PY Branding Guideline
A complete online design system for Peace by Youth - covering logo use, colors, typography, publication design, co-branding, photography, digital branding, messaging, accessibility, and quality control.
PY brand at a glance
This online guideline translates PY's editable Word branding manual into a web-based design system for publications, project reports, organizational reports, communications, visibility materials, and digital platforms.
Download the editable Word template
Use this file for branded reports, publication layouts, approval tables, change logs, color swatches, captions, callouts, and quality-control checklists.
Brand purpose
To make all PY communications consistent, dignified, clear, and recognizable across donors, partners, communities, media, and government stakeholders.
Design personality
Warm, credible, field-rooted, evidence-based, inclusive, practical, resilient, and partner-ready.
Use cases
Annual reports, project reports, proposals, presentations, IEC material, social media posts, event branding, case studies, field visibility, and website pages.
Brand rule: Every PY material should feel professional without losing the human warmth of community development work. Design should support clarity, trust, and accountability.
Brand foundation
PY's brand foundation defines why the organization exists, how it speaks, and how its communication should reflect its institutional identity.
Vision
A resilient, inclusive and empowered society where vulnerable communities can exercise rights, access services, and participate in development.
Mission
To support marginalized communities through education, humanitarian response, climate resilience, community empowerment, governance, and partnership-driven development.
Approach
Community-centered programming, local leadership, evidence-based planning, transparent communication, accountability, and strong coordination with partners and government.
Personality
Responsible, practical, warm, courageous, locally rooted, respectful, credible, collaborative, and responsive to community needs.
Thematic priorities
Education
Non-formal education, accelerated learning, adolescent learning, and access for out-of-school children.
Humanitarian response
Flood, drought, heatwave, and emergency response with dignity, protection and accountability.
Climate resilience
Anticipatory action, local disaster risk reduction, climate-smart preparedness, and community adaptation.
Governance
Community participation, civic engagement, reform, government collaboration, and public accountability.
Health & WASH
Awareness, immunization support, menstrual hygiene, safe water, and community health promotion.
Livelihoods
Skills, community groups, food security, recovery, small enterprise, and dignified economic support.
PY brand identity system
PY's identity is not only a logo. It is the combination of voice, values, visual consistency, evidence, community representation, and responsible storytelling.
Brand essence
Empowering communities with dignity and resilience.
Brand promise
PY works with communities and partners to deliver credible, practical and accountable development and humanitarian action.
Positioning
A locally rooted development and humanitarian organization trusted for community access, field delivery, partnership, and resilience-building.
Use the PY brand to strengthen trust - not decoration. Every design choice should make the message clearer, more humane, and more accountable.
PY communications principleLogo guidelines
The PY logo should be used consistently and with adequate space so that the organization remains recognizable in reports, event backdrops, social media, websites, and co-branded materials.
Core logo rules
- Use the official SVG/PNG logo files.
- Keep clear space around the logo equal to the height of the PY letters.
- Use the primary logo on light backgrounds and white logo on dark backgrounds.
- Align PY with partner logos using consistent height and spacing.
- Do not stretch, crop, rotate, recolor, blur, or apply effects to the logo.
- Do not place the logo on busy photos without a clean background panel.
- Do not use old, low-resolution, screenshot, or distorted logo files.
- Do not make donor logos visually dominate PY-led materials unless contractually required.
| Format | Recommended use |
|---|---|
| SVG | Preferred for website, digital documents, vector print, and scalable assets. |
| PNG | Use for office documents and systems that do not support SVG. |
| PDF / AI | Use for professional print, banners, backdrops, and vendor production. |
| JPG | Avoid for logo use unless no transparency is required and quality remains high. |
Co-branding and donor visibility
PY often works with donors, government departments, networks, and implementing partners. Co-branding should reflect the role of each institution clearly and respectfully.
PY-led material
PY logo appears first or in the strongest position. Partner logos are placed in a consistent row or footer strip.
Donor-funded material
Follow donor visibility rules. Use "Supported by - , "Funded by - , and disclaimers exactly as approved.
Consortium material
Use equal logo scale and neutral placement. Avoid implying hierarchy unless the agreement requires it.
Approval rule: Co-branded reports, banners, IEC materials, videos, and public statements should be reviewed for logo hierarchy, disclaimer wording, donor visibility, and accessibility before publication.
PY color system
PY's colors are warm, grounded and professional. Orange is the main action color, charcoal gives institutional seriousness, gold highlights impact, and warm neutrals keep reports human and readable.
#0071BCMain action color, CTAs, highlights, section labels.
#E8F1FASoft backgrounds, alerts, active states.
#F5B700Impact highlights and partner emphasis.
#383658Primary text, dark sections, headings.
#F7F7F3Page and section backgrounds.
#E5E7EBDividers, tables, form borders.
Sector color coding
| Sector | Suggested color | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Education | Gold / Orange | Learning cards, education briefs, school activity visuals. |
| Disaster Management | Orange / Red accent | Urgency, preparedness, emergency response. |
| Community Empowerment | Green / Charcoal | Participation, inclusion, self-help groups, governance. |
| Climate Change | Blue / Cyan | Resilience, environment, adaptation, early warning. |
| Health & WASH | Cyan / Blue | Water, hygiene, immunization, health messaging. |
Typography guidelines
Typography should make PY documents readable, professional and accessible. Use clear hierarchy and avoid decorative fonts in formal communications.
Lato
Use for cover titles, chapter headings, section titles, and major visual statements.
Inter
Use for body text, captions, forms, tables, website text, and long documents.
Lato
Use for statistics, numbers, KPIs, impact highlights, and dashboard figures.
| Element | Digital size | Print size | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Page title | 42-72px | 28-44pt | Use bold Lato with strong spacing. |
| Section heading | 28-42px | 18-26pt | Orange labels may support navigation. |
| Body text | 16-18px | 10.5-12pt | Maintain 1.55-1.75 line height. |
| Captions | 12-14px | 8.5-9.5pt | Include date, location, and consent-sensitive wording. |
Layout and grid system
PY layouts should be structured, spacious and easy to scan. Use consistent margins, aligned grids, clear section breaks, and enough white space to avoid visual clutter.
Reports
Use a two-column or single-column grid with generous margins, clear chapter openings, photo captions, and consistent footer/header information.
Brochures and flyers
Use bold headlines, short copy, clear calls to action, and a strong hierarchy of logo, title, image, message, and contact details.
Presentations
Use fewer words per slide, stronger visuals, one key idea per slide, and consistent title/section/data slide patterns.
Social media
Use high-contrast text, one message, one CTA, consistent margins, and accessible alt text/captions.
Non-formal education programme
Use a clear image, concise heading, short evidence-based summary and consistent badge styling.
Publication and report design standards
PY publications must be credible, easy to read and suitable for donors, partners, communities, government and public audiences.
Annual report
Cover, message, overview, programme results, financial accountability, partners, human stories, and year-in-review visuals.
Project report
Use clear project context, outputs, outcomes, activity images, indicators, challenges, learning, recommendations, and annexes.
Case study
Tell one human-centered story with consent, context, change, evidence, quote, photograph, and ethical dignity.
Policy brief
Use concise issue framing, evidence, analysis, recommendations, partner references, and strong visual hierarchy.
IEC material
Use simple language, locally relevant imagery, large text, strong contrast, and field-tested calls to action.
Fact sheet
Use numbers, maps, icons, short messages, donor visibility, and contact information.
Standard report structure
Logo, report title, project title, donor/partner logos, date, location and version.
Concise summary of context, results, challenges and recommendations.
Verified data, activity photos, community voices, lessons learned and financial summary.
Approval checklists, donor disclaimers, methodology, references and contact details.
Imagery and photography guidelines
PY photography should show dignity, consent, field reality, local context and positive agency. Images should never exploit distress or use communities as decoration.
Photo caption standard
Format: Activity description, location/district, project/programme, date/year, implementing partner/donor where relevant, and photo credit/consent reference when required.
Illustrations, icons and data visualization
Icons, charts and maps should simplify information. They must not exaggerate results or make claims that cannot be verified.
Icon style
Use clean line icons with rounded corners, consistent stroke weight, and sector-coded accent colors. Avoid mixed icon libraries in one document.
Data visuals
Use clear legends, labels, source notes, and accessible colors. Avoid misleading scales, decorative charts and unverified numbers.
| Visual type | Rule |
|---|---|
| Bar/column charts | Best for comparison; start at zero unless clearly justified. |
| Line charts | Use for change over time; label axes and period. |
| Pie/donut charts | Use only for simple parts-of-whole, ideally under five slices. |
| Maps | Use district labels, data source, legend, and neutral boundaries. |
| KPI panels | Show number, label, source and date; avoid unsupported impact claims. |
Writing style and editorial voice
PY writing should be clear, evidence-based, community-centered, protection-sensitive and partner-friendly.
- Clear and plain English.
- Verified data and sources.
- Respectful descriptions of communities.
- Specific locations, dates and project context.
- Balanced language about results and challenges.
- Exaggerated claims such as "transformed lives - without evidence.
- Victimizing or sensational language.
- Acronyms before definition.
- Unverified numbers or vague impact claims.
- Photos or stories without consent.
PY messaging framework
Use standard messages to keep PY descriptions consistent across proposals, websites, reports, media notes and partner materials.
Short organizational description
Peace by Youth (PY) is a community-rooted development and humanitarian organization working with vulnerable and marginalized communities to strengthen resilience, access to services, education, protection, climate adaptation and inclusive development.
Medium organizational description
PY works across development and humanitarian contexts with communities, civil society, government departments, donors and networks. Its programmes support education, disaster management, climate resilience, health and WASH, community empowerment, governance and livelihoods, with a focus on dignity, accountability, evidence and local leadership.
Donor-facing
Emphasize accountability, results, coordination, compliance, evidence and value for money.
Community-facing
Use simple, respectful, local language focused on rights, services, safety and participation.
Media-facing
Use verified facts, spokesperson quotes, context, district names and protection-sensitive language.
Digital branding guidelines
PY's website, downloads, email signatures, newsletters and online forms should follow the same brand system as publications.
Website headers
Use concise titles, warm photography, readable contrast, clear CTAs and breadcrumbs.
Digital cards
Use consistent badges, image ratios, titles, summaries and buttons.
PDF downloads
Use proper file names, accessible titles, compressed files and clear publication metadata.
Digital file naming
| Type | Recommended format |
|---|---|
| Reports | PY_ProjectName_ReportType_District_Year_v1.pdf |
| Photos | PY_Project_District_Activity_Date_PhotoCredit.jpg |
| Social assets | PY_Campaign_Platform_PostNumber_Date.png |
| Presentations | PY_Project_Presentation_Audience_Date.pptx |
Presentation and slide deck guidelines
PY presentations should be clean, visual and easy to follow. Slides should support speakers instead of replacing them.
Title slide
Logo, presentation title, project/donor names, date, location and one strong image or clean color field.
Content slide
One idea per slide, short bullets, clear hierarchy and strong contrast.
Data slide
Use simple charts, clear labels, source notes and one takeaway statement.
Event and visibility materials
Event materials must be readable from distance, logo-compliant, donor-approved and context-appropriate.
Backdrops
Use large title, strong logo hierarchy, partner/donor strip, date/location and enough white space.
Standee banners
Use short copy, one headline, one image, high contrast and contact/URL where required.
Field signage
Use durable formats, local language where needed, approved logo placement and clear project identity.
Stationery and administrative branding
PY's official documents should look consistent and credible, including letters, memos, minutes, certificates, HR, finance, procurement and policy documents.
Official letterhead
Use PY logo, legal/contact information, clean margins, consistent footer, and approved signature blocks.
Forms and templates
Use consistent headings, table styles, approval fields, version control and document owner details.
Accessibility, inclusion and safeguarding
PY brand materials must be inclusive, protection-sensitive and accessible across print and digital formats.
Ensure orange text is not used on weak backgrounds for long copy. Use charcoal for body text.
Do not describe communities through stereotypes or helplessness.
Use consent, avoid sensitive personal details, and follow safeguarding protocols.
Use alt text, semantic headings, descriptive links and captions for key images.
Quality control and brand compliance
Before publishing or printing, every PY communication product should pass a brand, content, donor visibility, photography and accessibility check.
Publication approval workflow
Draft -> technical review -> brand review -> donor visibility review -> final management approval -> print/digital release.
Final pre-print checklist
Check logo, margins, fonts, colors, captions, page numbers, image quality, disclaimers, contact details and file export settings.
| Checklist area | Questions |
|---|---|
| Brand | Are logo, colors, fonts, headings and layout consistent? |
| Content | Are facts, numbers, names, dates and locations verified? |
| Donor visibility | Are donor logos/disclaimers placed as agreed? |
| Photography | Are consent, captions, dignity and image quality confirmed? |
| Accessibility | Is the material readable, inclusive and digitally accessible? |
Brand asset management
PY should maintain a clear, version-controlled asset archive so that teams use approved and current brand files.
Practical annexes
The Word template includes annex structures for color codes, typography reference, logo usage, boilerplate text, donor disclaimer, report structure, success story, case study, social media captions and review checklists.
Annex 1-3
Color codes, typography sheet and logo quick guide.
Annex 4-10
Boilerplate, donor disclaimer, report cover, project report, success story, case study and caption templates.
Annex 11-15
Photo consent reference, publication review checklist, print vendor checklist, digital publishing checklist and brand compliance checklist.
Protecting the PY brand means protecting the trust that communities, partners and donors place in PY's work.
Closing note
Social media branding
Social posts should be accessible, respectful, concise and visually consistent. Use PY colors, logo placement, alt text, and clear caption standards.
Post design
Use one main message, short title, clear image, high-contrast text, PY logo, partner logos only where needed, and a CTA.
Caption design
Use location, context, result, partner/donor acknowledgment, accessible language, hashtags and photo consent where relevant.