Web Skin Guidelines

CREATIVE
Any creative submitted by the client will be reviewed by our internal Design Team to ensure it meets the criteria laid out in this document and the TWN/MM brand guidelines. Sponsorship skins are offered to complement the ad units and should act as supportive imagery to the client messaging. Skins should not over-power our brand and content. Takeover skins that make it difficult to read our weather content due to excessive and multiple imagery will not be approved.

Branding
TWN/MM logo or site should never be overshadowed by graphics, messaging and/or logos, and should always remain the primary brand. The TWN/MM website’s logo, size and colour should never change. Client logos, messaging and graphics will not compromise The Weather Network and Météo Media brand. This includes oversized logos placed next to ours and repeating logos tiled as a background.

• Only one logo can appear a maximum of one (1) placement within the skin.
• The logo can be a maximum of 190 pixels high and 190 pixels wide.
• Placement of the logo can be anywhere on the skin below the y-coordinate of 640 pixels such that it does not interfere with the TWN/MM brand logo and content.
• Logos that have images and numerical elements that may be confused with a weather condition or temperature will have to be approved by the internal TWN/MM team.
• The area of the skin behind the TWN/MM brand logo may have to be altered by our team to ensure that our brand standards are met and not altered by the background skin elements.
  

Weather Alerts

• Client creative will not mimic, interfere, cover or obscure weather data or warnings.
• Executions should not use bold, striking colours that may be perceived as warnings or alerts (ESPECIALLY RED MUST BE AVOIDED since it is a reserved colour for Alerts). If red is a part of the client’s brand/campaign colours and has to be used, it has to be used sparingly and is subject to approval by the internal TWN/MM design team.
  This is to ensure the integrity of our alerts and warnings distribution system.

* Please note that whenever there is a weather alert present, on first load, a red weather alert info page will populate the entire city page where the alert exists. Sponsorship skins will not populate an alerts page. The skin will be viewable as soon as the user exits the alerts page to view their city page.

Copy
Sponsorships should complement the ad unit and should act as supportive imagery. They should not include additional ad units. These types of skins will not be approved. In addition:

• Minimize the use of repetitive copy. Copy should not completely mirror the copy within the ad.
• Copy within the sponsorship skin will be limited to 50 characters total and not exceed the font cap height of 58 pixels depending on copy orientation. See options below.
• Copy should reside below the y-coordinate of 640 pixels.
• If the skin is integrated with the ad in the right rail, copy (and logo) should reside below the y-coordinate of 714 pixels.
• There should be a 25-pixel breathing space between the TWN/MM site and takeover copy (and logo) on the skin.
• Copy should not take away from the TWN/MM brand and content.

Options for including copy on takeover skins, only one option can apply per takeover skin:

Option 1: Use of a header tag with copy running vertically along one or both sides of the TWN/MM site.
Specifications

• Maximum cap height of 58 pixels
• One line of text per side
• Maximum 50 characters total on the skin including spaces

Option 2: Use of a header tag with copy running horizontally within one or both sides of the TWN/MM site.
Specifications

• Maximum cap height of 30 pixels
• Can run into multiple lines
• Maximum 50 characters total on the skin including spaces

Click Throughs
Skins will not be clickable and must not contain buttons or messaging that suggests a click through.

Other

• The purpose of the skin should be to support the ad units on the page. It should not be used to display additional ad units.
• Sponsorships & takeovers should avoid repetition e.g. avoid using the same ad in the leaderboard, billboard or big box and skin. As an alternative to repeating ads, a transparent ad unit can be substituted for better integration (either in the masthead or in place of the right column ads).
• We’re a family friendly, brand safe company and we do not allow images of nudity, sexual innuendo, discrimination and/or violence on our website. Derogatory messages and images are not allowed.
• Violence:
  o No images of physical violence
  o No imagery containing weapons (i.e. knives, swords, guns, etc.)
  o No graphical representations of war (sci-fi or fantasy will be approved at the discretion of the product owner and creative director but cannot be assumed)