YOUNG LIFE BRAND
BOLDLY EMBRACING THE FUTURE
01
ABOUT
To be clear, a brand is more than a logo — it is our DNA. It is our culture; why we do what we do; our unique language; how we tell the stories of the changed lives of kids, our humor, our techniques for reaching kids, and most importantly — the brand is YOU.
As you are meeting kids where they are, leading club, taking kids to camp, and discipling them after they make a commitment to Christ. You are the Young Life brand. People may not remember our logo or everything we say, but they do remember how they felt in the relationships we make with them.
Mission, Vision, Values
Mission: Introducing adolescents to Jesus Christ and helping them grow in their faith.
Vision: Together, we are compelled to model the way of Jesus in the lives of young people, to develop as leaders, to inspire others and to go as a diverse community on mission -- resulting in more adolescents known by name and for who they truly are, in more kids knowing Jesus and in young people knowing their Kingdom purpose.
Values
- The Gospel – Living according to and communicating the whole gospel of Jesus Christ.
- Scripture – Acting under the authority of Scripture and relying on the Holy Spirit to empower our ministry.
- All Kids – Reaching adolescents of every ability and all economic, cultural and ethnic backgrounds through innovative approaches.
- Ecumenical – Collaborating with followers of Christ from various traditions and local churches worldwide.
- Diversity – Welcoming those whom God calls to our mission — men and women of all ethnicities and abilities who are committed to the common purpose.
- Health – Encouraging our staff and volunteers in their personal and spiritual health so we may minister out of a consistent and growing relationship with Christ and His followers.
- Stewardship – Observing the highest standards of stewardship of all the resources placed in our trust.
Tone and Characteristics
Brand Tone
Young Life is an energetic, inclusive, and authentic friend. It’s tone is casual, approachable, and full of enthusiasm, fostering an environment where individuals feel accepted and valued. It combines warmth with a sense of adventure, encouraging a positive and supportive atmosphere. Overall, the brand tone of Young Life is inviting, lively, and dedicated to building meaningful relationships with adolescents across the world.
Brand Characteristics
- Jesus
- Fun
- Exciting
- Creative
- Inviting
- A Friend
- Sense of Humor
- Story-driven
- Casual
02
PERSONALITY
Our brand personality helps us cultivate a shared vision for our brand, so we can achieve consistency in everything we put into the world. These four words, when taken together, describe how we come across in our tone, design and spirit. You’ll see these words repeated several times throughout the guidelines, as we define them for design, tone of voice, and specific communication channels.
FUN
Young Life believes that no one should ever bore a kid with the Gospel. It encourages people to have fun while growing in their faith.
DO THIS
- Using exciting verbs
- Use positive adjectives
- Lots of club & camp pictures
VS THAT
- Go overboard
- Be passive
- Be indirect
RELATIONAL
Young Life values relationships as a top priority. We want to meet adolescents right where they are, sharing our lives with them as well.
DO THIS
- Pictures with kids/leaders
- Invite people in
- Be warm & casual
VS THAT
- Be too formal
- Be dull
- Be exclusive
CHRIST-CENTRIC
Young Life honors that Jesus is their identity. Jesus is our savior, and we want teens to know that truth and the hope behind it.
DO THIS
- Point to Jesus
- Reflect Jesus through actions
- Spend time with Jesus
VS THAT
- Glorify yourself
03
THE LOGO
Knowing which one to choose and use
Young Life is identified by a logo with three elements:
- Symbol – or the “YL”; the kind of element we used to call the Young Life “bug.”
- Word Mark – or the written words “Young Life” in the Klavika font.
- Tagline – or the expression “You were made for this.®”
The elements of the logo work together in a unique arrangement of characters. Download the logo files by clicking the button below to ensure you're using the correct version.
Use the provided graphics with the trademark symbols ® and ™ to protect the Young Life symbol, word marks and tagline. Attempt to maintain the relative size of the ® and ™. Some vendors will want to increase the size of these marks to ensure that they are readable. However, it is better to maintain the proportion between these marks and the other logo elements even if they are not readable.
Young Life’s legal name is Young Life (not Young Life, Inc., or YL Corporation, for example). All legal documents, including contracts, leases, foundation or grant requests, should bear the name: Young Life.
integrity
Use the current version of the logo with the registration mark. Maintain the shape, structure, and integrity of each brand asset. See below for examples of things to avoid when incorporating the logo into your design.
Don't fill with anything
Don't rotate
Don't stroke or outline
Don't distort (squish or stretch)
Don't change the colors
Don't add effects
Don't add graphics or images
Don't remove or replace YL
Don't put over a busy background
04
COLORS
Our primary colors convey a warm, approachable, and contemporary tone. They should be used as the dominant colors of every Young Life communication. Green should be used conservatively. It makes a good accent or action color. Gray should be used mainly for text, divider lines and backgrounds.
PRIMARY COLOR PALETTE
YL BLUE
PANTONE: 303
CMYK: 100,27,4,70
RGB: 0,58,91
HEX #003A5B
YL GREEN
PANTONE: 382
CMYK: 48,0,100,0
RGB: 145,200,62
HEX #91C83E
DARK GRAY
CMYK: 64,56,55,31
RGB: 85,85,85
HEX #555555
MEDIUM GRAY
CMYK: 35,28,28,0
RGB: 170,170,170
HEX #AAAAAA
LIGHT GRAY
CMYK: 3,2,2,0
RGB: 243,243,243
HEX #F3F3F3
SECONDARY COLOR PALETTE
MEDIUM BLUE
CMYK: 92,68,18,3
RGB: 35,90,145
HEX #235A91
LIGHT BLUE
CMYK: 73,40,3,0
RGB: 70,134,192
HEX #4686C0
DARK GREEN
CMYK: 70,18,100,3
RGB: 90,155,49
HEX #5A9B31
LIGHT GREEN
CMYK: 22,2,33,0
RGB: 85,85,85
HEX #CAE0B9
CYAN BLUE
CMYK: 71,11,0,0
RGB: 0,177,232
HEX #00B1E8
SKY BLUE
CMYK: 18,0,0,0
RGB: 204,236,252
HEX #CCECFC
SUNSET
CMYK: 0,77,100,0
RGB: 250,94,13
HEX #FA5E0D
TANGERINE
CMYK: 3,50,100,0
RGB: 240,146,10
HEX #F0920A
GOLD
CMYK: 7,21,100,0
RGB: 240,196,0
HEX #F0C400
05
VISUALS
To be clear, a brand is more than a logo — it is our DNA. It is our culture; why we do what we do; our unique language; how we tell the stories of the changed lives of kids, our humor, our techniques for reaching kids, and most importantly — the brand is YOU.
As you are meeting kids where they are, leading club, taking kids to camp, and discipling them after they make a commitment to Christ. You are the Young Life brand. People may not remember our logo or everything we say, but they do remember how they felt in the relationships we make with them.
06
TYPOGRAPHY
The Klavika font is the primary font for corporate communications. Klavika is available on the Staff Site.
Typography provides the framework for Young Life’s identity system. The light and regular (or equivalent) fonts can be used for body text, preferably in 10, 11 or 12pt size type. The bold font works well for headlines. For emphasis, use bold or italic, or a larger size type — avoid underlining the font.
