BACKGROUND TO THINK!
1. What is THINK!?
THINK! is a brand that links together all road safety issues.
When road use becomes habitual and automatic, people stop thinking. THINK! is designed to scratch the conscience of road users, to wake them up physically and emotionally and encourage them to be anticipatory and think ahead.
Our goal is to make all road users question their behaviour.
The physical identity of the logo uses the lines of the road to inextricably link the brand idea to road safety issues.
2. Who does THINK! talk to?
The THINK! campaign is aimed at everyone who uses the roads, whether they are driving, riding, walking, cycling, at every stage of our lives, from cradle to grave.
3. What are the key attributes of THINK!?
1. What is THINK!?
THINK! is a brand that links together all road safety issues.
When road use becomes habitual and automatic, people stop thinking. THINK! is designed to scratch the conscience of road users, to wake them up physically and emotionally and encourage them to be anticipatory and think ahead.
Our goal is to make all road users question their behaviour.
The physical identity of the logo uses the lines of the road to inextricably link the brand idea to road safety issues.
2. Who does THINK! talk to?
The THINK! campaign is aimed at everyone who uses the roads, whether they are driving, riding, walking, cycling, at every stage of our lives, from cradle to grave.
3. What are the key attributes of THINK!?
- – THINK! is knowledgeable: it knows about the dangers on the roads and uses this knowledge to warn you in advance.
- – THINK! is caring: it has your best interests at heart, its aim is to protect you from danger and keep you safe. But it is not a nanny, nor is it a friend: it treats you like an adult, it gives you the information and lets you decide whether to act on it.
- – THINK! is stimulating: it has (and needs) an intrusive edge in order to shake people out of their complacency on the road – it works by challenging people to think about their own behaviour, pricking their conscience, making them question themselves.
4. What is THINK!’s tone of voice?
The tone of this brand is best expressed as the ‘voice of your conscience’.
Your conscience works in two ways:
- – It is caring/protecting when it advocates doing the right/best thing
(but it should never try to be your friend as it risks losing its
authority – it is a respected mentor).
- – But it can be disciplining or restraining when preventing you
from doing the wrong thing (however it should not be too dictatorial or admonishing as it risks alienating people).
So it works for both preventative and proactive engagement messaging.
GUIDELINES FOR HOW TO USE THINK!
The strength of THINK! is its flexibility. Its tone can be exed to talk to different target audiences across a range of issues in a variety of media.
However, to maintain THINK!’s power it is important that it is used in the right way. The following rules are designed to maintain THINK!’s exibility but also to protect its consistency.
Q1. When should I use THINK!?
THINK! lives in the road environment: literally through its design and its meaning – ‘think ahead about the consequences of your actions on the road’. It loses its power when used in inappropriate or negative situations.
When planning your communication, please consider the following: THINK! should be used:
However, to maintain THINK!’s power it is important that it is used in the right way. The following rules are designed to maintain THINK!’s exibility but also to protect its consistency.
Q1. When should I use THINK!?
THINK! lives in the road environment: literally through its design and its meaning – ‘think ahead about the consequences of your actions on the road’. It loses its power when used in inappropriate or negative situations.
When planning your communication, please consider the following: THINK! should be used:
- In the context of the road: e.g. on a child’s car seat but not on a mug or a pen.
- In relation to road safety: e.g. it should not stretch to messages about the environment.
- In anticipation: THINK!’s role is to warn before not after the event: e.g. There would be no point putting it on a paramedic’s uniform.
- For education (not enforcement): This brand has a tone that is the voice of your conscience, it acts as a mentor so it would be inappropriate for the brand to be directly associated with the tools of enforcement. e.g. parking tickets, safety cameras.
- Actively: THINK! must be an active part of the message. It should not be used just as a badge. Ideally, it should not be used merely as a logo in advertising - stuck alongside a myriad of other logos at the bottom of a page. THINK! should not be put
in places where seeing it would become habitual.
- In anticipation: THINK!’s role is to warn before not after the event: e.g. There would be no point putting it on a paramedic’s uniform.
- For education (not enforcement): This brand has a tone that is the voice of your conscience, it acts as a mentor so it would be inappropriate for the brand to be directly associated with the tools of enforcement. e.g. parking tickets, safety cameras.
- Actively: THINK! must be an active part of the message. It should not be used just as a badge. Ideally, it should not be used merely as a logo in advertising - stuck alongside a myriad of other logos at the bottom of a page. THINK! should not be put
in places where seeing it would become habitual.
If you are unsure of the appropriateness of using the logo,contact the THINK! team who will be happy to provide guidance.
If you would like advice, please send an email or letter stating your intentions, including the proposed dates of your activity, the media to be used and, where possible, an example of the creative. If you wish to call and speak to someone prior to sending a formal request you can do so, but it is helpful to follow up in writing.
If you are planning to run any form of direct marketing (eg. mailings, text messages or emails) or broadcast advertising (eg. TV, radio, cinema) under the THINK! umbrella, please always consult the THINK! team prior to developing materials.
If you are planning to run any form of direct marketing (eg. mailings, text messages or emails) or broadcast advertising (eg. TV, radio, cinema) under the THINK! umbrella, please always consult the THINK! team prior to developing materials.
Q2. Which logo should I use?
There are three approved versions of the THINK! logo.
Where possible, the approved yellow and blue logo should be used.
Approved logo
The THINK! logo is printed in dark blue and yellow. These colours can
be printed as two specials or in a four colour process. For single colour printing, the preferred colour is Pantone 289.
NB. Please ensure that you use the most recent logo as shown above,
as it has changed over time, and also has been reformatted for digital use.
There are two alternative versions for use in the following circumstances only:
Colour version to be used on dark backgrounds
This version should be used where the background is too dark for the blue version to be used.
Where possible, the approved yellow and blue logo should be used.
Approved logo
The THINK! logo is printed in dark blue and yellow. These colours can
be printed as two specials or in a four colour process. For single colour printing, the preferred colour is Pantone 289.
NB. Please ensure that you use the most recent logo as shown above,
as it has changed over time, and also has been reformatted for digital use.
There are two alternative versions for use in the following circumstances only:
Colour version to be used on dark backgrounds
This version should be used where the background is too dark for the blue version to be used.
Mono version
This version is for use when printing in black and white (eg. in a newspaper)
c) Are there any exceptions?
Sometimes there is a need to surprise or engage target groups who
are less open to our messages e.g. Drug Driving. In these circumstances, it may be appropriate to ‘tone down’ the logo and integrate it within the creative work. However, the use of grey should be avoided, as this codes ambivalence and uncertainty.
There may be circumstances where it is appropriate to remove the logo altogether where the communication is an ‘ambush’, eg. a viral lm.
In either of the above circumstances, please contact the THINK! team who will be happy to provide guidance.
Q3. How big should the logo be?
To ensure good readability and quality reproduction please respect the minimum width of all colour and mono reproductions:
This version is for use when printing in black and white (eg. in a newspaper)
c) Are there any exceptions?
Sometimes there is a need to surprise or engage target groups who
are less open to our messages e.g. Drug Driving. In these circumstances, it may be appropriate to ‘tone down’ the logo and integrate it within the creative work. However, the use of grey should be avoided, as this codes ambivalence and uncertainty.
There may be circumstances where it is appropriate to remove the logo altogether where the communication is an ‘ambush’, eg. a viral lm.
In either of the above circumstances, please contact the THINK! team who will be happy to provide guidance.
Q3. How big should the logo be?
To ensure good readability and quality reproduction please respect the minimum width of all colour and mono reproductions:
Q4. Where should I position other elements in relation to THINK!?
- - In all media, the strapline should appear to the left or right of the logo, not underneath.
- - If you want to show a website url with THINK! it should appear
in the opposite corner (horizontally).
Q5. How should THINK! be used on television?
a) The logo
- - The recommended size for the THINK! logo when it is used on TV is 64 lines/pixels high.
- - The logo should be positioned in the bottom half of the screen. Its exact positioning (left, right or centre) should be determined by what will achieve the best standout.
- - The logo should be on the screen for a minimum of three seconds.
b) Supers and voiceover
- - Straplines should be supered unless there is a good reason not to, either creatively or strategically. Overall, the guiding factor should be the clarity of the message.
- - If a strapline or fact is being supered the super should stay on screen for enough time for it to be read (please consult BACC guidelines).
- - Key facts should always be voiced and supered.
- - If THINK! is being used as a super and voiced, they should both be
visible at the same time.
The specified typefaces are Helvetica Neue and Arial.
Q8. What type of strapline should I use?
Different straplines should be used according to the issue, purpose of communication and the nature and maturity of the issue.
There are three types of strapline for THINK!:
- THINK! + QUESTION e.g. ‘THINK! If a child ran in front of you, could you stop?’
This is the most active use of THINK! as it asks rather than tells, inviting road users to make a decision for themselves.
- THINK! + STATEMENT e.g. ‘It’s 30 for a reason. THINK!’
Again, this is another way of giving people the facts, allowing them to make a decision for themselves.
- THINK! + IMPERATIVE e.g. ‘THINK! Slow down’
There are times with serious issues when it is appropriate to use a stronger tone to dial up the imperative. When targeting children it is particularly important to deliver a clear & strong instruction.
Q9. How should THINK! be voiced on radio?
The tone of voice should be developed around the issue and the idea. In general THINK!’s personality should be: stimulating/ positive, caring and knowledgeable.
Q6. What are the guidelines for using THINK! online?
a) Logo
The recommended size for the THINK! logo online, based on a screen size of 1024 x 768 pixels is 75 x 25 pixels.
Where possible, the blue and yellow logo should be used.
Please ensure you use an online vector le of the logo and make sure that it has been put on as a separate layer and not as an alpha channel. For reasons of accessibility, please alt tag the logo so that it sits within DfT accessibility guidelines.
b) How THINK! should be used
As with other media, THINK!’s behaviour should be to encourage engagement, participation and interaction.
Q7. Should THINK! have sub-brands?
THINK! is seen as a positive brand by all consumers, so it works to strengthen any initiative with which it is associated.
Likewise, THINK! is enriched by being associated with broader and more dynamic activity.
So where sub-brands are developed like the Motorcycle ‘Academy’ they should always be THINK! branded.
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