---
name: AACT
slug: aact
version: 1.0.0
lastUpdated: 2026-10-07
canonicalUrl: /brand/aact
---

# AACT Brand Spec

> The American Association of Chemistry Teachers: a community created by the American Chemical Society offering resources for teaching, networking opportunities, sharing best practices, and more, for K-12 teachers of chemistry.

This is the agent-optimized brand spec. It mixes the human-authored brand book with structured sections from the JSON tokens. Use it to author on-brand copy, generate assets, or wire tokens into a client repo.

## How to use this spec

If you are an AI agent (Cursor, Claude Code, ChatGPT, internal Workhorse session agent, or other) generating copy or assets for this brand, treat this document as canonical:

1. **Read the Voice section first.** Tone words, guidelines, banned terms, preferred terms.
2. **Match the surface.** When you write a hero, CTA, newsletter intro, social caption, press quote, or any other surface, find that surface under "Surface do/don't" and follow the do/don't pattern explicitly.
3. **Call prompts by id.** When the user asks for something that maps to a `promptKit` entry (e.g. `newsletter-intro`, `hero-line`, `agency-pitch`), use that prompt's template structure and example output.
4. **Cite the spec.** When you produce on-brand copy, end with a short footer like `(brand · v1.0.0)`.
5. **Never use banned terms.** Prefer `preferredTerms`. The list at the bottom of the Voice section is opinionated for a reason.
6. **Spec.json is also available.** Same content, structured as JSON, at `/brand/aact/spec.json`. Use it when you need programmatic access to a specific section.

---

## Foundation

**Position.** The American Association of Chemistry Teachers (AACT) is a community offering resources for teaching, networking opportunities, sharing best practices, and more.

**Founding belief.** The American Association of Chemistry Teachers is founded on the guiding principle that we are creating a community by and for teachers of chemistry.

**Mission.** Present the simple, consistent, and clear image that will build equity for our members and potential members, and position AACT as the premier resource for teachers of chemistry.

**Tagline.** Share. Connect. Succeed.

**Homepage line.** teachchemistry.org

**Descriptor.** The premier and only association for teachers of chemistry.

**Value proposition.** The brand speaks to the joy of teaching chemistry, professional growth, and fostering relationships with teachers and students.

**Origin.** The American Chemical Society (ACS) is known for producing high-quality, reliable resources in the field of chemistry, so it was only natural that ACS would create an association exclusive and targeted to teachers of chemistry. 'The American Association of Chemistry Teachers' is a descriptive name indicating that this association is the premier and only association for teachers of chemistry and ties back to ACS, the American Chemical Society.

## Heritage

### Brand Guidelines
*Version 1.0*

American Association of Chemistry Teachers

*Introduction*
### Introduction

This document is a reference tool providing standards for usage of the American Association of Chemistry Teachers (AACT) brand. These guidelines help present the simple, consistent, and clear image that will build equity for our members and potential members. While this document contains guidance for most basic applications of the AACT brand, it cannot anticipate all possible usages. Any uses not directly addressed here require approval by AACT staff, through the AACT brand representative.

### Brand Story

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is known for producing high-quality, reliable resources in the field of chemistry, so it was only natural that ACS would create an association exclusive and targeted to teachers of chemistry.

The American Association of Chemistry Teachers (AACT) is a community offering resources for teaching, networking opportunities, sharing best practices, and more.

The AACT brand was developed with all this in mind as well as connecting with members and potential members on an emotional level. The brand speaks to the joy of teaching chemistry, professional growth, and fostering relationships with teachers and students.

*AACT launched in September 2014, the first organization of its kind in the US (ACS press release, p. 6.2).*

### Background

By delivering consistent messages about the AACT brand, we will efficiently increase awareness of the brand and what we stand for. Every day, each of us can strengthen the AACT brand by consistently communicating relevant key messages to our members and potential members. The Brand Pillars explain the key messages for the AACT brand. These pillars should be referenced when developing new programs and resources to ensure we are upholding our brand messaging.

### Brand pillars

#### Share
*AACT Medium Blue*

We provide our community with the platforms, articles, and tools to share time-saving and innovative ideas with other K-12 teachers of chemistry. We empower our community to contribute its voice and opinions to help shape the future of AACT and chemistry education.

#### Connect
*AACT Teal*

We are a community of passionate teachers of chemistry where teachers can find support, ask questions, and overcome challenges. We connect our community with quality teaching resources and innovative ideas for creating new lessons as well as with each other.

#### Succeed
*AACT Gold*

We create professional development opportunities and provide the most current information on trends, topics, and shifts in chemistry education. We provide opportunities for our community to learn from one another's experiences and mentor those with less experience.

### Manifesto

> The American Association of Chemistry Teachers is founded on the guiding principle that we are creating a community by and for teachers of chemistry.

## Voice

**Tone:** Simple, Consistent, Clear

### Guidelines

1. **Carry one of the three pillars in every message.** *(from Brand Pillars, p. III)*
   Share, Connect and Succeed are the key messages. 'These pillars should be referenced when developing new programs and resources to ensure we are upholding our brand messaging.' Share: platforms, articles and tools to share time-saving ideas, and a voice in AACT's future. Connect: a community where teachers find support, ask questions and overcome challenges. Succeed: professional development, current information on trends in chemistry education, and mentoring.

1. **Speak to the joy of teaching chemistry, professional growth, and relationships.** *(from Brand Story, p. II)*
   The brand was built to connect with members and potential members on an emotional level, not only to list resources.

1. **Write for teachers of chemistry, K-12.** *(from Brand Pillars p. III; logo p. 1.1)*
   The audience is K-12 teachers of chemistry, members and potential members. The logo sets 'of Chemistry Teachers' in italic 'to further emphasize the beneficiaries of the association.'

1. **Name the association in full before using AACT.** *(from Introduction p. I; Brand Story p. II; press release p. 6.2)*
   Every page of the book introduces 'the American Association of Chemistry Teachers (AACT)' before it uses the acronym. The name is descriptive on purpose: it ties back to ACS, the American Chemical Society.

1. **Credit ACS as the endorser, not the author.** *(from Co-branding p. 1.9; stationery p. 5.2)*
   The fixed line is 'The American Association of Chemistry Teachers is brought to you by the American Chemical Society.' ACS is less prominent than AACT wherever both appear.

### Preferred terms

`American Association of Chemistry Teachers`, `AACT`, `teachers of chemistry`, `Share. Connect. Succeed.`, `community`, `teachchemistry.org`, `AACTconnect`, `Chemistry Solutions`

## Color

| Token | Hex | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| `primary.darkBlue` | `#253746` | Primary · PANTONE 7546 C/U · CMYK 73 45 24 66 · RGB 37 55 70. The acronym wordmark. 12.26:1 on white; white text on it 12.26:1. Approved ground for the reverse and alternate reverse logo. | AACT Dark Blue |
| `primary.mediumBlue` | `#006272` | Primary · PANTONE 3155 C/U · CMYK 100 9 29 47 · RGB 0 98 114. The Share pillar. Link color and secondary navigation on the web. 7.02:1 on white. | AACT Medium Blue |
| `primary.teal` | `#00C7B1` | Primary · PANTONE 3265 C/U · CMYK 66 0 39 0 · RGB 0 199 177. The Connect pillar. 2.14:1 on white: fields and graphics only, never text and never under white text. Dark Blue text on it measures 5.72:1. | AACT Teal |
| `primary.darkOrange` | `#FF6900` | Primary · PANTONE 1505 C/U · CMYK 0 56 90 0 · RGB 255 105 0. 2.89:1 on white: large text (18pt and above) and fields only. Note the book's screen palette slide (p. 3.1) labels this PANTONE 1504; p. 3.2 and p. 1.7 say 1505. | AACT Dark Orange |
| `primary.gold` | `#ED8B00` | Primary · PANTONE 144 C/U · CMYK 0 51 100 0 · RGB 237 139 0. The Succeed pillar. 2.53:1 on white: large text and fields only. Dark Blue text on it measures 4.84:1. | AACT Gold |
| `secondary.brightGreen` | `#C5E86C` | Secondary · PANTONE 374 C/U · CMYK 30 0 64 0 · RGB 197 232 108. | AACT Bright Green |
| `secondary.pink` | `#FF8674` | Secondary · PANTONE 170 C/U · CMYK 0 48 50 0. The book prints hex #FF8674 and the screen palette slide gives RGB 255 134 116, which agree; the swatch on p. 3.3 lists RGB 234 134 116, which does not. The hex is kept. | AACT Pink |
| `secondary.purple` | `#93328E` | Secondary · PANTONE 513 C/U · CMYK 53 99 0 0 · RGB 147 50 142. | AACT Purple |
| `secondary.coolGray` | `#888B8D` | Secondary · PANTONE Cool Gray 8 C/U · CMYK 23 16 13 46. The only secondary color approved for the website and for small text (p. 3.4), yet 3.43:1 on white, so small text in it fails AA; the system uses it for input borders (3:1 non-text) and not for text. The book's RGB line reads 136 139 46, a misprint for 141. | AACT Cool Gray |
| `secondary.maroon` | `#B52555` | Secondary · PANTONE 7425 C/U · CMYK 6 96 32 13 · RGB 181 37 85. | AACT Maroon |
| `spot.lightGold` | `#F8D49F` | Logo spot · PANTONE 1345 C. The book gives no hex; this is the lightest solid gold stop in the logo artwork's tile gradient, the nearest value the artwork itself carries. Confirm against a PANTONE guide before print. | AACT Light Gold |
| `logo.nameTeal` | `#00A693` | Logo. The book's Medium Teal. 3.05:1 on white. | Association name and teal tiles in the shipped artwork |
| `logo.nameTealDigital` | `#048672` | Logo · p. 10.2, changed for WCAG. 4.51:1 on white. | Association name for digital display |
| `logo.tileLight` | `#80D2C9` | Logo. The pale tiles under the C. Graphics only. | Light teal tile |
| `web.mediumTeal` | `#00A693` | Primary navigation background. White text on it measures 3.05:1: large text only. See brand.ink.teal. | Medium Teal |
| `web.darkTeal` | `#008779` | H3 color. 4.43:1 on white, which fails AA for the 21px H3 by 0.07. See brand.ink.teal. | Dark Teal |
| `web.lightTeal` | `#00C7B1` | the print Teal. Graphics and fields. | Light Teal |
| `web.mediumBlue` | `#006272` | Secondary navigation background, H1 color, link color. 7.02:1. | Medium Blue |
| `web.linkHover` | `#037D97` | 4.79:1 on white. | Link Color, Hover State |
| `web.darkBlue` | `#253746` | H4 color, dark fields. 12.26:1. | Dark Blue |
| `web.darkOrange` | `#C44600` | the 'Join AACT' button and periodical accents. 4.97:1 on white, white text on it 4.97:1. | Dark Orange |
| `web.mediumOrange` | `#E55302` | H2 color, periodical banner. 3.77:1 on white: fails AA for the 23px H2. See brand.ink.orange. | Medium Orange |
| `web.lightOrange` | `#ED8B00` | the print Gold. Large text and fields only (p. 10.3). | Light Orange |
| `ink.body` | `#555555` | the book's Dark Gray, unchanged. 7.46:1 on white. | Body text |
| `ink.blue` | `#006272` | Medium Blue, unchanged. 7.02:1 on white, 5.84:1 on Light Gray. | Blue text and links |
| `ink.teal` | `#048672` | the book's own WCAG value from p. 10.2. 4.51:1 on white. Fails on Light Gray (3.75:1): teal text sits on white only. | Teal text, and any teal fill under white body text |
| `ink.orange` | `#C44600` | the book's web Dark Orange. 4.97:1 on white. On Light Gray 4.13:1, so orange text on gray is 24px and above only. | Orange text, and orange fills under white text |
| `ink.onTeal` | `#253746` | Dark Blue. 5.72:1 on Teal, 4.84:1 on Gold. Replaces the white text the pillars plate uses (2.14:1 and 2.53:1). | Text on AACT Teal and on AACT Gold fields |
| `neutral.white` | `#FFFFFF` | Navigation text color and body text background. | White |
| `neutral.lightGray` | `#EAEAEA` | Background gray color, the field behind content panels. | Light Gray |
| `neutral.darkGray` | `#555555` | Body text color. 7.46:1 on white, 6.20:1 on Light Gray. | Dark Gray |
| `neutral.headingGray` | `#444444` | p. 10.5. 9.74:1. | H6 color |
| `neutral.ruleGray` | `#BBBBBB` | p. 10.5, '2px, dotted, #bbbbbb'. Decoration only. | The H1 bottom border |
| `neutral.footerGray` | `#75787B` | p. 7.2, called 'AACT Cool Gray' there though p. 3.3 gives Cool Gray as #888B8D. 4.44:1 on white: not used for text by this system. | Newsletter footer text |
| `white` | `#FFFFFF` | body text background, navigation text, the reverse logo. | White |
| `black` | `#000000` | newsletter body text (p. 7.2); an approved ground for the reverse logo (p. 1.6). | Black |

## Typography

### Families

- **TheSerif** (`serif`): 'TheSerif', 'The Serif', Georgia, serif
  *The Serif (Luc(as) de Groot, LucasFonts, 1994). THE BOOK'S PRIMARY TYPEFACE, for print and marketing: headlines, subheads, pull quotes, and body copy within the larger family. Eight weights (Extra Light, Light, Semi Light, Regular, Semi Bold, Bold, Extra Bold, Black) with Plain, Italic, Caps and Expert styles. Chapter titles in the book are set in its Caps style. Also the face of the association name in the logo, whose 'of Chemistry Teachers' is italic to emphasize the beneficiaries (p. 1.1). Licensed to AACT; not served by the platform.*
- **proxima-nova** (`primary`): 'proxima-nova', 'Myriad Pro', 'Calibri', 'Corbel', Arial, sans-serif
  *Proxima Nova. WEB: body text and some headings. The stack is the book's (p. 10.5). Light 400 regular, Semibold 600, Bold 700 for H6 only. Adobe Fonts family 'proxima-nova'. Keyed `primary` here because it is the face every screen surface and platform component draws in; The Serif remains the brand's primary face in print.*
- **TheMix** (`mix`): 'TheMix', 'The Mix', Calibri, Arial, sans-serif
  *The Mix (LucasFonts). Secondary: body copy for variety, or call-outs.*
- **TheSans** (`sans`): 'TheSans', 'The Sans', Calibri, Arial, sans-serif
  *The Sans (LucasFonts), the ACS corporate face. Secondary: body copy for legibility at small sizes, especially on screen.*
- **museo-slab** (`webSlab`): 'museo-slab', 'Rockwell', 'Cambria', Georgia, serif
  *Museo Slab. WEB: some headings. The stack is the book's (p. 10.5). Weights 300 and 500 per the CSS specification (the specimen shows 700). Adobe Fonts family 'museo-slab'.*
- **Calibri** (`office`): Calibri, 'Carlito', Arial, sans-serif
  *Calibri (Light, Regular, Italic, Bold, Bold Italic). Substitute when The Serif family is unavailable; AACT email correspondence and presentations. Carlito is Calibri's metric-compatible open twin.*
- **Georgia** (`presentation`): Georgia, serif
  *Georgia. With Calibri, the only faces approved for the PowerPoint template (p. 6.1); also the newsletter footer (p. 7.2).*
- **Arial** (`email`): Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif
  *Arial. The AACTconnect newsletter: section headers Arial Bold all caps, links and body Arial Regular, body 14pt (p. 7.2).*

### Scale

| Token | Value | Use |
|---|---|---|
| `body` | `16px` | Default text size · Proxima Nova 400 · #555555 · line-height 20px. |
| `h1` | `28px` | H1 · Proxima Nova 600 · Medium Blue #006272 · bottom border 2px dotted #BBBBBB. |
| `h2` | `23px` | H2 · Museo Sans 500 (as printed; see $roles.museoSans) · book color Medium Orange #E55302 measures 3.77:1 and fails at 23px; set in Dark Orange #C44600 (4.97:1). |
| `h3` | `21px` | H3 · Proxima Nova 600 · book color Dark Teal #008779 measures 4.43:1 and fails at 21px; set in #048672 (4.51:1). |
| `h4` | `19px` | H4 · Museo Sans 500 (as printed) · Dark Blue #253746. |
| `h5` | `18px` | H5 · Proxima Nova 600 · #555555. |
| `h6` | `13px` | H6 · Proxima Nova 700 · #444444 · all caps. |
| `newsletterBody` | `14pt` | Newsletter body · Arial Regular · #000000. |

## Spacing

| Token | Value | Use |
|---|---|---|
| `space.1` | `4px` | Hairline gaps: icon to label, tile to tile. |
| `space.2` | `8px` | Tight stacks. |
| `space.3` | `12px` | Control padding, vertical. |
| `space.4` | `16px` | Base. The body size; control padding, horizontal. |
| `space.5` | `20px` | One line of body text (p. 10.5 leading). Paragraph spacing. |
| `space.6` | `24px` | Card and panel padding. |
| `space.8` | `32px` | Between related blocks. |
| `space.10` | `40px` | Two lines. Between sections inside a page. |
| `space.12` | `48px` | Section padding on small screens. |
| `space.15` | `60px` | Three lines. Section padding on large screens. |
| `space.20` | `80px` | Page-level breaks. |

**Principles.**
- Space in 4px steps; vertical rhythm lands on the 20px line wherever text stacks.
- Tiles are square and align to the same 4px grid, so the pattern and the layout share a unit.

## Motion

**Duration:** `quick`=120ms, `base`=200ms, `slow`=320ms

**Easing:** `default`=cubic-bezier(0.2, 0, 0, 1), `out`=cubic-bezier(0, 0, 0.2, 1)

**Principles.**
- Interface motion is opacity and position only; no scale jumps.
- The simulations own their timing; chrome around them stays still while they run.

**Reduced motion.** [object Object]

## Iconography

**Source.** AACT custom line icons (brand guidelines p. 4.2). Files owed by AACT.

**License.** Owned by AACT / ACS.

**Principles.**
- Icons are line art, shown in the positive or reversed out of a hexagon enclosure.
- The same color always goes with the same icon: Share in AACT Medium Blue, Connect in AACT Teal, Succeed in AACT Gold.
- Line art is always centered within the hexagon.
- Icons may be shown with or without their titles.
- Additional icons (email, teaching resources, and so on) use a similar line-art style in the primary palette.

**Named glyphs.**

| Id | Label | Source | Icon | Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `share` | Share | custom | `` | A share node with broadcast arcs. Always AACT Medium Blue #006272. The Share pillar. |
| `connect` | Connect | custom | `` | Three figures, a group. Always AACT Teal #00C7B1. The Connect pillar. |
| `succeed` | Succeed | custom | `` | A trophy. Always AACT Gold #ED8B00. The Succeed pillar. |

## Logo

### AACT Logo
The acronym wordmark, the full association name, and the tile icon. The two wordmarks are optically justified; their relative sizes and placement must not be altered (p. 1.3). Preferred usage: full color.

- **Full color, no registration mark**: `/media/aact/logo/aact-logo.svg`
- **Full color, registered (R)**: `/media/aact/logo/aact-logo-registered.svg`
- **Digital display, name in #048672 (p. 10.2)**: `/media/aact/logo/aact-logo-digital.svg`
- **Alternate reverse on AACT Dark Blue**: `/media/aact/logo/aact-logo-alternate-reverse.svg`

### AACT Wordmark
The acronym and tile icon without the association name. For the favicon, the video watermark in the bottom-right corner (at 90% opacity on imagery), and giveaways where the full name would be awkward or compromised (p. 7.3, 8.1, 10.2). Not a replacement for the full logo at the opening and close of a video or the top-left of the homepage.

- **Wordmark, full color**: `/media/aact/logo/aact-wordmark.svg`

**Clear space.** On all four sides, never less than the height (cap height to descender line) of the full association name 'American Association of Chemistry Teachers' (p. 1.5). This applies to graphics, type, other logos, and the edge of the page or product.

**Min size.** Never smaller than 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide in print; smaller needs approval from the AACT brand representative. On the web, the homepage logo is 141 x 90 px. Embroidered, the smallest letter must be 3/16 inch, so the logo is 3 inches wide on garments (p. 1.5, 10.2, 8.2).

**Hierarchy.**
- Full color is preferred everywhere it can print or display. Grayscale and reverse exist for one-color media and print budgets (p. 1.4).
- Registration: use the TM version until USPTO registration is granted, then the (R) version. Use the version with no mark where status need not show or the symbol would be hard to read (p. 1.2). The (R) artwork exists, so registration has evidently been granted; confirm with AACT before dropping TM from anything.
- Reverse (white) only on AACT Dark Blue, Medium Blue, Teal or black, or on any background darker than 40% tonal value. The positive logo never goes on a background darker than 30% (p. 1.6).
- The alternate reverse (white type, color tiles) is for AACT Dark Blue. Similar dark grounds need approval (p. 1.4). Dark garments take the alternate reverse; white garments take full color (p. 8.2).
- Over a photograph, place the logo where the background is consistent and gives sufficient contrast (p. 1.6).
- A small logo in the top-left corner makes the same impression as a large one. Do not overwhelm the viewer (p. 1.5).
- Co-branding with ACS: ACS is the endorser and sits at one third of the AACT logo's height, separated by the lockup grid, with the line 'The American Association of Chemistry Teachers is brought to you by the American Chemical Society.' With partners of similar standing, the partner logo shares equal stature, AACT comes first, and a vertical rule separates them (p. 1.9).
- Video: the full-color logo with the association name opens and closes every video; the wordmark sits bottom right while it plays (p. 7.3).
- Owed by AACT, shown in the book but not producible from the artwork on file: the white reverse with tinted tiles (p. 1.6), the grayscale logo (p. 1.4), the TM version (p. 1.2), and the 4-spot color logo (p. 1.7). Request the logo package (.ai/.eps) rather than recoloring the full-color file.

## Imagery

**Primary direction.** Illustration of teachers of chemistry and their students at work, with the tile pattern as texture, rather than photography.

### Tile pattern
Derived from the logo's tile icon and reminiscent of the periodic table; a metaphor for the pillars. Used as texture within a layout (the filler ad) or as a linear footer (the AACTconnect newsletter, the PowerPoint template). Never more than one quarter of the layout, never louder than the logo, never in colors the book does not show, and its color breaks are never altered.

### Illustrations
Teachers and students in lab settings, with molecule models in black, white and red. Apparel colors complement the primary palette.

### Web backgrounds
Flat fields of a primary color with tone-on-tone chemistry glyphs (flasks, beakers, benzene rings, atoms, a cube lattice). Login and sign-up on Dark Blue, the periodical callout header on Medium Blue, the periodical banner on Medium Orange. Each background color carries a meaning; new backgrounds follow the color and imagery rules.

**Principles.**
- Everyone in a lab setting wears chemical splash safety goggles.
- Long hair is tied back and away from the face.
- Everyone wears closed-toed shoes.
- Show a diverse group of teachers and students.
- Apparel colors complement the AACT primary palette.
- Ads may run in full color or black and white, depending on the publication; when resizing or reorienting, keep the layout and style of the existing ads.

**Do.**
- Use the tile pattern as a texture or a footer line, at a quarter of the layout or less.
- Place the logo over a photograph only where the background is consistent and gives enough contrast.

**Don't.**
- Let the tile pattern overpower the logo.
- Recolor the tiles or change their color breaks.
- Show anyone in a lab without goggles, with loose long hair, or in open shoes.

## Applications

### Business card (`print`)
3.5 x 2 in. Logo left, a vertical rule, then name and title in The Serif Caps, address, phone, email, teachchemistry.org, and 'brought to you by the American Chemical Society' in teal. Neenah Classic Crest, 165DTC, Avalanche White.

### Letterhead (`print`)
8.5 x 11 in. Logo and contact block divided by the vertical rule, top centre. Neenah Classic Linen, 80T, Avalanche White.

### Envelopes (`print`)
No. 10 (9.5 x 4.125 in) and catalog (13 x 10 in), within postal requirements. Neenah Classic Linen, 24W, Avalanche White; check the printer for matching window envelopes.

### Note card and note pad (`print`)
Note card 6.5 x 4.75 in, Neenah Classic Crest 130DTC; envelope and 5.5 x 8.5 in note pad, Neenah Classic Linen 80T; all Avalanche White.

### Stationery system (`print`)
Clean and modern. A vertical divider separates the brand from the contact information on every piece, so the tile icon is highlighted without overpowering the design.

### Presentation template (`digital`)
PowerPoint template with a teal gradient band, the tile footer, and the ACS endorser mark. Calibri and Georgia only; never alter or replace its fonts, colors or branded elements.

### Press release (`digital`)
Issued by the ACS Office of Public Affairs in the ACS press release look and feel.

### Print collateral (`print`)
Pocket folder, info cards and brochures built on the pillars, iconography and illustration. Heavy stock, 100 lb or higher.

### Email signature (`digital`)
Calibri. Employee name in Calibri Bold, Medium Blue, then title, 'American Association of Chemistry Teachers', 'American Chemical Society', teachchemistry.org and the social line, links in Medium Blue. No quotes or images. Include it on the first message, not on replies.

### AACTconnect email newsletter (`digital`)
Arial and Georgia (Georgia in the footer only). Section headers Arial Bold all caps in #FF6900, links Arial Regular in #00A693, footer Georgia #75787B, body Arial Regular 14pt #000000 on white, tile footer. The header and link colors fail AA as body-size text; see colors.json `brand.ink`.

### Video (`digital`)
Full-color logo with the name at the start and as the sign-off; wordmark watermark bottom right while playing, in full color on white or light grounds, or at 90% opacity over imagery.

### Promotional items (`product`)
Sticky notes, pens, USB drives and similar. The logo must be legible; the association name may be dropped where placement would compromise it.

### Apparel (`product`)
Full-color logo on white garments, alternate reverse on dark. Embroidered: satin stitch; threads RA 2409 Yellow Mist, RA 2464 Nectar, RA 2328 Pumpkin, MA 1041 Pewter, MA 1046 Mint, MA 1090 Teal, MA 1091 Aqua; logo 3 in wide so the smallest letter is 3/16 in.

### Advertising (`campaign`)
Illustrated ads that carry the pillars and all forms of brand imagery, with a Dark Blue teachchemistry.org bar. Full color or black and white per the publication.

### Website (`digital`)
teachchemistry.org: logo top left at 141 x 90 px, Medium Teal primary navigation, Medium Blue secondary navigation, Light Gray field, white content panels, Dark Orange 'Join AACT' action. Periodical (Chemistry Solutions) and resource style maps on p. 10.6 and 10.7.

### Social media (`social`)
AACTconnect on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube, the AACT LinkedIn group, Google+ and blog.teachchemistry.org, as listed in 2014. New accounts follow the same branding convention.

## Guidelines

Adopted rules of the road. Each carries a type, channel, and status.

### Never alter the logo
`identity` · `all surfaces` · `adopted`

The acronym, the association name and the tile icon keep their relative sizes and placement. No distortion, outline, angle, skew, recoloring, added text, or separately scaled name (p. 1.3, 1.8).

### Clear space is the height of the name
`identity` · `all surfaces` · `adopted`

Cap height to descender line of 'American Association of Chemistry Teachers', on all four sides (p. 1.5).

### One inch minimum
`identity` · `print` · `adopted`

Never under 1 in (2.5 cm) wide without approval (p. 1.5).

### Reverse only on dark
`identity` · `all surfaces` · `adopted`

White logo on Dark Blue, Medium Blue, Teal, black, or anything darker than 40%. Positive logo never on anything darker than 30% (p. 1.6).

### ACS endorses at one third
`identity` · `co-branding` · `adopted`

Paired with ACS, the ACS logo is one third of the AACT logo's height and less prominent. Partners of similar standing share equal stature; AACT comes first (p. 1.9).

### The primaries appear on everything
`usage` · `all surfaces` · `adopted`

Dark Blue, Medium Blue, Teal, Dark Orange and Gold are present on all branded materials; secondaries stay small and never overpower them (p. 3.2, 3.3).

### No secondary colors on the website
`usage` · `web` · `adopted`

Web uses the primaries and Cool Gray only (p. 3.4, 10.3).

### Orange and Gold are never small text
`usage` · `all surfaces` · `adopted`

Dark Orange and Gold only at 18pt and above (p. 3.4, 10.3).

### Each pillar keeps its color
`usage` · `all surfaces` · `adopted`

Share is Medium Blue, Connect is Teal, Succeed is Gold, every time (p. 4.2).

### Tiles take a quarter at most
`usage` · `all surfaces` · `adopted`

The tile pattern never occupies more than one quarter of a layout, never overpowers the logo, and never changes its colors or color breaks (p. 4.1).

### Every illustrated lab is a safe lab
`usage` · `illustration` · `adopted`

Splash goggles on everyone, long hair tied back, closed-toed shoes, a diverse group (p. 4.3).

### The face follows the medium
`usage` · `all surfaces` · `adopted`

The Serif family for print, ads and exhibits; Proxima Nova and Museo Slab on the web; Arial and Georgia in the newsletter; Calibri and Georgia in presentations (p. 2.4).

### Teal text is #048672
`usage` · `web` · `proposed`

#00A693 and #008779 fail AA at body and heading sizes. Teal type, and teal fills under white body-size type, use #048672, the value the book already uses for the digital logo name (p. 10.2).

### Orange text is #C44600
`usage` · `web` · `proposed`

Medium Orange #E55302 fails for the 23px H2. Orange type uses the book's web Dark Orange #C44600 (4.97:1).

### Dark Blue type on Teal and Gold
`usage` · `all surfaces` · `proposed`

White type on Teal (2.14:1) and Gold (2.53:1) fails. On those fields type is AACT Dark Blue (5.72:1, 4.84:1).

### No Cool Gray text
`usage` · `all surfaces` · `proposed`

Cool Gray #888B8D (3.43:1) and the newsletter's #75787B (4.44:1) fail as text. Meta text stays #555555 and steps down by size.