CF Brand Guide

Brand Applications

How the California Forever brand appears across real-world touchpoints — from the website to signage to partner materials.

A brand guide isn't just swatches and type specimens — it's how the system works in context. These examples show how color, typography, and tone come together across every touchpoint.

Website

californiaforever.com uses a navy header, beige body, and yellow CTAs. Headlines are set in Milo Serif OT; body and UI text in Outfit. The overall feel is warm, editorial, and grounded.

Specifications

Header: Navy (#112D40) background, beige wordmark
Body: Beige (#FDF9E3) background, navy text
CTAs: Yellow (#FFBC21) buttons with navy text
Headlines: Milo Serif OT, bold weight
Body text: Outfit, regular weight

Social Media

The wordmark works as a profile image on a navy or beige background. Cover images should feature landscape photography with warm tones. Post style pairs photography with serif overlay text — never use sans-serif for headline overlays.

Specifications

Profile image: Wordmark on navy, square crop
Cover images: Landscape photography, warm tones
Post overlays: Milo Serif OT on semi-transparent navy
No hashtag-heavy or meme-style posts

Signage & Environmental

Physical signage should use the full wordmark on navy backgrounds or natural materials (wood, stone, concrete). The mark should feel integrated into the environment, not pasted on top of it.

Specifications

Primary: White wordmark on navy panels
Secondary: Navy wordmark on natural materials
Minimum clear space: 1x height of the 'C' in California
No backlit or neon treatments

Print Collateral

Letterhead, business cards, and presentation decks follow the same color and type system as digital. Navy and beige dominate, with yellow reserved for accents and CTAs.

Specifications

Letterhead: Wordmark top-left, navy on white stock
Business cards: Navy front, beige back with contact info
Presentations: Navy title slides, beige content slides
Charts and data: Use brand palette — no defaults

Co-branding

When the California Forever wordmark appears alongside partner logos (unions, government agencies, community organizations), maintain clear visual hierarchy. Our mark should not dominate or diminish the partner.

Specifications

Equal sizing when partnership is 50/50
CF mark left or top in primary partnerships
Minimum separation: 2x the clear space of the smaller mark
Never lock up logos into a combined mark
Use a divider line between marks when backgrounds match

General Principles

Consistency

Every touchpoint should feel like it comes from the same family. Same palette, same type, same tone.

Warmth

The brand should feel approachable and human. Avoid anything that reads as cold, corporate, or generic.

Restraint

Less is more. A navy background, a serif headline, and a single photograph can do more than a busy composition.