VCHI Brand Standards
Let's create a future where everyone has access to care
Logo System
Our bilingual logo represents connection, care, and accessibility. The circular "VC" mark is balanced by clear typography in both English and French, reflecting our commitment to serve all communities.
Do This
- Always maintain clear space around the logo equal to the height of the circle
- Use the full bilingual lockup whenever possible
- Ensure sufficient contrast against background colours
- Scale proportionally - never stretch or distort
- Use provided file formats (.SVG, .PNG, .EPS)
Don't Do This
- Never recreate the logo or alter its proportions
- Don't apply drop shadows, gradients, or effects
- Don't rotate or angle the logo
- Never change the logo colours
- Don't place logo on busy or low-contrast backgrounds
Typography
Public Sans is our single brand font, bringing government credibility with warm approachability. It works beautifully across all platforms—web, print, and Microsoft Office. The font is free, accessible, and supports both English and French.
Typography Hierarchy
Imagery and Photography
Our photography must always protect patient privacy while conveying warmth, dignity, and the human impact of our work. We favour authentic environmental imagery over clinical settings, representing diversity and connection without exploitation.
⚠️ Critical Privacy Rule
Never photograph actual VCHI patients, families, or staff without explicit written consent and legal review. All patient stories must use anonymized text-based scenarios or composite cases. When imagery is needed, use carefully selected stock photography or environmental shots that contain no identifiable individuals.
Healthcare privacy laws (PHIPA) require strict protection of patient identity. Even with consent, images of vulnerable populations carry ethical risks. Text-based anonymized stories are always safer and equally powerful.
Core Photography Principles
Privacy-first. No identifiable patients. Use environmental details, close-ups of hands (diverse ages), home settings, and abstract representations of care coordination.
Authentic over stock. Choose natural, unposed moments. Avoid overly polished, generic stock imagery. Real home environments and genuine interactions (staged with models or stock) feel more trustworthy than studio perfection.
Diversity and inclusion. Represent the full spectrum of age, ethnicity, ability, gender, and family structure. Show multigenerational families, same-sex couples, single parents, people using mobility aids.
Dignity-centred. Never exploit vulnerability. Avoid "poverty porn" or pity-driven imagery. Show people as capable, supported, and valued.
Clients and Families Imagery
Palette: Warm, hopeful, human-centred
✓ Use This Imagery
- Close-ups of hands (diverse skin tones, ages) holding, supporting, or comforting
- Home environments with natural light, lived-in spaces, family photos on walls
- Activities of daily living: preparing meals, gardening, reading together
- Intergenerational connection: grandparent with grandchild, adult child assisting parent
- Accessibility aids shown as empowering tools (walker with flowers in basket, wheelchair in sunlight)
- Soft focus backgrounds that suggest home care without showing faces
✗ Avoid This Imagery
- Hospital beds as hero images
- Medical equipment dominating the frame
- Facial expressions of pain, distress, or pity
- Clinical, sterile environments (unless showing contrast to home)
- Close-ups of tubes, IVs, or invasive medical devices
- Posed "stock photo smiles" that feel fake
Government and Funders Imagery
Palette: Professional, authoritative, data-driven
✓ Use This Imagery
- System-level imagery: hospital buildings, healthcare coordination hubs, office settings
- Healthcare workers in professional attire (no faces if identifiable)
- Abstract representations of care coordination: connecting lines, network diagrams, system maps
- Data visualization: charts, graphs, dashboards (real or mockups)
- Technology in healthcare: tablets, electronic health records, telehealth setups
- Team meetings, policy discussions, case conferences (anonymized)
✗ Avoid This Imagery
- Emotional patient stories as primary visuals
- Warm, lifestyle-focused aesthetics (save for client materials)
- Individual patient portraits (even anonymized)
- Home care scenes (too intimate for policy context)
- Overly casual or candid moments
Sponsors and Donors Imagery
Palette: Impact-focused, energetic, human stories with data
✓ Use This Imagery
- Success moments: person at home vs. institutional setting (staged or illustrated)
- Community integration: person participating in community activity, family gathering
- Family relief: caregiver resting, parent smiling (carefully staged with models)
- Volunteers in action: fundraising events, community programs, hands helping
- Celebration and milestone moments: graduation, birthday at home, anniversary
- Impact visualization: "before" (empty hospital corridor) and "after" (person at home)
✗ Avoid This Imagery
- Before/after medical transformation photos (privacy risk)
- Identifiable patients even with "success stories"
- Poverty or crisis-focused visuals as primary impact
- Pity-driven fundraising tropes (sad child, helpless elder)
- Exploitation of vulnerable moments for emotional manipulation
Technical Specifications
Web Use
- Minimum 72dpi resolution
- Optimized file sizes (under 500KB preferred)
- Maximum 5MB for hero images
- JPG format for photographs
- PNG for graphics with transparency
Print Use
- Minimum 300dpi resolution
- CMYK colour mode
- TIFF or high-quality JPG
- Embed fonts in final PDFs
- Include bleed area (0.125")
Colour and Tone
Images should use natural colour tones that align with our brand palette. Avoid heavy filters, excessive saturation, or artificial colour grading. Warm, natural light is preferred over harsh clinical lighting.
Accessibility
All images must include descriptive alt text for screen readers. Alt text should describe the content and context, not just list objects. Example: "Multi-generational hands holding in natural light" not "hands."
Approved Stock Photography Sources
When sourcing stock photography, use these approved platforms and always verify licensing terms:
Free, high-quality, diverse imagery
Free stock photos and videos
Premium healthcare imagery (paid)
Professional, rights-managed (paid)
Always maintain documentation of licensing agreements and usage rights for all purchased imagery.
Colour Palettes
Three audience-specific palettes maintain brand consistency through our signature blue while tailoring accent colours to meet the emotional and professional needs of each audience.
Our Colour Strategy
Primary Blue (#214f7a) anchors all three palettes, ensuring brand recognition across all touchpoints. Accent colours shift to match audience expectations: warm and hopeful for families, authoritative for government, energetic for donors. All colours meet WCAG accessibility standards.
Application Examples
Application Examples
Application Examples
Tone of Voice
Our voice is authoritative yet compassionate. We speak with confidence and clarity while maintaining warmth and respect for the people we serve.
Writing Guidelines
✓ Do This
- Use active voice: "We coordinate your care"
- Be specific: "12-month case management"
- Lead with outcomes: "Stay home longer"
- Use inclusive language: "person with diabetes"
- Write short sentences (15-20 words)
✗ Avoid This
- Passive voice: "Care is coordinated"
- Jargon without explanation: "ACSD" "OHaH"
- Minimizing language: "just call us"
- Labels: "diabetic" "the disabled"
- Long, complex sentences
Organizational Talking Points
Use these pre-approved descriptions when introducing Valued Connections Healthcare. Each version is tailored to a specific audience while maintaining our core message.
General Use
WEBSITE • MEDIA • DEFAULT"We coordinate complex care for Ontarians with chronic health conditions. We are your single point of contact, arranging specialists, completing applications, and advocating on your behalf so you can stay at home instead of long-term care."
Sponsors and Donors
FUNDRAISING • IMPACT"Navigating multiple doctors, medications, and support services shouldn't feel impossible. Valued Connections Healthcare provides intensive case management for individuals with complex medical needs, becoming your single advocate across the entire health and social system."
Government and Funders
POLICY • DATA • OUTCOMES"Valued Connections Healthcare delivers intensive care coordination for medically complex Ontarians. Our case managers serve as a single point of contact across multiple providers, reducing preventable hospitalizations and supporting aging in place."
Content Guidelines by Audience
Tailor content to each audience's needs while maintaining consistent brand voice and values.
Clients and Families
Focus: Warmth, clarity, hope, practical guidance
Tone: Compassionate yet confident, reassuring without being patronizing
Website Homepage Copy
Headline: You Don't Have to Navigate Healthcare Alone
Subhead: Compassionate care coordination for individuals with complex medical needs
Living with multiple health conditions can feel overwhelming. Coordinating doctors, medications, home care, and funding applications takes time and energy you may not have.
That's where we come in. Valued Connections Healthcare provides intensive case management, acting as your single point of contact. We arrange appointments, complete paperwork, advocate on your behalf, and ensure you get the support you need.
Program Flyer
Headline: Memory Care Case Management
One-year intensive support for individuals with stroke or dementia and their caregivers. We help you stay at home safely while coordinating all aspects of care.
What We Do:
- Arrange medical appointments and therapies
- Apply for funding and benefits on your behalf
- Connect you with respite care and community programs
- Support caregivers through education and resources
Call 1-877-369-VCHC to learn more
Government and Funders
Focus: Authority, data, outcomes, system impact
Tone: Professional, evidence-based, results-oriented
Funding Proposal Executive Summary
Problem Statement: Ontarians with multiple chronic conditions face fragmented care coordination, leading to preventable hospital admissions, delayed access to services, and increased healthcare costs.
Solution: VCHI's Medically Fragile Enhanced Case Management program provides 12+ months of intensive, person-centred coordination, reducing system navigation burden and improving outcomes.
Evidence of Impact:
- 18% reduction in preventable hospital admissions
- 342 patients avoided unnecessary emergency visits (2024)
- $2.1M in estimated healthcare savings
- 89% of participants remained in community vs. long-term care
Quarterly Report Section
Q3 2025 Service Delivery Highlights
Active Caseload: 2,547 patients across Hamilton-Niagara and Toronto regions
Program Distribution:
- Medically Fragile ICM: 1,203 patients (47%)
- Stroke and Memory Care: 892 patients (35%)
- Children with Disabilities: 452 patients (18%)
Key Outcome Metrics: Hospital admission rate decreased 18% year-over-year. Average case management duration: 14.2 months. Patient satisfaction: 94%.
Sponsors and Donors
Focus: Impact, gratitude, human stories, tangible outcomes
Tone: Energetic, warm, inspiring, appreciative
Annual Report Donor Message
Your Support Changes Lives
Thanks to donors like you, 2,547 Ontarians received compassionate care coordination this year. Your generosity means families like Sarah's don't have to navigate the healthcare system alone.
Sarah, 63, had a stroke that left her wheelchair-bound. Between managing eight different care providers, arranging transportation, and applying for funding, she and her daughter felt overwhelmed.
Your support made it possible for VCHI to step in as Sarah's single point of contact. We coordinated her care, completed applications, and advocated for the services she needed. Today, Sarah is thriving at home instead of long-term care.
Thank you for making stories like Sarah's possible.
Sponsor Recognition Post (Social Media)
We're grateful to [Company Name] for their generous sponsorship! Your support helps families like Maria's access the care coordination they need to stay together at home.
Maria's son has complex medical needs, and coordinating his care across multiple specialists felt impossible. Thanks to sponsors like you, we provided 12 months of intensive case management.
Today, Maria's son is thriving, and she has time to simply be his mom. That's the power of your partnership. Thank you! 💙
Co-Branding Guidelines
When partnering with government agencies, healthcare organizations, or sponsors, follow these guidelines to maintain brand integrity while respecting partner relationships.
Government Partners
When co-branding with Ontario Health, Ministry partners, or municipal funders:
- Partner logo appears first (left) or top
- VCHI logo appears second (right) or bottom
- Maintain equal visual weight when possible
- Use vertical divider between logos
- Include required funding acknowledgments
Corporate Sponsors
When recognizing sponsors on materials:
- VCHI logo remains primary (larger, prominent)
- Sponsor logos appear in designated recognition area
- Multiple sponsors sized equally
- Use "Proudly Supported By" or similar language
- Maintain sponsor hierarchy (if applicable)
Important Reminders
- Always obtain partner approval before finalizing co-branded materials
- Respect partner brand guidelines (fonts, colours, spacing)
- Never alter partner logos or use unauthorized versions
- Include required legal disclaimers and funding acknowledgments
Template Guidelines
Consistent templates ensure professional presentation across all VCHI materials while making content creation efficient for staff.
Program Flyers
Format: 8.5" × 11" • Single page
Fonts: Public Sans
Colours: Clients and Families palette
- ✓ VCHI logo (top)
- ✓ Program name and tagline
- ✓ Date, time, location
- ✓ Registration instructions
- ✓ Contact information
Presentations
Format: 16:9 PowerPoint
Fonts: Source Sans 3
Colours: Audience-appropriate palette
- ✓ VCHI logo (corner)
- ✓ Page numbers
- ✓ Consistent headers
- ✓ Colour-coded sections
- ✓ Footer with tagline
Reports
Format: 8.5" × 11" Word/PDF
Fonts: Source Sans 3
Colours: Government and Funders palette
- ✓ Cover page with logo
- ✓ Executive summary
- ✓ Numbered sections
- ✓ Data visualizations
- ✓ Appendices
Email Signatures
Format: HTML email
Fonts: System fonts fallback
Colours: Primary blue + teal
E: jane.smith@vchi.org
W: MyVCHI.org
Accessibility Standards (AODA)
All VCHI communications must meet Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) standards. These requirements ensure our content is accessible to everyone.
Colour and Contrast
- All text meets WCAG AA minimum (4.5:1 contrast)
- Headers and large text meet WCAG AAA (7:1 contrast)
- Never use colour alone to convey information
- Test all colour combinations before finalizing
- Ensure sufficient contrast on backgrounds
Typography
- Minimum 16px body text for web content
- Minimum 12pt body text for print
- Line spacing at least 1.5× font size
- Never use ALL CAPS for body text
- Avoid justified text alignment
Document Structure
- Use proper heading hierarchy (H1, H2, H3)
- Provide alt text for all images
- Use lists (bullets/numbers) for sequential info
- Create descriptive link text (not "click here")
- Ensure PDFs are properly tagged
Language and Clarity
- Write at Grade 8 reading level when possible
- Use plain language, define technical terms
- Keep sentences under 20 words
- Use active voice and strong verbs
- Provide content in alternative formats upon request
Testing and Resources
Contrast Checkers
- WebAIM Contrast Checker
- Colour Contrast Analyser
- Chrome DevTools Accessibility Inspector
Readability Tools
- Hemingway Editor
- Microsoft Word Readability Stats
- Readable.com
Brand Assets and Templates
Download logo files, templates, and resources to implement VCHI brand standards.
Questions about brand standards?
Contact Venessa Sweet, Brand Asset Manager • venessa.sweet@vchi.org