Donor visibility and co-branding: getting partner logos right

Most institutional funders expect the public to see where their money went. For implementing partners, donor visibility requirements are not a courtesy but a condition of the grant. The European Commission states that it will act "in an appropriate and timely manner" if partners do not meet their visibility or strategic communication obligations.¹ The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) makes branding a programme rule, and if required branding is missing, the implementing partner pays to correct it.²

Getting partner logos right also matters for trust. A banner where one funder's logo dominates, or a report that forgets a co-funder, creates awkward conversations with the people who pay for your work. The fix is simple: know the rules before you design, and check every product against them before it goes out.

Visibility is easiest to manage when it is planned at the start. Where the EU has approved project-specific communication, partners must produce a Strategic Communication Plan and obtain EU approval before operational activities begin, unless otherwise agreed.³ The guidance lists its minimum elements: narrative, objectives, audiences, approach, activities, measuring impact, risks and budget.³ It also asks for communication to be data driven, with quantitative or qualitative indicators.¹

FCDO uses a shorter document, a visibility statement agreed at the time of signing the funding arrangement, which sets out how the partner will acknowledge UK funding.² Whichever donor you work with, a one-page summary of the agreed rules, shared with your designers, photographers and video team, saves a great deal of rework later.

The EU's guidance for external actions is detailed, but a handful of rules cover most everyday materials.³ The emblem is described as the single most important visual brand for acknowledging EU funding, and no other visual identity or logo may be created to highlight EU support unless agreed beforehand.¹

• Use the emblem with "Funded by the European Union" or "Co-funded by the European Union", spelled out in full and never separated from it.
• Spell out the funding statement in the operational and relevant local languages.
• Reproduce the emblem in full, without changes, and never combine it with another donor's or organisation's symbol.
• Feature the emblem at the beginning and/or end of videos, and have videos approved by the EU before distribution.
• Mention and tag the relevant EU institution in social media posts about the project.
• Add the standard disclaimer to publications, websites and videos, stating that the content does not necessarily reflect the views of the EU.
• Do not put the EU emblem on partners' business cards, stationery or correspondence.

For UK-funded official development assistance, the default is the UK International Development logo, while the UK aid logo is now reserved for humanitarian programmes.² The logo has a minimum width of 27mm (17mm for UK aid), must always have a border of clear space, and must not be altered in colour, proportion or wording.² Partners must also not create new logos or programme identities.²

As a minimum, implementing partners use a statement such as "This project was funded with UK International Development from the UK government".² Documents can carry a disclaimer that the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the UK government's official policies.² Other donors publish their own rules, so always ask your programme officer for the current version rather than relying on an old file.

Most programmes have more than one name to credit: one or more donors, the implementing partner, sometimes a government ministry. The EU requires its emblem to be at least as prominent as other financial partners' logos, and at least as large as the biggest of them, with positions agreed with all donors.³ FCDO asks that, where donors contribute similar amounts, UK funding receives recognition in line with other donors.²

In practice, we build a single logo strip for each programme: a fixed order agreed with partners, logos balanced by optical size rather than raw width, the same background behind all of them and enough space between each. Approved full-colour and single-colour versions of the strip prevent people from improvising on the day a banner is due.

Watch out for borrowed symbols. Non-UN entities may use the SDG icons and colour wheel under the UN guidelines, but may not build the wheel into their own logo, and SDG branding must not imply UN endorsement.⁴ In digital products, give each logo short alt text with the organisation's name; the W3C notes there is no need to say it is a logo.⁵

Visible branding is not always safe. The EU allows derogations only in exceptional situations, such as security issues or local political sensitivities, and alternatives must be agreed with the EU before visibility is limited.³ A sudden crisis is not by itself a reason to drop visibility.³

FCDO allows exceptions where branding could threaten the lives, safety and security of beneficiaries and staff, cause a loss of dignity, obstruct humanitarian operations or undermine the independence of a programme, among other grounds.² Exceptions must be agreed with the responsible FCDO officer.² It also states that humanitarian supplies should never be slowed down for branding.² Document any exception in writing, and keep it with your visibility plan.

Many visibility problems are technical. Always download donor logos from the official source: the EU links to an emblem download centre from its guidance page,¹ and FCDO asks partners to use only approved artwork.² Never redraw, recolour or stretch a logo, and never copy one from a website screenshot.

Ask each partner for vector files (SVG, EPS or PDF) in colour and single-colour versions, and check the clear space and minimum size at the final print size, not on screen. Keep the approved logo strip, funding statements and disclaimers in one shared folder so that every designer, photographer and editor uses the same set.

• Funding agreement and donor visibility guidance read
• Communication and visibility plan agreed with the donor
• Official logo files collected in vector format
• Logo order and sizes agreed with all partners
• Funding statement and disclaimer in the right languages
• Videos and key products sent for donor approval
• Any visibility exception agreed in writing
• Final proofs checked at print size before release