visible.
It is recommended, but not mandatory, to include the logos on social media posts. When including logos, use the logo lock-up to fully communicate the partnership.

SOCIAL MEDIA & VIDEO: IN ‘OUR WORLD’

If there are situations where the partnership statement needs to be communicated on the post itself, the partnership badge can be ‘de-constructed’. You must ensure that the partnership statement is clear and legible.
Where applicable, we should also include a call to action (CTA) in the caption, as shown in this example.

SOCIAL/VIDEO: IN ‘THEIR WORLD’

When space is limited, such as in social media apps, the partnership statement and logos can be separated. Whatever approach is taken, the partnership statement must remain the key element of the communication. In this example, the statement is included in the caption, making it much easier to read.
You must ensure that logos are always clear and easy to read.

As a conservation organization dedicated to creating deep impact for people and nature directly on the ground, WWF also works with countries and communities to support National Parks and Conservation Areas in the field. Visit this page for more information on visual guidelines for on-the-ground partnerships.