Today, the EOSC Association is releasing two new documents to provide guidance to EOSC stakeholders in the use of the EOSC logo and design elements.
The strategy for EOSC, and positioning EOSC-A relative to that strategy, are on-going processes of which the implementation of the EOSC branding guidelines must be an integral part. The European Open Science Cloud has now reached a critical phase where the first technical components are being deployed and the results of the Horizon 2020 projects are beginning to have their impact. In this moment, there is a need to focus the EOSC community’s attention while a new regulatory framework is established. The consistent and persistent pursuit of a robust and coherent family brand for EOSC is an essential element in bringing focus to the community as it develops this framework.
Corporate Design Manual
The Corporate Design Manual of the EOSC Association introduces new terms of use for the EOSC logo and design elements and provides a comprehensive style guide for use by communications and design professionals.
The use of the EOSC logo, and its role in establishing a coherent family brand for EOSC, has broad strategic implications for the implementation of the European Open Science Cloud. The Corporate Design Manual should therefore be consulted prior to any proposed use of the EOSC logo.
Co-branding guidelines for Horizon Europe INFRAEOSC projects
The Co-Branding Guidelines for Horizon Europe INFRAEOSC Projects are published both in recognition that EOSC has entered a critical phase in its implementation and to avoid the abundance of unaligned branding initiatives that accompanied the EOSC-related Horizon 2020 projects. Several HE projects have already voluntarily adopted these new guidelines and have adjusted their branding accordingly.
Background
The new EOSC logo, established in the spring of 2022, was the result of an initiative by EOSC-A to address the need for an updated and coherent branding of the implementation phase of the European Open Science Cloud.
The first and previous logo for EOSC was in use from 2018 to May 2022, and is now formally deprecated. It was created in the framework of a Horizon 2020 project by EFIS, which handed over the intellectual property rights for the logo to EOSC-A in 2021.
The old logo was used under the previous Research & Innovation Framework Programme to raise awareness for the concept of the European Open Science Cloud among the broader stakeholder community and to popularize the EOSC acronym. The branding guidelines in relation to this old logo, which expired on 31 December 2020, were broadly defined and unenforced. As a result, use of the official EOSC logo became haphazard and at-will, while in the meantime each EOSC-related H2020 project created its own project-specific logo, often incorporating the EOSC name itself. This regrettable proliferation of EOSC-related logos has cultivated confusion concerning the EOSC mission and the activities directly supporting it. Rather than raising the awareness of EOSC among its stakeholders, this dilution of the brand has left many of them scratching their heads.
The EOSC Association acted to remedy this situation, first by soliciting a new logo and now by adopting new branding guidelines.
For any questions concerning the use of the EOSC logo and design elements, or if you wish to receive feedback on the designs you have incorporated into your print or digital materials, please do not hesitate to contact the EOSC Association at logo@eosc.eu.
