HIP Mark Brand Guidelines
Document type: brand standards.
Owner: Resourcehip Ltd (SC873386), Scotland.
Version: v0.1 — 2026-04-28.
Companion document: HIP Mark Licence Agreement (the licence carries the legal force; this document describes the visual standards a licensee must follow once signed).
These guidelines explain how the HIP Mark may be displayed by manufacturers who hold a current verified rating and signed HIP Mark Licence Agreement with Resourcehip Ltd. The aim is consistency across product, packaging, retail and digital surfaces so that the Mark stays recognisable and trusted.
1. The Mark
The HIP Mark is a circular donut device. Inside the ring, the score is displayed as a single number from 0.0 to 10.0 above the word HIP. The arc fills clockwise in proportion to the score, in the colour of the awarded tier. The authority URL resourcehip.com sits beneath the ring as part of the lockup.
| Element | Specification |
|---|---|
| Geometry | Circular donut, 22% stroke width |
| Score field | One number, one decimal place (e.g. 7.8) |
| Wordmark | HIP set in Montserrat, all caps, beneath the score |
| Authority line | resourcehip.com set beneath the ring as part of the lockup |
| Direction | Arc fills clockwise from twelve o'clock |
Three tier-specific variants are issued:
| Tier | Threshold | Tier colour |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | HIP ≥ 6.0 | Green #3a9e62 |
| Silver | HIP ≥ 7.5 | Blue-grey #7a9ab8 |
| Gold | HIP ≥ 9.0 and RI ≥ +6.0 (Regenerative) | Gold #c8920a |
The Resourcehip institutional brand colour is HIP Institutional Blue #0E4C8F. It is not a tier colour and must not be substituted for one.
The tier names Standard, Silver and Gold are canonical. They must not be relabelled, translated to a marketing alternative, or paired with words that imply a different tier (for example "Premium HIP", "HIP Plus"). The Regenerative Index tier names Depleting, Extractive, Renewable, Restorative and Regenerative are also canonical.
2. Approved usage contexts
A licensee with a current verified rating and signed HIP Mark Licence Agreement may display the awarded Mark in the following contexts:
- Product — embossed, printed, woven, or otherwise applied to the licensed product.
- Packaging — primary, secondary, and shipping packaging for the licensed product.
- Digital — the licensee's own website, product detail pages, and own-channel social posts directly referencing the licensed product.
- Trade press and B2B — printed and digital trade press, sales decks, retailer line-sheets, and trade-show stands referencing the licensed product or product family covered by the rating.
- Owned email and direct mail — newsletters and customer-facing communications referencing the licensed product.
The Mark may only be applied to the specific product or product family that holds the current verified rating. It may not be applied to other SKUs in the licensee's catalogue, to the licensee's corporate identity at large, or to product categories not covered by the rating.
Use outside these contexts — including paid advertising on third-party platforms, retailer-controlled point-of-sale, and any co-branded campaign — requires written sign-off from Resourcehip in advance.
3. Approved file formats and minimum sizes
Resourcehip issues licensed Mark files in the following formats. Licensees must use the issued files only:
- SVG — primary vector format for digital, print, and packaging artwork.
- PNG (transparent) — secondary raster format for digital surfaces where SVG is not supported. Issued at 1024 px and 512 px.
- PDF — vector format for print artwork where SVG is not accepted by the printer.
Minimum sizes:
- Print and packaging: 12 mm diameter.
- Digital: 64 px diameter.
Below these sizes the score and authority line are no longer legible. The Mark must not be used at sizes smaller than the minimum.
The Mark is supplied with the issued tier colour built in. Licensees may not regenerate or redraw the Mark; only Resourcehip-issued files may be used.
4. Clear space and exclusion zone
A clear-space rule protects the Mark from visual interference:
- The clear space around the Mark, on every side, is equal to half the diameter of the ring.
- No other graphic, mark, photographic edge, body copy, or visual element may enter the clear space.
This rule applies on product, packaging, and digital surfaces equally.
5. Prohibited modifications
The Mark must not be modified. The following are explicitly prohibited:
- Changing the tier colour or substituting any other colour, gradient, or pattern.
- Distorting the geometry — stretching, skewing, rotating, drop-shadowing, embossing in a way that alters proportions, or adding outlines.
- Changing the score, the wordmark, or the authority line.
- Animating the Mark, including arc animations or score counters.
- Adding text inside the ring or beneath the authority line.
- Placing the Mark on backgrounds where it loses contrast or legibility.
- Pairing the Mark with other certification marks, scores, ratings or symbols inside the clear space, or in a way that implies endorsement, equivalence, or co-certification with another scheme.
- Pairing the Mark with marks of bodies, schemes, or campaigns Resourcehip does not endorse. If a licensee is unsure whether a paired mark is acceptable, request written confirmation in advance.
- Using the Mark in marketing copy that compares the licensed product directly with a named competitor product. Resourcehip does not compare brands; the methodology scores against the category baseline only.
- Using the Mark, or any reference to the Mark or HIP Score, in a way that overstates the awarded tier — for example calling a Standard or Silver Mark "Gold-equivalent", or using the Gold colour with a Silver Mark.
6. Attribution line (required)
Wherever the Mark appears with explanatory copy — packaging back panels, product detail pages, trade press, sales decks — the following attribution line must appear within the same visual block:
"HIP Mark and HIP Score are awarded by Resourcehip Ltd under the published methodology at resourcehip.com/methodology. Awarded [Month Year]; current at time of print."
Set the attribution at minimum 8 pt for print and 12 px for digital. The attribution line is required for verified ratings displaying the Mark; it is not required when the Mark itself is shown without surrounding explanatory copy (for example, a small mark on product packaging where space does not allow).
The award month and year must reflect the date of the most recent verified scoring run, not the licence start date.
7. How to request licensed files
Once the HIP Mark Licence Agreement is signed and a verified rating is published, Resourcehip issues a Mark pack to the licensee containing:
- SVG, PNG (1024 px, 512 px) and PDF of the awarded Mark.
- A short README listing the awarded tier, the score, the methodology version used, and the issue date.
- A copy of these guidelines.
To request the pack, email mark@resourcehip.com from the address on the signed agreement. New files are also re-issued automatically after each annual re-assessment.
For pre-licence enquiries — for example, a manufacturer requesting a sample Mark for an internal mock-up before signing — contact hello@resourcehip.com. Sample files are watermarked and not for public use.
8. Annual re-assessment and re-issue
The HIP Mark Licence Agreement provides for annual re-assessment of the verified rating. Two outcomes affect Mark usage:
- Score holds the awarded tier. A re-issued Mark pack is sent to the licensee. Existing materials may continue in use.
- Score moves to a different tier. Resourcehip issues a new Mark at the new tier. The licensee must transition new production to the new Mark within the period set by the licence agreement and may not represent the previous tier in new materials.
A score that falls below the Standard threshold (HIP < 6.0) means the Mark is no longer awarded; see Section 9 (Termination).
9. Termination of the licence
The HIP Mark Licence Agreement may end by expiry without renewal, by either party with notice under the terms of the agreement, or by Resourcehip on immediate revocation for cause (for example, breach of these guidelines, materially misleading use of the Mark, a verified score below the Standard threshold, or insolvency).
When the licence ends, the following applies to materials in market:
- Digital surfaces controlled by the licensee — including the licensee's website, product detail pages, owned social channels, and owned email — must remove the Mark within 30 days of termination.
- Print, packaging, and physical product already in market or in the licensee's possession at the date of termination may run through to natural exhaustion. The licensee must not commission new print, packaging or product runs bearing the Mark after the date of termination.
- Sales decks, line-sheets, and trade-press materials must not be redistributed in their existing form after termination. New versions of these materials must be reissued without the Mark within 30 days.
- Retailer-held materials are the licensee's responsibility. The licensee must notify retailers of the change and request that owned digital and POS materials are updated within the 30-day digital window.
Any specific transition periods set by the HIP Mark Licence Agreement override this section.
10. Reporting misuse
If you see the HIP Mark used in a way that contradicts these guidelines — including by a party who does not appear to hold a current licence — please report it to mark@resourcehip.com with a description of the use, the location (URL, photograph or sample), and the approximate date observed.
HIP Mark and HIP Score are trade marks of Resourcehip Ltd. The HIP Score methodology is published under Creative Commons CC BY-NC 4.0. The HIP Mark is proprietary and may not be used without a current licence.
Resourcehip Ltd · Office 90, Alloa Business Centre, Whins Road, Alloa, FK10 3SA · Company number SC873386 · hello@resourcehip.com