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Publicity
ESF Trainee
 

Publicity

It is a condition of grant that any assistance received by a project from the European Union through the Structural Funds is clearly and appropriately acknowledged in all publicity material.  This includes plaques and site signage, publications, public procurement documents and events.  

Acknowledgement of Structural Funds support

The contribution of the European Union through Structural Funds should be acknowledged both during the implementation of a project and as a permanent record of it.  Failure to do so is a breach of grant conditions and could result in some or all of the assistance being repaid.  Acknowledgment should mention the particular Fund that is supporting the project, i.e. ESF or ERDF, and not the funds in general.  

Incorrect use of the EU emblem

Incorrect use of the EU emblem may be subject not only to recovery of grant, but also legal action.

  • Ensure that the stars on the emblem are the right way up, i.e. the five pointed stars are oriented such that they are supported by two points with one point pointing upwards;
  • Do not rotate the orientation of the stars.  The circle of 12 stars is arranged so that the stars appear in the position of the hours on the face of a clock;
  • Do not distort the EU emblem by stretching it vertically or horizontally;
  • Do not modify the arrangement or proportion of the circle of stars to the background rectangle;
  • The minimum size of the EU emblem for A4 and A5 printed documents is 33mm.   

COLOURS
The standard colours for the EU emblem are Pantone Reflex Blue for the background rectangle and Pantone Yellow for the stars.  The blue and yellow colours should be used whenever possible since the emblem is more powerful in colour.   

Four-colour Process

If using four-colour process, the Pantone Yellow is obtained by using 100% Process Yellow, whilst 100% Process Cyan and 80% Process Magenta gives a colour very similar to Pantone Reflex Blue.   

Single-Colour Reproduction

If only one colour is available the rectangle should be outlined in black and the stars in black on a white background.  If the only colour is blue (preferably Reflex Blue), it should be printed at 100% as background with the stars left in white (reversed out).  

Reproduction on a Coloured Background

Preferably, the emblem should be used on a white background.  Where a coloured background is used, the emblem should be surrounded with a white border with a thickness equal to 1/25 of the height of the rectangle.  Where the publicity measures involve printed materials of a size smaller than A5, eg small adverts, small promotional items, space may be limited and there is a minimum size beyond which the logo and strapline may no longer be legible.  In that event, the use of the European Union emblem with the strapline indicated below may be acceptable:  

EUROPE & SCOTLAND

Investing in your Future 

You should not add any other wording or illustration to the emblem.  

EU EMBLEM SMALLER IN SIZE THAN OTHER LOGOS

The EU emblem on site signage, erected during the construction of a project, should take up at least 25% of the total area of the billboard.  The lettering used must be at least the same size as the lettering used to indicate the participation of any other project partners.  

EU Emblems and Strap Lines which are Illegible

Graphic files come in two mains types:

  1. Scalable
  2. Non-scalable

Common scalable files include PDF, EPS and PS formats.  JPG, TIG and BMP are non-scalable formats.  The non-scalable files tend to be easier to use as they are supported within the lower end graphic programs like Microsoft Word TM.  They will usually work well with documents under A4 size. Scalable files must be used where the final output is large like site signage or embedded in a scalable document.

Final Beneficiaries of Structural Fund Aid

Assistance to third parties (such as trainees and any project that offers financial assistance to a third party, e.g. company, social enterprise or community group) should ensure that the involvement of EU funding is properly acknowledged and made clear in application packs, marketing material and especially when making a grant offer to the final recipient of the assistance.  

Full details of publicity requirements can be found elsewhere on this website within the Additional Guidance section of the Downloads tab or alternatively on the Scottish Government website.