Do’s and don’ts
Avoiding common errors
Every member plays a role in strengthening the Rotary brand. You and your club help build Rotary’s brand recognition by using our logos correctly and consistently.
Review these examples of how to use Rotary’s brand guidelines in order to avoid common errors.
Correct: When creating your official logo, use your club, district, or zone logo instead of the Rotary, Rotaract, or Interact Masterbrand Signature alone.
Incorrect: Don’t use the Rotary, Rotaract, or Interact Masterbrand Signature without your club, district, or zone name.
Correct: Use the template to create your club and district logos so that everything is in the proper place.
Incorrect: Don’t move around or manipulate the components of the Rotary, Rotaract, or Interact logo.
Correct: Use your official club logo, which includes your club name along with the Masterbrand Signature, as the main identifier in all your promotional materials.
Incorrect: Don’t alter the Mark of Excellence to make it represent another object, don’t change the color and font of your club name, and don’t add any other images to the correct club logo.
Correct: Ensure that the logo is shown in its entirety, with enough space around it (the height of the capital “R” in the Rotary or Rotaract wordmark or the capital “I” in the Interact wordmark).
Incorrect: Don’t use only part of the logo, obscure any part of it, or use elements of it in another logo.
Correct: Use only the brand colors specified for the Mark of Excellence, the Masterbrand Signature, and your club name. By using the Brand Center templates to create your logo, you’ll automatically have the right colors.
Incorrect: Don’t use colors in your logo that aren’t part of the template. The other brand colors in our palette are for different elements of your promotional materials.
Correct: Use the Mark of Excellence near your club or district logo for clarity and recognition.
Incorrect: Don’t use the Mark of Excellence alone or as your club’s official logo. Use only the Mark of Excellence available in the Brand Center. Remember that there’s no simplified version of it.
Correct: Use the logo lockup templates to reflect your club or district’s relationship with one partner, sponsor, event, or program. If you have several partners or co-sponsors, list them elsewhere in your materials, away from the logo lockup.
Incorrect: Don’t add more vertical lines in the lockup template to include more partners, programs, events, or sponsors.
Correct: Add only the name of your club, district, zone, or official Rotary entity to the Masterbrand Signature.
Incorrect: Don’t add extra descriptive text, club mottos, event themes, or other wording to your logo. If you want to include this information in your design, add it away from your logo.
Correct: Use the lockup template to add the names or logos of partners, sponsors, events, or programs.
Incorrect: Don’t add descriptive text or other logos that aren’t related to the partner, sponsor, event, or program. If you want to include this information in your design, add it away from your logo.
Correct: Use Rotary’s current branding and logos.
Incorrect: Don’t use previous versions of the Rotary logo. The only exception is when it appears in historic photos that illustrate stories referencing specific events before July 2013.
Correct: Use more than one name in a logo to represent a collaboration of many clubs, districts, or zones for an event or project. You can use a geographic identifier if all clubs or districts from an area are involved.
Incorrect: Don’t use the Rotary, Rotaract, or Interact Masterbrand Signature on its own, which implies that the project or event is being organized or led by Rotary International.
Correct: When you’re creating your logo, you can add your club name in your own language. The logo template will accommodate this.
Incorrect: Don’t change the word “Rotary” into another language.
Correct: Include your club, district, or zone logo that uses Rotary’s current brand elements on a sign or other material nearby if you dedicate a place or object in your community. Remember to apply for licensing approval before you begin.
Incorrect: Don’t use the retired Rotary logo (the wheel) or current brand elements without identifying your club, district, or zone.
Resources and reference
Download Your Logos at a Glance
Take the Learning Center course Our Logo: Representing Rotary to find out more about using club logos.