Brand
Guidelines
Version 3
February 2017
Welcome
It’s more than the colors and typefaces we choose to represent
our company. Our brand is our voice in the marketplace, and
lives as a dynamic symbol of quality, longevity and value.
We all share a responsibility to respect our brand, to present
it consistently and to ensure that it is represented correctly.
These guidelines have been crafted to help you create
world-class communications on behalf of IHS Markit. Please
read them to learn how our visual style brings the IHS Markit
brand to life in a unique, approachable and compelling
way that is consistent with our brand strategy. Its boldness
and clarity help us stand out from our competition and
communicate our value to customers, laying the framework
for the success of our company.
If you have questions about these guidelines, need logo or
art files or to request the Brand Team review your
communications, please email brand@ihsmarkit.com.
We appreciate your help in building
a great brand – IHS Markit.
01
Introduction + messaging
05
Brand architecture
18
Visual design elements + rules
30
Product naming
36
Defining high-profile brands
38
Acquired brands
40
Public relations + social media
44
Contacts for queries and support
Branding is more than a logo.
It’s more than a website.
It’s more than a business card.
Introduction + messaging
Introduction + messaging
1 FOCUS
We are a masterbrand system. Our logo, typography and color palette drive the look and feel of all
our products and communications. We are not building overly distinctive sub-brands or unrelated
design expressions to ensure that our system is clear and robust. To learn more about what a
masterbrand strategy entails please click here.
2 SIMPLICITY
Our design approach is about less, not more. We use white or open space to provide breathing
room for our communications – ensuring that the elements and information that matter are seen
clearly and cleanly.
3 DIRECT
Our communications should be direct and clearly articulate what we do. We don’t over-complicate
with abstract imagery or headlines. We are willing to be challenging, but we respect the
intelligence of our audience and do not need to over-design or add ambiguity.
4 CONSISTENCY
Our audiences need to see consistency and connections across our broad touchpoints as we
try to up- and cross-sell our services. Using our design elements and communication style in a
consistent way will help build recognition, not just for our logo (which is critical to our strategy),
but for everything we develop.
5 LONGEVITY
We are building a strategy and platform that is “acquisition-proof” – one that will remain viable
through a changing landscape.
Guiding principles – the IHS Markit brand
POSITIONING BACKGROUND
The merger of IHS and Markit created a new company with powerful synergies
and unique benefits for our customers. Positioning is how we tell that story in a
way that is compelling and meaningful. It guides all IHS Markit communication
– for colleagues, customers, prospects, investors and the media. The
thoughtful development of our positioning gives us a competitive edge in the
global marketplace and sets a confident course for the future.
OUR CORE POSITIONING: THE NEW INTELLIGENCE
IHS Markit thinks about the world in a unique way. We have the deepest
sources of information, analytics and solutions for the major industries,
financial markets and government actions that drive the global economy.
Our analytics and experts reveal interdependencies across complex
industries to truly understand why things happen. By seeing the big picture
and all the connections, we provide our customers with insights and
perspective on what really matters.
We call this The New Intelligence.
By connecting data across variables, our analysts and industry specialists
present our customers with a richer, highly integrated view of their world.
That is the exponential benefit of The New Intelligence. We’re able to isolate
cause and effect, risk and opportunity in new ways that empower our
customers to make well-informed decisions with greater confidence.
We partner with leaders in business, finance, and government so they can
apply higher-level thinking to daily tasks and strategic issues. We offer our
customers solutions to make them more efficient and help them make more
informed decisions to secure their future.
ELEVATOR PITCH
The following messaging is a summary to be used to quickly and
simply define IHS Markit and our value proposition:
Brand messaging
Introduction + messaging
IHS Markit
We combine information, analytics and expertise
to provide solutions for business, finance and
government. Leaders from more than 50,000
organizations, including 85% of the Fortune Global
500, rely on our insights to reveal interconnected
factors that impact the big picture in their
markets. We call this perspective The New
Intelligence. It helps our customers see why things
happen and focus on what really matters so they
can make confident decisions to improve
efficiency, outpace competitors and drive growth.
STYLEBOOK
The Stylebook for Corporate Marketing & Communications (Stylebook)
provides detailed guidance to help us speak to customers, stakeholders
and colleagues with a unified voice.
It supports our IHS Markit brand by promoting:
• Consistency of writing style
• Spelling
• Punctuation
• Terminology for internal communications, investor relations and
marketing communications
This resource will be available through our corporate intranets.
EDITORIAL HANDBOOK
The IHS Markit Editorial Handbook and Writing Guide (Handbook)
complements the Stylebook by providing uniform editing standards
for all client deliverables. Specific appendices stipulate guidelines for
variations within product areas, while maintaining overall consistency.
This resource will be available through our corporate intranets.
Messaging style
Introduction + messaging
Stylebook for
Corporate Marketing &
Communications
February 2017
Version 1
Editorial Writing
Handbook and Style Guide
February 2017
Version 1
Brand architecture
LEVEL 1 – MASTERBRAND
LEVEL 2 – HIGH-PROFILE BRANDS
LEVEL 3 – EXPERTISE
Aerospace, Defense & Security
Automotive
Chemical
Digital & Web Solutions
Economics & Country Risk
Energy
Engineering & Product Design
Financial Markets Data & Services
Maritime & Trade
Operational Risk & Regulatory Compliance
Technology
LEVEL 4 – PRODUCTS
Descriptive Names:
Enterprise Data Management
Chemical Market Advisory
Analytics
Suggestive Names:
iBoxx
Connect
Vantage
Brand architecture overview
Brand architecture
Jane’s
™
By IHS Markit
CERAWeek
®
By IHS Markit
PMI
™
By IHS Markit
Level 1 – masterbrand
Brand architecture
MASTERBRAND
IHS Markit is implementing a masterbrand strategy. This
approach creates a strong union across our products and
services, aligning what we do with what our brand represents.
While individual products will have their own names, it is the
masterbrand that solidifies our customers’ belief that our
offerings are unique.
Masterbrand logo
Brand architecture
Level 1 – masterbrand examples
Welcome to
The New Intelligence.
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Brand booth
Email announcement
Advertisement
PowerPoint
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Industry Information
and Expertise from Copper
to Communications
WWW.IHSMARKIT.COM
Global Forum
Executive Forum in Beijing
FEBRUARY, 2017
© 2016 IHS Markit. All Rights Reserved.
IHS Markit
®