nsw.gov.au Brand Framework

How we support the NSW Government Brand Guidelines

As the face of the NSW Government, nsw.gov.au falls into the Masterbrand brand category. This means that pages use the Masterbrand corporate colour palette. The design of pages and components align to the NSW Digital Design System.

The site can also support:

• approved Co-brand agencies with agency-specific logos and non-corporate colour palettes
• campaigns, key strategies and products with non-corporate colour palettes
• Aboriginal Branding for specific pages

To provide a consistent user experience and unified design language, only the colour palette and agency-specific logo are variable. Regardless of brand category, the base design of pages, templates and components are consistent across the entire site.

This article guides you on the branding framework for nsw.gov.au. You will learn about how colour palettes, elements and components combine to create visual identities on pages.

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Brand support on nsw.gov.au

nsw.gov.au currently supports agencies which fall under the following brand categories:

• Masterbrand
• Co-brand

Agencies wishing to apply Co-brand to their pages must have an approved brand exemption. Applications for brand exemption are coordinated through the NSW Government Brand Team and require Minister’s approval. See NSW Government Brand Framework for information.

Agencies under the independent, endorsed and standalone brand categories may be considered for inclusion on nsw.gov.au on a case-by-case basis with limited brand implementation. Contact us at [e-mail] to discuss.

The site can also support Aboriginal Branding on specific pages. 

Base site design

To ensure a consistent user experience and design language, the underlying design and layout of the site (the design system) remains the same, regardless of the brand category applied.

The site header and footer are fixed and appear the same way on every page.

Content authors can build the content area of a page using available components. Components have been designed to provide considerable flexibility within the bounds of the design system. See the CMS Components Guide for more information.

The agency attribution appears after the content area and inherits its logo from the agency that owns the content. A Co-brand logo will appear here for approved Co-brand agencies.

Brand implementation

Different types of content inherit brand elements differently.

Content type	Masterbrand	Co-brand	Live examples
General topic pages Information and services for customers, organised by topic. Includes landing pages, articles, media releases, notices, blog posts etc	Sitewide default colour palette Standard waratah + agency name in attribution	Sitewide default colour palette Agency-specific logo in attribution, inherited from owning agency	Masterbrand: HSC merit lists Living in strata Cost of Living hub Co-brand: Social and affordable housing Aboriginal Family Records Service
Agency corporate pages Organisational information about a specific agency. Includes ‘about us’, structure, vision, annual reports etc Primary page is an Agency Landing Page with optional child pages	Sitewide default colour palette Standard waratah + agency name in attribution	Agency-specific logo in hero banner on Agency Landing Page only Non-corporate colour palette, inherited by child pages Agency-specific logo in attribution, inherited from owning agency	Masterbrand: Dept of Customer Service The Cabinet Office Dept of Regional NSW Co-brand: Aboriginal Affairs NSW Homes NSW
Campaign landing pages Web pages that form part of a multi-channel campaign or key NSW strategy with a specific visual identity	Sitewide default colour palette OR Non-corporate colour palette (approved brand exemption required) Standard waratah + agency name in attribution	Non-corporate colour palette, inherited by child pages Agency-specific logo in attribution, inherited from owning agency	Masterbrand: Respect at work Coercive control
Product* Information about a government-managed product with a specific visual identity	Sitewide default colour palette OR Non-corporate colour palette (approved brand exemption required) Standard waratah + agency name in attribution	Non-corporate colour palette, inherited by child pages Agency-specific logo in attribution, inherited from owning agency	Seniors Card Companion Card * These pages currently follow an interim brand approach

Masterbrand

Masterbrand corporate guidelines are the starting point for the design of nsw.gov.au. By default, all pages and agencies inherit this styling.

Colour palette

On landing pages only, some components allow authors to choose background colours from within the corporate colour palette:

• Hero banner: defaults to white, can also choose Brand Dark, Brand Light or Brand Supplementary
• Content section: defaults to white, can also choose grey, Brand Dark, Brand Light, Brand Supplementary or Brand Accent Light
• Cards: choose from brand dark, brand light, brand supplementary or white

See the CMS Components Guide for more information about applying colours to different components.

Agency attribution logo

The agency attribution block appears just above the footer on every page and shows the agency that owns the content. The logo is inherited form the agency’s brand category.

For Masterbrand agencies the attribution includes the waratah and the name of the agency in text. If an Agency Landing page exists for the agency, then the attribution links to it.

Co-brand

Agencies with an approved brand exemption for Co-brand can apply an agency-specific logo and a non-corporate colour palette to their agency landing page.

The implementation of the logo and colour palette varies depending on the type of page.

Applications for brand exemption are coordinated through the NSW Government Brand Team and require Minister’s approval. See NSW Government Brand Framework for information.

General content pages

General content pages contain information and services for customer, organised by topic. They can include pages such as landing pages, articles, media releases, official notices etc.

Brand implementation:

• Colour:
  • General content pages always use the sitewide corporate colour palette, regardless of the owning agency’s brand category.
• Logo:
  • Agency logo shown in the attribution block on the bottom of every page owned by the agency
  • Logo may be full colour or mono
  • Reversed logo not possible as the attribution is always on a white background
  • The agency name is shown in text to the right of the logo, and will link to the Agency Landing Page if one exists. This is required for accessibility, even if the agency name appears in the logo

See Homes NSW for a live example.

Agency corporate pages

Agency corporate pages present information about the agency as an organisation. This includes content such as ‘about us’, vision and mission, annual reports, the agency’s structure and key people.

The primary page is an Agency Landing Page, which may then have optional child pages.

Brand implementation:

• Colour:
  • Non-corporate colour palette may be applied, and will be inherited by all child pages
• Logo:
  • Hero banner: Agency logo in the hero banner on the Agency Landing Page only
    • Logo may be reversed, mono or full colour
    • The hero background colour will adjust automatically to ensure sufficient contrast
  • Attribution: Agency logo shown in the attribution block on the bottom of every page owned by the agency
    • Logo may be full colour or mono
    • Reversed logo not possible as the attribution is always on a white background
    • The agency name is shown in text to the right of the logo, and will link to the Agency Landing Page if one exists. This is required for accessibility, even if the agency name appears in the logo

Campaign, key strategy and product microsites

Content that forms part of a multi-channel campaign may have a non-corporate colour palette applied.

Examples include:

• Advertising and awareness campaigns
  • Examples: Mental health at work; Make no doubt
• Programs of events
• Products with approved, recognised branding
  • Examples: Companion Card; Seniors Card
• Key government strategies or initiatives with a wide reach
  • Example: State of the Customer

These types of web pages typically support channels such as social media, EDMs, print, outdoor and tv advertising.

See Campaigns for more information.

Selecting a non-corporate colour palette

A non-corporate colour palette may be applied to:

• A campaign or key strategy microsite
• An Agency Landing Page for an approved Co-brand agency.

Learn how to choose a non-corporate colour palette

Imagery and visual identity

The images you choose to use on your pages can contribute to a strong visual identity, even within the Masterbrand design.

The Brand Toolbox provides for wide variety of image styles to choose from, including photos and illustrations.

As an example, compare the following two pages:

Each page uses similar components from the design system, but achieves a different visual identity through colour and imagery.

The page on the left uses a non-corporate colour palette and photography. The page on the right is using the default Masterbrand colour palette, but the use of illustrations with a specific palette rather than photos gives a distinct identity.

Need any more help?

If you have any questions, or require assistance with anything mentioned in this article, submit a request via the webform.