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Progressive Insurance | Brand Guidelines

Small Business

Commercial Lines is organized into two audiences: Small Business and Heavy Truck. The way we see it, the line that connects our two main audiences is direct and defining. It’s the shared spirit of hard work. You know, rolling up your sleeves and getting the job done in the name of building something better. With over 45 years of experience and more than 30 types of business and vehicle insurance coverages, it’s our goal to help our customers protect their businesses with the coverages they need at a price they deserve.

Small Business encompasses our commercial auto (often referred to as BACON i.e. Business Auto Contractor). Our target is microbusiness owners with one to five employees and one to nine vehicles. Our communications to them should feature commercial auto messaging and, when appropriate, also include reference to business insurance. Ideally, comprehensive creative featuring both types of coverage is preferred.

Many of our customers fall into the following categories:

  • Landscapers
  • Electricians
  • Snow plowers
  • Bakers
  • Contractors
  • Florists
  • Carpenters
  • Realtors
  • Painters
  • Architects
  • Cleaning services
  • Accountants

Color

Blue 700

HEX: #0077B3

RGB: 0, 119, 179

CMYK: 100, 47, 0, 0

PANTONE: 2935 C

Steel Blue 900

HEX: #0A3360

RGB: 10, 51, 96

CMYK: 100, 78, 36, 29

PANTONE: 2955 C

Steel Blue 500

HEX: #91B0BF

RGB: 145, 176, 191

CMYK: 45, 16, 15, 0

PANTONE: 550 C

White

HEX: #FFFFFF

RGB: 255, 255, 255

CMYK: 0, 0, 0, 0

Type

96 Sans is our custom typeface which gives us a completely unique brand identity. It also gives us a way to tie the look and feel of our brand identity across all creative pieces. For a more detailed breakdown of the nuances of type styling, see the full version of the Commercial Lines Brand Identity.

Headlines

96 Sans Bold Condensed

Sentence case

PMS 2995 / Steel Blue 900

Commercial auto and business insurance at a great value

Subhead

96 Sans Bold

Sentence case

PMS 550 / Steel Blue 500

Hands-on service

Body Copy

96 Sans Light

Sentence case

Black

In the event of a commercial auto claim, our extensive network of repair shops can take care of your vehicle, so you can get back to taking care of your customers. We offer:

  • 24/7 access to policy servicing
  • Mobile app and online access to certificates of insurance and ID cards
  • Roadside Assistance and Rental Reimbursement coverages available!
  • And more

Iconography

Icons translate our products into bite-sized, visual nuggets. Like everything else, they are an important communication aid and have guidelines to ensure they make the best impact. Before working with iconography, check out our icon best practices.

Primary icons

The primary icons represent our products and services. This is our main set of icons. These icons have a stroke weight of 1px and are typically between 50-100px or larger.

1_Workers_Compensation_RGB.png
1_Professional_Liability_RGB.png
1_Sedan_RGB.png
1_Ice_Cream_Truck_RGB.png
1_Passenger_Van_RGB.png
1_Pickup_with_Ladder_RGB.png
1_Property_Coverage_RGB.png
1_General_Liability_RGB.png
1_Food_Truck_RGB.png
1_Equipment_Breakdown_RGB.png
1_Employment_Practices_Liability_RGB.png
1_Cargo_Van_with_Ladder_Rack_RGB.png
1_Businessowners_Policy_RGB.png
1_Business_RGB.png

Secondary icons

The primary icons represent our products and services. If the product icon is displayed at less than 50 px, these more simplified icons should be used with a 1px stroke weight.

2_Wedge_Trailer_RGB.png
2_Tractor_With_Logging_Trailer_RGB.png
2_Tractor_Trailer_with_Sleeper_Cab_RGB.png
2_Pump_Truck_RGB.png
2_Single_Axle_Flatbed_Truck_with_Car_RGB.png
2_Tractor_With_Dump_Trailer_RGB.png
2_Street_Sweeper_Truck_RGB.png
2_Light_Duty_Boom_Truck_RGB.png
2_Front_Loader_Garbage_Truck_RGB.png
2_Hotshotter_RGB.png
2_Dual_Axle_Tow_Truck_RGB.png
2_Auto_Hauler_RGB.png
2_Dual_Axle_Flatbed_Truck_RGB.png
2_Dual_Axle_Tank_Trailer_RGB.png
2_Cement_Mixer_Truck_RGB.png
2_Bottom-Side_Dump_Trailer_RGB.png

Product train

This set of products is what we call our product train. It’s used to quickly represent our most popular products. Use them as static icons in the order pictured below, with the same spacing between products.

3_CL_Vehicles_Train_RGB.png

Photography

Small Business photography is key to the overall look and feel of this business area. Here are three key elements to keep in mind when shooting:

Focus on the task

Photography that shows small business owners and the hands-on approach they take to make their dream a reality.

  • Warm
  • Authentic
  • Airy

Focus on the space

Shots of storefronts or work environments that cement the investment small business owners put in to create their vision.

  • Open
  • Warm
  • Neighborhood feel

Focus on the vehicle, or what it delivers

A nod to commercial auto where the vehicle acts as a reminder that small business owners are always delivering to their customers.

  • Industrious
  • Candid
20B40141_BACON_FOR_HIRE_LIVERY_0451-2-2.jpg

Illustration

Hand-drawn illustrations are to be used sparingly, primarily for print campaigns and conceptually-driven executions. Small business illustrations are hand-drawn using a monoline weight with 5-8px brush at 70% hardness on a Wacom tablet (or in Procreate on an iPad). If needed, additional illustrations may be created for other small business categories following the same aesthetic, brush style, and stroke weight. Here are examples of different business-related illustrations:

CL_Brand_Contractor_Illustrations.jpg
CL_Brand_Florist_Illustrations.png

Substantiation badges

Badges are to act as a stamp of approval, and are designed to be used individually. Additional badges can be created on an as-needed basis; however, they should all follow a similar format. Copy in badges is legally substantiated, therefore the copy cannot be changed.

Bacon-50-Yrs-Black.png
Bacon-No-1-Black.png
Bacon-30-Coverages-Black.png

Patterns / Textures

Monoline patterns

Patterns should be contextual to the business they represent. Additional patterns can be created on an as-needed basis; however, all patterns should be monoline and use a one point stroke.

CL_Brand_Wood_Pattern.png
CL_Brand_Sprinkle_Pattern.png
CL_Brand_Paint_Stroke_Pattern.png
CL_Brand_Metal_Pattern.png
CL_Brand_Map_Pattern.png
CL_Brand_Leaf_Pattern.png
CL_Brand_Blue_Print_Pattern.png
CL_Brand_Bubble_Pattern.png

Brand behaviors

Let’s ‘talk’ about Small Business Owners

We use all seven brand behaviors to create the PGR voice for small business owners. However, based on past CL projects, we’ve found that we write with the following behaviors in mind the most:

Optimistic

Small Business Owners are burning the candle at both ends. When we have a chance to talk to them, we should convey a sense of positivity—sending them encouraging thoughts even if there’s a hiccup along the way.

Clear

Small Business Owners have a lot going on in their day-to-day. That’s why we need to be as concise, direct, and empathetic as we can when talking to them—using plain, easy-to-understand language when explaining products, policies, and claims.

Helpful

To a Small Business Owner, insurance is a necessity more than a main focus of their business. But, when they need our assistance, we need to shine by offering friendly, pleasant, solution-oriented advice to them along the way.

Keeping it simple: Creating content for PGR

When it comes to writing—whether it’s body copy, headlines, articles or more—one of our general guiding principles for all Progressive communications is to keep it simple. To cut out all of the clutter, bring the main message to the forefront, and keep our content as simplistic and easy-to-read as possible.

That’s why we’ve put together a number of questions for writers, designers, and content creators to ask themselves before, during, and after the creative build:

  • Can my message be delivered more succinctly?
  • Can any elements be removed from the layout?
  • Is my vocabulary as clear and direct as possible?
  • Can the content be made more scannable and easier to read?

CL B2B

When talking about CL in the agency space, we call it B2B, or “business to business.” Commercial Lines B2B follows the core Agency Distribution B2B guidelines, but features an alternate color palette and identifying graphic elements to create distinction from core B2B and Commercial Lines material.

Snapshot ProView®

Snapshot ProView is another UBI program for small businesses introduced by Progressive in 2018. The audience is made up of microbusiness small business owners with one to five employees and one to nine vehicles. They have a commercial auto, but may or may not have insurance with Progressive.