Communications Toolkit

Otama - Primary or Accent Font

The typeface chosen to complement the Bloomfield Hills Schools logo is Cabin.

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Standard Fonts - Documents & Body Text

• The standard fonts for documents and body text are Cabin, Century Gothic, Arial, and Times New Roman.
   
• Century Gothic should be used wherever possible to save printing costs.
   
• Other fonts may be used to accent print and digital pieces, but should not be used for body text or any other mass spaces of text.

Download BHS Fonts

The Bloomfield Hills Schools signature colors consist of three shades of blue and light green. The two primary blue colors, identified below as “Primary Blue #1” and “Primary Blue #2”, should be used on all district publications, where possible.

It is acceptable within the Bloomfield Hills Schools brand to alter the opacity of any of the signature colors. A main graphic utilized by the district is a watercolor mark and a similar application may be achieved by altering the opacity of each color.
Other colors may be used to accent pieces for specific buildings/programs. These additional colors must be approved by the district prior to use and should be standard to each building. Several colors that are pre-approved for use are identified in this branding guide. Any accent colors used are in addition to the district’s primary blue colors and may not be used as stand-alone colors.

Keep in mind screen resolutions and print quality of each computer varies. True CMYK (the amount of the four ink colors used in process printing) should be used to ensure the true signature colors are preserved.

When creating a document in Word, RGB values can be used to ensure the correct color is applied. Select the text you wish to alter and locate the “font color” button/pull-down menu. Select “more colors...” from the menu and then click the “custom” tab. You will see space to enter values for red, green, and blue (RGB). Enter the values listed below for the desired color and then press “OK.”  Your color will now be adjusted.

All presentations must follow the Bloomfield Hills Schools branding guidelines.

• Bloomfield Hills Schools must be spelled out. In rare circumstances, it may be referred to as “BHS,” but only in situations where space is an issue and the full name is listed elsewhere.
   
• Do not refer to “Bloomfield Hills Schools” as “Bloomfield Hills School District.”  If referring to district boundaries, use “Bloomfield Hills Schools district boundaries.”
   
• When referring to buildings, programs, and properties, please use capitalization (Lone Pine Elementary).
   
• The possessive form should only be used when appropriate and should be Bloomfield Hills Schools’ and not Bloomfield Hills School’s. 
   
• Use “Staff” or “Team Members” to identify the employees of Bloomfield Hills Schools and its affiliated and related programs.
• Please use “buses” as the plural of “bus,” not “busses.”
   
• Use “family/families” in replace of “parent/parents,” unless referring to a guardian for legal reasons such as enrollment.
   
• Use “student(s)” in replace of “kid(s)” or “kiddo(s)” when referring to a student or prospective student.
   
• When referring to a team or room, do not use an apostrophe after “girls or boys.”  (Example of correct usage: “girls soccer.”)
   
• When answering the telephone, greet the caller with, “Hello, you have reached Name in School/Building (or your title) in Bloomfield Hills Schools.  How may I help you?”
   
• Use “world languages,” rather than “foreign languages.”
   
• Avoid use of gendered pronouns. Use “they” rather than “he” or “she.”
   
• Bloomfield Hills High School must be spelled out. In rare circumstances, it may be referred to as “BHHS”, but only in situations where space is an issue and the full name is listed elsewhere.
   
• When referring to the Bloomfield Hills Black Hawks, the “B” and “H” of “Black Hawks” must always be capitalized. Black Hawks is two words.
   
• The possessive form should only be used when appropriate and should be Black Hawks’ and not Black Hawk‘s.
   
• Bloomin‘ Preschools must be spelled out. In rare circumstances, it may be referred to as “Bloomin’”, but only in situations where space is an issue and the full name is listed elsewhere.
   
• The possessive form should only be used when appropriate and should be Bloomin’ Preschools’ and not Bloomin’ Preschool’s.
   
• We are no longer separating the programs by “Bloomin’ Kids” and “Bloomin’ Tots.” All locations are now referred to as “Bloomin’ Preschools.”

• All web pages must be given names or categories which clearly identify them. Staff web pages should be labeled with teacher name and the grade or department (”Mrs. Smith, Science” or “Mr. Smith, 4th Grade” or “Ms. Smith, Counseling”). 
   
• Building and staff pages must be regularly maintained.
   
• It is optional to have photos on a district page. However, if photos are included, they must be appropriate and professional. All student photos should follow the Media Release policy. All staff directory photos must be taken on school photo days, by the Communications Department, or by a photo studio with a professional background.
   
• Links should be clearly defined. When creating a new link or section, please refer to the other pages of the website and keep naming systems identical. (This practice is to avoid one school with a “Media Center” link and another school with a “Library” link.) 
   
• Do not change page titles that already exist without contacting the Communications Department. 
   
• The following naming systems should be used for sections on teacher/staff pages:

• Welcome to 4th Grade
• About Mr. Smith
• Resources
• Contact Me!

• There must be a district e-mail address and district phone number of the person responsible for keeping the web page current on each page or building site. Web pages may not contain links to home email accounts or provide personal telephone numbers.
   
• Content should be housed on the district website, whenever possible. Please contact the Communications Department if there is an extenuating circumstance which prevents the content from being placed on a district page.
   
• Affiliated organizations (PTO, BYA, etc.) will have space on the district site that links out to the site that the organization owns and operates. Non-affiliated or inappropriate information will not be placed on the district website.
   
• Staff, for instructions on how to update your webpage please visit the Website Training page. If you need an Admin account please email Communications@bloomfield.org.

All staff email must include signatures, following the format below. Email sent from a tablet or cell phone may include a shortened email signature, but should indicate that it was sent from a tablet or cell phone (”sent from my iPhone”). Quotes, slogans, graphics, and backgrounds should NOT be a part of your email. Please do not use them unless they are pre-approved district templates.

Name (with optional degree)
Job title (include grade or subject area for instructional staff)
Bloomfield Hills Schools
Building or program name
Mailing address
Phone(s) & fax number
Email address
www.bloomfield.org

Any of the approved district fonts are acceptable for email use. However, all text and signatures should appear in black or blue and a minimum of 11pt font. Do not use all caps in your email communication and be aware of the perceived tone of your email. Customer service, both internally and externally, is one of the pillars of Bloomfield Hills Schools.

Each building will be provided with a template for internal and external communication. Any public communication from building staff must be copied to the building principal. Buildings may use their IUE on communication pieces, but it must not appear larger than the district logo.

Please use the Bloomfield Hills logo symbol, paired with the building/program title and address below for the return address portion of mailers and envelopes. An IUE may not be used on the outside front of a mailing envelope, but may be used on the reverse side of an envelope at the point of envelope closure as a stamp or sticker.