YMCA San Diego
Branding Kit
Wordmark Lockups
The YMCA of San Diego County uses a Y logo + Community Well-Being & Belonging (CWB) wordmark lockup. CWB is San Diego specific and is the default for every Y deliverable unless otherwise directed. Default lockup: V3. V1 is the secondary alternate. Both versions are white reversed and require a dark or photographic background per Y-USA knockout rules.
Placement Rules
- Lead with logo. Preferred placement is top left, sized for impact.
- Minimum clear space around the logo equals the full height of the word “the.”
- Spacing between Y logo and wordmark equals the full height of the word “the.”
- Never lock up the Y logo with another logo or word. No outlines, shadows, rotations, or color swaps.
- For non-CWB contexts (rare, only if explicitly requested), refer to Y-USA color logo or knockout, not the CWB lockup.
Cachet Pro
Primary: Cachet Pro for all internal and external materials. Fallback: Verdana for online applications or instances where Cachet is unavailable. Font files are embedded in this document so the kit renders correctly anywhere it opens, including inside Elementor HTML widgets. Source: Cachet_Pro.zip (Book, Medium, Bold, Extra Light).
build a better us
Headline Construction
- All benefit-driven headlines are ALL CAPS.
- Cachet Bold, character tracking -50, kerning set to “optical.”
- Body copy tracking -25.
- Color application: lines 1-3 use the primary color family of the accompanying logo, lines 4-5 use the accent color family. Descriptor lines use one accent color from the logo.
build a better us
Full Y-USA Palette
Every color below is approved for Y marketing materials except membership campaigns, which are restricted to the blue and green families only. All hex values match the YSD Brand Guidelines, June 2024.
Approved Color Pairings
Two-tone faded backgrounds must use neighboring color families only. Never skip a family. The valid neighbor sequence runs purple, magenta, red, orange, yellow, green, teal, blue, then back to purple. Same-family light to dark is also approved.
When to Use What
Membership / CWB Materials
Use the blue and green families only. CWB lockup logo. The Y blue/green palette is the main color palette for CWB branding.
General Y Marketing
Full Y-USA palette is fair game. Vary logo color across pieces so no single color is assigned to a location, department, or program.
Two-Tone Backgrounds
Pair neighboring color families only. Same-family light to dark also works. Use these for hero sections, dividers, and color blocks.
Headlines
ALL CAPS, Cachet Bold, tracking -50. Lead with the benefit, not the program name.
Skip Color Families
Never pair non-neighbors (e.g., purple with yellow, blue with red). It breaks the analogous logic of the Y palette.
Use Blue/Green for Non-CWB
Blue/green is reserved for CWB and membership. For other marketing, vary across the full palette so no color owns a program.
Lock the Logo to Other Marks
Never combine the Y logo with another logo, word, or shape. Never rotate, outline, recolor, stretch, or shadow.
Use Verdana When Cachet Is Available
Verdana is fallback only. Always reach for Cachet Pro first. The font file lives in the standard kit zip.
Approved Voice Marks
“For a better us.”
- Sentence case always. Capital F, lowercase rest, period at the end.
- Now a registered trademark, no superscript TM needed.
- Color application follows the layout’s color family, same family or neighboring family.
- Use as a benefit-driven headline or as a sign-off message.
“The Y.”
- Capital T, capital Y, period.
- Requires TM superscript on first use in any piece.
Spanish
- Standalone: Por una mejor comunidad para todos.
- With organization: La Y. Por una mejor comunidad para todos.
Internal Shorthand
These are YMCA San Diego specific. Use them in internal-facing copy and design notes. Always spell out on first use in any external-facing piece.
Standard Collateral Dimensions
Reference sizes for the formats produced most often. When a brief just says “flyer” or “postcard,” default to the size listed here. Print sizes include 0.25 in bleed unless noted. Digital sizes are full canvas, no bleed. Keep critical content inside the safe margin.