Promoting State Department Programs
State Department Brand Identity and Functions
(CT:PEC-97; 06-27-2025)
(Office of Origin: GPA/DIG/CNS)
10 FAM 411 Department Branding and Marking Introduction
(CT:PEC-97; 06-27-2025)
a. The Department Brand System, hosted on brand.america.gov, is the Department’s central visual design and brand identity repository. The Brand System is a tool for standardizing and maintaining a consistent look and feel across physical and digital products and platforms. This consistent look and feel improves audiences' ability to recognize and remember Department messaging seen domestically or abroad and bridges the gap between online and in-person experiences.
b. The Brand System is managed by the Bureau of Global Public Affairs (GPA) and provides assets and guidance for the full scope of the State Department's brand identity across internal and public-facing communications.
c. Brand System policies apply to all bureau, office, and post identities, and to all internal and external programs, products, and initiatives designed and conducted by Department and mission employees, contractors, and implementing partners.
d. In order to promote greater clarity amongst global audiences about the U.S. Government’s role in domestic and overseas programs and activities, the Department has designated mandated uses of the U.S. flag in conjunction with established Department logos, seals, and markings for appropriately highlighting and identifying programs and initiatives funded by the Department.
e. By clearly marking U.S. Department of State, U.S. Mission, and U.S. Government entities and functions and our provision of security, economic, humanitarian, technical, and other types of assistance, we can increase the visibility and audience understanding of the breadth and depth of U.S. Government activities domestically and abroad.
f. The Department spends American taxpayers’ dollars each year administering a broad array of programs and activities domestically and overseas. As part of this investment, the Department must appropriately highlight and inform audiences about U.S. partnership and sponsorship of programs as well as our provision of humanitarian, economic, technical, and other types of funding and assistance.
g. Trust in government information and services depends on the public’s ability to distinguish between government and non-government entities. Clear and consistent use of the Department’s brand identity helps the public identify official Department entities, information, and services.
10 FAM 412 Branding and Marking Policy Implementation
(CT:PEC-97; 06-27-2025)
a. It is the responsibility of the relevant Under Secretary or Chief of Mission to implement this guidance across program and entity products and communications. Chiefs of Mission are required to enforce this guidance as appropriate with collaborative interagency efforts overseas.
b. Progress toward implementation of this guidance will be evaluated by GPA and reported to the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy on an annual basis.
c. Grants and contracting officers will review compliance of the marking requirements with grantees, implementing partners, and contractors, respectively.
d. Department staff, including but not limited to public affairs officers, program officers, control officers, and site officers for official Department programs, visitors, or for events in which the Department is a major sponsor, must ensure that the U.S. Government is clearly identified as the host, sponsor, partner, etc. of events that reach foreign audiences, and that the U.S. Department of State is clearly identified for those that reach domestic audiences.
e. Where there are legitimate reasons for exceptions to be made, such exceptional circumstances should be documented by the responsible bureau or post and reported to GPA (branding@state.gov). More information on marking policy exceptions is outlined in 10 FAM 416.
10 FAM 413 Official Department Markings and Visual Styles
(CT:PEC-97; 06-27-2025)
a. GPA has established and maintains official brand assets and visual styles for identifying the Department, its bureaus and offices, and U.S. Missions abroad. These assets and provided policies ensure all department entities, programs, products, and functions maintain a cohesive visual identity that clearly represent the agency as well as the U.S. Government presence domestically and overseas.
b. To efficiently use Department resources and cohesively identify as U.S. Government entities, all bureaus, missions, posts, programs, etc. must adhere to the Department’s Brand System both in internal and external messaging:
(1) Overseas Branding: Missions and posts must identify themselves first and foremost as the U.S. Government by marking all materials, programs, and events with the standard U.S. flag and may also include their official mission seal as appropriate. U.S. Government funded, operated, and/or sponsored public-facing programs (to include exchanges and partnership arrangements pursuant to Memoranda of Understanding or similar instruments) must identify as such by including the standard U.S. flag alongside any program logos, seals, or markings;
(2) Domestic Branding: Bureaus and domestic offices must identify themselves first and foremost as the U.S. Department of State by marking all materials, programs, and events with the standard U.S. flag alongside the official State Department seal; and
(3) Multilateral Organizations: Initiatives co-managed or funded by multiple governments or organizational bodies may continue to use unique logos, seals, and markings. New multilateral initiative logos, seals, and markings created by the Department on or after July 1, 2025, should use the color and typography options from brand.america.gov as foundational styles. Multilateral organizations should be urged to consider how the U.S. flag may be incorporated (along with relevant partner flags or emblems) in physical and digital messaging materials.
c. Bureau and mission logos, seals, and markings not aligned with the Department’s visual identity contribute to messaging confusion and diminishes clarity among Department employees, external partners, and the general public about who is funding Department programs, platforms, and activities. The creation of additional logos, seals, and markings will not be permitted unless expressly approved by GPA (branding@state.gov) as they contribute to messaging confusion and undermine efforts to identify U.S. Department of State and U.S. Government-sponsored events, programs, and assistance.
10 FAM 414 Branding and Marking Strategies
(CT:PEC-97; 06-27-2025)
a. Bureaus and posts must apply the guidance in 10 FAM 410 to all digital and physical materials including:
(1) Signage and banners at bureau and embassy press conferences, cultural and other program events, conferences, receptions, public events, U.S. speaker programs, etc., sponsored by the Department of State;
(2) Bureau and post-produced print publications (e.g., English language teaching materials, exchange information);
(3) American Spaces or other physical Department and mission spaces;
(4) Signage and labeling on Department-sponsored foreign assistance activities;
(5) Publicly distributed materials including reports and fact sheets and press and promotional materials that clearly identify the U.S. Government sponsorship or role;
(6) Social media and other digital engagement platforms that promote Department activities;
(7) Videos and photographs of U.S. Government-sponsored events must consider the layout and position of branded banners and staging to include the U.S. flag or other identification with the U.S. Government;
(8) Department and mission websites, public-facing email templates, and email signatures; and
(9) Other Department of State-supported programs and activities, the focus of which is to engage global audiences.
b. Additionally, bureaus and posts must ensure public remarks, talking points, press releases, interviews, and other promotional materials indicate that the events or programs are U.S. Government-sponsored or funded, when applicable and appropriate.
10 FAM 415 Guidance for Implementing Partners
(CT:PEC-97; 06-27-2025)
a. The Department of State, its programs, and U.S. Government funding and assistance should be easily identifiable to the Department's global audiences:
(1) Programs, funding, and assistance reaching domestic audiences implemented through grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts must clearly recognize Department support by marking with the official Department seal alongside the U.S. flag; and
(2) Programs and assistance reaching foreign audiences implemented through grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts must suitably recognize U.S. Government support by marking with the U.S. flag, and to the maximum extent practicable, incorporating the written or verbal mention of the “United States Government.” Posts and bureaus awarding such grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts for Department of State programs abroad should, as a general matter, include clauses that require use of the standard, rectangular flag for Department-funded activities.
b. Grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts awarded to implementing partners must contain a clause stipulating that U.S. Government support be acknowledged appropriately in all dealings with program participants, and in press releases, ceremonies, dedications, interviews, publicity, etc.
c. Finally, such instruments should stipulate that all award recipients must coordinate publicity, ceremonial events, dedications, etc., with the sponsoring Department of State or embassy office and public affairs officer.
10 FAM 416 Policy Exceptions
(CT:PEC-97; 06-27-2025)
a. GPA may grant exceptions to this policy in appropriate cases. The Department may decide not to mark entities and public programs with the U.S. flag or official Department seals for reasons that may include, but are not limited to:
(1) Where a clear identification with the U.S. Government or the U.S. flag would create a demonstrable security threat to the U.S. Government, its personnel, partners, the program participants or beneficiaries, or the program or venue of the activity;
(2) Programs or projects in which the U.S. Government is one of any number of co-sponsors or participants, or where highlighting the United States would be disproportionate to the U.S. contribution (in which case Department or mission officials should seek other ways to recognize U.S. Government support);
(3) Where identifying U.S. Government support, or where use of the U.S. flag, would raise suspicion of U.S. motives and alienate partners, participants, or beneficiaries, or otherwise undermine the goals of the program;
(4) Where a clear identification with the U.S. Government or the U.S. flag would undermine the objectives of the activity or would not be appropriate for the assistance provided;
(5) Cases in which the Department's (or posts') relationships with foreign governments on joint, bilateral, or multilateral projects, conferences, programs, etc., might preclude marking with only the U.S. flag. In such cases, posts and bureaus are encouraged to include flags of both nations in promotional materials, in conjunction with established logos;
(6) Certain American Spaces, conferences, and other events contained or held within a national or multilateral host institution that might limit the extent of U.S. Government identification; however, if a U.S. Government logo or seal is allowed, the U.S. flag must be used; and
(7) Certain types of memorabilia or gratuities (e.g., crossed flag lapel pins) that are symbols of bilateral cooperation and friendship.
b. When considering whether to grant an exception to the policy, GPA will consider factors such as whether the marking required under the guidance would:
(1) Compromise the independence or neutrality of a program or materials, such as election monitoring or ballots or political party work;
(2) Diminish the credibility of reports, analyses, etc. whose data or findings must be seen as independent;
(3) Undercut cooperating country government responsibility for laws, policies, studies, or other communications;
(4) Impair the functionality of an item, such as sterilized equipment or spare parts;
(5) Incur substantial costs or be impractical, such as items too small or otherwise unsuited for individual marking;
(6) Offend local cultural or social norms, or be considered inappropriate on certain items; or
(7) Conflict with international or domestic law.
c. Request an exception under these circumstances by reaching out to branding@state.gov for a Policy Exception form.
10 FAM 417 Resources
(CT:PEC-97; 06-27-2025)
a. The Bureau of Global Public Affairs maintains a resource site for domestic bureaus, overseas posts, and implementing partners (brand.america.gov) that contains detailed information and guidance on the required use of logos, high-resolution images of the U.S. flag, and frequently asked questions.
b. Recipients and applicant organizations should contact their sponsoring Department of State bureau or overseas mission (grants officer, grants officer representative, contracts officer, contracts officer representative, etc.) for specific information related to Federal assistance or contracts.
c. For general questions about the Department's marking policy and overall branding strategy, please contact branding@state.gov.