This page serves as a secondary way to share our Arrowhead Transit branding guidelines. For full expectations, uses, and trademarks; please access our BRANDING GUIDE DOCUMENT.
SECTION 1: WHO ARE WE
Established in 1974, Arrowhead Transit operates as the primary provider of public transportation in the Arrowhead Region of Minnesota. As the largest rural public transportation system in the state, we are committed to delivering reliable services to residents across 10 counties in Northeastern Minnesota: Aitkin, Itasca, Koochiching, St. Louis, Lake, Cook, Carlton, Pine, Chisago, and Isanti.
MISSION STATEMENT
To provide affordable, safe, accessible public transportation and supports independent living and self-reliance.
VISION STATEMENT
Arrowhead Transit will reduce barriers to all people served while making connections with the communities we serve regarding healthcare, education, employment, recreational opportunities.
MISSION INTEGRATION
Integrate our mission statement into all marketing materials and communication channels. Align marketing efforts with the mission of supporting independent living and self-reliance in the Arrowhead Region.
Values
SERVICE THAT MEETS THE COMMUNITY NEEDS:
Arrowhead Transit is committed to coordinate, collaborate, and evaluate transportation options with the
people we serve to provide affordable, reliable, and accessible transportation that meets the community
needs efficiently.
PEOPLE FIRST:
Arrowhead Transit believes professional courteous staff promote respect, compassion, trust, and dignity
for the people we serve but also the people we employ.
SAFETY AND ACCOUNTABILITY:
Arrowhead Transit strives for the highest ethical standards, values, safety, honesty, and trust by monitoring our successes and failures, training, and best practices that seek creative solutions to complex problems and that allow us to learn and develop.
COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP AND COLLABORATION:
Arrowhead Transit helps and supports the people we serve working to tackle transportation barriers in
our communities by working together towards a common goal.
SECTION 2: BRANDING
BRANDING GOAL
To promote our brand as an Agency that provides affordable, safe, and accessible public transportation to promote independent living and self-reliance in the individual communities we serve.
LOGO
The full Arrowhead Transit logo is composed of a circle with AT embedded in it and a logotype set in Brother 1816
- PRIMARY – This logo is to be used for most applications
- SECONDARY – Logo with Tag Line “Your ride” is to be used as a secondary logo
COLOR
| Color | Hex Code | CMYK |
|---|---|---|
| Maroon | #8b0a00 | C: 0%, M: 97%, Y: 100%, K: 50% |
| Dark Grey | #717073 | C: 0%, M: 2%, Y: 0%, K: 68% |
| Black | #000000 | C: 75%, M: 68%, Y: 67%, K: 90% |
| White | #fdfdfd | C: 0%, M: 0%, Y: 0%, K: 0% |
TYPOGRAPHY
The logo is standalone and not to be typed.
USAGE RULES
Use “Arrowhead Transit” as the official name when referring to our organization. Clearly state that “Arrowhead Transit” should only be used as a noun when referring to the organization or its services. Prohibit the use of variations or adaptations that may dilute the brand identity. Do not use the term “Arrowhead Transit” as a verb.
TRADEMARK GUIDLINES
The Arrowhead Transit name and logo are trademarked and should be used with care to avoid any confusion or misrepresentation. Guidelines on proper logo usage, size, color, and spacing are outlined in the official Arrowhead Transit Branding Guide.
CONSISTENT MESSAGING
All external and internal communications should adhere to the established brand voice and messaging guidelines. Consistency in language and tone is crucial to maintaining a unified brand image.
LOGO MISUSE
Refer to our logo misuse samples HERE.
EMBROIDERY
Refer to our embroidery samples HERE.
AEOA
Arrowhead Transit is a program and service offered by the Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency – Virginia, MN
MNDoT
Arrowhead Transit is funded by the Minnesota Department of Transportation
SECTION 3: OUR BRAND VOICE
Writing
We write to make Arrowhead Transit feel considerate. That’s our team’s philosophy. And these are the
guidelines for our practice.
HIGHLIGHTS
The Arrowhead Transit voice is clear, concise and human, like a friendly, intelligent coworker Sentence case—please use it. But don’t use the Oxford comma or ampersands unless it’s dire. No periods after headlines; go light on exclamation points!
VOICE AND TONE
The Arrowhead Transit voice is the heart of our brand—it shines through our words, design, sound and overall experience with Arrowhead Transit. It sounds like your friendly, intelligent coworker: clear, concise and human.
CLEAR
Clarity is a courtesy to our readers. We respect their time and their intelligence, answer questions before they’re asked, and don’t get in the way of their actions. We recognize the weight of the written word. Saying what you mean is the best way to say something meaningful.
CONCISE
We give every word purpose. We’re thoughtful and intentional with our words. We don’t get carried away with ourselves.
HUMAN
We are characterful. But we never let character overwhelm content. What we have to say is infinitely more important than being admired for the way we say it. We like the people we’re talking to, so we keep things warm and conversational. We add delight when the moment is right, and we reward the curious with pleasant surprises.
COPY PRINCIPLES
These help us uphold the unique Arrowhead Transit voice and tone, and to align our copy across partners and functions. This ultimately leads to better—and more efficient—reviews and decisions. Our copy principles are:
- DON’T MAKE ME THINK
- BE APPROACHABLE
- MAKE IT MEMORABLE
- RESPECT OUR READERS
- BE COMPELLING
LANGUAGE
It should go without saying, but it’s still worth stating: Never use exclusionary terms, cultural
appropriation, ableist or misgendering language, or anything that could be interpreted as a slur. This
includes references to pop culture, the use of slang, most abbreviations or anything else that might
resonate with only a few people, but not most people.
EMOJI
We encourage using emoji in the right place and time, such as when they can add meaning or delight to what we say. However, never use emoji in place of words in a sentence. 💜
THE ARROWHEAD TRANSIT NAME
Since the Arrowhead Transit brand name is trademarked, we don’t use Arrowhead Transit as a verb, or create words that include our brand name. Sorry, no “Transit-ers” here.
Stylization
We follow AP style, with any exceptions noted in the Arrowhead Transit Branding guide. For spelling, use
the first entry for a word in Merriam-Webster unless otherwise noted.
CAPITALIZATION
Sentence case is the default capitalization style for most Arrowhead Transit copy.
SENTENCE CASE
Use sentence case for headlines, subheads, body copy and links
CAPS CASE
Caps case is reserved for buttons, eyebrows, and jump links
TITLE AND LOWERCASE
Use title case for proper nouns, including the Arrowhead Transit name itself (even if our logo suggests otherwise) and organizational departments in headlines. We always lowercase arrowheadtransit.com unless it is used to start a sentence, which we kindly suggest you avoid.
Times and Attributions
TIMES
Use numerals, a space and periods: 9 a.m., 12:30 p.m. For display copy, capitalize and remove periods: 8 AM PDT | 12 PM EDT Drop the :00 for times at the top of the hour: 10 a.m., 1 p.m. In a span, use an en dash: 8:30 a.m.–1 p.m. In running text, use words: Taking place on October 7 and 8 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
ATTRIBUTIONS
Here are a few handy things to remember about job titles:
Capitalize job titles in pull quotes and display copy, but not in running text
- Abbreviate CEO, CFO, COO, CTO, VP, Sr.
- Don’t abbreviate uncommon acronyms, like Chief Technical Operations Officer Co-founder, not Co-Founder
- Capitalize and remove periods on time conventions in display copy
- Use title case for proper nouns and job titles in attributions
Punctuation
Use standard punctuation in body copy (err on the side of no exclamation points!). Headlines, buttons,
links and eyebrows should not have any punctuation, outside of commas and question marks. Keep
headlines short enough that they don’t feel like they need punctuation—a complete sentence can look
out of place without a period.
SYMBOLS
We do not use ampersands (&) or plus signs (+) in place of “and”. We do not use the Oxford/serial comma unless it is critical for clarity. Always set end punctuation inside closing quotation marks
EM DASHES (—): No spaces around em dashes, except in tweets.
SECTION 4: TRAINING
Utilize the provided boilerplate copy to describe Arrowhead Transit’s services consistently across all platforms. Emphasize key service attributes, such as:
– SERVICE DESCIPTION
– RELIABILITY
– ACCESSIBILITY
– AND INCLUSIVITY
TRAINING GUIDLINES
- All staff members are required to undergo training on the Arrowhead Transit
brand guidelines. - Training includes effective communication of the organization’s mission and
values.
INTERNAL TRAINING
- Conduct regular internal training sessions on brand guidelines for all Arrowhead
Transit staff. - Emphasize the importance of consistent brand representation across all
customer interactions.
Contact Information
Dominick Olivanti: Marketing and Public Relations (dominick.olivanti@aeoa.org)
Colette Hanson: Assistant Director of Administration (colette.hanson@aeoa.org)
