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Introduction

Welcome

Welcome to the design manual for the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Nordic Council, which contains guidelines and inspiration for the use of our brand identity.
The manual is also available in Swedish at:
This manual has been co-produced with Kontrapunkt.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at pub@norden.org
Bo Linnemann from Kontrapunkt Brand Agency presents the visual identity, launched in 2016. The film is available on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dwR7dWRqCs

Brand hierarchy

The use of the logo is based on a three-tier system:
  1. Master brand
  2. Master brand variants
  3. Endorsed brands
Svanen.png

Master brand

The logo for the master brand consists of the Swan and the logotype ‘Nordic Council of Ministers’ or ‘Nordic Council’. When referring to both organisations at the same time, the Swan may be used on its own or together with the logotype ‘Nordic Co-operation’.
The Nordic Council of Ministers’ master brand is used by:
  • Nordic Council of Ministers’ working groups
  • Nordic Council of Ministers’ projects
  • Nordic Council of Ministers’ Secretariat
  • The Nordic Region in Focus
  • Info Norden
  • Certain programmes
Read more and download logos in section Logo.
NMR_NR.pngNMR_NR.png

Master brand variants

Master brand variants are mainly used by the Nordic Council of Ministers’ institutions. The logo consists of the Swan label and the unit name. Some of the Nordic Council of Ministers' programmes and partners also use a master brand variant. As a rule, these programmes and partners are 100% funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers.
In cases where an institution using the master brand variant runs projects and programmes, they should use the same logo as the master brand variant.
An institution or partner using the master brand variant must clearly communicate their connection to the Nordic Council of Ministers on main communcation channels. This can for instance be communcated in the website footer. See exemples:
Footer on → Nordregio website
Footer on → NordForsk website
nordisk-logo.jpg

Multiple senders

When there are multiple senders, the master brand and its variants should be used as follows:
Nordic Council of Ministers & Nordic Council
= Nordic Co-operation logo
Nordic Council of Ministers + master brand variant
= Nordic Council of Ministers logo
Two or more master brand variants
= Nordic Council of Ministers logo
Nordic Council of Ministers and/or one or more master brand variant(s) + one or more organisations with their own brands (i.e. their own logos and identity elements)
= Nordic Council of Ministers logo + logo of other brands. One of the identities must be selected.
cop.jpg

Endorsed brands

For organisations involved in Nordic co-operation but with their own brand (logo, identity elements, etc.) the endorsement logo should be displayed right next to the organisation’s own logo. The partners in this category are mainly bodies that work with the Council of Ministers.
When is it used?
  1. When the organisation using the master brand does not have primary ownership of an activity.
  2. When the endorsed brand’s target audience or values are different from those of the master brand.
  3. When it is of mutual benefit to the master brand and the endorsed brand to differentiate between the two.
endorsed brands.jpg

Overview of brand hierarchy

Master brand
  • Nordic Council
  • Nordic Council of Ministers, including Info Norden, The Nordic Region in Focus, working groups an projects
 
Master brand variant
  • Nordic Council of Ministers' Baltic offices
  • NordGen
  • Nordic Institute on Åland
  • Nordic Institute in Greenland
  • Nordic House in the Faroe Islands
  • Nordic House in Reykjavik
  • Nordic Culture Point
  • Nordregio
  • Nordic Welfare Centre
  • Nordic Innovation
  • Nordic Energy Research
  • NordForsk
  • NIVA (The Nordic Institute for Advanced Training in Occupational Health)
  • Nora (Nordic Atlantic Co-operation)
  • Nordic Project Fund (NOPEF)
  • Nordic Youth Council (UNR)
  • Nordplus (programme)
  • Nordic Master (programme)
  • Nordisk Netværk for Voksnes Læring (programme)
Examples on endorsed brands
  • NORDICOM
  • NOMESCO-NOSOSCO / Nowbase
  • Nordic Forest Research (SNS)
  • Nordic Culture Fund
  • Nordic Film & TV Fund
  • Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics (NORDITA)
  • Nordic Joint Committee for Agricultural and Food Research (NKJ)
  • Nordic Information on Gender (NIKK)
  • Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO)
  • Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (NIAS)
  • The Nordic Development Fund (NDF)
  • Nordic Volcanological Center (NORDVULK)
  • Nordjobb (Nordic Work Exchange Programme)
If your institution wishes to move to a different level of the brand hierarchy, contact the publication unit at pub@norden.org. The Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers decides where units are positioned in the hierarchy.