Design guidelines

Typography

Fonts express as much as words. They convey feeling, establishing a consistent and ownable visual language for Bullhorn. Use the TT Commons font family for all communications.

Color usage

To ensure our brand is inclusive and accessible to all users, color usage must comply with accessibility standards, particularly when layering text, icons, or graphics on colored backgrounds.

Ensure strong contrast

Text and important elements must have enough contrast with the background. Aim for a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 to ensure readability for everyone.

Don’t rely on color alone

Color should never be the only way to convey information. Always use labels, icons, or patterns alongside color to support users with visual impairments.

The Bullhorn Way

The Bullhorn Way is our transformational branding process. It helps us determine what makes a brand successful or not and enables our clients to show expertise and build trust.

Define We assess challenges and articulate brand foundations.

Design We prepare your brand identity for marketing.

Deliver We create scalable marketing that accomplishes strategic objectives.

Marketing

Marketing > Blog graphics

An explainer about how to think through and create blog graphics. Basically something along the lines of making album art. No real continuity rules, but be engaging. Make someone notice. Predictability or trends are the enemy.

Illustrations

Our illustration library is designed to be expressive. While many illustrations can be swapped to suit the context, the 5 Brand Process Steps illustrations are fixed. These must remain consistent across all applications.

When introducing new illustrations, the motivation should be intentional: to better communicate an idea, reflect a new audience, or bring energy to a specific topic. New illustrations should always feel like a natural extension of the existing visual language.

Photos

If we wanted perfect images we’d hire Radcliffe and have him set up all the lights and take 5000 photos. We’re using disposable cameras for their imperfections. So don’t stress too much. There’s only a few guidelines to follow to make sure we get something useable.

1. This should be a recognizable photo of you. Having things or other people in the photo is fine as long as you are the focus. 2. We prefer having a partner / friend take a photo of you instead of a selfie. If that’s not an option, selfies are okay as long as they aren’t in the bathroom. We don’t want to see the camera in the shot. 3. If it’s dark, use the flash. If you’re not sure, use the flash. 4. You get the clearest shot if the subject is 5-10 feet from the lens. But don’t let this keep you from getting weird. 5. The lens and the view finder aren’t the same thing. Make sure you don’t cover the lens with a finger. If you’re still feeling unsure, this is a good walkthrough on how to use a disposable camera.