Our brand
One brand strategy
Brand expression
Power of Priceless
Asset Library
KEY TAKEAWAYS
01
Drive preference
We use our Symbol in sponsorships to reinforce the passions we have in common with our consumers.
Standing out and enhance legibility by:
- Surrounding our Symbol with adequate space 1/4 the height of the Symbol on all sides
- Placing it on canvas colors
- Reproducing at minimum conventional sizes: 24px/48pts on screen and 8.9mm/0.35" in print
02
Identify products and services
We use our Symbol to identify all our products and services under one brand. As we innovate and extend our reach into new lines of business and across digital, the meanings of our Symbol will stretch and grow.
03
Signify a premium experience
To differentiate our premium offering across our top-tier card programs, we use our Premium Brand Mark.
The Premium Brand Mark is reserved exclusively for our top tier card programs. It should never be used in marketing outside of cards and representational artwork.
As our most valuable assets, we should always use the appropriate version and authorized artwork for our brand.
04
Essential tools
Our Symbol is the visual signifier of our brand and our most important brand assets. Wherever and however we interact with people, our brand assets are recognized for the connections we make possible, and trusted for the safe, simple, and secure payments we provide.
UNIQUELY MASTERCARD
From the very beginning, Mastercard’s Brand Mark has relied on extraordinarily simple elements: red and yellow interlocking circles. Evolving this identity to include the Symbol without the word Mastercard preserves our iconic foundation, provides a crisper look that signals modernity, simplicity, and flexibility more suited for digital channels.
DID YOU KNOW?
In our global market research, we found that an astonishing 81% of consumers spontaneously recognized our red and yellow interlocking circles without the word Mastercard. To date, our marks appear on over 2.5 billion cards2 and at over 50 million merchant locations around the globe.
Specifications for using the Mastercard Symbol
1. Choose the correct Mastercard branding (“logo”) for your specific use. See Configurations for more guidance.
2. Always provide sufficient contrast with the background. See Background contrast.
3. Always surround the logo with sufficient clear space. See Minimum clear space.
4. For cards, please get guidelines and artwork from the Card Design Standards at mastercardconnect.com
5. Always reproduce the logo at a size that is clear and legible. See Minimum size.
6. When referencing Mastercard® in text, use an uppercase “M” and lowercase “c”, with no space between “Master” and “card”. See Using the Mastercard name in text.
Full-color Mastercard Symbol
The Mastercard Symbol is comprised of the Mastercard circles without the word “Mastercard.” The Symbol is used at merchant locations (physical, websites and apps) to signal acceptance and in marketing materials to market and promote Mastercard products and services.
- The Mastercard Symbol must be used in full color. See Color specifications.
- The Mastercard Symbol must never be used in grayscale or other colors. (Instead, use the grayscale or solid Mastercard Brand Mark as noted in the next section.)
- The Mastercard Symbol may be displayed with or without the registered trademark symbol.
- Artwork is available for download and must not be altered.
- Download artwork for cards at mastercardconnect.com.
Note: When used to signify acceptance, the Symbol may also be referred to as an Acceptance Mark.
Grayscale and solid Mastercard Brand Mark
Mastercard permits the grayscale and solid Mastercard Brand Mark to be used at merchant locations (physical, websites, and apps) to signal acceptance and in marketing materials to market and promote Mastercard products and services only when full-color printing is not available.
If you need further guidance on which Mastercard branding to use, please consult your Mastercard Representative or contact us.
Both vertical and horizontal configurations are available. Use the one that best fits your needs.
- On white or light backgrounds, use the positive artwork. On black or dark backgrounds, use the reverse artwork. See Color specifications.
- Grayscale and solid versions must never be used on the chip side for physical cards or the visible side when a card is represented visually in any digital payment environment.
- Artwork is available for download and must not be altered.
- Download artwork for acceptance and marketing here.
- Download artwork for cards at mastercardconnect.com
VERTICAL CONFIGURATION
HORIZONTAL CONFIGURATION
Note: The ™ and / or ® trademark symbols (or other symbol required under local law) may be used. When used, they must remain at the size provided in the authorized artwork files and be scaled proportionally with the marks even though their legibility may be compromised when the marks are at very small sizes or reproduced in certain media. The trademark symbols (or other symbol required under local law) must not be enlarged independently to increase legibility.
Decal stickers
- The decal sticker (also known as the “Acceptance Mark”) is comprised of the Mastercard Symbol on a specifically-sized black background.
- Decal stickers are physically printed signage used to signify acceptance at retail locations such as on door decals, card terminals or ATMs.
- Decal stickers and other signage must not be printed in grayscale.
- Artwork is available for download and must not be altered.
Not all configurations of Mastercard branding are available in all color versions.
- The Mastercard Symbol must be used in full-color only. When technical limitations prohibit the use of full-color, use the solid or grayscale Mastercard Brand Mark.
- On physical cards, the Mastercard Symbol must be printed in full-color match PANTONE®* only. For more details, refer to the Card Design Standards published on mastercardconnect.com
- When depicting cards in digital payments/wallets the Mastercard Symbol must always be in full color using the provided RGB or Hex values.
- The decal sticker is available in full-color only and must be reproduced in full-color match PANTONE only.
- Colors are built into the downloadable artwork files and must not be altered.
COLOR
| Mastercard Red | Mastercard Orange | Mastercard Yellow |
|---|---|---|
| RGB: 235/0/27 | RGB: 255/95/0 | RGB: 247/158/27 |
| HEX: EB001B | HEX: FF5F00 | HEX: F79E1B |
| CMYK: 0/100/98/3 | CMYK: 0/75/100/0 | CMYK: 0/44/100/0 |
| PANTONE: 2035 C | PANTONE: 165 C | PANTONE: 1375 C |
GRAYSCALE AND SOLID
| Mastercard Dark Gray | Mastercard Medium Gray | Mastercard Light Gray Red |
|---|---|---|
| CMYK: 0/0/0/75 | CMYK: 0/0/0/52 | CMYK: 0/0/0/28 |
Note: Color specifications apply to vertical configurations as well.
*The color values shown here have not been evaluated by Pantone, Inc. for accuracy and may not match the PANTONE Color Standard. Consult correct PANTONE Color Publications for accurate color. PANTONE® is the property of Pantone, Inc.
**For online/digital RGB use or PANTONE printing, the trademark symbol (™) next to the yellow circle must be reproduced in Mastercard Yellow. For CMYK printing, the trademark symbol (™) must be black for the positive mark or white for the reverse mark. For all uses, the registered trademark symbol (®) to the right of the word “mastercard®” must be black for the positive mark or white for the reverse mark.
To ensure legibility of Mastercard branding, never use the logos at sizes smaller than the minimum size requirements.
Mastercard branding must appear in an uncluttered space free from text and other graphics.
- Surround the Mastercard Symbol with clear space of at least 1/4 the width of one of the circles within the Symbol.
Sufficient contrast between the background and the Mastercard branding is required.
Lettercase
When referencing Mastercard in text, use an uppercase “M” and lowercase “c” with no space between “Master” and “card”. The name must not appear with a capital “C”. Mastercard must appear in the same font as its surrounding text. The name must not be modified in any way. The name may appear in all uppercase letters only if the font style of the user interface or communication also appears in all uppercase letters.
Read-through
The Mastercard Symbol may not be used as a read-through in a headline, or in the body of a communication. When the word Mastercard is used in text, it must be set in the same typeface as the surrounding text.
Trademark attribution notice
When the Mastercard, Maestro or Cirrus name and/or Mastercard Symbol, Mastercard Brand Mark, Maestro Brand Mark or Cirrus Brand Mark are used, the following trademark attribution notice may be included once in the communication, as applicable:
For the use of the Mastercard name, Symbol, or Brand Mark:
- “Mastercard and the circles design are registered trademarks of Mastercard International Incorporated.”
- “[List Marks] are trademarks of Mastercard International Incorporated.”
- “All trademarks are the property of their respective owner(s).”
For the use of the Maestro name or Brand Mark:
- “Maestro and the circles design are registered trademarks of Mastercard International Incorporated or its affiliates.”
For the use of the Cirrus name or Brand Mark:
- “Cirrus and the circles design are registered trademarks of Mastercard International Incorporated.”
If the Mastercard Symbol appears without the mention of the word “Mastercard” in the body copy of the communication, the following trademark attribution notice may be used instead: “The Mastercard circles design is a registered trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated.”
For the use of the Mastercard, Maestro, or Cirrus name and/or Mastercard Symbol, or Mastercard, Maestro, or Cirrus Brand Mark, to maintain parity, when a trademark attribution notice is used for any other third party trademark or trade name used in association with, or on the same communication, acceptable trademark attribution must be included.
Translations
The Mastercard name must appear in English only. The Mastercard name must not be translated into other languages nor appear in another alphabet except for specific authorized versions in Chinese (translation), Arabic (transliteration), Georgian (transliteration), and Korean (transliteration).
Parity
In communications that promote more than one acceptance mark, the Mastercard name and/or branding must be presented with size, frequency, color treatment, location and prominence equal to that of all other acceptance marks and/or logos presented.
Consistent presentation of Mastercard® branding benefits issuers, acquirers, and merchants, by promoting consumer recognition and card use that builds business. Here are some common mistakes to avoid:
Do not recolor the Symbol.
Do not outline the Symbol.
Do not display or reproduce at insufficient resolution or size.
Do not create a grayscale decal sticker or Symbol.
Do not position the word “mastercard®” within the circles.
Do not use the grayscale or solid Symbol without the word “mastercard®”.
Do not use a grayscale or solid mark on the visible side when a card is represented visually in any digital payment environment.
