---
title: "Introduction"
source: 18F Guides
source_url: https://github.com/18F/guides
licence: CC0-1.0
domain: engineering
subdomain: 18f-guides
date_added: 2026-04-25
---

This toolkit was developed for 18F employees, but we hope it&rsquo;s a useful reference for anyone, whether you&rsquo;re on another design team or a member of the press.

## If you work at 18F
Our visual identity is a flexible system that helps you communicate clearly while building visual consistency across our work. It features a growing set of templates and guides you can use to meet common design needs — and save time in the process.

This identity is integral to our ability to communicate our goals and deliver high-quality products. We recognize that having a strong brand is as important for government agencies as it is for private companies, and our users expect nothing less.

Because a brand communicates [our core values](https://handbook.tts.gsa.gov/about-us/tts-history/#our-values), it helps us build trust with our partners, increase engagement, foster input and open-source contributions, and improve the public&rsquo;s perception of government, all of which are central to [our mission](https://18f.gsa.gov/about/#our-mission).

## If you work at another organization
As a work of the federal government, this project is in the public domain within the United States. Additionally, we waive copyright and related rights in the work worldwide through the [CC0 1.0 Universal public domain dedication](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/).

Feel free to use the format of this guide with your own branding and identity. Please don&rsquo;t use our visual styles as your own, though. These templates, color palettes, and styles are reflective of our core values, and won&rsquo;t necessarily translate well for your organization and your communication goals.

## Feedback or questions
This is not a complete brand style guide, and it&rsquo;s still an early draft. We&rsquo;ll continue adding to this as we can, but there is no dedicated team at the moment.

We welcome your feedback and contributions so that we can continue to chip away at the highest priority needs for the 18F team. If you have any suggestions or are interested in getting involved, please chat us in [#18f-branding](https://18f.slack.com/archives/18f-branding) or [create an issue in GitHub](https://github.com/18F/guides/issues).

### Related links
* [18F Content Guide](https://pages.18f.gov/content-guide/)
* [U.S. Web Design System](https://designsystem.digital.gov/)
* [Getting Started with Google Slides](https://support.google.com/docs/topic/19431)
* [Apple Keynote Support](https://www.apple.com/support/mac-apps/keynote/)
