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Windows 8 and Windows RT Compatible Logo Usage Guidelines

The goals of the Windows 8 Certification program are to help consumers and businesses identify the connected devices and desktop apps that work well with the Windows 8 operating system, and to help you differentiate your products in the marketplace. Certified devices and desktop apps have passed our tests for compatibility and reliability with Windows 8.

Among other benefits, earning Windows 8 certification allows you to display the “Windows 8 Compatible” logo or the combined “Windows 8 and Windows RT Compatible” logo. After your product has passed certification testing and you have submitted your results to Microsoft, you can use the logo on packaging and in ads and other promotional materials for that product, according to the guidelines explained in this document.

To encourage customers to choose “Windows 8 Compatible” and “Windows 8 and Windows RT Compatible” products, we raise awareness through web ads, retail point-of-sale (POS) materials, and the Windows 8 Compatibility Center website.

This document is designed to help you use the applicable logo and product messaging to confidently communicate to customers how they benefit by choosing your certified device.

We recommend that you display the “Windows 8 Compatible” or “Windows 8 and Windows RT Compatible” logo where customers will encounter in the product evaluation and presales process.

If you have any questions about using these logos, email to WLPbrand@microsoft.com.

Logo license agreement

The product(s) that you plan to advertise or distribute that bear the certification logo must be licensed under the applicable Logo License Agreement (LLA) and meet all Windows Certification Program requirements.

Product packaging guidelines

You may display either logo publicly on product packaging. We recommend placing logos on packaging one of these ways:

  • Place one logo centered at the bottom of the packaging spine. Place another logo in the bottom-right corner of the packaging front cover.

OR

  • Place one logo centered at the bottom of the packaging spine. Place another logo in the upper-right corner of the packaging front cover.

Online guidelines

You may display either logo publicly online. It is important to use the appropriate logo on webpages and to follow these guidelines:

  • The logo needs to appear in association with the specific product that meets all program requirements and is licensed under the applicable LLA.

  • The logo may be used throughout the website adjacent for products that have passed certification testing, including home page, product pages, and search results.

  • The logo can be used on company-level webpages as a click-through image to “Windows 8 and Windows RT” product-specific and product family pages.

  • We recommend that information about the logo display when customers click or pause on it.

Banner ads

The logo may be used in online banner ads when it's associated with a specific product or product family that has met the technical requirements of the program. You must follow the specified visual guidelines.

You may display the logo publicly in print. The logo must appear only in association with a specific product that has met the certification program requirements. For ads, follow these guidelines:

  • If the ad is for one product, the logo may be placed near the product image or at the bottom of the ad, as specified in the visual guidelines.

  • If the ad is for multiple products, the logo must appear next to each product that has met the certification program requirements.

  • If the ad is for multiple products that all meet equivalent certification program requirements, the logo may be placed near the product images or at the bottom of the ad, as specified in the visual guidelines.

Point-of-sale (POS) materials guidelines

You may display the logo in point-of-sale (POS) or other printed materials. The logo must appear in association with a specific product that has met the program requirements. When using the logo in POS materials, please follow the same guidelines provided for print advertising.

The logo may be incorporated into all product manuals, specification sheets, flyers, and other print outreach efforts when used in association with the specific product that has met the certification program requirements.

Follow these guidelines when using the logo on marketing materials or product packaging:

  • Do not combine the logo with any other symbols, including words, logos, icons, graphics, photos, slogans, numbers, or other design elements.

  • Do not use the logo in a manner that might imply our affiliation, sponsorship, endorsement, or approval other than as specified in the LLA.

  • Do not use the logo in a manner that might suggest cobranding or otherwise create potential confusion about the source of your product or ownership of the logo.

  • Do not display the logo in a manner that suggests your product is our product or that Microsoft, Windows, Windows 8, or Windows RT is a part of your product name.

  • Do not imitate the logo.

  • If you use either the phrase “Windows 8 Compatible" or “Windows 8 and Windows RT Compatible”, always make it clear that we own the Windows trademarks by using this phrase: Windows® and the Windows logo are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.

Visual guidelines

As a licensee, you must only use the logo we provide. You may change its size, as long as the minimum width is 12.7 mm. The logo may not be altered in any other manner, including proportions, colors, visual elements, and any other way. The logo may not be animated, morphed, or otherwise distorted in perspective or dimensional appearance.

The artwork is provided in four colors (solid and reversed). You can choose the color that matches your packaging best.

  • Size. Artwork comes in the recommended size of 16 mm (W) x 20 mm (H). If you resize the artwork, it must be at least 12.7 mm wide.

  • Color. Artwork comes in 4 colors, with solid and reversed versions for each: Purple (PMS 258) / Dark blue (PMS 286) / Cyan (PMS Process Cyan) / Black. Black is provided only for single-color printing constraints, like black ink on corrugated packaging.

  • Contrast. Use the color of artwork (dark blue, cyan, or purple) that aligns with the surrounding elements best. Use black only if you can only print one color.

  • Orientation. Do not display the artwork in an orientation different from what's shown in this document. The logo is designed for a vertical appearance and should never appear in a different position.

  • Clear space. The clear space around the logo must be at least 25% of its width.

Monochromatic versions

The logos should always be re-created in full color to ensure consistency and maximize visibility. A black-and-white version may be used only in materials that are 100 percent single color—like product packaging, periodicals and newspapers, or black-and-white sales sheets.

Messaging guidelines

The following guidelines describe how to properly promote the products that display the logo.

When referring to Windows 8 and Windows RT as products:

  • Do not refer to the product simply as 8 or RT. Always include “Windows” in the name.

  • Do not abbreviate Windows 8 as Win, Win8, or W8.

  • The first time that Windows 8 or Windows RT is mentioned in written text, include the properly placed registered trademark symbol and a reference to the product as an operating system, for example: “the Windows® 8 operating system.”

  • You may use the phrase “Windows 8 and Windows RT” in headlines and headings, but only after the full name “Windows® 8 operating system” and/or “Windows® RT operating system” has been used is provided at the first mention within the text.

  • Whenever Windows 8 or Windows RT are referenced in any materials, make it clear that we own the Windows trademark by using this phrase:Windows® is a trademark of the Microsoft group of companies.

  • Do not call apps that work with Windows 8 “Windows 8 apps.” Instead, call them “apps for Windows 8” or “apps that work with Windows 8.”

  • Never use Windows 8 in the plural form. For example, do not say “there are three Windows 8s left on the shelf.” Instead, say “there are three copies of Windows 8 left on the shelf.”

  • Never use Windows 8 or Windows RT in the possessive form, as in “Windows 8’s security features are impressive.” Instead, say “the Windows 8 security features are impressive.”

When describing your licensed product:

  • Do use “[Insert product name] is Windows® 8 Compatible.”

  • Do use “[Insert product name] has been tested to meet all of the technical requirements to be Windows® 8 Compatible.”

  • Do use the term “Windows 8 Compatible” in headlines and other callouts related to licensed products, as appropriate.

  • If your product works with Windows RT but can't be certified, identify what works and what doesn't.

To avoid customer confusion:

  • Do not describe a product as “Windows 8 Certified.” Instead use “Windows 8 Compatible.”

  • Do not add or substitute other terms like “optimized,” “powered,” or “ready”in communications about products that display the “Windows 8 Compatible” or “Window 8 and Windows RT Compatible” logos.

  • Do not abbreviate or otherwise alter the text in the logo art.

 

 

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