Our Core Services

Our core services are branded Somerset Council. Road maintenance signage will say Somerset Council, for example, not Somerset Highways.

In most instances, the location of branding will make clear the function of service delivery.

In some places, there will be an information requirement to identify the function. The Council website has a unifying Somerset Council brand but will clearly identify Highways and Transport as a service. Material published by a service can be primarily branded Somerset Council with the service identity providing functional information to the consumer.

Partnership brands

Many council services are provided in partnership, and responsibility is shared with public sector or third-sector partners. In these instances, the service could have a separate brand but the partner brands should be clearly referenced.

Services provided by an external supplier

Again, the key issue is identifying responsibility. In most cases, these will be branded Somerset Council but there will be access when the service supplier will use their brand, staff uniforms, for example. If the delivery of the service is the responsibility of the provider the service should be branded in a way agreed with the supplier, but with reference to the service being on behalf of Somerset Council.

Campaigns

There is a greater opportunity to vary imagery and tone of voice for campaigns. Typically, these are required to create an action, rather than simply inform, and hence may require a more engaging tone focused on outcomes. These can have their own campaign identity but must reference the overall council identity.

Trading companies

Some services are provided by commercial companies that are wholly council-owned but operating entirely on a commercial basis. These should be branded separately from the council but reference council ownership. This references the role of the brand in demonstrating values and quality.

Trading services

The council provides some services on a traded basis. If these are formal parts of the council structure, they should be branded with the Somerset Council visual identity but highlight the name of the service provided.

Branded templates

If you are a member of staff working on behalf of Somerset Council, there are several branded templates available for you to use. These can be downloaded from the Branding page on the Somerset Council intranet site.

If there is any template you would like to add to this list please contact the Communications Team.