Titles and signatures: Design Standard for the Federal Identity Program

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Titles

There are 2 types of titles used in relation to the federal government’s identity:

  • applied titles
  • ministerial titles

Applied titles

A department’s applied title is its official name that it uses in all communications with the public and in its corporate signature. An applied title is mandatory under the Policy on Communications and Federal Identity.

Applied titles are not to be confused with legal titles, which are established through enabling legislation or by order-in-council.

A department’s legal title can be registered as its applied title if it meets all of the criteria for applied titles. Legal titles that do not meet the criteria for applied titles cannot be adopted as applied titles.

Legal titles are to be used only where required by law, such as in legislation, orders-in-council and contracts.

Criteria for creating applied titles and abbreviations

An applied title must:

  • include the word “Canada,” which indicates jurisdiction, rather than the word “Canadian,” which indicates nationality
  • have an English version and a French version that are equivalent and that respect the style and grammar of the corresponding language
  • be as short as possible
  • be limited to keywords related to the organization’s core function
  • not include acronyms, abbreviations or special characters, for example, the ampersand (&)

Applied titles should be no more than 2 to 4 words long, excluding articles.

The abbreviation of an applied title must:

  • be different from abbreviations in the same language that are already registered by another department or used by other major external organizations
  • be composed of letters that represent the keywords of the corresponding English and French applied title (for example, HC, CanNor)
  • not be more than 6 letters long and not contain any special characters, for example, the ampersand (&)
  • not include letters that represent articles or conjunctions
  • have an English version and a French version that are equivalent and that respect the style and grammar of the corresponding language

Examples of applied titles and abbreviations:

  • Government of Canada (GC) / Gouvernement du Canada (GC)
  • Health Canada (HC) / Santé Canada (SC)
  • Parks Canada (PC) / Parcs Canada (PC)
  • Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) / Ressources naturelles Canada (RNCan)

Note: Departments may propose an applied title for a departmental branch, program or service. Consult with the TBS Communications and Federal Identity Policy Centre for guidance.

Approval and registration process

When a new department is created or when a department’s name is changed, the applied title must be approved by the minister of the department and by the President of the Treasury Board before it is used.

Departments are responsible for determining how to minimize costs, waste and duplication when changing their title.

Departments should consult with the Communications and Federal Identity Policy Centre at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) on proposed titles and abbreviations to ensure that they meet the criteria before starting the approval process.

The approval and registration process consists of the following steps.

  1. The minister responsible for the department sends a letter to the President of the Treasury Board seeking approval of the English and French applied title and corresponding abbreviations (see sample letter, which is accessible only on the Government of Canada network).
  2. Once the President of the Treasury Board has approved the title, the Communications and Federal Identity Policy Centre at TBS will:

Ministerial titles

Ministerial titles refer to the “styled titles” that ministers are given when they are sworn in. These titles are used together with the arms of Canada to form ministerial signatures. To distinguish ministers’ communications products from those of their staff, the words “Office of” and “Cabinet du” are added to the title in the signatures that are used in products from staff. Parliamentary secretaries also add their designation to the ministerial titles.

Examples of ministerial titles and offices:

  • Minister of Transport / Ministre des Transports
  • Office of the Minister of Transport / Cabinet du Ministre des Transports
  • Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport / Secrétaire parlementaire du ministre des Transports

Corporate signatures

A corporate signature consists of:

  • the flag symbol or the arms of Canada
  • an English and French applied title

This section covers flag signatures (including the Government of Canada signature) and arms signatures. It also includes details on signatures with service titles.

Flag signatures

Flag signatures consist of the flag symbol on the left and an English and French applied title on the right, set in Helvetica light, regular or medium weight.

Most flag signatures are on 2 lines, but 3-line signatures are generally used for long titles. See Figure 1 for examples.

Departments must use the digital master files of flag signatures, which are created and maintained by the Communications and Federal Identity Policy Centre at TBS.

Figure 1. Example of a 2-line flag signature (top) and a 3-line flag signature (bottom)

Flag signature for Health Canada (2 line flag signature) in its standard colours (black type, FIP red flag symbol) Flag signature for Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (3 line flag signature) in its standard colours (black type, FIP red flag symbol)

Government of Canada signature

The Government of Canada signature (see Figure 2) combines the flag symbol and “Government of Canada” in both official languages. It is used to identify:

  • items intended for government-wide or international use
  • activities that involve more than 1 department
  • facilities occupied by more than 1 department
  • departments that do not have an approved applied title

Figure 2. Government of Canada signature

The Government of Canada signature in its standard colours (black type, FIP red flag symbol)

Arms signatures

Arms signatures consist of the arms of Canada and an English and French applied title, set in Helvetica light, regular or medium weight.

Most arms signatures are on 2 or 3 lines, but 4-line signatures are generally used for long titles.

There are 2 types of arms signatures:

  • asymmetrical
  • symmetrical

Asymmetrical arms signatures have the arms on the left and the applied title in both official languages on the right. See Figure 3 for an example.

Asymmetrical arms signatures are used in all products unless otherwise specified. See How to apply the official symbols to products for specific requirements.

Figure 3. Example of an asymmetrical arms signature

Arms signature for the Copyright Board Canada in its standard colours (black arms of Canada, black type)

Symmetrical arms signatures have the arms in the centre, and the applied title in one language on the left and in the other language on the right. See Figure 4 for an example.

Symmetrical signatures are used in specific situations such as decision letters from federal tribunals.

Figure 4. Example of a symmetrical arms signature

Arms signature for the Canada Agricultural Review Tribunal in its standard colours (black arms of Canada, black type)

Departments must use the digital master files of arms signatures, which are created and maintained by the Communications and Federal Identity Policy Centre at TBS.

Signatures with service titles

The name of a departmental branch, unit, program or service may appear as part of a corporate signature. Known as service titles, these names appear in both official languages directly below the corporate signature, left-aligned with the applied title. Service titles should:

  • begin with a keyword and be as short as possible
  • avoid repeating keywords used in the applied title
  • not include acronyms, abbreviations and special characters, for example, the ampersand (&)

In signatures with service titles, the applied title and the service title:

  • appear in the same typeface and size
  • are separated by a 0.5 to 1-line space
  • may use contrasting weights of Helvetica, for example, Helvetica light with Helvetica medium

Signatures with service titles must be developed in consultation with your department’s Federal Identity Program coordinator. Departments are responsible for adding service titles to the digital master files of corporate signatures, which are created and maintained by the Communications and Federal Identity Policy Centre at TBS.

Figure 5. Example of a corporate signature with a service title, separated by a 0.5 line space and using different typeface weights

Flag signature for the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat with the Federal Identity Program service title
Figure 5 - Text version

Contrast between the applied title and the service title was created by using Helvetica light for the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat applied title and Helvetica medium for the Federal Identity Program service title with a 0.5-line space in between.

Ministerial signatures

Ministerial signatures identify ministers, parliamentary secretaries and their offices.

Ministerial signatures consist of the arms of Canada centred between the English and French title of the minister, set in Helvetica light, regular or medium weight. See Figure 6 for an example.

Figure 6. Example of a ministerial signature

Ministerial signature for the Minister of National Defence in its standard colours (pewter grey arms of Canada, black type)

Departments must use the digital master templates of ministerial signatures, which are created and maintained by the Communications and Federal Identity Policy Centre at TBS. Departments are responsible for inserting their minister’s title into the template.

Musical signature

The Government of Canada uses a musical signature in certain video and audio materials.

The musical signature is made up of the first 4 notes of “O Canada” and lasts 1.5 seconds. In video products, the musical signature plays while the wordmark is on the screen.

A standard version of the musical signature is available; however, departments may create alternative instrumental variations.

For details on how and when to use the musical signature, see:

Get a copy of a signature

To obtain a copy of a flag signature, an arms signature, a ministerial signature or the musical signature, contact your department’s coordinator.

Contact your FIP coordinator

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