The Australian

Visual

---
bcp_version: "2.0.0"
file_type: visual
last_updated: "2026-10-26"
parent: https://registry.encodedbrands.ai/the-australian-835000db/.well-known/brand.md
---

# The Australian — Visual identity

There are two kinds of evidence here, and every block is labelled with one of them:

- **brand_declared**: stated in the supplied *Marketing Brand Guidelines – The Australian* ("Brand Guidelines 2026 — Updated July") **[G]**, §02 Logo, §03 Brand Mark, §04 Colour, §05 Typography, §07 Imagery, §08 QR Codes, §09 Design. These rules govern **marketing** creative: press ads, social, digital placements and QR codes. They are not rules for editorial page design.
- **observed**: measured from the live website on 2026-10-26, either rendered CSS on https://www.theaustralian.com.au/ or the masthead file as served. These are observations, **not official rules**.

Nothing here was sampled from photographs. The masthead must never be redrawn.

## Known conflicts (read before using any value)

1. **Oxford (blue) is inconsistent inside [G].** The guide gives HEX `#004563` (= RGB 0 69 99) but RGB `0 69 69` (= `#004545`) and CMYK `100 0 0 75`. HEX is used below as the digital value, but the conflict is unresolved.
2. **The served masthead differs from the declared values.** The logo SVG served on 2026-10-26 fills with `#ED5843` (red) and `#00405C` (blue). [G] declares Ember `#F15B46` and Oxford `#004563`. Section headings on the site also render in `#00405C`. Use the official asset file as served rather than recolouring it to either set of values.
3. **Slate:** [G] gives HEX `#92A1AA` but RGB `146 161 179` (= `#92A1B3`).
4. **Ice:** [G] gives HEX `#D8E7EE` but RGB `85 91 93` (= `#555B5D`). These are very different colours, so treat Ice as unconfirmed.
5. **Scope of "Digital only":** in [G] the label sits beside the secondary palette heading. It is unclear whether it applies to the whole secondary palette or to some swatches.

## Logo

```yaml
logo:
  primary_wordmark_web:
    evidence_status: observed
    note: "Two-colour wordmark as served in the site header (alt text 'The Australian'). Tagline not present in this file."
    variants:
      - format: svg
        url: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/wp-content/themes/newscorpau-news-dna/dist/images/logos/theaustralian.svg
        sha256: b822cbf1297837b0bb516662c7b22874ca839410a6dc9822f8345aacbfed63fd
        width: 1008
        height: 80
        background: light
        purpose: "Website header masthead (viewBox 0 0 1008 80). Fills observed: #ED5843, #00405C."
  favicon:
    evidence_status: observed
    variants:
      - format: png
        url: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/wp-content/themes/newscorpau-news-dna/dist/images/favicons/theaustralian-16x16.png
        sha256: b7e0816c9fb85978ec70cf49c5893a6d02bc8c4038b147f0ac23e0627ae5781d
        width: 16
        height: 16
      - format: png
        url: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/wp-content/themes/newscorpau-news-dna/dist/images/favicons/theaustralian-32x32.png
        sha256: b434514cf8a8590fdf28bcb7040056c80836d6ba50a8701d22121a476cc7eaca
        width: 32
        height: 32
      - format: png
        url: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/wp-content/themes/newscorpau-news-dna/dist/images/favicons/theaustralian-48x48.png
        sha256: 3044bc2cf8428de3c08a72a42b34442a4dc834d6fe8ffd3015edf0a0ddf18641
        width: 48
        height: 48
logo_usage:
  evidence_status: brand_declared
  source: "[G] §02 Logo Use, §09 Design"
  generation_policy: official_assets_only
  declared_variants_without_public_files:
    - "Primary logo (with tagline)"
    - "Logo for dark backgrounds"
    - "Digital-placement logo for when the red in the tagline is not legible (one-colour tagline)"
    - "Logo for red backgrounds"
    - "The Weekend Australian logo: never add the tagline (TWA is a sub-brand)"
  alignment: "Right-aligned or centred in new designs. Always right-aligned in Press Mini Strip. Left-aligned appears in the Press Medium Strip template."
  forbidden_modifications:
    - Adding the tagline to The Weekend Australian logo
    - Using a variant other than the declared one for each background (light, dark, red, small digital)
  package_additions:
    evidence_status: inferred
    note: "Added by this package; not stated in [G]."
    items:
      - Redrawing, retyping or approximating the masthead
      - Recolouring the wordmark outside the declared variants
      - Using the masthead to imply that The Australian authored or endorses content
  approved_backgrounds:
    - type: solid_color
      note: Light backgrounds (two-colour logo)
    - type: solid_color
      note: Dark backgrounds (dark-background variant)
    - type: solid_color
      note: Ember red (red-background variant)
  clear_space: "Not stated in the converted guidelines text. Gap."
  minimum_size: "Not stated. [G] says the brand's creative agency holds templates with exact sizing per placement. Gap."
```

**Tagline wording:** [G] refers to a tagline on the primary logo but its wording did not survive text conversion. It is not inferred here. Gap.

### Brand mark: the Australia map (brand_declared, [G] §03)

- A map of Australia "symbolises our voice to the entire nation". [G] states "as the only truly national broadsheet we can own this space" (positioning claim: see claims.md).
- Always in the **top-right corner**, at a size that is not overpowering.
- Red is always the first preference. White may be used where red is not possible.
- It is not required on mini or small strip placements because of their size.
- **No public file for the map mark was found. It must not be drawn or approximated.** Gap.

## Colour

```yaml
color:
  evidence_status: brand_declared
  source: "[G] §04 Colour"
  role_mapping_note: "Hex values, names and palette membership are brand_declared. [G] puts Ember, Oxford, Black, White and Linen in the primary palette and the rest in the secondary palette. The BCP `role` values are this package's inferred mapping."
  tokens:
    ember:
      hex: "#F15B46"
      role: primary
      semantic_name: "AUS RED | EMBER"
      usage_rule: "One of two logo colours. First-preference colour for the map brand mark."
      print: "CMYK 0 80 76 0; RGB 241 91 70"
      evidence_status: brand_declared
    oxford:
      hex: "#004563"
      role: primary
      semantic_name: "AUS BLUE | OXFORD"
      usage_rule: "One of two logo colours."
      print: "CMYK 100 0 0 75; RGB stated as 0 69 69 (conflicts with HEX; see Known conflicts)"
      evidence_status: brand_declared
    white:
      hex: "#FFFFFF"
      role: surface
      semantic_name: WHITE
      evidence_status: brand_declared
    linen:
      hex: "#EEEDE6"
      role: surface
      semantic_name: "AUS BEIGE | LINEN"
      print: "CMYK 0 0 3 7; RGB 238 237 230"
      evidence_status: brand_declared
    black:
      hex: "#000000"
      role: text
      semantic_name: BLACK
      evidence_status: brand_declared
    marine:
      hex: "#237D9B"
      role: accent
      semantic_name: "AUS BLUE | MARINE (secondary palette)"
      usage_rule: "Secondary colours: use sparingly, for special campaigns. Observed as the background of the header Subscribe button on 2026-10-26."
      evidence_status: brand_declared
    powder:
      hex: "#E5EBF6"
      role: neutral
      semantic_name: "AUS BLUE | POWDER (secondary palette)"
      evidence_status: brand_declared
    turquoise:
      hex: "#66ABAF"
      role: accent
      semantic_name: "AUS GREEN | TURQUOISE (secondary palette)"
      evidence_status: brand_declared
    slate:
      hex: "#92A1AA"
      role: neutral
      semantic_name: "AUS GREY | SLATE (secondary palette)"
      usage_rule: "HEX/RGB conflict in source; see Known conflicts."
      evidence_status: brand_declared
    ice:
      hex: "#D8E7EE"
      role: neutral
      semantic_name: "AUS BLUE | ICE (secondary palette)"
      usage_rule: "HEX/RGB conflict in source (RGB given as 85 91 93); the CMYK 9 3 0 7 is consistent with the HEX, not the RGB. Unconfirmed."
      evidence_status: brand_declared
  approved_pairs_evidence_status: inferred
  approved_pairs:
    - foreground: black
      background: white
    - foreground: black
      background: linen
    - foreground: white
      background: ember
    - foreground: white
      background: oxford
  forbidden_pairs: []
  notes:
    - "Highlight key words in a secondary colour: a design mandatory in [G] §09."
    - "Set T&Cs in a white box with black text for legibility ([G] §09 templates)."
    - "The approved pairs are a conservative inference from the template notes and logo variants (white logo on red/dark). The guidelines do not publish a pairing matrix."
observed_web_colors:
  evidence_status: observed
  source: "Rendered CSS, https://www.theaustralian.com.au/ (2026-10-26)"
  masthead_svg_fills: ["#ED5843", "#00405C"]
  section_heading_text: "#00405C (rgb 0 64 92)"
  headline_text: "#000000"
  secondary_text: "#606669 (rgb 96 102 105)"
  subscribe_button_background: "#237D9B (matches Marine)"
```

## Typography

```yaml
typography:
  families:
    times_classic:
      family: "Times Classic Display"
      fallback_stack: ["Times Classic Bold", "Times", "Times New Roman", "serif"]
      weights: [400, 500, 700]
      styles: [normal, italic]
      source: "[G] §05 Primary Font. Served as a webfont on the site (observed 2026-10-26: 'Times Classic Display' 400/700, 'Times Classic Bold' 700)."
      license_note: "Commercial newspaper typeface. Not a free or Google font. Licence terms and owner were not verified. Do not embed or redistribute font files. [G] suggests substituting 'Times' in Google Slides/Docs. That substitute is a different typeface."
      usage_rule: "Headlines in bold, body copy in regular. Medium for subheads or where bold is overpowering. The family comprises Regular, Medium, Bold, Italic, Medium Italic and Bold Italic. ([G] §05)"
      evidence_status: brand_declared
    avenir:
      family: "Avenir"
      fallback_stack: ["Avenir Next", "Helvetica Neue", "Arial", "sans-serif"]
      source: "[G] §05 Secondary Font ('New secondary marketing font')"
      license_note: "Commercial typeface (not open source); not available as a Google font as far as could be determined. The [G] tip to search for Avenir in Google Slides/Docs appears to be a copy of the Times tip and was not verified. Licence status for any given user is unverified."
      usage_rule: "Only for secondary copy lines, CTAs and T&Cs."
      evidence_status: brand_declared
  roles:
    display: times_classic
    body: times_classic
    ui: avenir
  observed_web:
    evidence_status: observed
    lead_headline: "Times Classic Bold, 32px/40px, weight 700, black"
    section_heading: "Times Classic Display, 24px/30px, weight 400, #00405C"
    standfirst_small: "Times Classic Display, 16px/20px, #606669"
    header_cta: "'Subscribe' rendered in Times Classic Display 14px, white on #237D9B, 2px radius"
    note: "On 2026-10-26 the header CTA was set in Times Classic Display, not Avenir. The Avenir rule in [G] is for marketing creative."
```

## Layout and composition (brand_declared, [G] §09)

```yaml
layout:
  evidence_status: brand_declared
  mandatories:
    - Map brand mark in the top-right corner
    - Logo right-aligned or centred
    - Key words highlighted in a secondary colour
    - Consistent QR code style
    - Logo size and colour per templates
    - T&C size and placement per templates
  template_patterns:
    - "Full-page press (sale and full-bleed imagery templates): small map top right, rounded CTA box, CTA in secondary font, T&Cs in a white box with black text, two-colour logo centre-aligned"
    - "Medium-strip press: key words highlighted in secondary colour, two-colour logo left-aligned, CTA/URL in a pill-shaped box, small map top right, QR code with map in centre"
    - "Mini-strip press: key word highlighted, CTA in secondary font, logo always right-aligned (no map needed)"
    - "Digital: small map top right, one-colour tagline at small sizes, rounded CTA box"
  corner_radius: "CTA containers are rounded (box) or pill-shaped. No numeric radius declared."
  papercraft:
    description: "Collage of several images in duotone or black-and-white with subtle paper textures, giving a layered, tactile, editorial composition that puts journalists, their voices and the audience at the centre. Bespoke versions are produced by the brand's creative agency."
    examples_named: [Federal Election topic, Podcast, Travel]
  forbidden_compositions:
    - Map brand mark anywhere other than top right
    - QR code with square corners, without the map, with a border or 'scan me' label, in altered colour, or with the map placed differently from the template
```

## QR codes (brand_declared, [G] §08)

- Marketing teams generate their own trackable QR codes, with the map icon loaded into the brand's QR-generation service.
- Separate approved styles exist for dark and light backgrounds.
- Don't use square corners, omit the map, add a border or "scan me" label, or alter the colour (shown as wrong in [G]). The medium-strip template shows a map in the centre with squared corner markers. The two statements are not fully reconcilable in the converted text. Gap.

## Imagery (brand_declared, [G] §07)

```yaml
imagery:
  evidence_status: brand_declared
  photographic_style: "Bold, serious and cinematic. Editorial and human-centred: the people at the heart of the story, or traces of their influence, emotion and impact. Premium, with strong composition, cinematic lighting and unusual perspectives."
  principles:
    - Authentic and documentary in style
    - Never staged or overly polished
    - Elevated quality that keeps focus on the story and leaves clean space for headlines and copy
  forbidden_treatments:
    - Staged set-ups
    - Overly polished treatment
  negative_prompts:
    evidence_status: inferred
    items: [staged smiles to camera, glossy advertising look, generic stock office scenes, clip-art]
  editorial_photography_note:
    evidence_status: brand_declared
    source: "News Corp Australia editorial code §23 (news imagery, not marketing creative)"
    text: "News images: colour alteration, over-sharpening and manipulation are prohibited (§23.2). Altered or AI-modified subjects must be captioned as digitally altered (§23.5). Artistic alteration needs editor approval (§23.7)."
```

The editorial-photography note comes from https://d2n6ofw4o746cn.cloudfront.net/bob/files/code_conduct.html. That document is embedded at https://www.theaustralian.com.au/editorial-code-of-conduct and was last updated 11 September 2025.

## Motion

No motion or video guidance was available beyond the existence of social-video templates ([G] §09, "Social – Video"). Gap.

## Rights and gaps

- **Unverified usage rights:** masthead, map brand mark, papercraft artwork, templates, photography and fonts. Nothing here grants a licence. The official logo files are referenced only so that identification and integrity can be checked.
- No public asset files were found for the map mark, logo variants (dark/red/one-colour tagline), QR artwork or templates.
- The brand-architecture diagram and template visuals in [G] were images that did not convert to text. Their details are not represented.