Government of Canada signature: Canada.ca design system
- Last updated: 2023-06-26
Mandatory on all pages
The Government of Canada signature is a mandatory element of the global header. The signature is an official symbol of the Government of Canada. It combines the flag symbol and “Government of Canada” in both official languages.
The Government of Canada signature helps users identify that the page they are on belongs to the Government of Canada.
On this page
When to use
The Government of Canada signature is mandatory on all pages.
What to avoid
Don’t modify the signature.
Don’t change the colour of the flag. It must appear in colour (red), not in black and white.
Don’t modify the text (Government of Canada Gouvernement du Canada) or the font.
Content and design
Find content and design specifications and visual examples.
Content specifications
The Government of Canada signature appears in the top-left corner of the page.
The signature is composed of the flag symbol in Federal Identity Program red, followed by the words Government of Canada in English and Gouvernement du Canada in French, both in black text.
The signature must appear as English first on English pages and French first on French pages.
Accessibility
Include Government of Canada as alt text on the English side, Gouvernement du Canada as alt text on the French side.
Interactions
When selected, the signature brings the user to the homepage of Canada.ca.
Design specifications
- Type: image
- Position: top left
- Flag symbol colour: FIP red (#eb4837)
- Text colour: black (#000000)
- Alt text: Government of Canada
The signature is a Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file, configured to scale automatically according to screen size.
The signature is an image file that must be formatted according to the Design Standard for the Federal Identity Program.
Visual examples
Image description: Government of Canada signature - large screen
The Government of Canada signature is in the top-left corner of the website. It is composed of the flag symbol in red, followed by the words Government of Canada in English and Gouvernement du Canada in French, both in black text.
Image description: Government of Canada signature - small screen
The Government of Canada signature is in the top-left corner of the website. It is composed of the flag symbol in red, followed by the words Government of Canada in English and Gouvernement du Canada in French, both in black text.
How to implement
Find working examples for implementing the GC signature, an element of the global header.
GCweb (WET) theme implementation reference
The implementation reference includes how to configure each element of the header.
Implementations
Determine what best suits the type of page you're creating.
GC-AEM
For the Government of Canada Adobe Experience Manager (AEM):
Research and rationale
Consult research findings and policy rationale.
Research findings
Trust and consistency are essential. Our Canada.ca Trust Study and prior research show that a consistent header is necessary to maintaining a trusted brand.
For example, people trust the page more when the flag in the Government of Canada signature is red.
If you want to know more about this research, contact the Digital Transformation Office at cds.dto-btn.snc@servicecanada.gc.ca.
Policy rationale
The Government of Canada signature is defined by the Federal Identity Program. As a part of the global header, it is a mandatory element under the Content and Information Architecture Specification.
Latest changes
- Updated the guidance to include advice on what to avoid, content and design specifications, visual examples, implementation guidance, research findings and policy rationale
Page details
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