Download - eBay Marketplace Guidelines Aug 2008

8/3/2019 eBay Marketplace Guidelines Aug 2008

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eBay Voice + DesignGuidelines 2008


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eBay Brand Guidelines 2008 / 2008 eBay, Inc. / All rights reserved / Not for unapproved external distribution Page 01 of 28

eBay Brand Guidelines Table of Contents

01 / Brand Basics

Brand Overview 04Whats New 05Top 5 eBay Brand Tips 06

03 / Design Basics

Color Palette 16Typeface 19Logo 21Product Photography 23People Photography 25Grid 27

02 / Voice Basics

Whos Talking 08A Voice Snapshot 09Voice Attributes 10How to Talk the Talk 1 1Applying the Voice 12Voice Levels 13When Its Working 14


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eBay Brand Guidelines 2008 / 2008 eBay, Inc. / All rights reserved / Not for unapproved external distribution

eBay Brand Guidelines

Page 02 of 28

01 / Brand Basics


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01 / Brand Basics

Brand Basics /

Whats a brand, anyway? Its how we reect the essential promise o our company to the world.To build a strong brand we have to keep it consistent, which means communicating with onerecognizable look and language across all customer experiences. Read on and get to know ourbrand guidelines.

p.s.: For eBay brand principles in even more exhilarating detail, you can visit the Brand Exchangeon iWeb. Just type BCX into your browser. See you there.


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Brand Overview /

eBay is unlike any retailer out there: a vast global marketplace with virtually infnite selection andunique deals or shoppers o all stripes. The eBay brand is a reection o this dynamic, people-powered environment. With all that excitement going on, our core brand seeks to bring a un yetorganized eel to eBay communications and to create a consistent voice, look and eel that setsus apart.

01 / Brand Basics


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01 / Brand Basics

Whats New:

Heres a snapshot o what defnes eBay today.Consider these the key elements that guide allexpressions o the eBay brand.

DOs:

A human, conversational approach to communications across all our

customer touch-points helps welcome and engage our users

A streamlined, grown-up look and feel makes us a credible destination for a

whole world of shoppers.

A focus on dynamic selection and value helps our customers nd great deals

on the stuff they love.

Our commitment to improved safety builds the trust of our users and makes

eBay a place people want to come back to time and again.

DONTs:

An emphasis on the emotional elements of winning. Because eBay isnt a

gamble.

A focus on personal connections and social networking. Its about the nds,

not the buying process.

An overly quirky voice that undermines trust for our users.

Grafti or carton-style hand-drawn illustrations in our design.


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01 / Brand Basics

Top 5 eBay Brand Tips /

01 /Our voice is human and conversational at all times02 /Our personality is that o a helpul, smart pal you can trust03 / Our look is bold and primary, but not comical or kitschy04 /We use grid to bring a clean, organized look to our design language05 /Our style o photography is candid and realistic, never corporate or canned


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02 / Voice Basics


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02 / Voice Basics

Whos Talking?

The eBay voice is a reection of the best members of the eBay community: smart, helpul,good eggs invested in smooth transactions. Our voice is built around the persona o a helpfulally who can guide you through all the aspects o the eBay experience, rom fnding exactly whatyou want to resolving any problems you might encounter along the way. Think o the personalitybehind the eBay voice as a smart pal you can trust. We call this voice the Wingman or short.

Its main eature is a warm, conversational, and (when appropriate) playul tone modeled on

real people talking to each other. This means no market-speak, no aggressive imperatives, noawkward puns. Instead, the eBay voice is all about everyday human communication.


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A Voice Snapshot /

What we dont sound like: canned, corporate-speaky, tech platorm-y, sales-yWhat we do sound like: conversational, amiliar, a smart pal you can trust

02 / Voice Basics


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02 / Voice Basics

Voice Attributes /

As you apply the eBay voice across communications,its useul to remember the key attributes o our

guiding persona, the wingman or smart pal youcan trust.

DOs:

A friendly, conversational style of speaking that sounds human at all times

Asking questions instead of giving orders

Speaking like a familiar guide

Using contractions like in everyday language

Calm, casual delivery, with playfulness when appropriate.

DONTs:

Aggressive promotional language

Business jargon or robotic market-speak

Shouting and exclamation points

Cutesy puns


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02 / Voice Basics

How to Talk the Talk /

01 / Use a rst-person voice based on the persona of a helpful wingmansomeone who givesit to you straight.

02 / Ask questions instead of shouting imperatives.Theyre helpul ways o guiding behavior.

03 / Avoid robotic market-speak. Aim or a peer-based, active voice that guides and inspiresthrough honest, conversational talk.

04 / Use contractions. Its usually what we do in everyday speech.05 / Dont use exclamation points. They convey ake enthusiasm and make us lookunproessional.


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Applying the Voice /

The eBay voice can be broken out into three levels that cover the range o typical interactionswith our users. In each case the smart pal persona is speaking, so the voice remains consistent.The tone simply shits according to the context. Think o it as a person modulating their tone tosuit the situationa party versus a business meeting, or example.

02 / Voice Basics


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eBay Brand Guidelines 02 / Voice Basics

01 / Inspirational (To Inspire or Invite)

eBay speaks directly to people like a familiarpal. This is a key way o humanizing our brand:

by speaking conversationally in an open,accessible manner. Instead o market-speak,we sound like regular humans do. In inspirationalcontexts we can even be playul like you wouldbe with someone you know well. Examplesinclude high-level communications such asonsite merchandising, direct mail, catalogs andpromotional advertising.

DO: Check out this deal.DONT: Just or you!

DO: Got cool stu you dont want anymore?Give it a home on eBay.DONT: Be green, make some green!

DO: Plenty o great fnds let.DONT: Dont just shop. Win!

03 / Technical (To Enorce or Reassure)

Theres a lot of technical information we oftenhave to convey, for example in all kinds of trust

and safety communications. Even so, rememberthat the Wingman is still speaking and thattheres always a human on the other end o thecommunication. Preace or bracket technical inowith the helpul wingman voice. Itll soten thingsthat are otherwise dry and robotic.

DO: Here come the legal bits: All contestants othe eBay Seller Sweepstakes are subject to thelaws o their home state.

DONT: The ollowing conditions apply: All

contestants o the eBay Seller Sweepstakes aresubject to the laws o their home state.

DO: Weve cancelled the ollowing listings toprotect your account and the eBay site.Unortunately, we cant automatically re-list theitems or you.

DONT:We have cancelled the ollowing listingsto maintain the integrity o your account and theeBay site. Unortunately, it is not possible or us toautomatically re-list the items or you.

02 / Informational (To Guide or Inorm)

The brand speaks like a helpful wingmanguiding users through the eBay experience.

Again, we stay conversational and avoid roboticdirections and aggressive market-speak. Examplesinclude site instructions, calls to action, buttons,way-fnding cues, promotional inormation, trustand saety communications.

DO: Nice job, Jane. You won the auction. Dontorget to pay your seller.

DONT: Your transaction is complete. Please payNOW!

DO: Heads up, everybody. Amounts shownin italics are oreign currency listings withapproximate conversions. Be sure to do the math.

DONT: Amounts shown in italicized text are oritems listed in currency other than U.S. dollars andare approximate conversions.

DO: New to eBay? Create an account. Its ree.

DONT: I you are not currently an eBay member,register now!


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02 / Voice Basics

How to Tell When its Working /

A good test when creating eBay communications is to ask i you would say it in real everydayspeech. If not, its probably not in the eBay voice. When in doubt, speak like a great eBay user.You can draw inspiration rom the millions on site any time.


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03 / Design Basics


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Color Palette /

We ocus on the our core colors weve used since the very beginning. Bright, vivid, super-saturated, and bold, theyre a great tool or conveying excitement and playulness. Plus, theylook great with photography and really catch your eye in any medium.

Weve also added a secondary set o colors that play well with our core colors. As youll see onthe next page, the primary colors should be given signifcantly greater prominence than thesecondary colors. Since our primary colors are one o our strongest signalers o brand, they

should be given 3x the real estate o our secondary (or accent) colors.

03 / Design Basics


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03 / Design Basics

Some rules of thumb:

01 / Lead with the primaries. To keep things simpleand ocused, stick to the primary colors frst, then

mix in secondary colors or emphasis. Aim or a75% to 25% ratio o primary to secondary colorsin most creative executions. Bottom line: while allo our colors eel eBay, our primary colors are ourstrongest calling card.

02 / Keep it simple. Avoid using more than two othe primary colors at once and use complementarycolors or emphasis only where it makes sense. Ourred and our yellow look great together. So do ourblue and green. But blue, green and red together canbe overwhelming.

03 / Be bold. Our colors are so strong and sorich, they cry out to be used in big, at swathes.Experiment with heavy blocks o solid colorespecially next to ull-color photography or as a wayto highlight illustration.

04 / Avoid overlap colors. The colors rom theoverlap o the letters in the logo are fne in thecontext o the logo and the boundless thread butavoid them on their own.

05 / Use the boundless thread sparingly. To

add a simple graphical element that quickly sayseBay, use the horizontal (platorm) version o theboundless thread (as seen on the global header othe eBay site. It should never be used twice in anylayout and it should, wherever possible, be orientedto bleed hor izontally.

See the next page for more detail about how to usethe boundless thread.

Primary Yellow

Pantone 130 C

C: 0 M: 27 Y: 100 K: 0

R: 255 G: 204 B: 0FF CC 00

Primary Blue

Pantone 286 C

C: 100 M: 60 Y: 0 K: 6

R: 0 G: 0 B: 15300 00 99

Primary Red

Pantone 185 C

C: 0 M: 91 Y: 76 K: 0

R: 255 G: 0 B: 0FF 00 00

Secondary PinkProcess Magenta C

C: 0 M: 100 Y: 0 K: 0R: 255 G: 51 B: 153

FF 33 99

Secondary OrangePantone Orange 21 C

C: 0 M: 53 Y: 100 K: 0R: 255 G: 153 B: 0

FF 99 00

Secondary BlueProcess Cyan C

C: 100 M: 0 Y: 0 K: 0R: 51 G: 204 B: 255

33 CC FF

Secondary GreenPantone 381 C

C: 20 M: 0 Y: 91 K: 0R: 204 G: 255 B: 51

CC FF 33

Primary Green

Pantone 376 C

C: 56 M: 0 Y: 100 K: 0

R: 153 G: 204 B: 099 CC 00

75%

25%

75%

25%

75%

25%

75%

25%


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03 / Design Basics

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Using the Boundless Thread:

01 / Dont overuse it: The Thread should not beused on every layout. Because its a simple signifer

o brand (and a nice way o suggesting plenitude),its best used in situations that require a simpledesign solution. Its also good or layouts with a largeamount o necessary text or when the compositiono a photograph is complex.

02 / Keep it thin: Again, the Thread should nevercover a large portion o any layout. On average,roughly 4% o the shorter side o your layout is agood rule o thumb. T hink accent, not moti.

03 / Keep it boundless: Wherever possible, theThread should bleed. It never ends or starts in themiddle o a layout, and it always extends or at leastthe whole length o any layout.

04 / Dont mess with it: The Thread should neverbe used as an illustration or as an illustrative elementthat adorns objects or people.

And remember, you can always refer back tohow the thread is used in the global header onour site for a quick reminder of the principles atwork here.

DO:Keep it thin.

DONT:Start in the middle.

DONT:Overuse it.

DONT:Use it as illustration.


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Typeface /

Our primary typeace is Omnes. Not only does it have a range o weights (18 total), but eachweight has a slightly dierent personality. On the thinner end, its elegant and precise ( just thething or subheads and bullet points) and on the thicker end, its riendly and playul (perect orattention-grabbing headlines). The regular weights are well-balanced without being stuy.

Our secondary typeace is Helvetica Neue. Use it in oine print when there is extensive bodycopy content. Arial is the non-print equivalent o Helvetica, so its our deault ont or HTML. Use

it online to keep our typeace looking consistent across print and online media.DO: Use the italic weights or both subheads and headlines.

DONT: Use the ultra thin weightsHairline, Hairline Italic, and Black and Black Italicat all. Allour are o-limits as theyre generally tough on the eye, especially small.

Lastly, heres an added type-geek bonus. Omnes means Everybody or Mankind in Latinso

choosing the ace in your type menu is a little reminder o our drive to humanize the brand.Cool, huh?

03 / Design Basics


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03 / Design Basics

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Some rules of the road:

01 / Be bold. One o the great things about Omnesis the myriad weights it comes in. Omnes Bold

Italic is amazing or headlines and almost anything,really. Use it when you really want to get someonesattention.

02 / Balance your type weights. Keeping ahierarchy o type sizes and weights is going to beincreasingly important as we continue to evolvethe brand. Go big and Bold with headlines, slightlysmaller or Semibold with subheads, smaller still andMedium to Regular with body copy, and save ExtraLight or Thin or captions or quotes.

03 / Use italics for emphasis. Nothing says: Hey,look over here like a headline in Omnes SemiboldItalic. Its emphatic and un. Choose somethingelse or body copy but its perect or short blockso type meant to convey inormation quickly andardently.

04 / Stick to our typeface. Used in tandem with ourcolor palette and our style o photography, Omnesis the perect proxy or the Wingman. Its calm butriendly. Think o it as the thread that ties everythingtogether and youll keep our look consistent.

As a secondary typeace or HTML and largeamounts o print body copy, use Arial/Helvetica

This is Omnes ThinABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1234567890!@#$%^&*()?/:;.

This is Omnes Thin Italic

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1234567890!@#$%^&*()?/:;.

This is Omnes Extra LightABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1234567890!@#$%^&*()?/:;.

This is Omnes Extra Light ItalicABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1234567890!@#$%^&*()?/:;.

This is Omnes Light

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1234567890!@#$%^&*()?/:;.This is Omnes Light ItalicABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1234567890!@#$%^&*()?/:;.

This is Omnes RegularABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdeghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1234567890!@#$%^&*()?/:;.

This is Omnes Regular Italic


This is Omnes MediumABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1234567890!@#$%^&*()?/:;.

This is Omnes Medium ItalicABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1234567890!@#$%^&*()?/:;.

This is Omnes Semibold


This is Omnes Semibold ItalicABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1234567890!@#$%^&*()?/:;.

This is Omnes BoldABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1234567890!@#$%^&*()?/:;.

vFor Ofine body copy:

This is Helvetica Neue RegularABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1234567890!@#$%^&*()?/:;.

This is Helvetica Neue ItalicABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1234567890!@#$%^&*()?/:;.

This is Helvetica Neue BoldABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1234567890!@#$%^&*()?/:;.

This is Helvetica Neue Bold ItalicABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1234567890!@#$%^&*()?/:;.

Here is body copy set in Omnes Regular.

It looks pretty great and its totally legible,even at small sizes. For instance, this is 8

point typepretty much the smallest youd

want to go with body type.

Heres how a body copy subhead could

look when set in Omnes Medium.

Or you could always get bolder too,

setting subheads in Omnes Semibold.

-And heres how a bullet point could look-The bullet is Omnes Semibold Italic-And the copy is in Omnes Regular Italic.

See how the bullets eel both a bit more

playul and more urgent than your usualbullet points? Just a little added bonus.

Notice what we did just there? Popped alittle bit o Omnes Bold into regular body

copy. Consider that an easy way to add a

bit o oomph to the big ideas you want todraw attention to here and there.

Bottom line: There are a wealth o optionsavailable to you when typesetting in

Omnes. Choose both your point size and

weight wisely.

Helvetica Neue: Here is body copyset in Helvetica Neue. Use it in ofine

print when ther is extensive body copy

content. Use Arial/Helv for HTML

This Is an Excellent Headline Set in Omnes Semibold ItalicAnd this is its perfect subhead counterpart in Omnes Regular Italic

This is Omnes Hairline

This is Omnes HairlineItalic

This is Omnes Black

This is Omnes Black Italic


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Logo /

Our logo is the single strongest signifer o eBays estive DIY spirit. Bold and colorul, it reectsthe playul amiliarity o the brand.

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Here are some things to consider:

01 / Clearspace. Give the logo some space tobreathe. As a rule, the logo should always have a

buer around it to make sure it gets along with thestu around it. Our rule o thumb: hal the height othe y in eBay all the way around.

02 / Color. Wherever possible, do your best toensure that the logo lives on a white background.For obvious reasons, our logo doesnt work whenits positioned on solid felds o any o our primarycolorsplace the logo on a red background, orinstance, and watch the e disappear entirely. Inthose cases, be sure to use the eBay logo with thewhite glow around the edges, to separate it romthe background.

03 / Scale. Give the logo appropriate het inproportion to other visual elements in a layout.Not only is it a good way to create consistency (byensuring that the logo is applied in a similar ashionacross print and interactive communications), its agreat way to simpliy the design process. We gaugethe scale o the logo based on the height o theY in the logo and have broken down some simpleguidelines around scale below:

US Letter 48 pt

Postcard 32 ptCD Cover 32 ptBanner Ad 468x60 30 pxBanner Ad 120x600 34 pxBanner Ad 150x200 24 pxWeb Page Top Nav 54 pxEmail Header 600 wide 30 px

03 / Design Basics

Minimum Clear Space / Try to maintain a buer around

the logo that is hal the height o the Y on all sides.

01 / Clearspace

Measuring Y Space / Y space is the height o the letter

Y in the eBay logo, and thereore it is proportional to theheight o the logo.

01 / Clearspace cont.

Y Space


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Product Photography /

The eBay style o photography should be candid, realistic and minimally staged. We aim toshow product in the context of its environment. The inspiration or our product photographyis the warm, documentary approach our best users bring to their own items every day. To thatend, we should avoid super-stylized, overly art-directed compositions that lack candidnessand authenticity.

03 / Design Basics


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03 / Design Basics

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Things to look for:

01 / Flat focal plane. Avoid shallow depth o feld,especially i its too noticeable or too pronounced.

Instead, think o the kind o point-and-shootphotography that real people shoot or the site allthe time. Were trying to showcase actual stu inactual environments in a not-too-stylized ashion.

02 / Objects in context. Overall, we aim to showproduct in the context o its environment. But therewill be instance where it makes sensein designor technology circumstancesto show producton solid color or white backgrounds. This is fne.Whenever possible, aim or a style o photographythat is candid, realistic and minimally staged.

03 / Simple composition. Avoid overlysophisticated crops or super-dynamiccompositions. Keep it basic and clear instead.Everything here should be easy on the eye andsimple but not plain. Injecting a little va-va-voomthrough bold, saturated color is A-OK.

04 / Minimal kitsch factor. Steer clear o visualpuns or super-ironic, super-retro images. Our brandis smart and playul, not a junk shop thats comicalto look at.

Flat Focal Plane

Super-Ironic

Simple

In Context

In Context

Selective Focus

Minimally Staged

Staged

White Background

Basic

Solid Background

Super-Kitschy


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03 / Design Basics

People Photography /

Just like our photography o products shot in context, images o people in our visual languageshould be candid, imperfect and realistic. Ideally, every photograph o a person we useshould signal the act that theres another person on the other side o the camera capturinga moment. Avoid stock clichs such as models giving you the thumbs up while talking on cellphones or pretending to type on laptops. Instead, aim for real people photographed amidstthe day-to-day stuffo their lie.


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Here are some pointers:

01 / Use stock sparingly. Wherever possible, steerclear o staged stock photography o people in

marketing communications. Instead, use imageso actual eBay users shot with their stu. The ideais to humanize this aspect o our brand by keepingpeople photography looking candid and natural.When appropriate, call out the actual user to make itclear that these are real people with real stories to tellabout the stu that they love.

02 / Keep it real. I you have to use stock, try to showpeople doing realistic things in their element. Avoidwhite seamless backgrounds, staged events, propsand clichd poses like chins on elbows. Instead,strive to represent olks doing believable things inthe moment. We want to keep our photographycomposition simple and ree o stereotypes.

03 / Stay candid. Embrace shots that eel a bitpoint-and-shoot, ashbulbs and all. They look urgent,imperect and genuine. Think about how real olksshoot real stu on the site and how theyd likely snappics o their pals. Nothi ng says candid snapshot likethe kind o ash burst that your average stock photoshooter would clone out in Photoshop.

04 / Avoid retouching. eBay is all about being

genuine and nothing says too good to be truethan an overly doctored photo. Stay away romimages that have been obviously airbrushed, color-corrected, doctored, or otherwise tweaked inPhotoshop. Again, think snapshot and youre in goodshape.

06 / Avoid computer shots. Sure, its tempting toshow people on eBay on their computers, but theresnothing as staged as looking at someone looking at amonitor. Its generic, boring and impossible to own.Avoid these kinds o shots at all cost.

03 / Design Basics

eBay User

Simple

Forced

Candid

Staged

Warm

Generic

Snapshot

Imperect

Computer Shot

In the Moment

eBay Seller


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Page 27 of 28

Grid /

A key component to our design system is using grid as a stabilizing visual element. It works bestwith imagesespecially contextualized product photographyand looks great next to solidfelds o color or ull-bleed hero shots. Much in the same way that the style o photography rison the way real people photograph their stu on the site, image grids tie back to the way thatproduct is displayed on the site.

How do you do it? Start by setting a standard clearspace dimension or the top, bottom, let,

and right edges o your page (on a standard A4, .25 will do nicely). Then, divide the horizontalspace let over by the number o images you want to showcase horizontally. Do the samevertically. Then subtract a set number or the space in between images (.0625 or .125 workswell). And voila, youve got your set image size.

03 / Design Basics


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03 / Design Basics

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When its working:

01 / Its organized. The more stu you put on apage, the tougher it is to keep things organized and

looking good. Thats where grid comes in. Its a niceway o giving things clear structure and keepingthem in tidy order. Also, with appropriate and equalclearspace, images stay nicely buered and easy onthe eye.

02 / Its harmonious. Ideally, every image gridshould be assembled with an eye toward visualharmony. Pairing cooler (bluer) and warmer (redder)images, and wider shots with close-ups is a nice wayto create both visual interest and a deeper sense obalance.

03 / Its a mirror to the site. Much in the same waythat our style o photography parallels how thingsare photographed by users on the site, our use ogrid in oine communications is a nice tie-back tohow its used online currently. Not only is it a greatway to suggest selection and breadth o oering, itsa great way to create greater consistency in the printand interactive worlds.

Download - eBay Marketplace Guidelines Aug 2008

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