A SYMBOL THAT REPRESENTS OUR BRAND WORLDWIDE

Our iconic logo is at the heart of all our communications – and is recognized all over the world.

What is the story behind WWF’s panda logo? The inspiration for our logo came from Chi-Chi: a giant panda that arrived at The UK’s London Zoo in 1961 – the same year that WWF was created.

Aware of the need for a recognizable symbol that would overcome all language barriers, WWF’s founders agreed that Chi-Chi’s distinctive shape and colour would make a great logo. The first sketches were made by the British environmentalist and artist, Gerald Watterson.

Based on these, Sir Peter Scott, one of our founders, drew the first logo. He said at the time that “we wanted an animal that is beautiful, endangered, and loved by many people in the world for its appealing qualities. We also wanted an animal that had an impact in black and white to save money on printing costs.”
The panda has since become a symbol not just for WWF but also for the conservation movement as a whole.

Chi-Chi, the inspiration for the WWF logo. Image courtesy of BBC.

British environmentalist and artist Gerald Watterson played a key role in the original panda logo by producing the initial sketches.

THE WWF LOGO

The ’WWF logo’ is made up of three inseparable elements:

The panda icon
The WWF initials
The containment shape (the white area around the panda icon and WWF initials)

Additionally, there are copyright and registered trademark symbols that must always appear on the logo.

The logo can never be modified.

Please contact commsmarketing@wwfint.org for specific requests such as a transparent logo file for merchandising.

Download Logo files

CLEARANCE SPACE

Other design elements cannot be placed next to the WWF logo. A clearance space – 1/4 of the width of the logo – is required.

However, this space is not needed at the edge of the page or screen. The logo can also be placed onto background images although take care to make sure they are not overly busy within the clearance space.

MINIMUM SIZE

The containment shape has a minimum width of 10mm for print.

Digital versions do not have a minimum size as favicons are determined by the platform.

NEVER MODIFY THE LOGO

Do not remove the white containment shape.

Do not add a keyline around the edge of the logo.

Do not decrease or modify the size of the white containment shape.

Do not distort the logo.

Do not change the colour
of the logo.

Do not inverse the colours of the logo.

Do not add additional graphic elements to the logo.

Do not animate the logo.

Do not use the ‘WWF’ design as a standalone wordmark.

ONE NETWORK, ONE BRAND,
ONE VOICE

WWF is a global network, united by one shared mission and one common brand. For more than 65 years, generations of colleagues around the world have been helping to make the WWF logo one of the world’s most recognized symbols. Protecting this important brand asset is essential.
Consistent use of our brand ensures clarity, strengthens recognition and maximizes the impact of our work.
So it is the responsibility of every one of us to help safeguard these powerful advantages for WWF.

WWF NAME

For communications purposes, we always refer to ourselves as “WWF”.

With the exception of legal documents, we never spell out our name as “World Wide Fund for Nature” or any other national version. If more context is required beyond “WWF”, you can qualify this by adding “the global conservation organization”, to read: “WWF, the global conservation organization”.

Legal:

The exception to the above is legal and formal documents. Whenever you are preparing a formal legal document you must use the full legally registered name of the entity you are referring to e.g. for WWF International this is: “WWF – World Wide Fund for Nature (formerly World Wildlife Fund)”. Other national organizations have their own separate legal names. Please check with your legal team.

WWF office names:

WWF International is written without a hyphen, but all other WWF offices, National Organizations (NOs) and Programme Offices (POs), should be hyphenated: WWF-US, WWF-China, WWF-North Africa, WWF-India.

COUNTRY IDENTIFIER

In certain circumstances, a WWF report (e.g. annual report or partnership report) may feature the WWF logo together with the country of the WWF office responsible for its production. However, the identifier cannot be used with the WWF logo for internal or external campaigns, initiatives or programmes.

When using a country identifier, the name of the country sits underneath the WWF logo, separated by a 1pt divider line.

Templates and further guidance is available on the Publication Guidelines page.

DO NOT CREATE SUB-BRANDS

When seeking to promote an activity or initiative (e.g. projects, campaigns, reports, shops, events, etc.), do not create sub-brands. This principle applies across the entire organization from local to global levels.

This also means avoiding the development or use of elements such as standalone logos. Regardless of the communication, we consistently apply the standard WWF brand elements as defined in these guidelines, with the WWF logo remaining the primary and most prominent identifier of our brand.

Creating new identities or visual styles would weaken our identity and risks distracting or confusing our audiences.

Do not create sub-brands (including logos) for any WWF activity or initiative.

CAMPAIGN EXPRESSION

When developing campaigns and other initiatives, you may develop a simple visual treatment to support storytelling and recognition. This can include a consistent approach to imagery, copy, and colour palette. However, these elements should never compete with or override the core WWF brand.

Here are some examples of how you can use WWF elements to identify your initiative:

Always maintain the integrity of the WWF logo, positioning it clearly as the primary brand identifier and separate from any other locked-up design elements.

Additional design elements (e.g. icons, etc.) are secondary and are treated as an illustrative or supporting element, not as a brand or logo.

Use colours from WWF’s brand palette.

Always maintain the integrity of the WWF logo, positioning it clearly as the primary brand identifier and separate from any other locked-up design elements.

Use the WWF font for titles.

Use black and white as the primary colours. See more guidance on colour palette here.

Use clear, simple visual elements and copy to provide context.

Use striking photography that is relevant to our work or to the subject being described.

USING THE LOGO

REGISTERED TRADEMARK AND COPYRIGHT STATEMENT

Any reference to WWF, or use of the WWF logo in a publication, website or promotional item will need to be accompanied by a registration mark ® and copyright symbol ©.

Please state (usually in the back cover of a publication, footnote in an advert, etc.):

THE LOGO GRID SYSTEM

The WWF logo guidelines feature a robust grid system to help maintain design consistency. This governs the following:

Sizing and positioning of the WWF logo;
Positioning of typography;
Sizing and positioning of graphic devices;
Organizing layouts or interfaces.

On this page is an example of a 34 x 48 grid, which is formatted to work on ‘A-sized’ documents (e.g. A4, A5, etc.).

For added adaptability, we only require that three sides of the WWF logo sit on the grid. This can be any three sides of the logo.

Templates and further guidance are available on the Publication Guidelines page.

USING THE LOGO ON A WHITE OR LIGHT BACKGROUND

The logo rules (e.g. clearance space, grid system, etc.) do not change when there is a white or light background.

The containment box shape should not be highlighted (e.g. do not add a keyline or drop shadow).

Downloadable templates are available on the Assets page.

SOCIAL & ON-SCREEN

1. WWF PANDA ICON

In online contexts, the panda icon can be used instead of the full WWF logo as long as the account handle (your unique online public identifier) features ‘WWF’ in its name.

2. COUNTRY IDENTIFIER

In many cases, the country is identified by the name of the account, meaning that a “country identifier” (i.e. the name of the country sitting underneath the WWF logo) is not needed.