Brand Guidelines Overview

MD-LOGO-1 — Application Header Component Usage

Applies When: Logo appears in any application header
Priority: P1
Pass: Logomark used
Fail: Logotype or altered mark used

MD-LOGO-2 — Mobile Application Icon

Applies When: Logo displayed as mobile app icon
Priority: P1
Pass: Logomark only
Fail: Logotype or incorrect mark

MD-LOGO-3 — Desktop Application Icon

Applies When: Desktop application icon usage
Priority: P1
Pass: Logomark only
Fail: Logotype or incorrect mark

MD-LOGO-4 — Social Media Avatar

Applies When: Avatar for social media profiles
Priority: P1
Pass: Logomark
Fail: Logotype or incorrect mark

MD-LOGO-5 — Email Avatar

Applies When: Logo used in email communications
Priority: P1
Pass: Logomark
Fail: Logotype or incorrect mark

MD-LOGO-6 — Favicon Usage

Applies When: Logo used as product or website favicon
Priority: P1
Pass: Logomark
Fail: Logotype or incorrect mark

MD-LOGO-7 — Third‑Party Integration Logo Usage

Applies When: Logo used in third‑party or partner products
Priority: P1
Pass: Logomark
Fail: Logotype or incorrect mark

Color and Background Pairing 

MD-LOGO-8 — Approved Palette Only

Applies When: Any logo usage
Priority: P0
Pass: Approved brand palette only
Fail: Any off‑palette color

MD-LOGO-9 — Logo on White Background

Applies When: White background
Priority: P2
Pass: Use Neutral 60, Neutral 80, or Red
Fail: Using these colors on non‑white backgrounds

MD-LOGO-10 — Logo on Neutral 5

Applies When: Neutral 5 background
Priority: P2
Pass: Use Neutral 90
Fail: Anything else

MD-LOGO-11 — Logo on Dark Backgrounds

Applies When: Black, Neutral 80, Neutral 50, or Red background
Priority: P2
Pass: Use white logo
Fail: Any other color

Visual Effects 

MD-LOGO-12 — No Gradients

Applies When: Always
Priority: P1
Pass: No gradient effects
Fail: Any gradient

MD-LOGO-13 — No Drop Shadows

Applies When: Always
Priority: P1
Pass: Flat logo rendering
Fail: Shadow or lighting effects

Sizing and Legibility 

MD-LOGO-14 — Minimum Logo Size

Applies When: Always
Priority: P1
Pass: Logomark ≥ 20px; Logotype ≥ 75% original
Fail: Below minimums

MD-LOGO-15 — Maximum Logo Size

Applies When: Always
Priority: P2
Pass: ≤ 175% original
Fail: Oversized

Proportions 

MD-LOGO-16 — No Deformation

Applies When: Always
Priority: P0
Pass: Original aspect ratio maintained
Fail: Stretched, skewed, squashed, distorted

Clearspace Requirements 

MD-LOGO-17 — Minimum Clearspace

Applies When: Always
Priority: P1
Pass: Clearspace ≥ logo height × 3
Fail: Insufficient spacing

MD-LOGO-18 — Landscape Layout Logo Zones

Applies When: Landscape compositions
Priority: P2
Pass: Logo placed in approved zones
Fail: Unapproved placement

MD-LOGO-19 — Portrait Layout Logo Zones

Applies When: Portrait compositions
Priority: P2
Pass: Logo placed in approved zones
Fail: Unapproved placement

Trademark Usage 

MD-LOGO-20 — Trademark Symbol Requirements

Applies When: Using trademarked logo variants
Priority: P1
Pass: Correct symbol placement
Fail: Missing or misplaced trademark

Powered by Morningstar Logo 

MD‑LOGO‑21 — Powered by Morningstar Usage Context

Applies When: A product, service, webpage, or experience is fueled by Morningstar, but not owned or produced by Morningstar.
Priority: P1
Pass: “Powered by Morningstar” logo is used.
Fail:

• Wrong logo variant used.
• “Powered by Morningstar” logo not used when required.

MD‑LOGO‑22 — Powered by Morningstar Logo Placement

Applies When: The “Powered by Morningstar” mark is used in external products or services.
Priority: P2
Pass: Logo applied to the footer of the page OR clearly stated in a “providers”, “data sources”, or equivalent attribution section.

Fail:

• Logo placed in an incorrect or unapproved location.
• Logo used as a primary logo or in a way that suggests Morningstar owns the product.

MD‑COLOR‑1 — Foundational Color Palette Only

Applies When: Always
Priority: P0 (Critical)
Pass: All colors used are from the approved foundational color palettes.
Fail: Any color used that is not part of the foundational brand palette.

MD‑COLOR‑2 — Background Colors

Applies When: Background elements are present
Priority: P1 (Important)
Pass: Backgrounds use approved brand background colors.
Fail: Backgrounds use unapproved colors.

MD‑COLOR‑3 — Text Colors

Applies When: Text elements are present
Priority: P1
Pass: Approved Morningstar text colors are used.
Fail: Non‑brand or incorrect text colors used.

MD‑COLOR‑4 — Border Colors

Applies When: Borders are present
Priority: P1
Pass: Border colors match approved specifications.
Fail: Unapproved border colors used.

MD‑COLOR‑5 — Icon Colors

Applies When: Icons are present
Priority: P1
Pass: Icon colors use approved brand palette.
Fail: Icons colored with non‑approved values.

MD‑COLOR‑6 — Component Colors

Applies When: Any UI component is rendered
Priority: P0 (Critical)
Pass: Component elements use only approved palette values.
Fail: Any unapproved or inconsistent component color usage.

Data Visualization Colors 

MD‑COLOR‑7 — Asset Class Colors

Applies When: Data represents asset classes
Priority: P0
Pass:

• Equity = #2364B9
• Fixed Income / Govt / Corp Bonds = #F47E06
• Real Estate = #00A8E1
  Fail: Any asset class uses an incorrect color.

MD‑COLOR‑8 — Performance Colors

Applies When: Data represents performance metrics
Priority: P0
Pass:

• Positive = #039649
• Neutral = #ECEBEA
• Negative = #E42513
  Fail: Incorrect colors used for performance states.

MD‑COLOR‑9 — Super Sector Colors

Applies When: Data relates to Morningstar Super Sectors
Priority: P0
Pass:

• Cyclical = #F47E06
• Sensitive = #2364B9
• Defensive = #039649
  Fail: Any super sector uses incorrect color.

MD‑COLOR‑10 — Valuation Colors

Applies When: Data shows valuation metrics
Priority: P0
Pass:

• Undervalued = #00A8E1
• Fair = #5E5E5E
• Overvalued = #EF7622
  Fail: Colors do not match approved valuation scheme.

MD‑COLOR‑11 — Correlation Colors

Applies When: Data shows correlation values
Priority: P0
Pass:

• Positive correlation = #2364B9
• Negative correlation = #F47E06
  Fail: Correlation colors deviate from approved palette.

MD‑COLOR‑12 — ESG Rating Color

Applies When: Data relates to Morningstar ESG ratings
Priority: P0
Pass: ESG rating must use #2364B9 (Morningstar ESG Blue).
Fail: ESG rating uses any other color.

Color Pairing Rules 

MD‑COLOR‑13 — Morningstar Red Pairing

Applies When: Morningstar Red is used
Priority: P1
Pass: Morningstar Red paired only with neutrals.
Fail: Red paired with non‑neutral colors.

MD‑COLOR‑14 — Red Pairing Restrictions

Applies When: Red is used in UI or charts
Priority: P2 (Low)
Pass: Red is not paired with blue, teal, or green.
Fail: Red + blue/teal/green combinations.

MD‑COLOR‑15 — Magenta Pairing Restrictions

Applies When: Magenta is used
Priority: P2
Pass: Magenta is not paired with teal or green.
Fail: Magenta paired with teal or green.

Special Color Usage 

MD‑COLOR‑16 — Morningstar Red Usage Restrictions

Applies When: Morningstar Red is used
Priority: P0
Pass:

• Morningstar Red only used in Morningstar logos
• Red 50 is allowed for UI/data visualization
  Fail:
• Morningstar Red used in UI elements or data visualizations.

MD‑TYPE‑1 — Morningstar Intrinsic Typeface

Applies When: Always
Priority: P0 (Critical)
Pass: 100% of text uses Morningstar Intrinsic typeface.
Fail: Any text uses a different typeface.

MD‑TYPE‑2 — Paragraph Alignment

Applies When: Paragraphs are present
Priority: P1 (Important)
Pass: Paragraphs are left‑aligned only.
Fail: Paragraphs use center, right, or justified alignment.

MD‑TYPE‑3 — Tracking Standards

Applies When: Always
Priority: P2 (Low)
Pass: All text uses comfortable/standard tracking (no manual letter‑spacing adjustments that visibly loosen or tighten text).
Fail: Text uses loose or tight tracking.

MD‑TYPE‑4 — Leading (Line‑Height) Standards

Applies When: Always
Priority: P1 (Important)
Pass: All text uses appropriate line height = 120–150% of font size.
Fail: Text uses tight leading (<120%) or loose leading (>150%).

MD‑TYPE‑5 — Optimal Line Length

Applies When: Always
Priority: P2 (Low)
Pass: Paragraphs use optimal line length = 50–75 characters per line.
Fail: Paragraphs are too narrow (<40 chars) or too wide (>90 chars).

MD‑TYPE‑6 — Emphasis (Hierarchy)

Applies When: Text emphasis or hierarchy is needed
Priority: P1 (Important)
Pass: Emphasis uses bold weight, type size, or color (one method at a time) to convey hierarchy.
Fail: Underline, ALL CAPS, or multiple methods at once used for emphasis.