Rental Beast
Universal
Style Guide &
Brand Standards
Introduction
This is our company's style guide and brand standards. It helps us write and present clear and consistent content across teams and channels. Please use it as a reference when you’re creating materials for Rental Beast.
This guide goes beyond basic grammar and style points—it contains strategic and tactical direction to aid in conveying our brand's voice and our brand's overall look and feel. It also provides guidance to the "voice" of Rental Beast, the empathetic tone we employ, and the words and terms we should or shouldn't use.
We’ve divided the guide by topic based on the types of content we publish, so you can reference it as needed or browse in order. The entire guide is searchable, so you can easily go straight to the item you’re looking for.
This guide has two distinct sections: Design Elements and Brand. Design Elements covers guidelines for our logo, color palette, and typography. The Brand section covers our universal voice, audience, products, and grammar and mechanics.
The Rental Beast Logo Signature
The word logo is really a slang term for the more formal and legal term trademark. In most cases, a logo or trademark is composed of two distinct elements: the symbol, which is the graphic element, and the wordmark, which is the lettered word (“logos” is Greek for “word”) . When those elements are combined into one graphic, they are referred to as a signature .
Formed by the symbol and wordmark, the signature is the primary visual representation of the Rental Beast brand .
Signature elements must always appear crisp, clear and readable. The colors must be consistent regardless of the medium, substrate or reproduction process. To ensure uniformity, use only the approved artwork.
Signature Versions
So that the brand looks great in any application, we’ve provided horizontal and vertical versions of the signature for both print and on-screen use, as well as a symbol-only version that can be used in situations where space is at a premium.
Signature Clear Space
A clear space equal to the approximate height of the area noted on the symbol (indicated by X) must always be maintained around the horizontal signature. No other graphic elements should appear within the space.
Use of the Rental Beast Symbol
When the full signature cannot be used because of size or design constraints, use the Rental Beast symbol without the logotype. Please don’t use the symbol for a replacement for the signature - use it for social media, favicons, interface design or other applications that require a small representation of our brand or where availabe space is a challenge. The symbol should never be used without additional context that identifies the communication as authored by Rental Beast.
Use of the Rental Beast Symbol
When the full signature cannot be used because of size or design constraints, use the Rental Beast symbol without the logotype. Please don’t use the symbol for a replacement for the signature - use it for social media, favicons, interface design or other applications that require a small representation of our brand or where availabe space is a challenge. The symbol should never be used without additional context that identifies the communication as authored by Rental Beast.
Reverse Reproduction
For reproduction on a dark or photographic background that would otherwise render the color version of the signature unreadable, the Rental Beast logo suite includes a color reverse signature and a grayscale reverse signauture. Depending upon application, CMYK, RGB and Grayscale versions are available.
Color Palette
An important part of establishing a brand is creating a color palette and using it consistently. Rental Beast's color palette is our way of creating a vibrant visual experience with our target audience.
Colors are broken down differently depending on if it's for the web (RGB) or for print (CMYK).
For Web
RGB color is most often used for web and computer monitor color. It has three channels (red, green, and blue) to create a wide assortment of colors on the screen. Below are the values of our color palette for RGB.
In addition, we have included the Hex code for each color on our color palette. The color hex code is a hexadecimal way to represent a color in RGB format by combining three values - the amounts of red, green and blue in a particular shade of color.
These color hex codes have been an integral part of HTML for web design, and remain a key way of representing colro formats digitally.
G: 69
B: 11
Hex: 20456f
G: 237
B: 68
Hex: ed4444
G: 202
B: 46
Hex: 94ca2e
G: 150
B: 205
Hex: e1e06e
G: 150
B: 205
Hex: e1e06e
G: 97
B: 110
Hex: 5b616e
G: 59
B: 68
Hex: 373b44
G: 243
B: 246
Hex: eff3f6
G: 69
B: 11
Hex: 20456f
G: 237
B: 68
Hex: ed4444
G: 202
B: 46
Hex: 94ca2e
G: 224
B: 110
Hex: e1e06e
G: 150
B: 205
Hex: 6096cd
G: 97
B: 110
Hex: 5b616e
G: 59
B: 68
Hex: 373b44
G: 243
B: 246
Hex: eff3f6
G: 175
B: 250
Hex: 45affa
For Print
The print process consists of a four color process. These four colors are Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. A printing press uses dots of ink to make the image from these four colors. Below are the values of our color palette for CMYK.
In addition, the Pantone colors have been provided for print. Pantone colors are hugely important for color consistency. They allow designers to color match specific colors when they have designs that are beginning to enter the production stage - no matter what equipment is being used to produce the design. The Pantone Matching System, or PMS, can be found below.
M: 77
Y: 32
K: 18
PMS: 7694C
M: 93
Y: 100
K: 6
PMS: 7626C
M: 0
Y: 100
K: 0
PMS: 368 C
M: 3
Y: 71
K: 0
PMS: 585 C
G: 69
B: 11
Hex: 20456f
G: 237
B: 68
Hex: ed4444
G: 202
B: 46
Hex: 94ca2e
G: 150
B: 205
Hex: e1e06e
G: 150
B: 205
Hex: e1e06e
G: 97
B: 110
Hex: 5b616e
G: 59
B: 68
Hex: 373b44
G: 243
B: 246
Hex: eff3f6
G: 69
B: 11
Hex: 20456f
G: 237
B: 68
Hex: ed4444
G: 202
B: 46
Hex: 94ca2e
G: 150
B: 205
Hex: e1e06e
G: 150
B: 205
Hex: e1e06e
G: 97
B: 110
Hex: 5b616e
G: 59
B: 68
Hex: 373b44
G: 243
B: 246
Hex: eff3f6
G: 69
B: 11
Hex: 20456f
G: 237
B: 68
Hex: ed4444
G: 202
B: 46
Hex: 94ca2e
G: 150
B: 205
Hex: e1e06e
G: 150
B: 205
Hex: e1e06e
G: 97
B: 110
Hex: 5b616e
G: 59
B: 68
Hex: 373b44
G: 243
B: 246
Hex: eff3f6
G: 69
B: 11
Hex: 20456f
G: 237
B: 68
Hex: ed4444
G: 202
B: 46
Hex: 94ca2e
G: 150
B: 205
Hex: e1e06e
G: 150
B: 205
Hex: e1e06e
G: 97
B: 110
Hex: 5b616e
G: 59
B: 68
Hex: 373b44
G: 243
B: 246
Hex: eff3f6
M: 53
Y: 23
K: 3
PMS: 653 C
M: 56
Y: 43
K: 18
PMS: 431 C
M: 66
Y: 53
K: 46
PMS: 432 C
M: 2
Y: 2
K: 0
PMS: 663C
M: 19
Y: 0
K: 0
M: 77
Y: 32
K: 18
PMS: 7694 C
M: 93
Y:100
K: 6
PMS: 7626 C
M: 0
Y: 100
K: 0
PMS: 368 C
M: 3
Y: 71
K: 0
PMS: 585 C
M: 53
Y: 23
K: 3
PMS: 653 C
M: 56
Y: 43
K: 18
PMS: 431 C
M: 66
Y: 53
K: 46
PMS: 432 C
M: 2
Y: 2
K: 0
PMS: 663 C
Typography
Another crucial element of the Rental Beast brand is our font family - Merriweather and Lato. Only these fonts should be used for Rental Beast communication materials. Using other fonts should be restricted, as they will hinder brand recognition.
In Rental Beast communication materials all title should appear as Merriweather Bold and all secondary text should appear as Lato Regular.
Both Merriweather and Lato font families can be downloaded for free from Google Fonts following the hyperlinked text.
When referring to our logo signature, the font used next to the beast is Din Next LT Pro Condensed for the 'Rental' and Din Next LT Pro Bold for the 'Beast'.
Typography Hierarchy
Paragraph Default - 22px Lato
Paragraph Large - 28px Lato
Universal Voice
Empathy is key to maintaining a unified voice with audience-level exceptions. Picture a helpful next-door neighbor - kind, approachable, and agreeable.
You and everyone in the neighborhood know if you have a question about fixing a leaky pipe, or on what day the bulk trash is picked up, they are the one to ask. They will give you a straightforward and easy to understand answer, then be on their way. In our case, the leaky pipe is the rental market. The neighbor is Rental Beast.
Audience
Our company is unique in that we serve multiple audiences, namely everyone who engages with the rental marketplace.
These multiple audiences break down into four categories.
Multiple Listing Services (MLSs), including both MLSs and Realtor® Associations
Agents
Private Owners & Managers
Renters
We speak with a unified, empathetic voice as the Source of Truth in our space, yet we acknowledge the unique/specific needs and terms of our audiences.
Agents
PO (Person) / MC (Business)
Management Company
MLS
Renter
Products
Grammar & Mechanics
Write for all readers
Some people will read every word you write. Others will just skim. Help everyone read better by grouping related ideas together and using descriptive headers and subheaders.
Focus on your message
Create a hierarchy of information. Lead with the main point or the most important content, in sentences, paragraphs, sections, and pages.
Be concise
Use short words and sentences. Avoid unnecessary modifiers.
Be specific. Avoid vague language. Cut the fluff. Be consistent. Stick to the copy patterns and style points outlined in this guide.
Avoid Acronyms
Spell it out for the first time you mention it, even when you know your audience will know what you mean. If you are using the acronym MLS, first use Multiple Listing Service (MLS). There are a few internal acronyms that should not be used publicly. RB should be Rental Beast. Our full name is our brand.
Active voice
Use active voice. Avoid passive voice.
In active voice, the subject of the sentence does the action. In passive voice, the subject of the sentence has the action done to it.
Words like “was” and “by” may indicate that you’re writing in passive voice. Scan for these words and rework sentences where they appear.
One exception is when you want to specifically emphasize the action over the subject. In some cases, this is fine.
Numbers
Spell out Number when it begins a sentence. Certain consistent exceptions include the use of Billions and Millions. We spell these out to amplify the impact.
Dates
Generally, spell out the day of the week and the month. Abbreviate only if space is an issue in the app.
Money
When writing about US currency, use the dollar sign before the amount. Include a decimal and number of cents if more than 0.
Telephone Numbers
Use parentheses around area code, space, then a dash between 3 digit and 4 digit portions. This format is recognized by all operating systems and applications.
(555) 555-1212
Bullet Utilization
The initial word of a bullet is capitalized. If a bullet begins with a number, spell out. Bullets should never end with a period.
URLs
We do not lead rentalbeast.com with “www” in any instance. We do not capitalize any letters within the URL.
Example: rentalbeast.com/mls
Name Use
Rental Beast is the company, not the product. It is not a SaaS platform, it is a company with a SaaS platform.
Refer to the company as Rental Beast. Rental Beast, Inc. is only used when writing legal documents. Refer to Rental Beast as “we” not “it”.
Copyright and trademarks
Copyright is a bundle of exclusive legal rights that vary depending on the type of work. A copyright owner can grant some or all of those rights to others through a license. This section will lay out our approach to copyrights, trademarks, and Creative Commons licenses.
Copyright protection applies to any original works that are fixed in a tangible medium. This includes works like drawings, recordings of a song, short stories, or paintings, but not something like a garden, since it will grow and change by nature. Copyright does not cover facts, ideas, names, or characters.
Copyright law applies to nearly every piece of content we create at Rental Beast, from our website to our blog posts to the gifts we make for our users. We display proper—and prominent—copyright notice on our website site and any other content we produce.
At minimum, these copyright notices read, “© [YEAR] Rental Beast.”
At the bottom of every page of our website, we also include a longer notice to make it clear that all rights are reserved and our marks are registered: “© 2001-2015 Rental Beast® All Rights Reserved.”
Word List
- add-on (noun, adjective), add on (verb)
- best seller (noun), best-selling (adjective)
- beta
- brick-and-mortar
- checkbox
- coworker
- click-through rate (CTR)
- cost per click
- drop-down (noun, adjective), drop down (verb)
- e-commerce (the industry)
- ePub
- email (never hyphenate, never capitalize unless it begins a sentence
- From name
- Reply-to name
- Subject line
- Cc, Bcc
- emoji (singular and plural)
- front end (noun), front-end (adjective)
- geolocation
- hashtag
- homebuyer
- homepage
- integrate
- internet (never capitalize unless it begins a sentence
- login (noun, adjective), log in (verb)
- Like (the social media activity)
- multichannel
- nonprofit
- OK
- omnichannel (use sparingly)
- online (never capitalize unless it begins a sentence
- opt-in (noun, adjective), opt in (verb)
- pay-per-click (PPC)
- pop-up (noun,adjective), pop up (verb)
- product-market fit
- signup (noun, adjective), sign up (verb)
- sync
- third party (noun), third-party (adjective)
- tweet, retweet
- username
- URL
- WiFi
- Real Time (noun)
- Real-time (adj)
- Homebuyers
- back end (noun), back-end (adjective)
- double-click
- website
- pre-sale
- To name
AP Style Guide
Written content will follow the AP Stylebook, also known as The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law. This guide will determine our use of grammar and punctuation, including rules of usage and styles for capitalization, abbreviation, spelling, and numerals.
One major example of the AP Style is the Oxford Comma. The Oxford (or serial) comma is the final comma in a list of things. The Oxford comma should be used in accordance with AP style.
- With Oxford comma: Rental Beast serves Agents, Private Owners, Management Companies, Tenants, and MLSs.
- Without Oxford comma: Agents, Private Owners, Management Companies, Tenants and MLSs.
Icons
Icons are small visual representations that help us depict a variety of ideas, services, and technologies. Icons express, actions, ideas or feelings. Icons are simple and straight to the point, and communicate, in a universally recognizable way. Effective icons show only the most minimal characteristics of an object or idea, and yet they are accurate and indisputable. They are not open to interpretation. The icons we use are clear and legible, just like our brand.
There are two types of icons: Standard Icons and Product Icons. Standard Icons are used for public facing web pages, marketing materials, presentations, infographics, and diagrams. Product Icons are an aspect of our products’s UI (user interface).
Standard icons show a single, simple concept and are used along with text or a label.
For example, the icons used to share rental market data on miami.rentalbeast.com express a clear, identifiable concept paired with a title linking to data charts. Use standard icons to represent general technology concepts in marketing materials, presentations, web content, infographics, and diagrams.
Standard icons should be either in black (#000000) or Rental Beast blue (#20456F). All standard icons use the same stroke weight and appear with transparent backgrounds.
Examples of standard icons:
Product Icons, for the most part, serve the same purpose as our standard icons. The main difference between the two is that product icons usually are much smaller than standard icons and are not accompanied by text or a label. In most cases, product icons are even simpler than standard icons so that they can remain clear at very small sizes.
We use Google’s Material Icons (Filled) for all Product Icons. When using Product Icons within the user interface, each icon must be accompanied by an identifying text field that appears when moving the cursor over the icon.