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Overview

Branding allows you to customize how your emails and letters appear to recipients. You can add logos, choose colors, and create a consistent visual identity for your service communications.

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Email Branding

Email branding controls the logo, colors, and header that appear in your emails.

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Choosing Email Branding

Access email branding at /services/{service_id}/service-settings/email-branding.

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Available Options

Default option - Uses the GOV.UK logo and standard government styling.Appearance:
  • GOV.UK logo in header
  • Black text on white background
  • Standard link colors
  • No custom branding
When to use:
  • Default for all new services
  • Cross-government communications
  • When no specific branding needed
Select at /services/{service_id}/service-settings/email-branding/govuk.

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Creating Custom Email Branding

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For Central Government

Central government services have three logo options:
1

Choose Logo Type

At /services/{service_id}/service-settings/email-branding/choose-logo:Organization logo - Your department or agency logo
  • Upload your logo
  • Add optional banner color
Government identity logo - Single Identity System crest or insignia
  • Request creation through support
  • Follows government branding guidelines
  • Professionally designed
2

Select Banner Style

For organization logos, choose banner type at /services/{service_id}/service-settings/email-branding/add-banner:Organization logo - Logo only in header
  • Clean, minimal appearance
  • Logo on white background
Colored banner with logo - Logo on colored background
  • Brand color across header
  • More prominent visual identity
3

Choose Banner Color (if applicable)

Select banner color at /services/{service_id}/service-settings/email-branding/choose-banner-colour:Government Identity System colors:
  • Department for Education - Blue #347CA9
  • Home Office - Purple #9325B2
  • Ministry of Justice - Blue #231F20
  • And many more…
Custom color:
  • Enter hex code (e.g., #FF0000)
  • Preview shows result
  • Must meet accessibility contrast requirements
Ensure sufficient contrast between banner color and logo for accessibility.
4

Upload Logo

At /services/{service_id}/service-settings/email-branding/upload-logo:File requirements:
  • PNG or SVG format
  • Max file size: 2MB
  • Recommended: Transparent background
  • Minimum width: 200px
  • For SVG: No embedded text or images
Upload process:
  • Click “Choose file” or drag and drop
  • File is validated for format and safety
  • Temporary preview generated
5

Set Alt Text

At /services/{service_id}/service-settings/email-branding/preview:Enter alternative text for screen readers:
  • Describe the logo: “Department for Transport”
  • Keep it concise
  • Don’t include “logo” (already implied)
Preview shows:
  • How email header looks
  • Logo placement
  • Color scheme
  • Example message content
6

Save Branding

Confirm to save the branding:
  • Applied to your service
  • Added to organization’s branding pool
  • Available for other services in your org
  • Logo stored permanently
If this is your organization’s first branding and you have no other live services, it may become the organization default.

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For Other Organizations

1

Choose Banner Type

Non-central government services start at /services/{service_id}/service-settings/email-branding/add-banner:Select:
  • Organization logo - Logo only
  • Colored banner with logo - Logo with background color
2

Upload Logo

Same requirements as central government:
  • PNG or SVG
  • Max 2MB
  • Transparent background recommended
  • No embedded content in SVG
3

Set Alt Text and Save

Enter alt text, preview, and save.

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Requesting Government Identity Logos

For official government crests and insignia:
1

Select Single Identity Option

At /services/{service_id}/service-settings/email-branding/choose-logo, select “Government single identity crest or insignia”.
2

View Information

See requirements at /services/{service_id}/service-settings/email-branding/request-government-identity-logo:
  • Available crests shown
  • Usage guidelines
  • Example branding
3

Enter Logo Text

At /services/{service_id}/service-settings/email-branding/request-government-identity-logo/enter-text:Provide the text for your crest:
  • Department name
  • Agency name
  • Exact wording required
Example: “Department for Education”
4

Submit Request

A support ticket is created automatically:
  • Notify team reviews request
  • Branding created professionally
  • Response within 1 working day
  • Applied to your service when ready

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Requesting Custom Branding Help

If you need assistance:
  1. Go to /services/{service_id}/service-settings/email-branding/request
  2. Describe your branding needs:
    • Logo requirements
    • Color preferences
    • Special considerations
  3. Submit request
  4. Notify team responds by next working day
Support requests create Zendesk tickets tagged with notify_task_email_branding or notify_task_email_branding_gov.

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Letter Branding

Letter branding adds your logo to printed letters.

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Choosing Letter Branding

Access at /services/{service_id}/service-settings/letter-branding.

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Available Options

No logo - Plain letters without branding
  • Default for new services
  • Simple, unbranded appearance
  • Text only
NHS branding - NHS logo on letters
  • NHS organizations only
  • Standard NHS visual identity
Organization branding - From your organization’s pool
  • Pre-created brandings
  • Shared across services
Custom branding - Upload your own logo

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Creating Letter Branding

1

Upload Logo

At /services/{service_id}/service-settings/letter-branding/upload-branding:File requirements:
  • SVG format only
  • Max 2MB
  • Black or single color
  • No text in SVG (use shapes only)
  • No embedded images
Design guidelines:
  • Height: ~25mm recommended
  • Width: ~100mm maximum
  • Clean, simple design
  • High contrast for printing
2

Set Branding Name

At /services/{service_id}/service-settings/letter-branding/set-name:Enter name for the branding:
  • Internal reference only
  • Not shown to recipients
  • Must be unique
Example: “Department for Transport logo”
3

Preview and Save

Preview shows:
  • Logo placement on letter
  • Size and positioning
  • How it looks with letter content
Save to:
  • Apply to your service
  • Add to organization pool
  • Make available for other services

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Letter Branding Placement

Logos appear:
  • Top right of first page
  • Above letter content
  • Consistent positioning
  • Printed in black (or spot color if supported)

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Requesting Letter Branding Help

  1. Navigate to /services/{service_id}/service-settings/letter-branding/request
  2. Describe requirements
  3. Attach logo files if available
  4. Submit for support team review

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Managing Branding

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Viewing Current Branding

Check current branding on service settings page:
  • Email branding name
  • Letter branding name
  • Preview links
  • Change options

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Changing Branding

1

Access Branding Settings

From service settings, click on the branding type you want to change.
2

Select New Branding

Choose from available options:
  • Organization pool
  • GOV.UK/NHS standard
  • Create new custom branding
3

Preview Changes

View preview at /services/{service_id}/service-settings/{type}-branding/confirm-change:
  • See example message
  • Check logo appears correctly
  • Verify colors and layout
4

Confirm Update

Click “Save” to apply:
  • Takes effect immediately
  • Applies to all future messages
  • Existing sent messages unchanged
Test by sending yourself a message after changing branding.

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Organization Branding Pools

Organizations maintain pools of approved brandings: Adding to pool:
  • Automatically added when you create custom branding
  • Platform admins can add when setting service branding
  • Shared across all services in organization
Benefits:
  • Consistent branding across services
  • No need to recreate for each service
  • Centralized brand management
  • Faster setup for new services

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Platform Admin Features

Platform administrators have additional branding capabilities:

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Setting Any Branding

At /services/{service_id}/service-settings/set-{type}-branding:
  • Search all brandings system-wide
  • Apply any branding to any service
  • Preview before applying
  • Add to organization pool option

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Branding Pool Management

When setting branding for a service with an organization:
  1. Select branding from full catalog
  2. Preview
  3. Choose whether to add to organization pool
  4. Apply to service
At /services/{service_id}/service-settings/set-{type}-branding/add-to-branding-pool-step:
  • “Yes” - Add to org pool for reuse
  • “No” - Apply to this service only

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Email Branding Preview

Branding affects email appearance: Header:
  • Logo (if using custom branding)
  • Banner color (if configured)
  • GOV.UK or NHS logo (if using standard branding)
Body:
  • Template content
  • Standard link colors
  • Consistent typography
Footer:
  • Service name
  • Unsubscribe link (if enabled)
  • Standard government footer

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Letter Branding Preview

Branding affects letter appearance: First page:
  • Logo in top right
  • Address block on left
  • Letter content below
Subsequent pages:
  • Content only
  • No repeated logo
  • Consistent formatting
Last page:
  • Contact block (if configured)
  • Continuation from previous page

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Logo File Guidelines

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Email Logos

PNG format:
  • Transparent background preferred
  • 300-600px width recommended
  • RGB color mode
  • 72-150 DPI
  • Optimize file size
SVG format:
  • Vector shapes only
  • No embedded text (convert to paths)
  • No embedded images
  • No JavaScript
  • Optimize/simplify paths

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Letter Logos

SVG format (required):
  • Single color (black) or spot color
  • No gradients
  • No text elements (paths only)
  • Suitable for black & white printing
  • Simple, clean design
  • High contrast
Complex logos may not print well. Test by sending yourself a letter before using in production.

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Best Practices

Test Branding

Send test emails/letters to yourself before using new branding in production.

Use SVG for Letters

Vector graphics scale better and print clearer than raster images.

Keep Logos Simple

Simple designs work best for email and letter printing.

Check Accessibility

Ensure color contrast meets WCAG AA standards (4.5:1 minimum).

Optimize File Size

Smaller files load faster in emails and process quicker.

Consistent Branding

Use the same branding across all services in your organization.

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Troubleshooting

Common issues:
  • File size exceeds 2MB
  • Wrong format (must be PNG/SVG for email, SVG for letters)
  • SVG contains embedded images or text
  • File is corrupted
Solutions:
  • Compress/optimize image
  • Convert format
  • Clean SVG (convert text to paths, remove embedded content)
  • Re-export from design software
Email colors must meet accessibility requirements:
  • Minimum contrast ratio: 4.5:1
  • Use tools like WebAIM Contrast Checker
  • Adjust colors if needed
  • Request help from Notify team
Notify automatically sizes logos:
  • Email: Scaled to fit header area
  • Letters: Fixed height (~25mm)
If sizing is off:
  • Check source file dimensions
  • Ensure adequate whitespace around logo
  • Contact support for custom sizing
Check:
  • Service organization type is set correctly
  • Organization is NHS or central government
  • Service is linked to organization
If issues persist, contact platform admin.
To add branding to pool:
  • Create new branding (automatically added)
  • Platform admin can add when setting branding
  • Contact organization admin

Managing Services

Configure service settings and defaults

Template Management

Create templates that use your branding

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