# MSRVS style guide: the basics

Everything you need to make something look like the Model Steam Road Vehicle Society, whether it's a poster, a newsletter, a rally programme or a Facebook post. For the finer points, see the [full guide](guide.md).

## Colours

**Main colours**

|  | Colour | Hex | RGB | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| | **Steam blue** | `#0B3A66` | 11 58 102 | The Society's blue: headings, panels, backgrounds |
| | **Brass** | `#E3B23C` | 227 178 60 | Accents: buttons, rules, highlights. Not for text on cream or white |
| | **Cream** | `#F6F1E6` | 246 241 230 | Paper and page backgrounds |

**Supporting colours**

|  | Colour | Hex | RGB | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| | **Deep steam blue** | `#0A2A4A` | 10 42 74 | A darker blue for large backgrounds |
| | **Night blue** | `#071B30` | 7 27 48 | The darkest blue, for footers and dark backgrounds |
| | **Dark brass** | `#7F5B14` | 127 91 20 | Brass-coloured text on cream or white |
| | **Light brass** | `#F1D79A` | 241 215 154 | Brass-coloured text on blue |
| | **Crimson lake** | `#A12A2B` | 161 42 43 | A touch of red for dates and highlights. Use sparingly |

Text is near-black, `#1E1B16`, rather than pure black.

- Put near-black text on cream or white, and white text on the blues.
- Brass is for accents. For brass-coloured words on cream or white, use dark brass, so they can be read.
- Crimson is a touch of colour, not a background.

**Using the colours:** in Word or PowerPoint, choose **More Colours**, then **Custom**, and type in the RGB numbers. In Canva and most other apps, paste in the hex code.

## Logos

![The logo with the full name and the compact logo, on blue and on cream](guide/img/lockups.png)

![The emblem, the wheel mark and the one-colour marks](guide/img/marks.png)

| You're making | Use | Download |
|---|---|---|
| Most things: posters, letters, documents, websites | **The logo**: the wheel, MSRVS and the full name | On cream or white: [PNG](dist/logo/png/lockup-on-light-480.png), [SVG](dist/logo/svg/lockup-on-light.svg). On blue or a dark photo: [PNG](dist/logo/png/lockup-on-dark-480.png), [SVG](dist/logo/svg/lockup-on-dark.svg) |
| Something small or narrow | **The compact logo**: the wheel and MSRVS | On cream or white: [PNG](dist/logo/png/lockup-compact-on-light-480.png), [SVG](dist/logo/svg/lockup-compact-on-light.svg). On blue: [PNG](dist/logo/png/lockup-compact-on-dark-480.png), [SVG](dist/logo/svg/lockup-compact-on-dark.svg) |
| A square space: a profile picture, a sticker, a badge | **The wheel**, on its blue disc | [PNG](dist/logo/png/mark-1024.png), [SVG](dist/logo/svg/mark.svg), [Facebook profile picture](dist/social/avatar-1024.png) |
| Something formal: a programme cover, a certificate, a banner | **The emblem** | [PNG](dist/logo/png/emblem-2400.png), [SVG](dist/logo/svg/emblem.svg) |
| One colour only: embroidery, engraving, a rubber stamp | **The one-colour wheel** | [Blue](dist/logo/svg/mark-mono-blue.svg), [black](dist/logo/svg/mark-mono-black.svg), [white](dist/logo/svg/mark-mono-white.svg) (SVG) |

**Which file?** PNG works almost everywhere: Word, PowerPoint, Canva and Facebook. Send SVG to printers and sign makers, because it stays sharp at any size. Every other file is in [the file list](downloads.md).

### Using the logo

![Leave clear space all round: a quarter of the wheel's width](guide/img/clear-space.png)

- **Leave space around it:** a quarter of the wheel's width on every side (the small square in the picture above). Around the emblem, leave an eighth of its width.
- **Don't make it smaller than this:**

| Artwork | On screen | In print |
|---|---|---|
| Emblem | 180 px wide | 40 mm wide |
| Mark | 24 px (16 px only as a favicon) | 8 mm |
| Lockup with the full name | 56 px tall | 15 mm tall |
| Compact lockup | 28 px tall | 8 mm tall |
| One-colour mark | 24 px | 8 mm; 40 mm for embroidery |

- **Use it as it is.** Don't stretch, squash, rotate or recolour it, redraw it or retype the name, or add shadows or outlines.
- **Keep it readable.** Use the dark-lettered logo on cream or white and the white-lettered one on blue. Don't put it straight onto a busy photo: darken the photo first, or put the logo on a plain panel.

## Fonts

| Font | Use it for | Download |
|---|---|---|
| **Source Serif 4** | Headings | [Google Fonts](https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Source+Serif+4) |
| **Inter** | Everything else | [Google Fonts](https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Inter) |

Both are free for any use, including print.

**To install them:**

1. Open each link above and choose **Get font**, then **Download all**.
2. Unzip the download and open the **static** folder inside it. Those are the files to install.
3. On Windows, select the files, right-click and choose **Install**. On a Mac, double-click each file and choose **Install Font**.
4. Restart Word, PowerPoint or whatever you're using. The fonts will then be in its font list.

**Can't install fonts?** Use **Georgia** for headings and **Arial** for everything else. Both are on almost every computer.

## Sizes

| Text | Font | In print | On screen |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Headings** | Source Serif 4 Bold | 18–36 pt | 26–62 px |
| **Body text** | Inter Regular | 9.5–11 pt | 16 px |
| **Captions and small print** | Inter Regular | 8–9 pt | 14 px |

- Write headings in sentence case: "Join the Society", not "Join The Society" or "JOIN THE SOCIETY".
- Give text room: don't fill every corner.

## Photos

- Use real photos of members' engines and club events.
- Big things such as banners and website headers need photos at least 2400 pixels across; for everything else, 1200 pixels is enough.
- Ask the photographer before using a photo, and credit them. Check that anyone recognisable is happy to appear, and for under-18s get a parent's or guardian's permission in writing.
- Never put text straight onto a photo: darken it first, or put the text on a plain panel.

## Writing the name

- **Model Steam Road Vehicle Society** in full, **MSRVS** for short (no full stops), and "the Society" in sentences.
- Use British English.

## Printing

Send the printer the SVG or PDF artwork, with the hex colours above. If the colours matter, ask for a proof first: brass in particular can print flatter and browner than it looks on screen.