Albany

Education is orange. Public safety is smoky gray. And only the governor gets to use the Great Seal.

These visual commandments and hundreds more are contained in an 87-page branding bible that last week was distributed to every state agency to support the concept of New York as the "State of Opportunity." The motto and its accompanying logo "will be mandatory for agency and/or program communications," according to the handbook.

Don't be surprised to see the new brand logo — a registered trademark — used Thursday, when Gov. Andrew Cuomo and other leaders gather at the Capitol to announce the winners in the fourth round of Regional Economic Development Council grants.

The result of more than two years of research and development, the state's branding push is one project within a $217 million contract that has already seen the reboot of the I Love NY tourism campaign, a national effort to spread the word about the START-UP NY program, and (with help from $37 million in federal funds) a set of ads designed to show that regions damaged by recent catastrophic storms are back in business.

Completed under the aegis of Empire State Development Corp., the branding project was handled primarily by the New York City-based advertising giant BBDO. It received a soft launch last month with the redesign of the state's official website, ny.gov.

The branding kit shows the change as a pyramid built on a foundation of existing "brand values" — the perception of New York as progressive, diverse and resilient. The more aspirational brand "personality" rises from the foundation by showing the state as "Inspiring, Dynamic, Compassionate and Authentic."

"Telling New York's story as a state of opportunity for those seeking to live, work and start a business is a top priority of this administration, as is making government more accessible to New Yorkers," said Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi in an email. "This redesign is a reflection of both those efforts."

But if that philosophy is the beating heart of the branding effort, its skin and bones consist of strict rules for how state agencies present themselves visually, in everything from brochures and banners to business cards and media-kit flash drive casings.

In addition to specifying typography, font size and rules for positioning state logos — they may not be tilted, ever — the guide establishes color palettes for eight general categories of state agencies and government entities, from those providing health and human services (purple) to divisions handling recreation and the environment (olive).

Only a few "legacy logos" will be preserved — including I Love NY as well as existing tags for the New York Lottery, the MTA and the StartUp program. The use of the state's oldest logo, the Great Seal, will be "available for use only by the Governor's office or with permission of the Secretary of State." The state coat of arms will be used in legal documents such as vehicle registrations.

Design resistance is futile: "Because these elements and their relation to each other are so essential to the New York state brand," the booklet states, "the guidelines around these primary brand elements are very specific and not open to much interpretation."

John Greening, an advertising veteran who teaches at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Media and Integrated Marketing Communications, said the level of detail in branding guide was similar to that found in the ad kits that companies such as McDonald's distribute to franchisees to ensure regional ads chime in with national efforts.

More Information See the full branding guide at the Capitol Confidential blog, >http://blogs.timesunion/capitol>. See More Collapse

"States turning to brands is not all that surprising," said Greening, whose work for advertising powerhouse, DDB Worldwide, included the popular "Whassup?" ads for Budweiser. "I wonder what took them so long. ... You have an asset and you want to use that asset."

Branding, he said, creates an expectation in the customer for their experience — whether the product is a meal or the provision of state services.

The "I Love NY" campaign, for example, was "a great rallying cry — that's about setting the expectations for tourists when they come to New York."

Greening noted even a unified and rigorous branding campaign can't convince people of something that isn't there. "Brands are evaluated by customers on their authenticity as well as their consistency," he said.

cseiler@timesunion.com • 518-454-5619 • @CaseySeiler