Our Employer Value Proposition (EVP)
Get the most from our brand with guidelines for applications, photography and general use.
Introduction
Welcome to our exciting Employee Value Proposition (EVP). Our EVP influences every part of the employee experience at Colt.
- It helps to explain what makes us Colties.
- It’ll help us to attract new Colties.
- It’ll help us stand out from the competition.
This guide will help to show you what that looks like. If you've got any questions please contact the below representatives from HR and Brand teams.
Jason Sullivan - Head of Operations, Talent, and Analytics
Laura Perrott - Global Director Digital and Brand
What is our EVP and why do we have one?
Our Employee Value Proposition (EVP) influences every part of the employee experience at Colt. By bringing this proposition to life in everything we do for Colties, we can attract and retain people who will enjoy their work lives and do amazing things for our customers.
Understanding our EVP promise
Our EVP promise helps us to be clear about what we are famous for, why we are unique, why join us. Through research, we identified that we have a brilliant opportunity to create a unique EVP founded on the idea of autonomy and impact.
We empower people. We don’t tell them what to do. Instead, we employ people we trust, and look to them for the answers. Because at Colt we want our people to be able to make their mark.
How the EVP fits with the rest of our brand
It’s important that you're clear how the EVP links to our overall purpose, vision and promise to our customers. This useful diagram should help as a way to connect and unify our brand and the EVP.
The EVP framework
This is what sits at the heart of what we promise people who choose to work at Colt. It is our core message to them.
This describes what we offer employees. It is what we want to be famous for delivering.
We use principles to shape what an employee experience feels like at Colt.
Together, these parts inform the employee experience.
Our promise story
Looking to make a mark?
At Colt, you’ll make a difference. Because around here, we empower people. We don’t tell you what to do. Instead, we employ people we trust, who come together across the globe to create intelligent solutions.
Our global teams are full of ambitious, driven people, all working together towards one shared purpose: to put the power of the digital universe in the hands of our customers wherever, whenever and however they want.
We give our people the opportunity to inspire and lead teams, and work on projects that connect people, cities, businesses and ideas. We want you to help us change the world, for the better.
At Colt you can make your mark.
Our pillars
There are four pillars that sit under our EVP promise: At Colt you can make your mark. Our pillars influence what we offer our people. They answer the question - why work at Colt?
We’re delivering cutting edge solutions to customers, so you are getting a brand you can be proud to put on your CV. Because we’re changing the world, we’ll give you access to learning through peers, hands-on experience and training that will future-proof your career.
You’ll work in diverse teams from different cultures and countries. This way, we experience different ways of thinking and learn and grow from each other. You’ll be empowered to debate, discuss, listen and share your ideas - all in the pursuit of solutions for our customers and business.
We design solutions to make it easy for you to do your best work. We automate and simplify wherever we can. Hierarchy is no barrier here, you’ll get access to a wealth of experts, leaders, and networks of thinkers and doers. We want you to put them to good use; to help strengthen our global networks, so we can work together and pioneer new solutions.
We give you control of your work life. We are flexible first - that’s a given. Going further, we want to set goals with you that matter - dynamic goals that focus on the outcomes that will help us all win. We’ll help you stretch yourself, and we’ll support you. Not just with learning, but when life changes happen.
Tone of voice
We all need to write in a way that’s confident, authentic and clear.
- We need to use confident, bold, imaginative language to inspire employees and candidates.
- We’re authentic, warm and true to ourselves, always talking to people as human beings.
- We make things clear and straight forward for our readers – let’s be easily heard and understood.
Our employer value proposition follows our company brand guidelines. This content is password protected. To view it please follow the link below and enter the password when prompted.
Our EVP design principles
Our design principles influence how experiences should look and feel. They are the style guide for the way we design the employee experience. The pillars influence what we say and do and the principles influence how we do it.
- Human stories: We’re never afraid to say things that will make people laugh or burst with pride. We believe that what we do is purpose-led and that should come across through the big stories we tell. All this drives our ambition.
- Warm applause: We always shine a light on the success of our people. That’s how we communicate ourstrategy - through the success of our people and our customers. We want people to know about the amazing people we have and how we care for customers and each other.
- We inspire imagination: We make people think about what’s possible. We stretch the imagination. We deliver engaging, rich experiences and communications.
- We’re open and responsive: We listen and act. People matter, and we show we care about them. We make sure that they’re supported, and we always let them talk about what matters most.
The Make device
‘Make’ is a copy device that can be used in recruitment and internal marketing. We use ‘make’ as a prefix in headline copy. This underscores the message that Colt is a place where you can make your mark. We also use the prefix to open body copy.
Headline
Make a change
Make a difference
Make connections
Opening body copy
Make a step up and join a digital infrastructure business that is changing the world for the better.
The EVP tagline
This is the message we want to send to candidates and employees inside Colt. We want people to know that if they come to work in Colt, then they can make a difference. The tagline reinforces that message. It should be used in all recruitment marketing.
At Colt you can make your mark
The design toolkit
Our toolkit consists of a number of visual elements that, when used in combination, give our communications a look and feel that is as engaging and distinctive as Colt itself. The following section will introduce these elements and outline how to use them correctly.
Every element of our communications is based on the existing Colt brand identity. When used with care, we can create design applications that are fully aligned with the organisation’s style, while still being unique and attention-grabbing.
Make your mark identifier (set)
One of the simplest ways to create engaging communications with our design system is by combining typography and pictograms. Here, we’ve provided a demonstration of a variety of applications to generate simple yet iconic assets.
How we’re using colour
As with our brand, the most prominent colours should be teal and white. Adding in the secondary palette will then add a pop of excitement. Done well, this colour combination will provide moments of sparkle and energy. However, you should take care not to overuse the secondary palette, and pull back from colour combinations that feel too childlike.
How we’re using icons / pictograms
We have an extensive range of icons and pictograms for use in our communications, and you can use them in a variety of ways. They can be placed alongside typography or within photography, to add meaning and impact to communications. Pictograms like the lightbulb, cogs or award will work well when you’re communicating specific ideas.
You should always use icons / pictograms in their original form. If there's something you need but can't find, or if you have a new requirement, then please contact the Brand Team. We manage the icon library centrally so we can limit duplication. This way we can make sure everyone is using them correctly, repeatedly and consistently.
Gestures are a form of pictogram which has been recrafted to express moments of activity or energy. They usually take the form of lines or circles, and are best used by integrating them into photographic images, either as an overlay or integrated into the image, giving a sense of fun and movement.
Both gestures and regular pictograms can appear in a range of different colours, best suited to the background you’re using them with.
How we’re using imagery - Art direction
Colt employees are the hero of this EVP, so the photography we use needs to reflect this. When we use images of team members playing their part in our business, make sure to use authentic shots of bright and dynamic individuals engaging in their work environment.
If you need to add a pop of colour for high impact applications, choose a shot of someone against a teal background.
Any photography you choose should be real, honest and believable; reflecting the diversity of our people. They should be actively interested and engaged in what they’re doing, and the people they are with.
How we’re using imagery - Pictograms
Photography & pictograms
Pictograms can either be used on top of photography, or (if the time and resources are available) be integrated into the images. For further guidance on how we do this at Colt, please refer to the examples in this document.
Photography & gestures
Energy gestures can be placed on top of, or integrated into, photography, as shown here. They can also appear as clusters, in order to represent moments of activity, expression or energy.
How we’re using type
We use Gotham, our brand typeface, in a bold way to bring energy and impact to our communications. To give further emphasis to “Make your mark” we split our impactful messages into a simple three-line construct - one for each word. For these main messages, such as headlines and titles, use Gotham bold and colour in teal. We do not use teal
type for anything other than these large main messages.
All other sub headings and our strapline should use Gotham Bold in black for accessibility. For body copy, use Gotham Book in black. When Gotham is not available, use our default font, Arial. Check out more details on how to use typefaces in the Colt brand guidelines.
How we’re using layout
The design system has been created with flexibility in mind, but is built around a simple, easy-to-use grid. This means that the image area, borders, text and logo can be moved around while still maintaining a consistent clarity and logic that holds it together.
We can use animation to bring to life the Make your mark graphic identifiers and other pictogram and gesture based elements. Adding subtle motion, behaviour and sparkle to the elements helps communicate the dynamic aspect of the brand, and can be used in digital applications such as social media and website.
How we’re using animation
Brand assets
In our brand asset files section you will find download options for our assets, icons, tone of voice guidelines etc. This section is reserved for agencies and partners, and so is password protected. To view it please follow the link below and enter the password when prompted.
If you have forgotten the password, or would like to request access, please contact [email protected].
Have a question?
Have a question about something not mentioned in any of our brand guidelines? Send us a question via email and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
