Communications Corner: Team News & BSG Revisions 2025

Submitted by Leslie Marinelli

We have big news in the Communications Department this week! 

(Yes, I just said Communications Department, and I wasn't even using air quotes this time.)

I am thrilled to welcome FCPL's first Communications Specialist, Sara Higgins, to the team! Sara comes to us with a wealth of experience in all things communications and will be a huge asset to the Library. 

We'll be visiting all the branches over the next two weeks to help Sara learn the ropes. Here's a selfie I just took of us in my office so you'll recognize us when we walk through the door: 

Just kidding. 

(My beard is way longer than that.) 

Seriously though, I didn't just dream this up. 

Sara is REAL! 

This is what Sara really looks like: 

You can see she has excellent taste in books. 

Speaking of which, this week marks the 2-year anniversary of the FCPL Brand & Style Guide (BSG)! 

In preparing for Sara's training, I added a few little things to the BSG that people have asked me about recently:  

1.) Design Best Practices for Our Logos

Our blue and green color logos with the wordmark are an integral part of the FCPL brand are are usually preferable over the black or white version of our logos for most designs. If you're designing something in color, nine times out of ten you should be using the color version of our logo on your design. I rarely use the black logos, and I only use the white ones on a dark background if the color logo isn't clearly visible. 

2.) Library Location Names

I added a brief section about FCPL location names. Our library naming conventions can be pretty confusing to the public. Four of our five branches have Cumming mailing addresses, but only one is actually called Cumming Library. For the sake of branding and clear communication, please use each location's full name on anything the public can see. For example: write out "Denmark Library" instead of just saying Denmark or DE. 

3.) Dashes Demystified 

I added a breakout box to illustrate the difference between a hyphen, an en dash, and an em dash. I know these can be confusing, and I hope this will help clarify why we use the en dash so often in our promotional materials. Like spelling and grammar, proper punctuation is an important part of any public library's brand. 🤓 Thank you for all you do to contribute to our positive image and make FCPL such a wonderful resource for our community.