Logo & Seal

City & County of Denver Logo

The Denver D logo is available for use by city employees of the City and County of Denver for city department/agency purposes. The Denver logo may not be distributed to external entities without a licensing agreement.

The Denver D logo may be distributed to entities with which the City and County of Denver has executed a contract that includes, at a minimum, the following terms and conditions: required usage guidelines to include duration of use; purpose of use; and the corresponding collateral or samples of where the Denver D logo will be placed.

For any entity to be considered for a licensing agreement authorizing them to use the Denver D logo, the city must be playing an active role in event or partnership or have a paid, documented sponsorship agreement. Any sponsorship package must include phrasing that defines the acknowledgment of city support.

We do not release high-resolution files to employees. Approved vendors can request logo files from Denver Marketing and Media Services. If you are currently working with an approved vendor, please have your vendor contact us at marketing@denvergov.org. to obtain those files.

Logo Elements

Logo Element Breakdown	Primary Logo	Secondary Logo
The City and County of Denver logo consists of three main elements: The primary D icon, the DENVER logotype and tagline. Each of these elements has been custom-created and should never be recreated or re-typeset. To maintain consistency and create a strong visual identity, the Denver logo should only be used from existing digital files. Please DO NOT use the Denver D icon without the DENVER logotype and tagline unless expressly permitted by the Denver Marketing & Media Services Office.	The horizontal version of the Denver logo (D icon to the left of the logotype) is the preferred logo format. The logo utilizes the typeface Avenir Black for both DENVER and the tagline. Please refer to Typefaces when looking for complementary fonts to use. The Avenir font is restricted to the parent logo and should not be used for programmatic logos or for city collateral. The distance to the right of the D icon and to left of the type should remain consistent. This distance is determined by the distance between the bottom of the tagline to the bottom of the DENVER logotype, represented by the letter X. The distance from the right edge of the D icon to the left edge of the logotype should be equal to X. The block of text in its entirety is centered vertically with the D icon. Each of these elements has been custom-created by the Denver Marketing Office and should never be recreated or re-typeset.	When the horizontal version of the Denver logo will not work with your space or design requirements, the secondary, stacked logo version can be used. Again, the distance between the bottom of the D icon and top of the DENVER logotype should be equal to X. The block of text in its entirety is centered horizontally with the D icon. Each of these elements has been custom-created by the Denver Marketing Office and should never be recreated or re-typeset.

Clear Zone

The Denver logo should always have an area of open space or “clear zone” around it. No other graphic elements should fall within this area around the logo.

Minimum Sizes

The Denver logo should always be used at an appropriate size to make sure it is legible. When the primary signature is used, it should be no smaller than 7/8” wide at the widest point. The secondary signature should be used no smaller than 5/8” at its widest point.

Logo Colors

The Denver logo color palette is comprised of five colors that represent this vibrant city. Spot-color printing is the preferred option and should be used whenever possible. However, four color process printing may be used when spot color printing is not available or cost effective. When the logo is used on the on screen, the RGB format should be used and hex values should be used for the web. The Denver logo spot colors and their corresponding four-color process, RGB and hex formulas are listed below. The color samples in this guide are just a visual representation of the colors and should not be used as an accurate color match. Actual Pantone chips should be used to match colors when printing.

Color Name	4 Color Process	RGB	HEX Code	Color
Brick Red	CMYK: 0, 100, 100, 20	RGB: 160, 0, 34	#C4161C
Sky Blue	CMYK: 75, 15, 0, 0	RGB: 0, 150, 214	#0096D6
Sunshine Gold	CMYK: 0, 25, 80, 0	RGB: 253, 185, 19	#FDB913
Mountain Purple	CMYK: 80, 100, 0, 25	RGB: 64, 15, 96	#491D74
Process Black (80%)	CMYK: 0, 0, 0, 80	RGB: 88, 89, 91	#58595B

Logo Usage

FULL COLOR (for white backgrounds) 

FULL COLOR REVERSE (for dark backgrounds)

A reverse version of the Denver logo has been developed for use when the logo appears on black or other dark colors. The D is not actually reversed, but uses a white border to separate it from the background. The logotype and tagline are white instead of black to increase legibility. Use the regular signature on backgrounds with a color that has a tonal equivalency of 15% or less black and the reverse signature on backgrounds with a color that has a tonal equivalency of more than 15% black.

SINGLE COLOR BLACK (for white backgrounds)

An alternate version of the Denver logo has been developed to be used when only one color is available. One-color logos should only be used as an alternative to the preferred full color version. It should not be used in four-color process printing or in RGB formats, where you can use a full color version instead.

SINGLE COLOR REVERSE (for dark backgrounds)

When only one color is available and the logo appears on black or another dark color, a single color reverse usage should be used. In this version, the primary D icon is used with a white border with the colored elements reversed to the background color.

Offices & Agencies Within the City

Offices within the city are able to use their own unique logo, as outlined below. It is also acceptable for the office to use the main City and County of Denver logo if they choose.

Department and Agency Logos 

To maintain the integrity of the City and County of Denver logo when branding departments, offices and agencies within the city, the logo will still be comprised of three elements. The D icon and DENVER logotype will remain, but the name of the department will take the place of the tagline, THE MILE HIGH CITY. Each of these elements have already been custom-created by the Denver Marketing Office and should never be recreated or re-typeset.

When the name of the department is too long to fit onto one line, the text will flow to the second (or third, if applicable) line. The top of the department name will remain on the same level. Please refer to page 5 for reverse and one-color usage.

Agency or department names should not use the word “DENVER” in department name to avoid redundancy, and acronyms in the department name are not permissible.

Divisions Within Departments and Agencies

When branding programs that are contained within the city’s departments, offices and agencies, a new type configuration applies. The name of the program is set first in the position and ratio indicated below. The name of the parent department, office or agency moves to the second line, and always follows the word “Denver.” Division names should not use the word “DENVER” in division name to avoid redundancy, and acronyms in the department name are not permissible.

If the name of the division is too long to fit onto one line, it should flow to the second line. As with the primary Denver logo, the distance to the right of the D icon and to left of the type should remain consistent within program logos. Note that in these applications, all text elements move to align to the top of the D icon.

Taglines

Taglines, mission statements, etc. should not be locked up with agency level or the division level logo.

Exceptions

Independent agencies such as the three divisions of the Department of Safety, Denver International Airport (DEN), Denver Public Library, Denver Zoo, Denver Botanic Gardens, are permitted to use independent logos. The Denver D logo should still be co-branded with these agencies whenever appropriate.

Any office/agency/department operating solely under the City and County of Denver, exclusively funded with taxpayer dollars and/or at the direction of the mayor should be using the Denver D as its primary logo. There is a hold on any program logos for the time being.

However, there are instances when a venue, event, or partnership with an external entity/entities warrants its own visual identity. In those scenarios, some basic quality assurances should always be considered.

Some guidelines to consider when designing a new program identity: