Partner brand guide & assets
Everything you
need to create
impactful experiences.
Look good while doing good
Kiva’s partner brand guide is here to make sure that the experiences you create are as beautiful as the work you do for the world. Our intent is to create an experience that is motivating and inclusive for all users.
Logo
Our logo is a valuable element of our visual identity. The following examples are intended to demonstrate how to use the logo across a variety of situations to ensure it is always presented in the best light.
Primary Logo
The Kiva logo is a straightforward and approachable visual representation of our brand. The leaves on the original logo were inspired by our early focus on agricultural loans; They now represent the growth of the Kiva ecosystem and the regenerative nature of inclusive and sustainable loans as a pathway towards financial inclusion and opportunity. ⚠️ Kiva’s Logo should only be used in 3 colors: Kiva’s brand green, white, or black.
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Secondary logos
Secondary logos are built around the primary Kiva logo. These are created internally at Kiva. ⚠️ Kiva’s Logo should only be used in 3 colors: Kiva’s brand green, white, or black.
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Clearspace
The clearspace of the Kiva logo ensures that our logo never gets too close to other logos or other objects/containers. The padding is defined by half the height of the Kiva “K” all around.
Incorrect Usage
To ensure the integrity, clarity and cohesiveness of our brand thorughout our communication, we have made some friendly examples of how our logo should not be used.
Do not change the color of the logo or elements of the logo.
Do not put the logo in a container or shape.
Do not fill the logo or elements of the logo.
Do not change or alter the logotype.
Do not add effects to the logo.
Do not rotate the logo.
Do not skew or alter proportions of the logo.
Do not place the logo on low contrasting colors.
Do not change or alter the lockup of the symbol and logotype.
Do not place the logo on busy or complicated backgrounds.
Do not put the logo on contrasting color backgrounds
Co-branding
This guide is for Kiva partners (Corporations, Foundations, Lending Partners) to ensure the Kiva brand is accurately and consistently portrayed in all your communications. Kiva logo clear space and correct usage (outlined above) must be adhered to in all co-branding instances.
Colors
Our brand colors have been specially designed to work in harmony with each other, a vibrant ecosystem to tell Kiva’s story.
Primary Palette
Our core Kiva colors consists of a green that keeps in tune with Kiva’s heritage and a trio of complimentary colors that reflect the vibrancy of our world.
Secondary Palette
Pulled from nature, our secondary palette allows for multiple avenues to express Kiva’s brand while keeping with accessibility standards.
Type
Touting extensibility, ease-of-use, and cleanliness, our typography was designed to be just your type.
Photography
Rooted in the documentary ethos, we’re opening the lens to celebrate the possibilities that exist in every borrower, in every loan.
Borrower photography
When using Kiva borrower photos in your materials, be sure to follow the following guidelines:
Photos must always have a caption sharing the borrower’s first name, their occupation and their location. Or captions can have more storytelling (see example to the right) but must still include their first name.
⚠️ Do not publish borrowers last names.
⚠️ Do not put text or logos over borrower’s faces
Be careful with cropping, don’t crop out heads or body parts
If color correction editing is needed, have a light touch. Do not over-saturate the image with color, contrast or highlights.
⚠️ When representing borrowers, we NEVER use stock photography.
Icons
Kiva icons to include organic shapes and textures to root our brand in the real world.
Impact icons
We’ve developed a set of icons to represnt our four impact focus populations.
People icons
Our people illustrations to authentically showcase borrowers and the expansiveness of their lives. This is not meant to be a 1 to 1 representation, but a subsample of the many diverse people and their rich backgrounds. Our goal is to be as inclusive and accurate as possible within the constraints of our media channels.
⚠️ Be careful of implicit bias when using people icons.
Everyday use icons
We’ve created a set of icons that can be used to illustrate multiple things. They are optimzed for dark mode so that they will always be visibile and readable. Created by hand, they bring an organic touch to the brand and allow for multiple color combinations.
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Our voice and tone
Kiva sounds like your altruistic, community-minded friend.
Microfinance can be complicated and intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. Imagine Kiva as a person—the embodiment of clarity and encouragement. Kiva speaks in a direct, yet friendly manner, effortlessly simplifying complex concepts (like microfinance). We’re approachable, always ready to lend a helping hand and offer guidance. We motivate others by recognizing individuals' innate qualities and the profound impact of their actions. With a strong commitment to fairness and inclusivity, Kiva ensures everyone feels secure, empowered, and heard. We operate on a foundation of mutual respect and dignity. Our ultimate aim? To ignite action and cultivate a world of financial equity and opportunity for all. Brand tone is the emotional response of our brand voice. You make the voice appropriate to the situation that you’re communicating or writing about. It demonstrates that you understand what your target audience is feeling, and can empathize appropriately. A good example is that our blog tone will sound different from our instagram tone. Or speaking to partners will sound different than speaking to individual lenders. Brand tone allows our voice to appropriately flex depending on the situation or audience, while still sounding like ourselves.
More copy guidelines