Brand Guidelines

Welcome to Boston Children’s Hospital, the brand.

This Brand Guidelines document is designed to help anyone within the organization who is creating
either external- or internal-facing communications materials.

The guidelines are written primarily to marketers.

That said, we know that others within the organization, such as clinicians and researchers, will also need to use this document.

We’ve tried to make the content as straightforward and accessible as possible.

Boston Children’s has one of the most respected brands in all of medicine. Following these guidelines
carefully is a critical step in keeping it that way.

No doubt you’ll have questions, so we have supplementary resources—including FAQs and downloadable files—available at
web2.tch.harvard.edu/marcomm/.

As always, the Marketing and Communications Department is just a click or phone call away to answer questions
and to help you get the most out of the Brand Guidelines.

Boston Children’s Hospital 2 Brand Guidelines

 Brand & Voice
What is a brand?.......................................... 5
Brand voice................................................... 7

Logo
Logo configurations.................................. 14
Logo application........................................ 17
Reversed logos........................................... 18
Black and white logos............................... 19
Single color use...........................................20
Other logos.................................................. 21

Color
Brand colors............................................... 22

Typography
Brand typefaces......................................... 26

Visuals
Photography............................................... 29
Videography................................................ 31
Illustration and data visualization............34

Print & Digital

Stationery.................................................... 38
Print layout................................................. 39
Digital banners........................................... 41
Website........................................................ 42
Social media............................................... 43
Email............................................................ 44
Presentations............................................. 45
Boston Children’s Hospital 3 Brand Guidelines
 The Brand

Boston Children’s Hospital 4 Brand Guidelines

 What is a brand?

While there are many ways to define a brand, one of the best is this:

“Your brand is the space you want to occupy in the hearts and minds of your audience.”

In this incredibly noisy media landscape, a brand is ultimately the sum of

all of the interactions a person has with it, from physical encounters, to messaging
in paid media, or articles in the press.

As a busy hospital and research institution, some of these interactions are out of our control.
But what isn’t out of our control is the ability to shape the messages that we ourselves create.

And, as always, equity, diversity, and inclusion are the primary focus of our institution and
should be reflected in everything we do.

Strong brands have one thing in common — they are consistent in their messaging,
and rigorous in their use of a unifying brand look and voice.

Boston Children’s Hospital 5 Brand Guidelines

 Until every child is well is our mission. It’s what drives us as an organization. It’s our “why.” That hasn’t changed.
However, that language should not be used in any external-facing communications.

Where the world comes for answers is our positioning and themeline.

It’s a summation of who we are as an institution — a beacon of hope for sick children and their families,
from Boston and New England to all across the globe. It works across all of our internal and external audiences.

Boston Children’s is a place where top practitioners, researchers, and caregivers come together to find answers to everything from
the most rare and complex disorders to the routine maladies that can afflict any child.

Where the world comes for answers is not just a calling for all audiences, it’s a rallying cry that unites every member of our staff.

6
Boston Children’s Hospital 6 Brand Guidelines
 Brand Voice

Medicine can be complicated and clinical. For sick children and their families,
it can often be scary and confusing as well.

Medical jargon doesn’t help. For example, a “positive’” diagnosis is often anything but.

And terms like “palliative” and “comorbid” are not readily understood by the masses.

As the world’s #1 pediatric research institution, we have the opportunity to shed a little warmth and
understanding their way, and a responsibility to do it in a fashion that’s easily understood.

So while it’s okay for clinicians and researchers to use medical terminology when speaking peer-to-peer, it’s
best for us to use more conversational language when speaking to the public. This includes writing to a reading
level that most laypeople can understand. Because our audience is primarily parents and adolescent patients,
we aim for a sixth- to eighth-grade reading level for all consumer-facing materials.

If we are, in fact, “Where the world comes for answers,” that needs to come through
in how we speak to our clients and to the public.

After all, just because the subject matter is hard to understand, it doesn’t mean our messaging should be.

Boston Children’s Hospital 7 Brand Guidelines

 Brand Voice

One voice, many audiences Choose a friendly tense

Whether we’re addressing patients and their families, referring physicians, When referring to a department or program, use the third person tense
researchers, potential donors, industry partners, policymakers, or prospective “The Department of Cardiology” only on the first reference. Use the warmer
hires, we want to speak with the same voice. The one that conveys that we are first person (we or our) for the rest of the page. The same goes for patients or
“Where the world comes for answers.” families — use the second person “you” instead of the third person “patient”
whenever possible.
A brand voice delivers: Consistency, differentiation, clarity
Do say:
What our brand voice should be The Department of Cardiology at Boston Children’s Hospital is dedicated

Medicine can be complicated, cold, clinical, and intimidating — but our voice to treating patients with congenital heart disease. Our team is focused on
providing you and your child with the highest quality care.
should be conversational, genuine, human, and approachable. To express
this we should always use language that our audiences will understand. For Avoid saying:

example, don’t say “aortic coarctation” if “narrowing of the aorta” will do. Boston Children’s Hospital partners with patients and families
to provide excellent care.
Do say:
Beckwith Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) may have a genetic component, Use active voice
which means it could be hereditary. That’s why genetic testing can be
Write in the active voice so that the subject of the sentence performs
helpful in confirming a diagnosis of BWS.
the action. This makes the content friendlier and easier to read.
Avoid saying:
Do say:
Beckwith Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) has been linked to abnormal
The patient saw the specialist.
expression of genes on a region of chromosome 11 which makes
genetic testing helpful with confirming the diagnosis of BWS. Avoid saying:
The patient was seen by the specialist.

Boston Children’s Hospital 8 Brand Guidelines

 Brand Voice

Write like you speak Avoid abbreviations and acronyms

In communications, simpler is usually better. Always use a conversational tone. When using abbreviations and acronyms for departments and services, always
Avoid stilted jargon. Contractions are okay. use the spelled-out name first, and then place the acronym in parentheses. It’s
okay to use the abbreviation after the first use. The same goes for commonly
Do say:
We’re here for you. abbreviated medical terms — such as MRI, ECG, or ACL. Spell out the full term
first and then use the abbreviation.
Avoid saying:
We exist to meet the myriad medical needs of Do say:
our disparate patient population. The radiologists in our Maternal Fetal Care Center (MFCC)
use state-of-the-art technology.
Be humble
Avoid saying:
We strive to be the best pediatric hospital in the world. Yet, we never
MFCC pediatric radiologists use state-of-the-art technology.
want to be boastful or arrogant about it.
Translate internal labels
Do say:
The ins and outs of our organization — the distinction between a center,
Each year, thousands of children and families from around the world
travel to Boston Children’s to receive guidance and care from our department, division, program, and service, for example — isn’t meaningful

team of experts. for most of our audiences (especially patient families). Internal labels are
appropriate for page titles, official correspondence, and other formal contexts,
Avoid saying:
The clinical expertise of the physicians at Boston Children’s is but otherwise it’s best to stick to everyday language.

unmatched. The reputation of our brilliant clinical staff attracts Do say:

thousands of suffering children and families from around the world. Our team of experts on short bowel syndrome.

Avoid saying:
The Boston Children’s Center for Advanced Intestinal Rehabilitation team.

Boston Children’s Hospital 9 Brand Guidelines

 Brand Voice

Be positive Use our name correctly

When discussing a serious diagnosis or other potentially upsetting matter, be On every new web page or document, always use “Boston Children’s Hospital”
forthright but not frightening. Avoid needlessly alarming words. Use honest on the first reference; after the first reference it is always “Boston Children’s,”
and reassuring language instead. never “Children’s” or “BCH.”

Do say: Do say:

With the proper lifestyle changes and care, your child can lose At Boston Children’s Hospital, we care about patients. Our team at

weight and reduce the risk of serious health complications Boston Children’s is dedicated to providing family-centered care.

associated with obesity. Avoid saying:

Avoid saying: Our team at BCH is dedicated to patient care.

Obesity can cause devastating physical and psychological effects and

increase the risk of developing serious, life-threatening conditions.

Boston Children’s Hospital 10 Brand Guidelines

 The “Answers” Brand Look
The following pages explain the look in detail.

Boston Children’s Hospital 11 Brand Guidelines

 The “Answers” Brand Look: A Breakdown
The “Answers” look is meant to be welcoming, simple, and human. From the photography style to the typography to the color, each plays an important role.
White space, especially, helps give the brand a light, approachable look that also makes the visual stand out, without competing for attention with blocks of color.
Below is a typical layout. Overall, it should have a very open, uncrowded feel.
Below is a guide to how the various elements of a piece of communication in the “Answers” look are used.
Questions? Contact [email protected]

Visual
Headline
The visual, usually a
Set in Museo Sans 700,
photograph, should be
Boston Sky. Type size is
candid or posed in such a
determined to allow ample
way that it looks natural and
white space with generous
not “staged” or forced. The
spacing between lines. This
photography and visual style
headline is set in 18 pt. type
is discussed in more detail
with 34 pt. leading between
in the Photography and
the lines.
Illustration sections.

Logo
The logo with tagline should not
Body copy be crowded by other
Set in Museo Sans 500, elements. Additional logos and
Boston Gray. Size should be information should spaced away
smaller than the headline, but from it and appear below.
still easy to read. The copy
shown is set in 15 pt. type
with 43 pt. leading.

Boston Children’s Hospital 12 Brand Guidelines

 Flexibility Makes a Strong Brand

The beauty of our look is that it’s designed to cut through

the “noise” of a cluttered media landscape.

Clean layouts let the power of our headlines and visuals come through.

Open line spacing between lines makes our copy

inviting and easy to read.

White space around the logo and lets readers know

who’s speaking to them.

Boston Children’s Hospital 13 Brand Guidelines

 The Logo

Boston Children’s Hospital 14 Brand Guidelines

 Alternate Logo Configurations
When applying the logo, the primary configuration should always be considered first.
Boston Children’s Hospital Logo If the design doesn’t permit this configuration, use one of the
This is our primary, or “umbrella” logo, and consists of three elements: alternate logos shown below instead.
The nurse-and-child seal, the Boston Children’s Hospital name, and our tagline.
Together they form our logo, the primary visual identifier of our brand.

Horizontal

Stacked

Under no circumstances should individuals create their own logos.

Every Boston Children’s logo is a component of our brand architecture system.
If you need a logo or logo lockup the Marketing and Communications team is
happy to provide you with approved files to meet your requirements.

Boston Children’s Hospital 15 Brand Guidelines

 Boston Children’s Logo
In certain situations the word “Hospital” is dropped from our logo. Examples include
some affiliations with other institutions, locations beyond the Longwood campus or
where the suggestion that hospital services are offered would be misleading or not
legally permitted. Horizontal

If you need clarification on whether to use the Boston Children’s Hospital or

Boston Children’s logo please contact Marketing and Communications.

Stacked

Boston Children’s Hospital 16 Brand Guidelines

 Logo Lockups
Logo lockups are used to identify departments, locations and other entities that are part of or affiliated with Boston Children’s.
Some examples are shown below. Lockups are available from Marketing and Communications.

Centers, Departments, Divisions, and Programs Institutional Partnership Logo

Network

Boston Children’s Hospital 17 Brand Guidelines

 Brand Guidelines
Logo Application
The versatility of our logo helps us communicate our brand
quickly and easily across a wide variety of applications.
To achieve that we need to follow some simple rules:

DO
Download and use only approved files.
Use the logo on every piece of communication.
Allow the logo to command the space around it.
Be sure the logo’s colors are properly specified.

DON’T
Alter or modify the logo in any way.
Use selected elements, such as the seal, by themselves.
Change the logo’s colors.
Distort the logo’s proportions.

Where the world comes for answers

Boston Children’s Hospital 18 Brand Guidelines

 The Logo: In Reverse
In certain cases, our logo will work better in reverse, or knockout, form.
Please follow the same rules that apply to the standard logos
when using the reversed versions.

DON’T
Use the standard logo on a dark background.
(It may only appear in white or metallic.)

The nurse and child should always appear as the white part of the logo.
DO When being etched or engraved
Be sure you are using the correct file. they should be lighter than the background on which they appear.
Use the reversed logo for applications that require high-contrast visibility.
Give preference to the reversed logo in single-color print jobs. If you need further clarification, contact Marketing and Communications.

Boston Children’s Hospital 19 Brand Guidelines

 The Logo: In Black & White

The Boston Children’s logo may be reproduced in black and white, but only if the context in
which it appears is also black and white. Common examples where this version is required are:
• Forms • Advertisements in event programs • Newspaper ads • Business documents

Brand Guidelines Brand Guidelines

Brand Guidelines

Where the world comes for answers

Where the world comes for answers Where the world comes for answers

DO DO DO DON’T

In the instance where the

photograph or illustration is in color,
the Boston Children’s Hospital logo should
be used in full color (Boston Blue), not black.

Boston Children’s Hospital 20 Brand Guidelines

 The Logo: Single Color Use

The Boston Children’s logo may be used in a variety

of single color executions,
sometimes in knockout (reversed in white) form.

Be careful to use the logo

labeled as “KO” when using the logo in white.
This type of execution works best for signage
or brochure pages and presentation slides that function
as divider pages (as in this document).

Boston Children’s Hospital 21 Brand Guidelines

 Other Logos

Harvard Medical School Teaching Hospital Logos U.S. News & World Report Badges

As a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital we have been provided The U.S. News & World Report badges are used to signify our rankings
with the logos shown below to express this affiation. in their annual survey. They’re subject to strict licensing conditions
and may only be used by Marketing and Communications.

Welcome

The Harvard Medical School Teaching Hospital logo should be

scaled to half the size of the Boston Children’s logo.

Boston Children’s Hospital 22 Brand Guidelines

 The Brand Colors

Boston Children’s Hospital 23 Brand Guidelines

 Core Brand Colors

Along with our brand voice, our core

brand colors help give our brand our personality.

Optimistic, confident, thoughtful. A place of hope and possibilities.

Color Mix
These are the primary colors we use in our communications. Core brand colors should form the
primary palette for all projects. This chart
represents an appropriate balance of
core and secondary colors.
Secondary Accent Colors

Our secondary colors can be used to augment your designs.

The following page contains the names and formulas for each color.

Contact Marketing and Communications if you have questions

on how to use them.

Red Alert should only

be used to represent
concepts such as
emergency, stop,
or blood.

Boston Children’s Hospital 24 Brand Guidelines

 01/2021

Boston Children’s Brand Colors

Acceptable for type or as
Boston Children’s Color Pantone ®
CMYK RGB HEX background for white type*

Boston Blue 287 C 100_81_0_23 0_48_135 003087 YES

Boston Ocean 7461 C 93_32_0_0 0_125_186 007DBA YES

Core Brand Colors

White — — 255_255_255 FFFFFF YES

Boston Gray Cool Gray 9 C 50_40_34_17 116_118_123 74767B YES

Boston Sky 298 C 65_3_0_0 65_182_230 41B6E6 NO

Boston Pink 674 C 14_76_0_0 193_73_145 C14991 YES

Secondary Accent Colors

Boston Bay 7668 C 64_54_2_5 104_117_156 68759C YES * Web Content

Accessiblity Guidelines
(WCAG) AA standard
Boston Green 370 C 49_0_100_30 98_128_0 628000 YES

Boston Yellow 130 C 0_32_100_0 242_169_0 F2A900 NO

Boston Indigo 633 C 100_5_9_30 0_115_150 007396 YES

Black Process Black C 0_0_0_100 51_51_51 333333 YES

Red Alert (special use) 032 C 0_90_76_0 227_0_0 E30000 YES

Boston Children’s Hospital 25 Brand Guidelines

 Core Brand Colors in Use
Here are some examples of the proper use of core brand colors.
Marketing Collateral
There may be times where secondary colors may be needed as subheads or accents.
Cover
Please use discretion in these cases. Also, body copy can be set in Boston Ocean to add emphisis
Headline: Boston Ocean and Boston Pink
or to differentiate from other copy on the page, as in this document. Subhead: Boston Gray
Tagline: Boston Pink
It is important that the core brand colors are used as the dominant colors.
Secondary colors are best used to call out subheads or small amounts of body copy. Inside spreads
Headlines: White KO of Boston Ocean
Subheads: Boston Ocean, Boston Pink
Body copy: Boston Gray

#1#1 children’shospital
children’s hospital five
six years
yearsinin
a row.
a row.

Print Ad
CONNECT WITH US Headline: Boston Ocean
Tagline: Boston Pink
Body copy: Boston Gray
Digital Banner
Subhead: Boston Ocean
CTA box: Boston Blue

Boston Children’s Hospital 26 Brand Guidelines

 Typography

Boston Children’s Hospital 27 Brand Guidelines

 Brand Typeface
Along with our brand colors, the type we use gives our communications a unique look and feel.
The Museo Sans typeface has been selected to represent our brand because
it has a crisp, clear appearance, but also some unique quirks that make it approachable and memorable.
Departments that produce professionally designed communications are expected to use the Museo Sans typeface.
See page 10 for a sample of the typeface in use.
Questions about our brand typeface? Contact [email protected]

Museo Sans 300 abcd EFGH 123 Museo Sans 500 should be used for large headlines.
Museo Sans 500 abcd EFGH 123 Use Museo Sans 700 for small headlines.
Use Museo Sans 700 for smaller subheads.
Museo Sans 700 abcd EFGH 123
Occasionally, you may need to use Museo Sans 900 for subheads.

Museo Sans 900 abcd EFGH 123 Body copy should be set in Museo Sans 300.

Alternate Typeface
The Museo typeface must be individually purchased and licensed. We understand that many
don’t have access to it. If it is not available on your computer, you may substitute the Arial typeface
in letters, documents, presentations, and emails. Only use Arial when Museo Sans is not available.

Arial Bold for headlines.

Arial Regular for body copy.

Boston Children’s Hospital 28 Brand Guidelines

 Photography & Videography

Boston Children’s Hospital 29 Brand Guidelines

 Hospital staff and employees
Brand Photography Photographs of hospital staff and employees should be active and shot in
real-life situations as appropriate. Since the brand strives to be authentic, stock images
should not be used to represent Boston Children’s staff and employees.
Boston Children’s photography style reflects the attributes of our brand.
It is genuine, unexpected, and sensitive.
It is authentic and unstaged.

Subjects should look natural, as though captured in a real moment.

For that reason, posed group shots are discouraged.

Patients and families

Original photography is preferred. Commercial stock images are allowable, Photographs of patients and families should always be taken with a story in mind. Let the person
act naturally in whatever situation they are in, be it emotionally draining or uplifting. If they choose to
but should not be used in a misleading way. pose, let them. It’s better to portray a healthy patient in their most familiar setting, like their home.
A doctor’s office or waiting area is not the ideal location for these types of photos.

Photography should reflect the diversity

of our patients and families and our community.

Do not use images downloaded from websites unless

you have permission from the copyright holder.
When using public domain or open content, all terms of use must be followed. Headshots
Employees may schedule an appointment with the hospital photographer to have their
picture taken in our studio using a uniform backdrop and lighting. Clinicians should wear hospital attire to
You will need to obtain explicit consent from patients and employees reflect a hands-on, attentive feel that reflects our commitment to transparency and real-life imagery.

before using a photo or video of them.

For more information, contact [email protected]

Boston Children’s Hospital 30 Brand Guidelines

 ORIGINAL ADJUSTED

Brand Photography: How To Get That “Look”

As mentioned in the previous pages, the “Answers” campaign 1) Open an original color photo in an image editing program.
uses color photography as its main visual imagery.
However, this isn’t typical color as you may know it. 2) Dial back the saturation slightly. Some photos may be very rich, or
The goal is for the photograph to have an overall cooler look that saturated in color, others less so, so the amount needed may vary.
reflects the main brand colors, as shown on page 24.
The end result should have a slightly desaturated look with cooler tones overall. 3) Adjust the color temperature to make it a little cooler.

Note: the visuals in the photography library 4) If necessary, adjust the brightness until the photo has a brighter,
will already have been color treated for this effect. We strongly encourage lighter feel.
you to use the approved library visuals as much as possible.
5) Your photo should now appear similar in tone to the adjusted

Refer to the directions at right on how to acheive example above.

the desired look when using photographs from other sources.

Note: Use your judgment if the final results don’t match the desired results.
Since all photos are different, the amount of adjustment required will vary by photo.

Boston Children’s Hospital 31 Brand Guidelines

 The Look and Feel
One of the most important parts of the brand look is the
documentary style of the footage and video. The look requires
a real life setting and people, with natural light whenever
possible. Handheld video techniques should be used to
achieve this effect also.

Color footage should maintain the desaturated look on the

previous page (Brand Photography — How to get that look).
Another option for videos is the use of still photographs as a
montage. The same look and feel applies.

Adding motion to art cards to tell the story can be very effective. A music track can also
Videography be added as an emotional element.

Video is a very important and effective communication tool for

Boston Children’s that allows us to tell our stories in a powerful and memorable way.
Videos should adhere to the brand voice and photographic styles
established in this document to ensure that the Boston Children’s brand is Art Cards / Typography
expressed in a strong, consistent manner. In addition to adhering to brand Art cards are used to help tell a story or convey important
He received a liver, information. Type should be Museo Sans 700, centered on the
standards, we strive to uphold current best practices in videography to stomach, pancreas, intestine,
and spleen. screen. It can be in Boston Ocean against a white background
provide our audiences with the highest quality viewer experience. or in white against video footage or a
still photo. Refrain from setting the type in any other color. The
only other color used in video is Boston Pink for the tag line
“Where the world comes for answers”.

Lower thirds are on-screen graphics used to identify a subject

and are typically placed on the bottom part of the screen. They should be set in white, as
in the image above.

The art card at the end should include the Boston Children’s
logo. It should fade up and never have motion added to it.

Boston Children’s Hospital 32 Brand Guidelines

 Videography: A Storyboard Example
A storyboard is a great way to outline your video.
By mixing visuals, title cards, and your script, you’ll have a great roadmap for how you’ll tell your story.
See the example below.

Fetal tachycardia is when Sustained fetal tachyarrhythmia

a baby in utero has an uncommonly is uncommon, affecting fewer than
fast heart rate. 1% of all pregnancies.

Boston Children’s Hospital 33 Brand Guidelines

 Videography: Informational Style
Sometimes a video dosen’t lend itself to a story,
as in the case of videos that are instructional or informative in nature.
This type of video might use illustrations more than live action, or a mix of both.
See the example below.

Posterior intrusion
Type 1

How we treat tracheomalacia

First name Last name, MD

Surgical Director, Esophageal & Airway Treatment Center

Boston Children’s Hospital 34 Brand Guidelines

 Illustration & Data Visualization

Boston Children’s Hospital 35 Brand Guidelines

 From
the
Editor
CASE HISTORY
Sudden Genetically
Unexpected Defined Epilepsy
Illustration & Data Visualization: How To Use Death in
Epilepsy

SURGICAL
PERSPECTIVE
Pictures, charts, and graphs can be very effective in communicating The One
Best Possible Understanding
complex data and helping your readers understand concepts and ideas. Operation Epilepsy’s Root
Causes

Always look for opportunities to show rather than tell.

The simpler the illustration, the better.
Clinical
Trials

CASE HISTORY
Use contemporary illustrations such as the one shown at right. Use colors Hemimegalencephaly
MEDICAL
from the Boston Children’s brand palette. A flat appearance without subtle, PERSPECTIVE
The Next
dimensional shading is preferred. Generation
of Treatments Diet Therapy Chronoepileptology
for Epilepsy

Do not use images downloaded from websites unless

you have permission from the copyright holder.
When using public domain or open content all terms of use
must be followed.

Questions? Contact [email protected]

Boston Children’s Hospital 36 Brand Guidelines

 Stay clean.
On your schedule.

Learn more about our

Virtual Bowel Management Program.

Illustration in Communications

When photography is not suitable for a project the “Answers” brand look How much screen time is too much?

also works with illustration. The examples on the right show ways in which
our illustration style may be used effectively.

The core brand colors should be incorporated and using screens or tints of
them is permissible. You may use additional colors from outside our palette
when necessary.

Questions? Contact [email protected]

Boston Children’s Hospital 37 Brand Guidelines

 Print & Digital

Stationery

Marketing collateral

Websites

Social media

Digital banners

Boston Children’s Hospital 38 Brand Guidelines

 Envelope

Stationery
Department
300 Longwood Avenue, Mailstop, Boston, MA 02115

In an era of predominantly digital communications, it’s still nice to receive a

letter or to hold a business card in your hand. Not to mention that a lot of our
communications must be delivered by mail. For those reasons, our stationery
system is a very important part of our communications toolbox.

Letterhead

Business Card

A digital letterhead in Department Name

300 Longwood Avenue, Mailstop, Boston, MA 02115
617-355-6000 | bostonchildrens.org Front
MS Word format that
Thank you for using this template as your official Boston Children’s Hospital letterhead. It will ensure that your
can be customized written communications are brand-compliant and support the hospital’s cost-saving effort by eliminating the need
to print custom letterhead. Firstname Lastname Job Title
Below are some tips for using your Boston Children’s Hospital Word template: Optional Additional Title
with individual • Department or individual names, addresses and contact information are entered in the document header.
You can access it by double-clicking or selecting “Header and Footer” from the View menu.
Department

617-355-#### | fax 617-730-####

or departmental • This information is styled in the “Address block”
Arial font.
300paragraph style, which
Longwood Avenue, Boston,specifies
MA 02115 8-point type set in the
617-355-6000 | bostonchildrens.org
Optional contact number 1 | Optional contact number 2
[email protected]
• The name of the department or individual is set in bold. All other information appears in the regular, or
information by the user •
normal Roman weight.
The “Normal” paragraph style is recommended for the content of most letters. It specifies 10-point type
300 Longwood Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
set in the Arial font.
is available. • The left margin is set at three-quarters of an inch.
• To get started simply delete the text of this letter and set your own copy in its place.

Boston Children’s Hospital

Marketing and Communications

Your appointment

Day Date Time

A generic Boston Children’s

printed letterhead featuring the Back options
300 Longwood address and Please notify us 24 hours in advance if you are unable to keep your appointment.

617-355-6000 phone number is

available through PeopleSoft.
Custom business cards and envelopes may be ordered
through the Brandmaker web-to-print system.

Boston Children’s Hospital 39 Brand Guidelines

 Marketing Collateral
Not only does the “Answers” branding convey the feeling of Boston Children’s Hospital, but it is also well-suited for
collateral pieces that need to communicate specific details or more lengthy amounts of information.

Sample Cover Sample Spread

The “Answers” brochure grid offers flexibility for photo and copy areas throughout a typical brochure.
Subheads can be used in the margins as shown, or in the copy areas. Brochures without photography can also use the grid.
Using solid colors where the photos usually appear is an acceptable way to acheive an “Answers-like” look and feel.

Boston Children’s Hospital 40 Brand Guidelines

 Marketing Collateral

Posters and Banners

Posters and banners can also reflect the
“Answers” look by incorporating core
brand colors, white space, and color-
Special Event Collateral corrected photography.
Use the core brand colors on
covers. The sample spread
shown on the previous page
can be used as a guide for
layout and typography.

Boston Children’s Hospital 41 Brand Guidelines

 It affects 1 in 2,000,000 children. It affects 1 in 2,000,000 children.

And the 1 is yours.

Digital Banners

Digital banners reflect the clean and simple look of the “Answers” print branding.
300 x 600
Most use a two-part headline that is revealed after the opening page.

I never knew the disease existed.

I never knew we could hug so tight.

Answers. Treatment. Hope.

728 x 90

Boston Children’s Hospital 42 Brand Guidelines

 Website

Boston Children’s website has thousands of pages and is used by a

wide range of people — from parents, to doctors, to researchers — who are
all looking for specific information.

To offer our audiences the best possible experience

it is critical that we have consistency across all pages. To do this, we use a
web content management system (CMS) called
Drupal, which is administered by Marketing and Communications.

All external websites related to Boston Children’s must be built

in our prescribed CMS and be approved by Marketing and Communications.
If you need to regularly edit or update a center, department, or program page,
you must be an authorized user and attend a training class.

If you need to make a change to a page, but are not a CMS user,
Sample Homepage
you may submit a JIRA ticket.

Boston Children’s Hospital 43 Brand Guidelines

 Social Media

Not surprisingly, social media is one of our most powerful and

effective communications tools, and it’s only growing in importance every day.
Our strong presence on social channels allows us to reach and engage
a wide range of audiences, from families and caregivers to researchers and donors.
Facebook Instagram

The Social Media Team within Marketing and Communications manages

multiple pages across Facebook, Instagram,
LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter, Snapchat, and other platforms.

Page administrators should use the principles outlined in this document to create
posts that are brand-compliant and consistent with our other communications.
Visit the Social Media page on Boston Children’s Today for
Twitter
more on our social media policy or to learn about the application process for
setting up a program-specific page.

Questions? Contact [email protected]

LinkedIn

Boston Children’s Hospital 44 Brand Guidelines

 Email

Custom emails are widely used in our communications.

To the right are sample emails using the “Answers” look and feel.
Language and tone is important when speaking to others.

Additionally, some helpful pointers:

All external email marketing communications should have a

Boston Children’s logo on the email, preferably in the upper left-hand corner.

A typical email in the “Answers” format

Strive to keep a balance of imagery and copy.
uses the primary colors discussed
previously along with engaging, candid

Emails should have a call-to-action that directs the reader to the photos or illustrations.

relevant location on our website. The headline of the email should

dominate the page either with type size or
whitespace, or a combination of both.
Note:
Arial, our alternate typeface, for HTML type.

Boston Children’s Hospital 45 Brand Guidelines

 01/2021

Thank you for your time. Let us know if you have any questions.
We can help:
Contact Boston Children’s Marketing and Communications at [email protected].