CAF RED TAIL SQUADRON STANDARDS Graphics Writing Press & Media Merchandise Our goal is to create a consistent identity for the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Red Tail Squadron. This guide is designed to help clarify common concerns, issues and questions about consistently branding the CAF Red Tail Squadron throughout the organization and in the public. Please take the time to review this information.
The CAF Red Tail Squadrons Standards Guide The purpose of the CAF Red Tail Squadron Standards guide is to create a unified standard for graphics, writing, Web presence, in the media and with merchandise that represents the CAF. This guide should clarify questions about logos, CAF names, grammar, proper titles and editorial style. Common questions or issues encountered are addressed here with an emphasis on terms and phrases specific to the CAF Red Tail Squadron. In most cases, please follow the most recent edition of the Associated Press Stylebook except as noted in this guide. The following references were also used in edition to the Associated Press Stylebook. Air Force Journal of Logistics Manual for Style United States Government Printing Office Style Manual U.S. Navy Style Guide Chicago Manual of Style Webster s New World College Dictionary It is very important that the graphic and editorial style described here is used by all CAF units uniformly and consistently. If you have any comments, questions, concerns or additions regarding obtaining photographs, graphics, web or merchandise or if you are in need of graphics assistance such as needing a file of the CAF logo or help with a graphics project such as an ad, poster or brochure, please contact: LaVone Kay Marketing Director 888-928-0188 info@redtail.org
GRAPHICS OFFICIAL CAF LOGO This is the official CAF logo and should be used with all CAF Red Tail Squadron communications: Web sites, newsletters, fliers, posters, press releases and merchandise. The wings logo - displaying three of the CAF historic aircraft within the shield and representing the Ghost Squadron - the vision of the founder, Lloyd Nolen - is the graphic that should be used for all audiences. Alternatively this horizontal text version may also be used. LOGO VARIATIONS - all logo variations may be used with the horizontal name placement as shown above. One Color Black & White In the CAF logo the text is written in the font called, Copperplate Gothic Bold. CAF LOGO WITH UNIT NAME AND UNIT LOGO For communications when using the CAF unit name and logo you may use them in this way, as an extension of the CAF Brand - using any of the wing logo variations. The color of the unit name should be in the preferred and specified color of navy blue (See CAF LOGO COLOR).
The CAF Red Tail Squadrons Standards Guide COPYRIGHTS & PERMISSIONS CAF Members are required to adhere to copyright laws. Creating documents, flyers, Web sites and even posters for the CAF and CAF s Red Tail Squadron are considered Commercial. If a copyright is infringed upon, the Commemorative Air Force will be held liable for damages. Here are five simple rules to help clarify 1. Assume that everything is copyrighted by the author/writer/artist or publishing entity. Try and obtain permission prior to using or posting artwork, articles or photos. Get that permission in writing; via email is OK. If you get it verbally, follow up to get it in writing. 2. Knowing if a click-use agreement is in place is particularly important when posting links to websites or articles. Most potential links have an area within their site that can be clicked on to see if if the website or article can be linked to. If they say it s OK, typically it is a free link. However, that is not always the case. For instance, the New York Times charges $500 to link to stories on their Web site. Even if clipart or fonts say free ware or royalty free, that is not always the case especially when it comes to being used for commercial purposes, which is what the CAF is. 3. Remove Unauthorized Material- Remove it immediately without question and contact Headquarters so that it can be investigated further, if necessary an attorney will be contacted. Using another s copyright can result in hefty fees, especially when it is being used for profit, like for merchandise. 4. Give Credit where it is due- Always cite the writer, publisher, photographer or artist of a piece of work. Some people may have a specific way they wish to be noted, There is additional information about Media Law in the AP Stylebook. Please also note, the Commemorative Air Force is actively tracking down people/companies that infringe on CAF Copyrights and Trademarks as well. Any company selling CAF merchandise, trademarks or copyrights must only do so with permission from CAF Headquarters. Please notify Headquarters if you have any questions about this. Commemorative Air Force PO Box 62000 Midland TX 79711-2000 Autumn Hicks Director of Public Relations (432) 563-1000, ext. 2231 ahicks@cafhq.org
GRAPHICS OFFICIAL CAF RED TAIL SQUADRON LOGO This is the official CAF Red Tail Squadron to be used in all communications: Web sites, newsletters, fliers, posters, press releases and merchandise. LOGO VARIATIONS - all logo variations may be used with the horizontal name placement as shown above. Grayscale Color Black & White CAF LOGO TEXT In the CAF logo the text is written in the font called Sofachrome Object > Transform > Shear 15 degrees Tagline font: Helvetica Neue Bold Italic slightly stretched to fit centered under Squadron
GRAPHICS CAF RED TAIL SQUADRON LOGO COLOR BLUE RED YELLOW GREEN CAF LOGO COLOR PANTONE CMYK RGB for electronic use only.
WRITING TYPOGRAPHY STYLE GUIDELINES Typography is an important part of the graphic identity for the Commemorative Air Force. Please try to follow these guidelines whenever possible. HEADLINES To contrast the logo, short headlines should be in all caps. Longer headlines may be upper and lowercase. The font should be Century Gothic or Century Gothic Bold. If working with limited fonts and Century Gothic is not available, Times New Roman may be substituted. SHORT HEADLINE EXAMPLE (FONT: Century Gothic) Longer Headline Example with More Words SHORT HEADLINE EXAMPLE (FONT: Century Gothic Bold) Longer Headline Example with More Words and in Two Lines SHORT HEADLINE EXAMPLE (FONT: Times New Roman) Longer Headline Example with More Words in Alternative Font SHORT HEADLINE EXAMPLE (FONT: Times New Roman/ Bold) Longer Headline Example with More Words in Alternative Font Body Copy and Subheads The font Times New Roman should be used for all body copy, with Times New Roman/ Italic used when needed. If working with limited fonts and Century Gothic is not available, Helvetica may be substituted for the subheads. Both subheads and body copy should be upper and lowercase. If at all possible, try to keep the body copy to 10 point or higher. CAF RED TAIL SQUADRON FACTS Please use the following accurate information about the CAF Red Tail Squadron: The CAF Red Tail Squadron is a non-profit group that is affiliated with the Commemorative Air Force. The CAF Red Tail Squadron was established in the mid-1990s, it had one goal: to educate Americans about the history and legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen. The CAF Red Tail Squadron changed the name from CAF Red Tail Project in 2011.
CAF TERMS Commemorative Air Force- Spell out Commemorative Air Force on the first usage followed by (CAF) in parenthesis. The acronym CAF may be used after the first instance within the article. Notes: CAF does not have periods, therefore C.A.F. is not correct. CAF Red Tail Squadron- The acronym CAF may be used, but the full name of Red Tail Squadron must be spelled out. RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit- The full name of RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit must be spelled out and should be italicized where possible. RISE ABOVE is always capitalized. America s Flying Tribute To The Tuskegee Airmen- All communication should include the tag line, America s Flying Tribute To The Tuskegee Airmen Red Tail Mail- (The CAF Red Tail Squadron s quarterly newsletter) Is called Red Tail Mail and should be italicized where possible. P-51C Aircraft- CAF Aircraft names should be italicized, for example Our P-51C is named Tuskgee Airmen Registered Trademarks- Registered trademarks must have the symbol. One you have written it once this way you do not need to use the symbol throughout the body of the text. The following are registered trademarks of the Commemorative Air Force *New trademarks may be added, the list is accurate as of 6/2011. Commemorative Air Force Red Tail Project America s Tribute to Tuskeegee Airman Red Tail Project CAF Red Tail Squadron America s Tribute To The Tuskegee Airmen America s Flying Tribute To The Tuskegee Airmen OUR PLANES NAME & COLOR SCHEME The Tuskegee Airmen airplane represents all the personnel that served in the Tuskegee Experiment: Pilots, Bombardiers, and all Ground Support personnel. The name By Request was the name of Col. B.O. Davis plane. He named his plane this because white pilots would request the Tuskegee Airmen to escort them due to their excellence. The colors represent the four fighter squadrons in the 332nd Group. The red and yellow cowling represents the 302nd Fighter Squadron. The A on the side represents the 99th Fighter Squadron. The yellow banding on the wings represents the 301st Fighter Squadron. The red wingtips represents the 100th Fighter Squadron. photo credit: Max Haynes
COMMON TERMS NEEDING CLARIFICATION TERMS a.m., p.m. Recognize that 8 p.m. tonight is redundant. So, write 8 tonight, or 8 p.m. today. Better still: 8 p.m. Monday. abbreviations well-known abbreviations are acceptable on second reference. Thus, Internal Revenue Service can become the IRS the second time you refer to it. Avoid using unfamiliar abbreviations. academic degrees put an apostrophe in bachelor s degree and master s degree to show possession (the degree belongs to the bachelor or master) when shortened to bachelor s and master s (no degree afterward). addresses use abbreviations for numbered street addresses and compass points when used with a number address. Spell out in other uses. For example: 123 N. Any street, the store is on North Main street. African American (or black) no hyphen. America avoid as synonym for the United States of America; use American to describe the people. arms (small) firearms that can be carried in the hand, such as muskets, pistols, rifles, carbines and shotguns. artillery large-caliber weapons, such as cannon, howitzers and missile launchers, usually supported on a carriage and operated by crews. audiovisual ca. avoid writing ca. or circa in general text for publications and exhibits rewrite or use about instead; but use abbreviation ca. in credit lines. cannon usually cannon can be both singular and plural (same word, no s), but cannons is also correct. Be consistent. capital, capitol when spelled with an a it refers to the city where a seat of government is located; do not capitalize. If spelled with an o it refers to the building where the business of government takes place. Capitalize when referring to the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. and when referring to state capitols. For example: Annapolis is the capital of Maryland. The Virginia Capitol is in Richmond. Capitalization avoid unnecessary capitals. Animal and plant names are lower case, unless they contain a proper name. Nouns are capitalized if part of a formal name, lower case if they stand alone. century the 16th-century fort; 20th century. compass directions lower case; capitalize only specific geographic regions or popular place names: the Northwest, Eastern Shore of Maryland, East Coast; the East is east. Co- when the prefix is part of a word indicating occupation, hyphenate, as in co-worker, co-owner. There are no hyphens when the letter o is doubled, as is cooperate and coordinate.
collective nouns In the United States, nouns such as team, Congress, committee and group take singular verbs, such as is. These collective nouns also take the pronoun it instead of they. For example, the team is on task, the group submitted its plan. composition titles italicize composition titles (books, magazines, plays). Capitalize the first word, any word four letters or longer, and all nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives and pronouns. Do not capitalize the articles a, an and the. Do not capitalize conjunctions or prepositions, unless they are four letters or longer. dates write in this order: month, day, and year. Abbreviate months with specific dates, except for March, April, May, June and July within text. Use a comma before and after the year in sentences with full dates. No comma if using only month and year in a sentence. Do not use an apostrophe to indicate plural dates. Examples: On Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese bombers struck Pearl Harbor. Five companies garrisoned Fort Sumter in June 1863. 1900s not1900 s 1950s and 1960s, not 1950s and 60s (informally, 50s and 60s) spirit of 76 He was employed on Sept. 1, 1991, through the end of April 1999. Depression for the Great Depression during the 1930s. Directions to reader in text and in captions set off in parentheses and italicize entire item including parentheses. For example: The coat of the American black bear can be black, brown, or auburn (left). Earth, earth The Earth is our planet; earth is soil or dirt. flier, flyer Flier is the preferred term for an aviator or a handbill. Flier is the preferred term over flyer. fund raising, fundraising, fund-raiser for example: Fund raising is difficult. They planned a fund-raising campaign. A fund-raiser was hired. The organization is planning a fund-raiser. junior, senior omit comma before and after Jr. and Sr. Example: John Smith Jr. is the son of John Smith Sr. highway designations capitalize U.S. Highway 89, or U.S. 89. Capitalize Utah Highway 33, but notice that you lowercase the s in state Highway 33. initials Franklin D. Roosevelt; FDR and JFK (no periods and no spaces); W.E.B. DuBois (periods and no spaces if substituting initials for given first and middle names); P.O. Box Inc. do not precede it with a comma material / materiel material is a very general term used for any matter or substance from which something is made. Materiel refers to apparatus or equipment, especially military supplies. measurements in text unit of measurements are spelled out, not abbreviated, and are given in English measure. On maps measurement labels are abbreviated; no period is used after the abbreviation; there is no space between numeral and symbol (set name of feature in italics; measurements in Roman)..
military ranks abbreviate rank if used with complete name; spell out rank if used with last name only. In subsequent references, may use last name without rank. Rank can be spelled out when first used with complete name. For example, compare: Gen. Robert E. Lee, General Lee and Lee advanced. Military Officers ranks and equivalents Army/ Air Force/ Marine General of the Army [5 Stars] general - Gen. [4 Stars] lieutenant general - Lt. Gen. [3 Stars] major general - Maj. Gen. [2 Star] brigadier general - Brig. Gen. [1 Star] colonel - Col. lieutenant colonel - Lt. Col. major - Maj. captain - Capt. first lieutenant - 1st Lt. second lieutenant - 2nd Lt. Navy/Cost Guard Fleet Admiral admiral - Adm. vice admiral - Vice Adm. rear admiral - Rear Adm. captain - Capt. commander - Cmdr. lieutenant commander - Lt. Cmdr. lieutenant - Lt. lieutenant junior grade - Lt. j.g. ensign - Ensign millions, billions Try to avoid long numbers with lots of zeroes, as in 7,000,000,000. Instead, say 7 billion. months do not abbreviate months when they do not immediately precede a date. However, when the name of a month immediately precedes a date, abbreviate it only if the month s name is six letters or longer (i.e., Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec. but March, April, May, June and July). Examples: We got married in September last year. We got married Aug. 6 last year. We were divorced March 5. Names of aircraft & ships individual names of aircraft, ships, trains, spacecraft, vehicles italicized, but not the prefix, i.e., USS Enterprise, B-17 Chow Hound. Do not use periods in the abbreviation. Note about ships: Use it not she. A ship is a seaworthy vessel too large to dock unassisted, but write ferryboat and gunboat. nation but the Nation s Capital. numbers Spell out numbers one through nine; use figures for 10 or greater. Spell out a numeral at the beginning of a sentence regardless of amount. OK, OK d, OK ing, OKs acceptable in AP style. percent spell out percent in text (one space between numeral and spelled-out form); use % symbol in scientific writing and in tables (no space between numeral and symbol). President capitalize U.S. Presidents. Presidency Roosevelt assumed the Presidency at a time of great social ferment. presidential except when part of a proper noun: Rosa Gonzales received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
State Names always spell the names of the 40 U.S. states when they stand alone in textual material. Use AP abbreviations (NOT zip code abbreviations) in conjunction with the name of a city, town or military base in text and datelines. PUNCTUATION: Place one comma between the city and the state name, and another comma after the state name, unless ending a sentence or indicating a dateline. AP abbreviations: Ala. Ariz. Ark. Calif. Colo. Conn. D.C. Del. Fla. Ga. Ill. Ind. Kan. Ky. La. Mass. Md. Mich. Minn. Miss. Mo. Mont. N.C. N.D. Neb. Nev. N.H. N.J. N.M. N.Y. Okla. Ore. Pa. P.R. R.I. S.C. S.D. Tenn. Va. V.I. Vt. Wash. Wis. W.Va. Wyo. Eight states are not abbreviated: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah. tailspin/ tail wind temperature use figures unless the temperature is zero. Examples: It s minus 5 degrees. I hope it warms to 9 or 10. telephone numbers should be written like this (432) 563-1000, ext. 7777 titles capitalize formal titles immediately before a name, and do not separate the title from the name by a comma. Examples: I saw President Bush. I got to meet Pope John Paul II. Titles that appear after a name or standing alone are ALMOST NEVER capitalized. T-shirt United States abbreviate as U.S. only as an adjective before a noun, as in U.S. hockey team, U.S. economy and U.S. bonds. Otherwise, spell it out. In headlines US does not have periods. Also acceptable is USA. Vice President no hyphen. Examples: The vice president was here. Vice President Dick Cheney was here. (see titles) VIP for very important person, has no periods. WASPs abbreviation for Women Airforce Service Pilots, this acronym does not use periods. Web refering to the internet or World Wide Web, Web is always capitalized. Web site always two words. The Web is always capitalized.
Merchandise AGREEMENTS Merchandise created to be sold through the online store and the RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit needs to adhere to some terms. 1. All CAF Red Tail Squadron Merchandise must contain the CAF Red Tail Squadron logo. 2. All CAF Red Tail Squadron Merchandise needs to be tasteful and not jeopardize the integrity of the organization. 3. New CAF Red Tail Squadron Merchandise being created by a unit should have the approval of headquarters prior to production. 4. An agreement with manufacturer or company creating merchandise should be signed. Merchandise created for the Commemorative Air Force and its units, wings, squadrons, and detachments should follow these guidelines to ensure that the Commemorative Air Force is protected from unlawful use and/or sale of Commemorative Air Force images, planes, trademarks, logos and any images or items created from registered trademarks or copyrighted material. All vendors creating merchandise including, but not limited to apparel, postcards, patches, pins, and toys need to enter into an agreement (sample below) which ensures that the items created will be available exclusively to the Commemorative Air Force and with permission from the Commemorative Air Force. A sample vendor agreement: I do hereby declare and warrant that I am the Owner or Owner s representative granted permission to sign the following statement. I, (name) on behalf of (Company name) have entered into an agreement with the Commemorative Air Force, which will allow (Company Name) to use images, logos and or trademarks belonging to the Commemorative Air Force to create merchandise exclusively for the Commemorative Air Force. I hereby agree to use the images, trademarks, and/or images created from these images/ trademarks for the exclusive sale and/or use by the Commemorative Air Force. I will not sell, transfer, nor make these images available for merchandise to any other company without written consent from an appropriate Officer of the Commemorative Air Force. Signed, Company Name: Address: Phone: Signature/Date: Printed Name/ Title: Commemorative Air Force Representative:
Press and Media The unit Public Information Officer (PIO) is responsible for working with the Media. If there is no official PIO appoint a unit officer to fulfill these duties. Do not make a habit of contacting the media unless you have news or an event. ONLY CONTACT THE MEDIA WHEN YOU HAVE SOMETHING NEWSWORTHY! In case of an aircraft accident or incident, PIOs do NOT issue any press releases or statements prior to contacting the Director of Public Relations at CAF Headquarters. The Do s & Don ts of Working with the Media Do respect reporters. Do invite media people to events & on tours of your facility. Do answer telephone calls from the media promptly. Do provide facts & figures when asked. Don t talk Off the Record there is no such thing! Don t talk to a reporter unprepared, if you don t have the answer call him/her back. Don t say No Comment this means you are hiding something! Press Releases Press releases should serve not only to inform the public, but also to encourage the public to participate in CAF activities as members, sponsors, or supporters. A press release should be written when you have news you want to share with the community. Elements of a press release: Media Contact Information Who do you want the media to talk to for more information? Headline Give your release a title that will grab the attention of a reader Dateline When do you want this information to hit the media? Is it for immediate release or a specific date? Introduction Begin your release by outlining the WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE and WHY of your news Body Give further explanation through statistics, background information or details relevant to the news Boilerplate This paragraph MUST be part of all press releases About the CAF: Collecting, restoring and flying vintage historical aircraft for more than half a century, the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) ranks as one of the largest private air forces in the world. The CAF is dedicated to Honoring American Military Aviation through flight, exhibition and remembrance. A non-profit educational association, the CAF has more than 8,000 members and a fleet of 156 airplanes distributed throughout the country to 74 units located in 27 states for care and operation. For more information, visit www.commemorativeairforce.org or call (432) 563-1000. For more information about the CAF Red Tail Squadron, visit www.redtail.org. Close End your release by placing one of 2 symbols centered at the end of the page: -30- or ###
Tips: Attachments are acceptable! At the conclusion of your press release feel free to add a biography, fact sheet or brochure IF the item is beneficial to the story! Quoting someone involved in the story lends credibility and make the release more interesting Tell your story as quickly as possible. You want it to be interesting, but no more than 2 pages! One page is best! If a reporter wants more information he/she contact you or the person listed on the release. Keep Headlines to 1 line Submit a clean copy with no written changes Submission of Press Releases: E-mail, fax or hand deliver the release to your local media (CALL your local media offices to ask how they want to receive press releases! Speak to the editor.) Send the release a few days early if you are using regular mail! Make sure the media receives it in time for the news to still be valid and fresh! A press release should be delivered in a timely manner, either: 1 week prior to the event if you would like media coverage 1 day after the event for event wrap-up coverage For a CAF Red Tail Squadron press release sample, contact: LaVone Kay, info@redtail.org or call 888-928-0188.
AGREEMENTS I am the owner of rights to [title of work] and I authorize its display and reproduction at the [location (Web site, Poster, Newsletter)] for the Commemorative Air Force, for a period of [length of time (Indefinitely, One time, One year)]. Please include credit [As requested (Photo by John Doe, Copyright CAF)] The cost for use is [Agreed amount or other compensation, if required] Signed Date I,, do hereby acknowledge to the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) and the American Airpower Heritage Museum (dba CAF Airpower Museum), with offices at 9600 Wright Drive, P.O. Box 62000, Midland, Texas, 79711-2000, that I will be allowed to take client portraits at the CAF Campus, which may include the CAF aircraft in the hangar. I recognize that this right is limited and does not include the right to make derivative works or otherwise use the images to promote my personal/professional goals. I hereby warrant that I have read the above agreement prior to its execution and am familiar with the contents thereof. The cost for use is [Agreed amount or other compensation, if required] Signed: Date: Print Name: CAF Representative: