Overview
“What if there was one object that embodied the countless stories of a truly diverse Canada? There is. Meet a guitar named Voyageur.”
The visual identity for Six String Nation is organic, and as such, it is free to grow and evolve. The guidelines described below reflect the current state of the brand’s visual identity. If you have any questions about the specifications or application of the visual identity, consult the sections below, and if you still have questions, please feel free to contact its designer using this form.
The signature
The Six String Nation core visual signature or “logo” is made up of the symbol plus the Six String Nation wordmark. These components are precisely spaced and proportioned to each other, and they should not be taken apart and used separately, except as described below in the section about the symbol.
The wordmark is based on Adobe Myriad Pro, which has been given a very slight stroke and rounded corners, and precise kerning (letter spacing). No attempt should be made to re-create the wordmark in text form.
The signature + tagline
The signature may also appear with the tagline, “The story of Canada, as you’ve never held before.” Like the signature, the tagline’s size, position, weight, visual hierarchy, and spacing have been carefully designed to suit the application.
The symbol
The Six String Nation symbol is the core element of the visual identity. It represents six strings vibrating in front of the soundhole of an acoustic guitar. The vibrating strings are frozen in time, forming an abstract maple leaf. The conceptual development of the symbol evolved out of the idea that the guitar (and the music it creates) is a lens through which Canadians view ourselves, and the symbol is representative of the view from inside the guitar’s body, out through the soundhole at the passing Canadian landscape.
Proportions and safe margin
The signature
Negative space within and around the signature is carefully designed to a set of internal proportions, using the width and height of the letter “n” as a unit of measure. Do not re-size or adjust the spacing of any elements of the signature.
Also note that the colour version of the symbol has a white background and surrounding margin equal to the weight of the “strings”. The strings and surrounding margin should always appear in white when full-colour applications are used.
The signature + tagline
The tagline (and its accompanying divider line) is also carefully designed to fit internal proportions.
Use against backgrounds
Use the best version of the signature or symbol to give it the greatest contrast against a colour or image.
Colour
Black
White
White reverse
Colour
The primary brand colour for the visual identity is red, which matches the red of Canada’s flag and Federal Identity Program. Colour specifications are listed below:
| Colour | Screen | |
|---|---|---|
|
Red 032 |
C: 0 M: 100 Y: 100 K: 0 Pantone 032 |
R: 235 G: 45 B: 55 HEX: #EB2D37 |
|
Black |
C: 0 M: 0 Y: 0 K: 100 Process Black |
R: 0 G: 0 B: 0 HEX: #000000 |
|
White |
C: 0 M: 0 Y: 0 K: 0 White |
R: 255 G: 255 B: 255 HEX: #FFFFFF |
|
Grey |
C: 0 M: 0 Y: 0 K: 50 50% Black |
R: 128 G: 128 B: 128 HEX: #808080 |
Typography
The typeface family used for Six String Nation is Adobe Myriad Pro.
Adobe Myriad Pro
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
1234567890!?@#$%^&*“”‘’
Adobe Myriad Pro Italic
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
1234567890!?@#$%^&*“”‘’
Adobe Myriad Pro Bold
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
1234567890!?@#$%^&*“”‘’
Adobe Myriad Pro Bold Italic
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
1234567890!?@#$%^&*“”‘’
Using the name in text
Although the visual identity uses different arrangements of upper and lower case to establish brand character and visual hierarchy, when using the Six String Nation name and tagline in text, the brand name should always be in Title case, e.g. Six String Nation, and the tagline should always appear in Sentence case, e.g. The story of Canada, as you’ve never held it before. The emphasis indicated here is not a requirement, and used only for illustrative purposes.
Special versions
20th Anniversary
The year 2026 marks the 20-year anniversary since the debut of the Six String Nation’s iconic creation – the guitar known as Voyageur. To mark this special anniversary, a commemorative 20th anniversary version of the signature has been created, with and without the tagline.
These special versions of the logo have been designed with the goal of maintaining consistency with the brand architecture. To maintain this consistency going forward, do not create any other unauthorized variations of the logo, symbol, or signature. Please direct all logo inquiries to the designer via this form.
Downloads
A .zip archive of all versions of the Six String Nation visual identity can be downloaded here:
six_string_nation_2026_Visual_Identity.zip [17.9 MB .zip archive]
For any additional applications, more information, or other requests, please contact Darren Wilson using this form.