National Charity League, Inc. · VP Communications

the Brand Reference

A living guide for everything we make together — colors, type, the wordmark, our voice, and the Strategic Plan that anchors our communications. Updated September 2025.

01 · Who we are

Mission, vision & values

Our brand begins with what we believe. Every deck, post, and email should feel like a natural expression of these words.

Mission

Fostering the mother–daughter relationship through an ongoing commitment to philanthropy, culture, and leadership.

Vision

Connecting hearts, hands & minds so that every community thrives.

Core Values

  1. iModeling integrity, graciousness, and excellence
  2. iiStrengthening the mother–daughter bond
  3. iiiEmpowering women with the skills and confidence to mentor and lead
  4. ivInspiring a legacy of social awareness and compassion
  5. vProviding depth of support in local communities
  6. viHonoring a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion

The Four Pillars

01

Philanthropy

Understanding and serving communities in partnership with local and national nonprofits.

02

Leadership Development

Building capable, courageous leaders through opportunities to learn, reflect, and develop.

03

Cultural Enrichment

Preserving NCL traditions and core values while appreciating growth from connecting with different communities.

04

Community Service

Inspiring and empowering women to succeed as confident, well-rounded, socially aware contributors.

02 · Color

A palette built to feel alive

Navy and pink lead. Extended blues and pinks support. Mix brights with deeper tones — never go all dark. Use exact hex values; never lighten, darken, or add transparency.

Primary

NCL Navy

#000066

RGB 0 0 102 · CMYK 100 68 21 31

Primary

NCL Pink

#CC6699

RGB 204 102 153 · CMYK 18 73 11 0

Primary

Black

#000000

RGB 0 0 0

Primary

White

#FFFFFF

RGB 255 255 255

Extended Blues Deep → Light

#40408C
#59599C
#7373AB
#A6A6C9
#F2F2F7

Extended Pinks Deep → Light

#D98CB2
#E3ABC7
#EBBDD4
#EDC9DB
#F7E8F0

Combinations that work

Navy + Pink D9

Header / hero anchor

Pink F7 + Navy

Editorial body, long-form

Pink + White

Calls-to-action, accents

Blue F2 + Navy

Quiet, document-style

03 · Typography

Two voices, one feeling

Glamour Luxury for headlines and statements. Arial for everything readable. Eyesome and Luxurious scripts in small doses — pull quotes, event titles, warmth. No more than 2–3 fonts per piece.

Display

Glamour Luxury

Aa Bb Cc

Thin Light Regular Bold Round

Headlines, section titles, statement copy. Use Light for large display, Regular for mid, Bold for emphasis.

Body

Arial

Aa Bb Cc

Regular Bold Italic

Body copy, UI, captions, chapter names on logos. Set comfortably (15–18px web, 10–12pt print).

Script accent

Eyesome

Aa Bb Cc

Event titles, pull quotes, single warm words inside display copy. Never set body text in script.

Script alternate

Luxurious

Aa Bb Cc

Alternate for invitations and ceremonial materials. Never use for the letters “NCL”.

Type scale in use

Gracious. Polished. Vibrant.

Connecting hearts, hands & minds.

a season of impact

National Charity League, Inc. is a multigenerational philanthropic organization committed to community service, leadership development and cultural experiences for mothers and their daughters.

04 · The Wordmark

Writing “NCL”

Until official logo artwork is in hand, we use a typographic NCL lockup. Only Arial and Glamour Luxury are approved for these three letters. No glows, no overlaps, no scripts.

Approved · Arial

NCL

Approved · Glamour Luxury

NCL

Prohibited · Script

NCL

Prohibited · Effects

NCL

National

Charity League

Inc.

Placeholder lockup

When official artwork isn't available, we use this typographic stand-in: Glamour Luxury Light over a thin rule with “Inc.” in Arial. Use it sparingly — swap in real logo files the moment they land.

Clear zone

Maintain at least one x-height of clear space on all sides. Keep backgrounds simple. Trademarks always sit in brand colors, on clean, readable backgrounds.

Ticktocker®

Ticktocker is a registered trademark of NCL. The ® symbol must always be superscript. On first use in any document, include the ®. After that, just write Ticktocker.

First use → Ticktocker®  ·  Subsequent → Ticktocker

05 · Strategic Plan 2026–2029

Three words guide the work

Every story, headline, and announcement should ladder up to one of these. Use them as section anchors, chapter titles, and editorial themes across communications.

I

Grow

Empower Excellence through Innovation, Leadership, & Expansion

  • 1ARecruit & retain professional staff and national volunteers
  • 1BExpand NCL's national & international footprint
  • 1CEmbrace an ongoing culture of innovation

II

Impact

Align Purpose to Partnership & Vision to Results

  • 2ABuild relationship-driven strategic partnerships
  • 2BDiversify revenue for program support & services
  • 2CEvaluate programs for relevance & effectiveness
  • 2DBroaden brand awareness & support for the mission

III

Connect

Cultivate Community, Culture, & Sustainability

  • 3AElevate the membership experience
  • 3BBuild a cohesive, well-understood NCL culture

“ NCL, Inc. will be a nationally recognized thought leader, grounded in a clear vision, mission, and strong core values, dedicated to building and servicing communities through innovative, adaptable approaches. ”

Organizational Anticipated State · Strategic Plan 2026–2029

06 · Practice

The do's & don'ts

A quick reference for the recurring traps. When in doubt, pick the more restrained option — graciousness reads louder than novelty.

Do

  • Use the exact hex values. Navy, pink, and the ten extended tones — no lightening, darkening, or transparency.
  • Mix brights with deeper tones. Vibrant, not somber. Pair navy with a pink, or pink-f7 with navy type.
  • Limit yourself to 2–3 fonts per piece. Glamour Luxury + Arial is the default duo; add Eyesome as a third only for warmth.
  • Set “NCL” in Arial or Glamour Luxury. No effects. Maintain clear space of at least one x-height.
  • Spell Ticktocker® correctly on first use of any document; drop the ® after that.
  • Set chapter names in Arial in the same color as the NCL logo. Themes are temporary; never let them harden into a chapter logo.
  • Allow complementary accents in tiny doses — a green leaf, a yellow sunflower — never as dominant color.
  • Keep backgrounds clean. Trademarks live on simple, readable fields.

Don't

  • No effects on the wordmark. No glow, outline, drop shadow, gradient, overlap, or transparency on the letters “NCL.”
  • Never set “NCL” in script fonts. Eyesome and Luxurious are for accent words, not the wordmark.
  • Don't stretch, crop, or recolor logos. Use official artwork at approved sizes.
  • No off-palette colors as dominant. Neons, pastels outside the system, full gradients are not NCL.
  • Don't go all-dark. The brand should feel vibrant; pair deeps with brights.
  • No permanent chapter lockups that combine NCL logo + graphic + chapter name in a fixed layout.
  • Avoid AI-design clichés: emoji clutter, rounded-corner left-border accent cards, neon gradients, low-contrast pastel-on-pastel.
  • Don't exceed three fonts. Harmony over variety.

Working together

When you ask for a deck, one-pager, or campaign, I'll lean on this system by default — navy and pink leading, Glamour Luxury and Arial doing most of the talking, Eyesome appearing in small, intentional moments. Anything outside this system needs an explicit call-out from you.

— ready when you are.