T H E GU I DE TO

Barnes & Noble Digital Branding

Brand Voice

03

— Mission Statement

04

— Brand Voice

Brand Voice

I

Mission Statement To operate the best omni-channel specialty retail business in America, helping both our customers and booksellers reach their aspirations, while being a credit to the communities we serve.

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BR AND VOICE

The Barnes & Noble brand can be summed up in one word: aspiration.

Every book purchase is an expression of a reader’s aspiration: whether for escape, learning, selfimprovement, intellectual stimulation, a child’s development, or vicarious pleasures.

As the destination for books, Barnes & Noble means more to consumers than a supermarket, a drugstore, or a hardware store. Promotional urgency should not overwhelm our respect for books or the aspirations that readers invest in them. In order to do this, we need to know something about each book we’re selling, something that is meaningful to the person who would want to read it. It doesn’t take a lot of knowledge to convey our expertise, but the little we say must be well-chosen and confidently shaped.

Books may be sold as commodities by some merchants, but they are not commodities to readers, and should never be treated as such. Because readers are deciding to spend hours and hours with a book, each individual purchase is a meaningful thing. Books are not the same as soda, deodorant, or light bulbs.

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BR AND VOICE

Q U ES TI O N S TO A S K B EF O R E YO U W R ITE:

Why am I writing about this book? What makes it distinct from other books? What aspirations does it speak to? And whose?

Q U ES TI O N S TO A S K A F TER YO U ’ V E W R IT TEN :

Who? What? Where? When? Why? Have I delivered this information as applicable? Will reference to other books (by the same author, in the same genre) help describe this one? Could the words I’ve used apply as easily to another book? Where is the bookseller’s voice? Does it sound like a human wrote this?

TH E L A N G UAG E W E U S E M U S T B E:

Clear, quick, and accurate; inviting, informed, and informative; courteous, credible, and useful; vivid.

A LWAYS K EE P I N M I N D:

Flavorless prose is not the same as clarity. Rhetorical flights leave information behind. Facts are stronger than adjectives. An accurate level of excitement is more compelling than an inflated one. Avoid exaggeration. Excessive praise misleads customers and makes us appear lacking in either judgment or expertise.

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II

Graphic Standards

— Logo Variations

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— Clear Space and Sizing

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— Design Principles

Graphic Standards

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LO G O VA R I AT I O N S

Traditional Logo

Knockout Logo | Square Version & Horizontal Version

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C L E A R S PAC E A N D S IZI N G

Clear Space

Clear space is the area surrounding the logo that must be kept clear of all other elements, such as text, imagery, and other graphics. For our logo to communicate effectively, a minimum amount of clear space is necessary to stage it properly. Clear space must always be .5x on all sides of the logo. Clear space requirements are the same for all configurations and color variations.

The more space you give the logo, the greater impact it can have within your design. Whenever possible, this amount of space should be increased. It’s important to keep the logo large enough to be clear and legible. We’ve carefully tested the logos, so don’t reduce them below their recommended minimum sizes. They can be scaled up to any size.

0.5 x

x

0.5 x

0.5 x

0.5 x

Sizing

Minimum size is measured by the width of the logo, as shown in the exhibit below. Please note the different sizes for logos for print vs. on-screen media. In exceptional cases, such as co-branded or promotional items, you may need to reduce the logo below the recommended minimum size.

Testing should be conducted before final production to ensure legibility. Brand Team approval is required in these cases. Minimum size requirements for all logo color variations match those listed on this page.

.5” wide ( 36px )

1” wide ( 72px )

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DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Simplicity Relevancy Ease of Sharing Design & Experience Innovation Delight

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III

Design Elements

— Primary & Secondary Colors

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— Supporting Colors

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— Background Colors

18

— Buttons

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— System Icons

Design Elements

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PR IMARY & S ECON DARY COLOR S

Primary Colors

PRIMARY GREEN C79 M41 Y69 K 29 R52 G98 B80

PRIMARY GR AY C12 M9 Y11 K0 R 221 G221 B219

PRIMARY TAN C11 M11 Y19 K0 R 225 G217 B202

Secondary Colors

VERMILION C7 M97 Y10 0 K1 R 221 G38 B18

SKY C81 M58 Y0 K0 R61 G109 B181

TE AL C82 M30 Y51 K7 R40 G132 B127

P R I M A RY & S E C O N DA RY C O LO R S — Color plays an important role in our communications, and by emphasizing particular colors we create a visual identity that quickly identifies us. Our brand is clean, elegant, and simple. This sophisticated, respectful approach to white space creates a refined, modern backdrop for the range of work we do.

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SUPPORTING COLORS

WALNUT C69 M63 Y62 K57 R53 G53 B53

STR AW C4 M18 Y73 K0 R 244 G204 B99

MIST C20 M6 Y7 K0 R 201 G219 B226

OLIVE C39 M33 Y65 K5 R158 G150 B107

EMER ALD C87 M41 Y76 K35 R 20 G89 B68

FOREST C78 M50 Y68 K45 R45 G73 B63

MOSS C69 M49 Y68 K37 R70 G85 B71

HA ZE C62 M38 Y36 K4 R108 G136 B146

L APIS C97 M68 Y35 K17 R5 G79 B114

DUST C19 M19 Y17 K0 R 206 G198 B198

DENIM C86 M69 Y30 K12 R57 G84 B123

STONE C52 M38 Y39 K4 R130 G140 B142

SL ATE C67 M53 Y54 K 28 R81 G91 B91 ROSE C33 M62 Y49 K9 R163 G107 B108

BARK C43 M43 Y58 K10 R143 G128 B107

PE ACH C5 M18 Y24 K0 R 239 G209 B188

DEEP BLUE C99 M83 Y42 K40 R17 G45 B77

COAL C78 M67 Y59 K65 R33 G40 B 45

SALMON C0 M46 Y48 K0 R 247 G158 B127

PEONY C11 M72 Y62 K1 R 216 G104 B93

S U P P O RT I N G C O LO R S — Use sparingly.

brand direction, but should add to it and expand the graphic language. Some of these colors are preferred for backgrounds, holidays, or one-offs. They can also help establish a design for video, installation, and product launch.

The Brand Team often needs to create an identity around a new product or tool and should use this palette to add personalization or a unique style that is still in line with the overall BN brand. The colors should never misalign with the overall 11

BACKG ROU ND COLOR S

TAN C11 M11 Y19 K0 R 225 G217 B202

GR AY C12 M9 Y11 K0 R 221 G221 B219

LIL AC C18 M18 Y16 K0 R 209 G201 B201

SAGE C31 M18 Y32 K0 R179 G189 B173

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PE ACH C5 M18 Y24 K0 R 239 G209 B188

MIST C20 M6 Y7 K0 R 201 G219 B226

BUT TONS

Primary Color Buttons

ADD TO BAG

ADD TO BAG

ADD TO BAG

Secondary & Outlined Button

Marketplace $9.95

Instant Purchase

Text Links

Shop Now Shop Now See All Formats > See All Formats >

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SYSTEM ICONS

Home

Search

Menu Overflow

Settings

Back

Sync

User

Browse Category

Wishlist

Add to Wishlist

Shop

Library

Messages

Daily Find

Current Reads

Books

Magazines

Newspapers

Movies & TV

Top Movies

All

1 Book

2 Books

3 Books

Kids

Teens

Comics

New Releases

Nook Channels

Best Sellers

Nook Awards

Nook Top 100

Star Wars Collection

Holiday Collection

New York Times

Bundle

Shop by Age

Promotion

Coming Soon

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Nook Spotlight

Free Friday

IV

Typography

23

— Guidelines

24

— Poynter Display

26

— Gill Sans MT Pro

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— Rules of Engagement

Typography

Typography Guidelines To keep our communications consistent, we’ve outlined a few principles to follow when using typography in layouts.

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P OY N T E R D I S P L AY

ROMAN — 26/32

It was during that journey to Via Orazio that I began to be made unhappy by my own alienness. R O M A N — 14/18

I had grown up with those boys, I considered their behavior normal, their violent language was mine. But for six years now I had also been following daily a path that they were completely ignorant of and in the end I had confronted it brilliantly.

R O M A N — 8 /12

With them I couldn’t use any of what I learned every day, I had to suppress myself, in some way diminish myself. What I was in school I was there obliged to put aside or use treacherously, to intimidate them. I asked myself what I was doing in that car. They were my friends, of course, my boyfriend was there, we were going to Lila’s wedding celebration.

Elena Ferrante, My Brilliant Friend

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P OY N T E R D I S P L AY

In the 1570s, Christopher Plantin was the largest publisher of his day. Hendrik van den Keere cut for him an astounding series of romans. As Stanley Morison once observed, such types adopted features of Flemish blackletter to strengthen elegant French romans. Large on the body, strong in color, economical in fit, widely (if anonymously) distributed, they established effective standards for all that followed.

We apply this font with Gill Sans. Poynter is primarily identified as an editorial font, but can be used in campaigns and promotions in headlines and/or body copy. It has high readability in its many different weights and displays. Condensed can be used for very small spaces or banners.

Poynter Display, Roman

Poynter Roman A BCDEFGHI JK LMNOPQR ST U V W X YZ

abcdefghijk lmnopqrstuv w xyz

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 ! @ # $ % & ( )

Poynter Display, Semibold

Poynter Semibold A BCDEFGHIJK LMNOPQRSTU V W X YZ

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuv wxyz

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 ! @ # $ % & ( )

Poynter Display, Bold

Poynter Bold A BCDEFGHIJK LMNOPQR STU V W X YZ

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 ! @ # $ % & ( )

Poynter Display, Semibold Italic

Poynter Semibold Italic ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTU V WXYZ

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 ! @ # $ % & ( )

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GILL SANS MT PRO

BOOK — 26/32

What provokes its typical cries, and what tones of voice make it gentle or wild. B O O K — 14/18

Once he’s spent enough time in the creature’s company to acquire all this information, he calls it knowledge, forms it into a systematic branch of expertise, and starts to teach it, despite total ignorance, in fact, about which of the creature’s attitudes and desires is commendable or deplorable, good or bad, moral or immoral.

B O O K — 8 /12

His usage of all these terms simply conforms to the great beast’s attitudes, and he describes things as good or bad according to its likes and dislikes, and can’t justify his usage of the terms any further, but describes as right and good the things which are merely indispensable, since he hasn’t realized and can’t explain to anyone else how vast a gulf there is between necessity and goodness.

Plato, The Republic

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GILL SANS MT PRO

Gill Sans MT Pro is one of two main typefaces for Barnes & Noble. It has a contemporary yet friendly feel that reinforces the brand. Light, Book, and Medium are the only weights to be used. The system does not use bold or italics. Gill Sans is the default typeface. It’s a variation of Gill Sans MT Pro and is considered a Web-safe font. It’s a system

font on a majority of machines and is suitable for on-screen, HTML/CSS text. Gill Sans is the font we use for body copy in digital work. Arial is our fail-safe typeface for body copy. Use it only when it’s not possible to use Gill Sans. (NB: The use of italics is strictly for book titles.)

Gill Sans MT Pro, Light

Gill Sans Light A B CD EF G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z a b cd efg h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 ! @ # $ % & ( )

Gill Sans MT Pro, Book

Gill Sans Book ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUV W X Y Z abcdefghijk lmnopqr stuv w x y z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 ! @ # $ % & ( )

Gill Sans MT Pro, Medium

Gill Sans Medium ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUV W X Y Z abcdefghijklmnopqrstuv w x y z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 ! @ # $ % & ( )

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RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

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READ MORE

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PRE– ORDER

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RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

1.

Use only our approved fonts: Gill Sans MT Pro, Gill Sans, Poynter or Arial.

2.

Set headlines in either sentence case or title case, depending on your messaging.

3.

Set body copy in sentence case.

4.

When laying out copy, do not use unnecessary measures to convey messaging − i.e. no exclamation points, emoticons, etc.

5.

It’s preferred to align all text flush left, but in some communications it may look better centered; in these cases, it’s acceptable to center the text.

6.

Use a typographic hierarchy to prioritize information.

7.

Use color and text weight to emphasize specific messaging, but don’t mix too many colors together; the hierarchy gets lost this way.

8.

Do not use the NOOK logo in body copy; instead, set “NOOK” in the same font used in the text.

9.

Do not use multiple sizes for headline text; keep it simple and clean.

10.

Do not use ALL CAPS for headlines except when referring to NOOK.

11.

Maintain a light and open feel for all text by expanding the tracking slightly (e.g., +5−10).

12.

Use a generous amount of word space to keep the text easy to read.

13.

Leading should be in proportion to the text size; generally +3−5 pts. will look best, depending on text size; use good judgment and consider your application (e.g., posters vs. banner ads).

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V

Photography

33

— Guidelines

34

— Social

36

— Digital

38

— Book Treatments

Photography

Photography Guidelines Photography is one of the central visual elements defining the digital Barnes & Noble brand. It needs to convey the weight, beauty, and nostalgia of books. The techniques we use in lighting, styling, and general ambiance work for books as well as any other product that we sell. The system we have created is both identifiable and flexible. The overall look is contemporary, clean, tasteful, and natural. We have determined a range of background colors and textures that reflect the warmth and intelligence of the brand. We use wood, paper, and natural textures. We avoid overusing patterns, busy backgrounds, or chaotic atmospheres. Our style needs to evolve seasonally while always staying true to the core nature of the brand.

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SOCIAL

25

SOCIAL

26

D I G I TA L

27

D I G I TA L

28

B O O K T R E AT M E N T S : P H OTO G R A P H Y

29

B O O K T R E AT M E N T S : D I G I TA L

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NOTES

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