GSP Partner Portal
Brand Kit
These resources are intended to support staff and partners in representing the Partnership with clarity and consistency.
Colorway
Color is foundational to GSP's visual brand identity. Nature-inspired neutrals and energizing accents build familiarity while activating community members around the program's mission and messaging. Use RGB or Hex for digital materials and CYMK for print. Tints (adding white), shades (adding black), and adjusting opacity is also permitted.
Primary palette
Anchor colors
Anchor colors are neutral base colors primarily used for text and background.
Basalt
#2a2d34
HEX
42 45 52
RGB
79 68 56 61
CMYK
Cloud
#f8f7f3
HEX
248 247 243
RGB
03 02 05 00
CMYK
Mist
#ccd8dd
HEX
204 216 221
RGB
22 09 11 00
CMYK
Basalt
#2a2d34
Cloud
#f8f7f3
Mist
#ccd8dd
Secondary palette
Accent colors
Accents are used for decorative elements and emphasis, and are sometimes combined with neutrals via gradients or patterns.
Salmonberry is GSP's primary accent, used to add energy, highlight important content, and create moments of visual emphasis.
Sage is a core brand color featured in the GSP logo. Use sage to reinforce brand recognition and provide a natural counterpoint to brighter accent colors.
Sky is a flexible secondary accent color that adds variety and balance. Use selectively where additional color variation is helpful.
Salmonberry
#e66b5b
HEX
230 107 91
RGB
05 70 59 00
CMYK
Sage
#628c79
HEX
98 140 121
RGB
64 28 53 10
CMYK
Sky
#73c5c5
HEX
115 197 197
RGB
55 02 25 00
CMYK
Salmonberry
#e66b5b
Sage
#628c79
Sky
#73c5c5
Color stories
Color stories are additional colors used thematically in illustrations or campaigns to highlight GSP areas of focus in brand-friendly ways. Use along with brand colors for themed outreach and education materials to differentiate topics and inspire visual recognition among learners and enthusiasts.
Plants
#a0b241
HEX
160 178 65
RGB
43 15 88 01
CMYK
Pollinators
#ac85d0
HEX
172 133 208
RGB
38 51 00 00
CMYK
People
#ddc438
HEX
221 196 56
RGB
16 17 87 00
CMYK
Puget Sound
#3458a8
HEX
52 88 168
RGB
88 67 00 00
CMYK
Parks
#846949
HEX
132 105 73
RGB
37 48 70 38
CMYK
Plants
#a0b241
Pollinators
#ac85d0
People
#ddc438
Puget Sound
#3458a8
Parks
#846949
Typography
The below fonts are standard designer fonts used on the majority of GSP materials. Additional fonts may be used with discretion when useful for accessibility, co-branding, or to support event-specific promotions.
Designer fonts
Web heading font (online only)
Recoleta (Regular)
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
1234567890(,.;:?!$&*)
Aa
Recoleta (Bold)
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
1234567890(,.;:?!$&*)
Everyday / desktop fonts
Heading font
MS System Font
Paragraph font
MS System Font
Wordmark / Logo
GSP's graphic elements are used alongside content and photos to ground GSP's brand as a community-powered, city-led force to protect, restore, and beautify Seattle's natural spaces for the benefit of all who live here.
When you use it, let us know! By keeping track of where the Partnership is receiving attention in the media, we can better leverage public support for the program. And thank you so much for bringing more people into the Partnership!
Guidlines for using the Green Seattle Partnership logo
The Green Seattle Partnership logo is the property of the City of Seattle. It may be used only in accordance with authorization provided by these agencies.
Appropriate use of the Green Seattle Partnership logos
These logos may be used on any informational materials describing the mission of the Green Seattle Partnership, any projects/events sponsored by the Partnership, or any materials otherwise approved by Green Seattle Partnership staff.
Inappropriate use of the Green Seattle Partnership logos
These logos may not be used in any of the following ways:
-
Attempting to influence legislation;
-
Organizing or engaging in protest, petitions, boycotts or strikes;
-
Assisting, promoting, or deterring union organizing;
-
Impairing existing contracts for services or collective bargaining agreements;
-
Engaging in partisan political activities, or other activities designed to influence the outcome of an election to any public office;
-
Participating in, or endorsing, events or activities that are likely to include advocacy for or against political parties, political platforms, political candidates, proposed legislation or elected officials;
-
Engaging in religious instruction, conducting worship services, engaging in religious proselytizing; or
-
Supporting for-profit, commercial activities.
Primary
Square (primary visual) version
To be used as a text-based graphic logo in outreach materials and signage.
Guidance for Co-Branding
Green Seattle Partnership works alongside many organizations to care for Seattle's urban forests. When multiple logos appear together, their placement should clearly communicate each organization's role while maintaining a balanced, cohesive appearance.
When GSP is the lead organization
When GSP leads or hosts an event, program, or communication, the GSP logo should appear first or in the most prominent position. Partner logos may follow or appear together in a secondary grouping.
-
Give the GSP logo a clear, prominent position.
-
Arrange partner logos consistently, with sufficient space between them.
-
Use a heading such as "In partnership with" or "With support from" when helpful to clarify relationships.
When GSP is a participating organization
When another organization leads an event, project, or communication, its logo should take the primary position, with the GSP logo appearing alongside other participating partners.
-
Follow the lead organization's branding and layout conventions.
-
Give the GSP logo appropriate visual weight relative to other partner logos.
-
Maintain the GSP logo's proportions, clear space, and minimum size requirements.
General guidelines
-
Maintain visual balance. Size logos according to their visual weight rather than forcing them to identical widths or heights.
-
Preserve logo integrity. Do not stretch, recolor, crop, or otherwise alter partner logos.
-
Allow breathing room. Provide sufficient clear space around each logo to keep them distinct and legible.
-
Use approved versions. Select logo variations that provide adequate contrast against the background.
-
Clarify relationships. Logo order and prominence should reflect actual organizational roles, sponsorship agreements, or other established requirements.
Illustrations
Our native plant illustrations celebrate the plants that make Seattle's urban forests unique. Combining recognizable botanical characteristics with playful geometric forms, they balance scientific accuracy with a distinctive visual style.
These illustrations are part of Green Seattle Partnership's visual identity, helping create a consistent, welcoming, and recognizable look across our communications.
Salmonberry
Camas Flower
Using the illustrations
-
Use them with purpose. Illustrations can add personality to outreach materials, reinforce themes related to urban nature, or help audiences recognize native plants.
-
Preserve their character. Maintain the original proportions, shapes, details, and approved colors. Avoid stretching, distorting, recoloring, or adding effects that change their appearance.
-
Give them room to breathe. Illustrations may be used individually, grouped, or intentionally cropped for visual interest. Keep important botanical features recognizable and ensure details remain clear at the intended size.
-
Keep the collection cohesive. Use illustrations from the approved GSP collection rather than combining them with clip art, stock illustrations, or independently created graphics that imitate the style. Even subtle differences in line weight, geometry, or detail can make materials feel inconsistent.
-
Design for accessibility. Maintain sufficient contrast with surrounding backgrounds. Provide meaningful alternative text when an illustration conveys information, or mark it as decorative when it serves only a visual purpose.
Expanding the collection
The illustration collection is designed to grow as GSP's communication needs evolve. To maintain botanical accuracy and a consistent visual identity, new illustrations should be developed in coordination with the GSP communications or brand team.
When requesting a new illustration, please identify:
-
The plant or subject: Include its common and scientific names, if known.
-
The intended use: Describe where and how the illustration will appear, including any size or format requirements.
-
Key characteristics: Share any distinctive botanical features that should be represented, along with reference photographs or other reliable resources.
-
The timeline: Allow time for illustration development, botanical review, and refinement.
New illustrations should follow the established visual style, including simplified geometric construction, consistent line treatments, and approved brand colors. They should also accurately represent the defining characteristics of the subject.
Please don't create or commission lookalike illustrations independently. Coordinating new artwork helps ensure that the collection remains cohesive, botanically credible, and available for reuse across GSP communications.
Photography
Photography helps tell the story of Green Seattle Partnership—celebrating Seattle's urban forests, the people who care for them, and the impact of community stewardship. Images should feel authentic, welcoming, and connected to place, inspiring others to explore, appreciate, and care for our natural spaces.
Whenever possible, feature real GSP volunteers, events, and restoration sites rather than stock photography. Select images that reflect the diversity of Seattle's communities and the many ways people engage with the urban forest.
Photography guidelines
-
Keep it natural. Choose clear, well-composed images with a recognizable subject or point of interest. Favor candid moments, natural lighting, and minimal editing or filters.
-
Tell an inclusive story. Show people of different ages, backgrounds, and abilities participating, collaborating, and enjoying nature. Represent community members respectfully and avoid stereotypes.
-
Respect people and privacy. Follow applicable photo consent procedures before sharing identifiable images. Obtain required parent or guardian permission for children, and honor requests not to be photographed. Avoid sharing children's full names or identifying information.
-
Protect natural spaces. Photograph wildlife, plants, and restoration activities without disturbing habitats or interfering with stewardship work.
-
Share responsibly. Confirm permission to use photographs, provide credits when required, and include meaningful alternative text for digital images. On social media, include essential information in the post text rather than relying solely on images.
Photo quality and resolution
Smartphone photography is welcome! A few simple practices help ensure images are suitable for both digital and print use.
-
Capture: Use the highest practical image-quality setting, clean your lens, avoid digital zoom, and check that subjects are sharp and well-lit.
-
Save and share: Keep original files and send photos at full resolution. Avoid screenshots or images downloaded from social media, which may be compressed.
-
Digital use: Aim for images at least 1,200 pixels wide for general website and social media applications.
-
Print use: Aim for 300 pixels per inch at the final printed size. Larger original images provide more flexibility for cropping and layout.
When in doubt, share the original image at its highest available quality. Photos can always be resized later, but lost detail cannot be recovered.
Messaging
Mission
A one-sentence, overarching description of the organization’s purpose, what it does and how.
Our mission is to restore urban ecosystems and connect people with nature and each other, fostering a culture of care and belonging.
Vision
A description of how the world would be different if the organization achieved its mission.
We see Seattle as a thriving, equitable city that supports urban ecosystems and community members. We remain committed to restoring Seattle’s urban forests, waterways, and natural areas, while fostering a culture of belonging and connection that benefits the health of the Salish Sea region.
In service to our vision, we share stewardship programming, restore ecological health, expand access to greenspaces, and reconnect people to land care. Our work is relational, guided by accountability, anti-racism, and environmental justice values that support a healthy environment for all.
Core Values
The core beliefs and principles that anchor, motivate and inspire GSP. Please see Key Terms section for detailed definitions.
-
Fostering a Culture of Reciprocity: We prioritize respect and mutually beneficial relationships with each other and the land. We believe that long-term ecological health is dependent on relationships where people work together to provide for and benefit from our ecosystems.
-
Nurturing a Sense of Belonging: We prioritize efforts that create a welcoming environment where people feel invited, safe, and connected to one another. We are committed to building and sustaining a generational legacy of care for the environment and each other.
-
Holding Ourselves and Each Other Accountable: We invite and hold space for direct and honest feedback and encourage transparency with our partners and community. As a collective, we are accountable to identifying and opposing racist ideas, policies, systems, and actions; centering the lived experiences and leadership of Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color; and prioritizing programs, policies, relationships, and approaches that actively advance environmental justice.
Key Terms
The key terms listed below are specific words or phrases for which GSP would like to convey precise meanings within the context of GSP programming and more broadly.
Anti-Racism
The practice of working to identify and oppose racist ideas, policies, systems, and actions by centering the lived experiences of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. Race and Social Justice Initiative - RSJI | seattle.gov
Best Management Practices (BMPs)
Guidelines to describe the safest and most effective ways to care for parks and natural areas. Standards of practice to guide ecosystem restoration
Climate Justice
An approach to climate resilience that centers communities most affected by environmental inequities, such as pollution burdens and extreme heat, and prioritizes investments that address these disparities. Climate Justice - Environment | seattle.gov
Decolonization
Actions which challenge colonial narratives about the environment. Example actions include upholding Indigenous ways of knowing as a valid and important approach for ecological restoration, and aligning work in support of Indigenous sovereignty, self-determination, and collective long-term environmental wellness. OSU, Tuck & Yang, 2020, Decolonization is not a metaphor, RSJI 20 Truths
Ecological Restoration
The process of assisting the recovery or caring for forests, wetlands, meadows, shorelines and other ecosystems that have been degraded, damaged, or destroyed so they are healthy, resilient, and full of life, working to support or accelerate naturally occurring processes. Society for Ecological Restoration (SER)
Environmental Justice
The movement and practice of ensuring that all people—especially those historically harmed by pollution, racism, and unequal access to nature—have clean air, clean water, healthy parks, and opportunities for meaningful participation and a voice in environmental decision-making. Equity and Environment Initiative, OSE, One Seattle Comprehensive Plan, Seattle Title VI Implementation Plan
Equity
Distributing resources fairly in a way that accounts for and addresses existing inequalities, such as prioritizing natural area care in historically underserved communities who should have a role in shaping the future of places such as natural area parklands where they recreate, gather, and spend time with friends and family. Equity and Environment Initiative
Frontline or Overburdened Communities
Groups who face disproportionate environmental, social, and climate burdens (e.g., pollution and extreme heat), and therefore are prioritized for expanded programming, engagement, and restoration investments. Seattle Equity and Environment Agenda
Government-to-Government Relationship
A formal process of engagement and consultation between the City and other sovereign entities, such as Tribes, state, and federal governments. https://www.seattle.gov/oir/tribal-relations
Reciprocity
The practice of mutually beneficial relationships, such as where people benefit from and provide for our ecosystems. “Taking from the land with the moral responsibility of giving back in equal measure.” Braiding Indigenous and Western Knowledge for Climate-Adapted Forests
Resiliency
The ability to withstand or to recovery from challenges, such as creating and sustaining an urban ecosystem that is adaptive to climate, environmental, political, and social changes in a way that supports the health and resiliency of community. Seattle Parks and Recreation Climate Resiliency Strategy
Traditional Conservation Principles or Colonial Conservation Principles
Traditional or Colonial conservation principles influenced by the historical context of settler colonialism which often prioritize the protection of "pristine" or "untouched" wilderness, which have been criticized for their failure to recognize the rights of Indigenous Peoples and their traditional territories, as well as for its potential to exacerbate social and environmental disparities. Gershon, 2020, How Conservation is Shaped by Settler Colonialism
Tribal Nations
Sovereign Indigenous governments and their representatives. Indigenous Tribes of Seattle and Washington | ALA
Position
A three- to four-sentence statement expanding on the mission to describe the why, how, and what of the organization, in the time it takes to ride up or down in an elevator.
The Green Seattle Partnership is a community-focused initiative of the City of Seattle. We bring together community groups, city departments, volunteers, and restoration experts to restore and care for urban forests, meadows, creeks, and shorelines across Seattle. We nurture a sense of belonging and connect people to natural spaces through community-driven land care events, trainings and resources, and volunteer opportunities.
Elevator Statement
A three- to four-sentence statement expanding on the mission to describe the why, how, and what of the organization, in the time it takes to ride up or down in an elevator.
The Green Seattle Partnership is a community-focused initiative of the City of Seattle. We bring together community groups, city departments, volunteers, and restoration experts to restore and care for urban forests, meadows, creeks, and shorelines across Seattle. We nurture a sense of belonging and connect people to natural spaces through community-driven land care events, trainings and resources, and volunteer opportunities.
Key Messages
How you talk about Green Seattle Partnership’s mission and work.
Key Context
Similar to the complex ecosystems in Seattle’s natural area parklands, the restoration work we do must be understood as one part of a larger social and political ecosystem. In our work, we seek to understand the increasingly acute challenges that impact Seattle’s natural area parklands and the people who care for them, including:
-
The affordability and economic inequality crisis, which is forcing people to relocate outside of the city and is leaving people unhoused.
-
The climate crisis, which both threatens natural area parklands and makes their health increasingly imperative for the city’s resilience and livability
-
It’s never too late for repair. Ecological restoration works and is a powerful tool for building resilience.
-
The social and emotional pressures of growing up during times of multiple and chronic crises, which are acutely impacting our youth at a critical time of their development.
Our Focus
Our Stewardship & Land Care
-
We’re working toward urban ecosystems that are rich in life, resilient in the face of climate change, and tended to by an inclusive and collaborative network. We focus on climate-resilient restoration planning, equitable site prioritization, and knowledge sharing.
-
We have a full-ecosystem view. While our work started as planting acres of forests across the city, our scope has expanded to work across different types of ecosystems and to evaluate progress within ecological time, continuing to plan and care for the health and resilience of natural area parklands for generations to come.
-
Our Forest Steward program is an extensive volunteer network and an integral part of our work to restore Seattle’s urban ecosystems. Each Forest Steward adopts a natural area site and leads the restoration efforts through community engagement and volunteer events.
Community Programming
-
Our engagement opportunities prioritize creating a sense of belonging and connection and are responsive to community priorities and experiences.
-
We aim to nurture ecosystems and relationships by bringing communities together to steward and care for natural area parklands in their neighborhoods, creating intentional space for cultural connections on and with the land.
-
We focus on student engagement, community-centered programming, and job pathways.
Partnership Building
-
We aim to build partnerships that sustain our cooperative structure, including pathways for accountability, inclusive leadership, and coordinated investments to meet shared goals.
-
We do this by focusing on cooperation in our partnership structure, aiming to build diverse partnership representation, and fiscal resilience.
Other Key Messages
GSP is an organizer, connector and resource sharer.
-
GSP is the container for a huge volume of urban forest, green space, and natural area parkland restoration happening across the city.
-
We work across scales to bring impact that lasts. We take action with partners hyper-locally, while coordinating and sharing knowledge with people and entities doing similar work nationally and even internationally.
-
In our 20 years of existence, we’ve connected residents directly to the parks and plants they live alongside, getting tools and knowledge in the hands of residents who want to build relationships with their local parks.
Restoration is community building.
-
Landcare is community care, too. GSP brings neighbors together to care for our shared green spaces, nurturing relationships across generations and backgrounds through caring for the ecosystems that unite us.
-
Ecological restoration is a beautiful opportunity to build a personal, reciprocal relationship with the land that supports us all and keeps us healthy.
By restoring the ecosystems that bind our city together, we can begin to restore justice and wellness to our communities.
-
The urban forests and natural area parklands in Seattle belong to all of us; that means we should all be able to shape and contribute to their future. GSP gives access to every resident to be able to build and deepen personal relationships with their local parks.
-
We’re committed to shifting resources to historically underserved communities who should have a role in the future of natural area parklands where they recreate, gather, and spend time with friends and family.
-
Habitat restoration and conservation is more than planting trees. GSP and our partners develop programs that redefine restoration as an opportunity to play and learn together, develop skills, build relationships with the land, and give back to community health.
It’s never too late for repair. Ecological restoration works and is a powerful tool for building resilience.
-
When we take care of nature, nature takes care of us. Restoring natural processes is the best way we can make our city more livable and resilient to ecological crises.
-
Restoration is a real, meaningful action we can all take to mitigate climate change. GSP puts the tools in the hands of everybody who wants to take action to benefit their community and beyond.