Using Industry Canada’s Symbols in Collaborative Situations

Industry Canada's business units frequently collaborate with non-federal organizations or entities. Such collaborations include sponsoring or partnering activities, grants and contributions, as well as less formal collaborations.

According to the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada, when Industry Canada is undertaking activities or initiatives involving non-federal organizations or entities, these "must be communicated in a manner that is fair and equitable to all parties." A common practice in these situations is to use Federal Identity Program (FIP) symbols to acknowledge the Department's participation.

When Can FIP Symbols Be Used by Industry Canada's Non-Federal Collaborators?

FIP symbols can be used by non-federal organizations only to acknowledge federal contributions, whether financial or in-kind. It is therefore appropriate for the Department's collaborators to use these symbols, but only when communicating their collaboration with the Department.

Which FIP Symbols Can Be Used by Non-Federal Collaborators?

In the majority of cases, it is appropriate to use the Department's FIP symbols to acknowledge federal participation or contributions. When symbols are used in this manner, a minimum of the "Canada" wordmark must appear.

In situations where the Department wishes to highlight its participation specifically, the Industry Canada FIP signature may appear along with the "Canada" wordmark. The Industry Canada collaboration graphic has been created to facilitate use of both of these symbols together when acknowledging departmental contributions.

In situations where Industry Canada is one of several federal organizations involved, a single Government of Canada FIP signature + "Canada" wordmark combination may be used to represent all federal institutions. The Government of Canada collaboration graphic has been created to facilitate use of both of these symbols together when acknowledging contributions from several federal organizations.

Situations where a non-graphical acknowledgment is more appropriate:

• When there are many collaborators (e.g., five or more different organizations) — in these situations, use a text listing to acknowledge collaborators' contributions.
• When Industry Canada's contribution is minor (e.g., the dollar value is minimal) — in these situations, use a text acknowledgment. If the Department is one minor contributor among many, then no acknowledgement is required.
• When the medium being used does not allow for graphical symbols to be used (e.g., plain text email messaging) — in these situations, use a text acknowledgement.

How Should Non-Federal Collaborators Apply FIP Symbols?

In terms of how these symbols should appear, there are no universal specifications for size or placement, as collaborative situations are highly variable. Rather, there are two principles that should be respected:

• Ensure fair prominence for the federal symbols and other collaborators' logos — practically speaking, a good visual approach is to set the federal graphic side by side with the other collaborators' identifiers so that they all have equal visual impact.
• Set the context for the appearance of federal symbols in other collaborators' communications materials — use explanatory text or a headline to make clear the reason why the FIP symbol has been used (for example, grouping the identifying symbols under a headline such as "Sponsors").

Technical details, including colour specifications and order of language, are also available for the "Canada" wordmark, the Industry Canada FIP signature and the Government of Canada FIP signature.

Where Can Non-Federal Collaborators Obtain FIP Symbols?

Downloadable electronic artwork files are available for the following symbols:

• "Canada" wordmark
• Government of Canada collaboration graphic (including the Government of Canada FIP signature and the "Canada" wordmark)
• Industry Canada collaboration graphic (including the Industry Canada FIP signature and the "Canada" wordmark).