Anchor Learning Center — Brand & Design System

How to read this guide

This is the single source of truth for how ALC looks and sounds everywhere — print, screen, signage, and social. Hand it to any designer, printer, sign shop, or volunteer in Canva and they can stay on-brand without guessing.

⚓ Confirmed Pulled directly from alcfarragut.com. ★ Recommended My designer call — approve, or adjust against your real logo file.

Heads up, Brian: this guide uses your exact uploaded logo, embedded throughout — not a redrawn version. Anchor Navy #073C65 was pulled straight from that file, so type, color, and emblem all match. Keep alclogo.webp as your master, and get a vector (SVG/EPS) export plus icon-only and knockout variants from a designer for print and signage.

Brand foundation & voice

Everything visual hangs off the same idea: an anchor — steadfast, secure, holding fast in a storm. The brand should feel grounded, warm, and trustworthy, never trendy or loud.

The symbol

⚓ Confirmed

A cross-topped anchor standing on an open Bible — Hebrews 6:19 ("a steadfast anchor of the soul") meets the Word as the foundation. Faith, security, and Scripture in one mark.

Personality

★ Recommended

SteadfastWarmHopefulGroundedWelcoming

Voice & tone

★ Recommended

Plain, sincere, and personal. Talk to parents and students like family. Scripture references use ESV. Skip churchy jargon and hype.

Tagline lives everywhere as the heartbeat line: "A sure and steadfast anchor of the soul." — Hebrews 6:19 (ESV). Use the verse on hero pieces; use a short call to action — "Fueling faith & learning at Farragut High" — on utility pieces.

The logo

One emblem, used exactly as supplied: a circular badge with the cross-topped anchor on an open Bible and the wordmark locked in. It is self-contained — don't separate, retype, or rebuild the pieces.

Primary emblem · on cream — the default

On white · documents, print, web

On navy / dark · sits in a cream containment circle

Need a tighter fit? For favicons, tiny spaces, or a wide header strip, commission two companion versions from the original vector art — an icon-only mark (no wordmark) and a horizontal lockup. Don't crop or retype the emblem by hand to fake them. Until then, the full emblem covers every use.

Clear space & minimum size

Give the logo room to breathe. Keep a buffer equal to the height of the anchor's ring ("X") on all sides — no text, edges, or other logos inside it.

Buffer = ring height (X) on every side

Minimum sizes ★

Use	Don't go below
Full lockup — print	1.25 in / 32 mm wide
Full lockup — screen	160 px wide
Icon only — print	0.35 in / 9 mm
Icon only — screen	24 px (favicon: 16 px)

Below these sizes the rope curve and ring start to mud up. When in doubt, drop the tagline first, then switch to the icon-only mark.

Backgrounds & required versions

The emblem is fixed navy-and-white artwork. Place it for contrast; never recolor it with filters. On dark surfaces, drop it into a cream containment circle.

On white ✓

On cream ✓

On navy · containment circle ✓

Export from master art

Ask your designer for clean exports so nobody fakes these with filters: full-color, all-white (knockout) for dark merch & vinyl, and all-black for engraving. Same artwork, different ink — not a CSS recolor.

Logo misuse — the don'ts

If a version isn't in section 04, it's off-limits. The fastest way to look amateur is a stretched or recolored logo.

Don't stretch or squish

Don't recolor

Don't place on busy photos

Don't rotate or tilt

No shadows or effects

Anchor LC

Don't add your own text to it

Don't fade as a logo (≠ watermark)

Don't use low-contrast combos

Watermark usage

The emblem doubles as a watermark on photo galleries, PDFs, certificates, and event backdrops — a faint texture, not a second logo. The artwork never changes, only its opacity.

Spring Banquet 2026

Anchor Learning Center

Corner watermark on a light field · ~7% opacity

Watermark rules ★

Opacity: 5–10% on light backgrounds. It should whisper, not shout.
Dark backgrounds: use the exported all-white version at low opacity — never the navy emblem (it disappears).
Placement: bleed off a corner, or center it large behind the content.
Legibility wins: if text gets hard to read, drop the opacity further.
Certificates & PDFs: centered, ~8%, behind the text block.

Color palette

Navy is your logo color and carries the brand, gold is a system accent you use sparingly, and the slate + cream neutrals do the quiet work. The 60-30-10 rule: ~60% neutral, 30% navy, 10% gold.

Primary

Primary · Confirmed ⚓

Anchor Navy

HEX #073C65
RGB 7 · 60 · 101
CMYK 93 · 41 · 0 · 60
PANTONE 295 C / 540 C (nearest)

Neutral · Confirmed ⚓

Steadfast Slate

HEX #6F6F6F
RGB 111 · 111 · 111
CMYK 0 · 0 · 0 · 56
PANTONE Cool Gray 9 C

Accent

Accent · Recommended ★

Harbor Gold

HEX #C8A14B
RGB 200 · 161 · 75
CMYK 21 · 35 · 84 · 3
PANTONE 7407 C (nearest)

Accent tint · for dark bg ★

Soft Gold

HEX #E4C988
RGB 228 · 201 · 136
CMYK 11 · 19 · 53 · 1

Neutrals

Background ★

Sea Paper

#F6F3EC

Surface ★

Sand

#EFEADF

Text ★

Anchor Ink

#14181C

Base

White

#FFFFFF

Print note: Anchor Navy is exact (pulled from your logo). CMYK/Pantone are nearest-match estimates — have the printer pull the chip on real stock before a run. Heads up: your logo is navy + white only. Harbor Gold is a system accent for warmth on donor and event pieces — it never appears inside the logo mark itself.

Typography

A warm serif for headlines with a little personality, a clean sans for everything you read. Both are free Google Fonts, so web and Canva stay consistent — with Office-safe fallbacks for board members in Word.

DISPLAY / HEADLINES

Fraunces

Steadfast & warm · Aa Bb Cc 0123

Used for headlines, the verse, and pull quotes. Office fallback: Georgia. Weights: 600 headlines, 400 italic for scripture.

BODY / UI

Inter

Clean & legible · Aa Bb Cc 0123

Body copy, captions, buttons, forms. Office fallback: Calibri or Arial. Weights: 400 body, 600 labels & buttons.

H1 · Fraunces 600

Fueling faith & learning

H2 · Fraunces 600

Released Time at Farragut High

H3 · Fraunces 500

Meet the staff & board

Verse · Fraunces italic

"...a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul." — Hebrews 6:19 (ESV)

Body · Inter 400

Anchor Learning Center provides students with Christ-centered teaching during the school day.

Label · Inter 600

Sponsorship Levels

Pairing discipline: never more than these two families on one piece. If you need a third voice, use the weight and case of Inter (all-caps tracked-out labels) instead of adding a font.

Graphic elements & iconography

A small kit of repeatable shapes keeps everything feeling like one family without leaning on the logo every time.

Rope wave rule

A gentle nautical wave as a section divider and footer accent. Gold on light, soft-gold on navy.

Ring badge

EST.
2024

The anchor's ring becomes a stamp for "Est." marks, seals, and sponsor tiers.

Iconography style

Line icons, ~1.6px stroke, rounded ends. Match the anchor's hand-drawn warmth — never filled or 3D.

Photography style

Real students, real moments. Your media background is the edge here, Brian — lean into authentic over staged.

✓ Do

Natural light, warm tones, candid moments — kids learning, talking, laughing.
Tight on faces and hands; let the room go soft.
Consistent warm edit: slightly lifted shadows, gentle contrast.
Leave breathing room for text overlays on hero shots.

✗ Avoid

Stiff posed group shots and stocky stock photos.
Heavy filters, cold blue tints, or trendy presets.
Cluttered backgrounds that fight the subject.
Identifiable minors without a signed media release on file.

Business cards

Standard 3.5 × 2 in, with 0.125 in bleed. Navy front, cream back. Matte or soft-touch finish reads "trustworthy," not "salesy."

Sherry Shope

Executive Director

865-205-1511 · info@alcfarragut.com
alcfarragut.com · P.O. Box 22711, Knoxville TN 37933

Front

"A sure and steadfast anchor of the soul." — Heb. 6:19

Back

Letterhead & stationery

US Letter, 8.5 × 11. Horizontal logo top-left, contact strip in the footer, gold wave rule between.

Letterhead — top

P.O. Box 22711
Knoxville, TN 37933
865-205-1511

Dear friend of ALC, …

Build the .docx letterhead template once with the logo locked in the header and footer, so staff just type the body. Want me to spin that Word template up next? Say the word.

Email signature

Keep it tight and consistent across every staff inbox. Gold bar, name in Fraunces feel (or Georgia fallback in Gmail/Outlook), navy text.

Sherry Shope

Executive Director · Anchor Learning Center

865-205-1511 · alcfarragut.com

"...a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul." Heb. 6:19

Use system fonts (Georgia / Arial) in signatures — custom web fonts don't render in most email clients. Logo as a hosted PNG, ~80px tall.

Instagram & social

Three repeatable post templates keep the grid cohesive: verse cards, story spotlights, and event/CTA posts. Profile = stacked logo on navy.

@anchorlearningcenter

"...a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul."

HEBREWS 6:19 · ESV

Verse card · navy + soft gold

Student Spotlight

Meet Chris
McNeer

Now teaching at ALC →

Spotlight · cream + navy

Save the date

Topgolf
Spirit Night

May 18 · Farragut

Event / CTA · gold pop

Asset	Size (px)	Notes
Feed post (square)	1080 × 1080	Default for verse & event cards
Feed post (portrait)	1080 × 1350	Best reach — use for spotlights
Story / Reel cover	1080 × 1920	Keep text in center safe zone
Profile avatar	320 × 320	Stacked mark on navy, centered
FB cover	820 × 312	Horizontal lockup + wave rule

Signs, yard signs & banners

Readable from across a parking lot. High contrast, few words, logo big. Navy ground is the default for outdoor visibility.

Piece	Common size	Rule of thumb
Yard sign	24 × 18 in	Logo + 4–6 words max. One CTA.
Retractable banner	33 × 80 in	Logo top, message middle, URL/QR bottom.
Vinyl event banner	6 × 3 ft	Reversed logo on navy; readable at 30+ ft.
Table throw	6 ft, front panel	Centered stacked logo only.

Outdoor minimum: letter height ≈ 1 inch per 10 ft of viewing distance. A banner read from 30 ft wants ~3-inch caps. Always include a QR to the enrollment or give page.

Name badges & apparel ★ gap fill

You didn't list these, but staff badges and team shirts are where a brand earns trust on the ground.

Name badges

Bobbi Carbaugh

MINISTRY ASSISTANT

Navy with icon-only mark in the corner. Magnetic backing, not pins.

Polos & tees

Left chest: icon-only mark, embroidered cream or gold.
Back (events): stacked logo + verse, one color.
Garment colors: navy, heather gray, sand. No bright colors.

Lanyards & swag

Navy lanyard, repeating cream wordmark.
Tote / mug: icon mark, single color.
Keep swag minimal — one mark, lots of negative space.

Slide deck template ★ gap fill

For board meetings, donor pitches, and Sunday presentations. 16:9, three layouts cover 90% of needs.

2025–26 Impact

Title slide · navy

Section heading

Supporting line of body copy goes here for context.

Content slide · cream

137

students reached

Stat slide · gold

Donor / sponsorship one-sheet ★ gap fill

Ties straight to your sponsorship levels page. Gold signals the "ask" — use it on tier cards and the donate button only, so it stays meaningful.

Sponsorship tiers — printed leave-behind

Event

$5,000

Food

$2,500

Bay

$500

Signage

$300

Give Now → alcfarragut.com

Pull the tier numbers from your live Topgolf sponsorship structure. Keep one verse, one impact stat, one QR, one ask per sheet — clutter kills conversion.

Favicon, avatar & decals

Your emblem is already a circle, so it drops straight into avatars. For favicons and tiny marks, use the icon-only companion version once it's made.

Favicon

Use the icon-only mark at 16/32/180px. At tiny sizes the wordmark muds up — drop it.

Social avatar

The full emblem, as-is. It's built for a circle — no cropping needed.

Window / car decal

One-color white or navy vinyl from the exported knockout art.

QR codes

Navy on cream. Center the icon mark in the QR's quiet zone.

Accessibility & contrast ★ gap fill

A brand only works if people can read it. These pairings clear WCAG AA for normal text.

Foreground	Background	Ratio	Verdict
Anchor Ink #14181C	Sea Paper #F6F3EC	15.8:1	✓ AAA
Sea Paper #F6F3EC	Anchor Navy #073C65	10.2:1	✓ AAA
Anchor Navy #073C65	White	11.4:1	✓ AAA
Harbor Gold #C8A14B	Anchor Navy #073C65	4.7:1	✓ AA
Harbor Gold #C8A14B	White	2.4:1	✗ decoration only

Translation: gold is a highlight color, not a text color on light backgrounds. Use it for shapes, rules, and big display numbers — never small body copy on white or cream.

File formats & asset naming

Which file when

Format	Use for
SVG	Web, scalable — the master logo
PNG (transparent)	Slides, email, social, docs
PDF / EPS	Print shops, sign makers, embroidery
JPG	Photos only — never the logo

Naming convention ★

alc_logo_horizontal_navy.svg
alc_logo_stacked_reversed.png
alc_mark_icon_gold.svg
alc_watermark_cream.png

Pattern: alc_[type]_[lockup]_[color].[ext]. Keep one master folder with /logo, /color, /fonts, /templates subfolders so nobody rebuilds from a screenshot.

Quick-reference cheat sheet

Tape this one to the wall. Everything a volunteer needs in ten seconds.

Colors

Navy   #073C65 ⚓
Slate #6F6F6F ⚓
Gold   #C8A14B ★
Paper #F6F3EC ★
Ink    #14181C ★

Type

Headlines → Fraunces (Georgia)
Body → Inter (Calibri/Arial)
Verse → Fraunces italic, always ESV
Max 2 fonts per piece.

Logo rules

Clear space = ring height on all sides
Light bg → navy logo · dark bg → cream logo
Never stretch, tilt, recolor, or add shadows

The 60-30-10

60% neutral (paper/white) · 30% navy · 10% gold. Gold is the spice, not the meal.

Anchor LearningCenter