Common badging

Common badging downloads

The general rules of depiction of the State Coat of Arms are as follows:

• It must be a true reproduction of the approved State Coat of Arms. The features and any wording should be clear and distinct, without alteration and without the addition of any other words or devices, and it must not be incorporated with any other logo unless co-badged.
• It is to be placed either at the top left hand side or top left hand corner of any page, signage or electronic document.
• When used in conjunction with a State Government badge, the State Coat of Arms is to be placed in the paramount position, i.e. the State Coat of Arms must be above or to the left of any other logos and must be at least the same size as the logo.
• It must not be used as a watermark or overprinted with words or designs and it must not be placed on top of wording or designs.
• However, if an exemption is granted by the Common Badging Committee to do so, the same rules as stated above apply, i.e. the State Coat of Arms must be on the top left of the page or signage and other logos to the right, and no other logos are to be placed above or at the top of the page or signage.
• The State Coat of Arms must appear only once in a document or publication.
• In situations where only the State Coat of Arms is to be used, then Option A (Text), as shown below.

• Option A is to be used by all government entities.
• Option B should only be used in situations where it is more suitable for other applications and signage.
• Option C and D is generally used by Members of Parliament, independent agencies reporting directly to Parliament and non-government bodies where permission has been given.
• Option A, B, C and D, can be reversed in white over dark backgrounds as in examples below.

Colour reproduction

The State Coat of Arms can be reproduced in monotone in black, reversed in white over dark backgrounds, in a theme or corporate colour and full colour (available to download but not preferred).

Access guidelines

Text/copy in letters and other forms of communication should comply with State Government Access Guidelines to assist government meet legislative requirements and support everyone to create an accessible and inclusive Western Australia.

Some guidelines are;

• using a minimum font size of 12 point, and where possible 14 point or larger on brochures and advertising;
• left aligning text;
• avoiding the use of upper case only (block capitals), as this is more difficult to read;
• using a minimum of italics and hyphenation;
• using good colour contrast between the text and background and avoid combining red and green colours in lettering. Poor contrast is difficult to read for people who are blind, have a vision impairment or are colour blind. Free colour contrast analysing software is available from www.visionaustralia.org.au or an online contrast checker can be found here.

Correct sizing application of the State Coat of Arms

The State Coat of Arms must never by used at less than 15mm wide.

Stationery and up to A3 (297mm x 420mm) layouts

The State Government badge must be incorporated into all printed government stationery (letterheads, business cards, etc.)

Business cards

With compliments slip

Letterhead

Large format communications larger than A3

All communications that are larger than A3 will can use a 10 per cent rule with the shortest side to work out a good minimum size by itself or as part of the State Government Badge.

Please refer to the examples below.

Digital and social media

The State Coat of Arms should be applied to all WA Government websites.

The rules of depiction apply to all digital and social media sites and compliance requirements must be met with badging and placement of the State Government badge and State Coat of Arms. In situations where the State Coat of Arms cannot be produced at a suitable resolution to display a good reproduction of the State Coat of Arms, then an attribution line should be used giving acknowledgement to the WA Government.

Examples include:
'authorised by the Government of Western Australia and the Department Name'.
Alternatively, use an acknowledgement of a single line: 'Government of Western Australia'.

More information about this can be found in the Government Advertising and Communication Guidelines.

Who administers the State Government badge?

The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is responsible for administering the State Government badge and established the Common Badging Committee to:

• assess applications for co-badging or exemptions;
• respond to agency requests for guidance on the application of the State Government badge; and
• respond to requests by non-government organisations for use of the State Coat of Arms.

The Common Badging Committee comprises:

• Manager, Parliamentary Electorate Offices Support and Transport Unit, State Services; 
• Manager, Ministerial Support Unit, State Services; and
• Senior Graphic Designer, Communications, State Services.

Any enquiries regarding the Common Badging Committee's administration of the State Government badge should be directed to the contact information opposite.

New signage, apparel and other durable items should be badged using the State Coat of Arms or the State Government badge. It is not mandatory for the badge to apply to uniforms or vehicle markings.

The badge:

• must be incorporated into all printed government stationery, such as letterheads and business cards. 
• is to be used on the cover or cover page of all publications. If approval has been given for co-badging, the badge must have equal or more prominence and size to any product or service brands, logos or other stylistic devices.

Statutory authorities have an automatic right to co-badge and the same arrangements apply as for departments and commissions.

Quick tip: Live illustrator files can be found on the downloads page. Designers may use these files to create the various options of the State Government badge for your chosen department or agency.

Advertising

The State Government badge or the State Coat of Arms is to be included in all government advertising.
For more information about government advertising, agencies should refer to Premier's Circular 2020/01 - Use of WA State Government Badge by Public Sector Agencies and  the accompanying Government Advertising and Communications Policy and Guidelines.
Note: Should there be specific campaign advertising in which it seems inappropriate to use the State Government badge or the State Coat of Arms, agencies can seek an exemption by applying to the Common Badging Committee.

Signage

Please refer to the Signage Guidelines Capital Works for further information regarding signage.

The designated layout is Option A, Option B or Option C (as used on allstationery).

The correct positioning of the text in relation to the State Coat of Arms is for the top of the first line of text to align with the top of the heads of the kangaroos.

The options below are acceptable for other applications such as press advertisements or signage.

Stacked and multiple agency badging

These layouts are for use in instances where it may be necessary to use the badge with more than one department name.

In certain circumstances, departments can enter into co-badging arrangements, subject to approval from the Common Badging Committee.

Departments with co-badging rights should refer to 'Applying the State Government badge' section above, for directions on positions and presentation of the State Government badge.

Departments can apply to the Common Badging Committee for permission to co-badge a department logo or a logo representing a specific product or service with the State Government badge.

With regard to the approval to co-badge with a logo, the Common Badging Committee has previously approved this in instances where:

• agencies had a long standing 'brand' logo prior to the introduction of common badging that was a key part of their identity, marketing and promotional activities;
• statutory authorities that had an automatic right to co-badge under the rules that applied when common badging was initially established;
• agencies developed a 'brand logo' to market and promote a specific new service or initiative that they were required to implement.

Statutory authority logos

The common badging requirements also apply to statutory authorities who are entitled to co-badge their logo with the State Coat of Arms, provided such use complies with this guide.

Statutory authorities are entitled to co-badge their logo with the State Government badge provided such use complies with the directions contained in 'Applying the State Government badge' section above.

The co-badged logo size example directly below demonstrates the maximum size of the co-badged logo and does not represent the location of the co-badged logo as a co-badged logo can sit alongside the State Government Crest separated by a line or space. In some circumstances it may be more applicable for the co-badged logo to sit somewhere else on the page as long as it remains no bigger than the State Government Crest.