Size and position: Design Standard for the Federal Identity Program

On this page

• Dos and don’ts when using Canada wordmark and signatures
• Sizing signatures to the Canada wordmark
• Positioning of Canada wordmark and corporate signatures
• Clear space around the Canada wordmark and signatures

Dos and don’ts when using Canada wordmark and signatures

Do:

• display the Canada wordmark and a signature as 2 distinct elements
• place them on a horizontal baseline, never on an angle or their side
• display them in generous, open space

Don’t:

• alter them in any way
• place them on a visually conflicting background
• use them as part of a headline, phrase or sentence
• skew, stretch or compress them
• translate them into a language other than English or French

See Figure 1 for examples of the “don’ts.”

Figure 1. Examples of incorrect uses of the Canada wordmark

Figure 1 - Text version

This graphic shows examples of incorrect uses of the wordmark. From top to bottom, they are as follows.

• First row (left): “Canada” is translated into German, so “Canada” is spelled with a “K” instead of a “C.”
• First row (right): The Canada wordmark is incorporated into a social media address. It is preceded by an “@” symbol.
• Second row (left): Part of the Canada wordmark is cut off or obscured.
• Second row (right): The Canada wordmark is incorporated into a web address. It is followed by “.ca.”
• Third row (left): The colours are incorrect. The text is in purple, and the flag symbol is in FIP red.
• Third row (right): The Canada wordmark is compressed.
• Fourth row (left): There is insufficient colour contrast with the background
• Fourth row (right): Shadowing has been applied to the Canada wordmark
• Fifth row (left): The baseline of the Canada wordmark is curved.
• Fifth row (right): The Canada wordmark is placed diagonally.
• Sixth row: The Canada wordmark is repeated to create a pattern.
• Seventh row: The Canada wordmark is used as part of a sentence: “Welcome to / Bienvenue au [Canada wordmark].”

Sizing signatures to the Canada wordmark

• In this section

  • Sizing flag signatures to the Canada wordmark
  • Sizing arms signatures to the Canada wordmark
  • Sizing ministerial signatures to the Canada wordmark

This section provides the details on the sizing of corporate signatures and ministerial signatures in relation to the Canada wordmark. The sizing applies regardless of the positioning of the signature and the wordmark.

Sizing flag signatures to the Canada wordmark

The height of the flag symbol in the signature is equal to the distance between the bottom of the wordmark and the bottom of the flag symbol in wordmark. See Figures 2 and 3 for examples.

Figure 2. Example showing size of a 2-line flag signature in relation to Canada wordmark

Figure 3. Example showing size of a 3-line flag signature in relation to Canada wordmark

Sizing arms signatures to the Canada wordmark

The height of a 2-line title in the signature is equal to the distance between the bottom of the wordmark and the bottom of the flag symbol in the wordmark. The same applies to arms signatures of 3 or more lines. See Figures 4 and 5 for examples.

Figure 4. Example showing size of a 2-line arms signature in relation to Canada wordmark

Figure 5. Example showing size of a 3-line arms signature in relation to Canada wordmark

Sizing ministerial signatures to the Canada wordmark

The width of the arms of Canada in the signature is half the width of the Canada wordmark. See Figure 6 for an example.

Figure 6. Example showing size of ministerial signature in relation to Canada wordmark

Positioning of Canada wordmark and corporate signatures

There are 4 options for positioning the Canada wordmark and corporate signature in most products. The wordmark must align with the corporate signature in one of the following ways:

• on the same baseline as the corporate signature which is displayed to the left (see Figure 7, item 1)
• in the bottom right corner, with the corporate signature in the top left (see Figure 7, item 2)
• directly below the corporate signature, aligned with the left-most text in the signature (see Figure 7, item 3)
• directly below the corporate signature, to the left edge of the identifying symbol (the flag symbol or arms of Canada) (see Figure 7, item 4)

Certain products, such as stationery and videos, have specific requirements for the positioning of the wordmark and signature. See the specific product for details.

Figure 7. The 4 options for positioning the Canada wordmark when used with a corporate signature

Clear space around the Canada wordmark and signatures

• In this section

  • Clear space around the Canada wordmark
  • Clear space around a flag signature
  • Clear space around an arms signature or a ministerial signature
  • Clear space when pairing the Canada wordmark with a corporate signature

The clear space is the minimum amount of clearance required between the Canada wordmark and signatures, and other graphic elements and text. More clear space is encouraged if the design of the product permits.

Clear space around the Canada wordmark

The minimum amount of clear space around the Canada wordmark (x) is equal to the height of its letter “C.” This clear space surrounds the wordmark on all 4 sides (see Figure 8).

Figure 8. Clear space (x) around the Canada wordmark

Clear space around a flag signature

The minimum amount of clear space around a flag signature is equal to the height of the flag symbol in the signature. This clear space surrounds the signature on all 4 sides. See Figure 9 for examples.

Figure 9. Clear space around a 2-line flag signature (top), 3-line flag signature (middle) and signature with service title (bottom)

Clear space around an arms signature or a ministerial signature

The minimum amount of clear space around an arms signature or a ministerial signature is equal to half the width of the arms of Canada. This clear space surrounds the signature on all 4 sides. See Figure 10 for examples.

Figure 10. Clear space around the 2- and 3-line arms signatures (top and middle) and ministerial signature (bottom)

Clear space when pairing the Canada wordmark with a corporate signature

The minimum amount of space between the Canada wordmark and the signature is equal, on all sides, to either:

• the height of the flag symbol in the signature
  or
• half the width of the arms of Canada

See Figure 11 for examples.

Figure 11. Examples of clear space around a Canada wordmark and flag signature pairing (top) and around a Canada wordmark and arms signature pairing (bottom)