ITA Identity Standards

Welcome to ITA’s branding site. The information you will find here will help you apply the tools of the new ITA look. These tools will help create a cohesive organization, save time, money and overall resources in creating outreach materials, internal communications, and intra-governmental information.

Goals

The goals of the initiative include increased customer awareness of the agency as a whole and establishment of one clear channel for communicating the goals of the agency. Standardizing the look and feel of all ITA communications will avoid confusion and disconnect as to the role and objective of the agency. Additional long-term impacts include improving customer service, facilitating access to consistent information and resources, and reinforcing ITA’s core mission at all levels.

Expectations

Each and every ITA unit produces material designed to communicate the value that we provide to our constituents and stakeholders. In order to establish a strong presence and brand recognition within our domain, it is essential that all outreach materials reflect the ITA brand. This applies to printed as well as electronically produced materials for email distribution.

These standards and guidelines will continue to be further developed. The lastest information and materials will always be available here. To receive updates when information is updated or changed and when new materials are made available, subscribe to our ITA visual identity announcement list.

Key Elements

• New ITA emblem: The new emblem combines the Department of Commerce’s seal with a specially created logotype treatment of the ITA’s full name. The emblem clearly identifies the International Trade Administration by name, emphasizes our core mission (“Trade”), and explicitly marks our linkage to the Department of Commerce through the use of the Commerce seal.

• Emphasis on “trade”: Together, the ITA team works to create prosperity by strengthening the competitiveness of U.S. industry, promoting trade and investment, and ensuring fair trade and compliance with trade laws and agreements. Trade is the crux of our identity and is reflected in our new URL (trade.gov), our new emblem, and other means.

• Use of standard colors, typefaces, and graphics: Communications will follow a new graphic standard. This will include guidance on using color (both our signature color—a new ITA blue—and a palette of additional secondary colors), type (with specific type faces designated as primary and secondary faces), and art (such as photography and illustrations). The consistent application of the graphic standard will reinforce the consistency and unity of the International Trade Administration’s communications.

• Consistent use of an “organizational signature”: This means how the International Trade Administration is identified in relation to the Department of Commerce and how it refers to its individual bureaus. Nomenclature will be made consistent in all ITA communications. For example, “Market Access and Compliance, a unit of the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration.”

• ITA mission statement: A revised mission statement will be issued as part of the ITA’s new strategic plan in early 2007. The use of this statement across all ITA materials will reinforce the mission and objectives of the ITA and emphasize our collective purpose and identity.

In order for any brand to be effective, it must be correctly and consistently applied. Therefore, Deputy Under Secretary Michelle O'Neill has charged Charles Skuba, ITA’s Director of Public Affairs, to oversee compliance with the brand guidelines. He, and the members of the ITA’s brand team will be available to provide assistance to you regarding the application of these guidelines.