Guidelines for partners, volunteers, media and members using the FIRSTIP name, logo and visual identity. Following them keeps our identity consistent and protects it as a mark.
Logo
Clear space: keep space equal to the height of the letter “F” on all sides. Minimum size: 32 px tall on screen; 12 mm tall in print.
Don’t
- Stretch, squash or rotate the logo.
- Recolour it or apply gradients, shadows or outlines.
- Place it on busy photos or low-contrast backgrounds.
- Rearrange, crop or separate its parts.
- Add words, taglines or other logos inside its clear space.
- Recreate it in another typeface.
Colour
- FIRSTIP Red — #d81f26 · RGB 216 31 38. Primary accent — buttons, highlights, key panels.
- Deep Red — #b8171d · RGB 184 23 29. Hover states and small red text.
- Sun Orange — #f5821f · RGB 245 130 31. The “IP” in the wordmark; decorative circles only.
- Charcoal — #2b2b2b · RGB 43 43 43. Dark panels, footer and body text.
- Cream — #faf6f0 · RGB 250 246 240. Page background.
- Sand — #f2ebe1 · RGB 242 235 225. Cards and title blocks.
- Peach — #fdebd8 · RGB 253 235 216. Soft tinted fills.
Text must meet WCAG 2.2 AA contrast (4.5:1 for body, 3:1 for large type). Use FIRSTIP Red for headlines, buttons and accents; for small red text on cream use Deep Red.
Typography
Source Sans 3 (SIL Open Font License) for all text; pair with Noto Sans Devanagari for Hindi.
- Display — Black 900 · 56–76 px
- Heading — Black 900 · 30–44 px
- Subhead — Extra Bold 800 · 20–24 px
- Body — Regular 400 · 17–19 px
- Label — Bold 700 · 14 px, caps
Writing our name
- Write FIRSTIP as one word, all capitals, in running text.
- On first mention, use the full name: Foundation for Innovative Research, Sustainable Technologies and Intellectual Property (FIRSTIP).
- In the wordmark, “IP” appears in Sun Orange; in plain text keep it one colour.
- Never write Firstip, First-IP or F.I.R.S.T.I.P.
Tone of voice
- Clear — Explain IP and law in plain language; define terms on first use.
- Grounded — Rooted in Indian traditional knowledge and respect for nature.
- Encouraging — Speak to innovators as capable partners, never down to them.
- Accurate — Cite laws and facts precisely; never overpromise legal outcomes.
Shape & imagery
- Show real people, grassroots innovators, workshops and nature — no generic stock.
- Soften photos: slightly reduced saturation and contrast so they sit into the cream page.
- Crop into rounded shapes: arches, large-radius rectangles and circles. No sharp corners.
- Use orange and red circles as decorative accents, sparingly.
- Get consent from people pictured; credit photographers.
Using our brand
Co-branding, sponsorship, merchandise and media use need written approval. Request logo files and permissions at info@firstip.org.