1. Technical a. Spnsrship skins shuld be 2560 pixels in width and 1200 pixels high. Skins cannt run the full length f the page. b. Spnsrships running n a city page that have their ad in the right rail integrated int the skin will be executed differently t accmmdate times when a weather warning exists n the page. On a regular day when there is n warning, the skin s vertical psitin will be set at - 74 pixels. During times when the weather warning bar is present, the skin s vertical psitin will be set t 0 pixels t ensure that the skin s design will always align with the ad in the right rail. c. There are 3 ptins t end a skin: i. Fade - Fade t slid shuld happen within the 1200px area. It shuld be 350 pixels high. Fade shuld start 850 pixels frm the tp f the skin dwn t the 1200px mark. ii. Hard edge iii. Brder This cannt be red in clur d. Skin shuld fade t TWN/MM s default blue backgrund clur #2670af. e. All skins will have a ( X CLOSE) buttn in the tp right crner at 1885px frm the left and 76px frm the tp. When clicked, it will clse the skin t reveal the riginal backgrund f the site. All assciated ads running in existing ad spts will remain as is. The clse buttn fnt and clur can match the creative design but it must be clearly visible and be a minimum f 60px wide and 20px high. The clse is user- initiated and can nly happen AFTER the skin has already laded. The skin will reappear if the page is refreshed. f. Skins running n pages with sidekick ads shuld be a cmplete skin with the image cntinuing behind the TWN/MM site. Sidekick ads will push the TWN/MM site t the side shwing the part f the skin that usually hides behind ur cntent. g. There shuld always be a navy bar running acrss the tp f ur site. It shuld always be TWN/MM s shade f navy (#3e618f) and 4px high. Belw the navy bar will always be a grey tl bar that is 35px high. h. Spnsrship skins cannt run behind ur cntent area. i. Fr an effective spnsrship, key elements n a skin shuld be within ur mst ppular supprted screen reslutin. Please refer t ur mst current Tp Brwsers, Devices, Operating Systems & Screen Reslutins dcument fr ur latest statistics. j. All spnsrship/takever/skin wrapper images must be hsted n the TWN/MM servers. This des nt include the ad units within the spnsrship (such as the leaderbard ad, big bx etc.), which may be hsted n third party ad servers. Please prvide detailed feedback fr each revisin. There is a 3 revisin limit by ur design team. 1
2. Creative Any creative submitted by the client will be reviewed by ur internal Design Team t ensure it meets the criteria laid ut in this dcument and the TWN/MM brand guidelines. Spnsrship skins are ffered t cmplement the ad units and shuld act as supprtive imagery t the client messaging. Skins shuld nt ver- pwer ur brand and cntent. Takever skins that make it difficult t read ur weather cntent due t excessive and multiple imagery will nt be apprved. i. Branding TWN/MM lg r site shuld never be vershadwed by graphics, messaging and/r lgs, and shuld always remain the primary brand. The TWN/MM website s lg, size and clur shuld never change. Client lgs, messaging and graphics will nt cmprmise The Weather Netwrk and Mété Media brand. This includes versized lgs placed next t urs and repeating lgs tiled as a backgrund. a. Only ne lg can appear a maximum f ne (1) placement within the skin. b. The lg can be a maximum f 190 pixels high and 190 pixels wide. c. Placement f the lg can be anywhere n the skin belw the y- crdinate f 640 pixels such that it des nt interfere with the TWN/MM brand lg and cntent. d. Lgs that have images and numerical elements that may be cnfused with a weather cnditin r temperature will have t be apprved by the internal TWN/MM team. e. The area f the skin behind the TWN/MM brand lg may have t be altered by ur team t ensure that ur brand standards are met and nt altered by the backgrund skin elements. ii. Weather Alerts a. Client creative will nt mimic, interfere, cver r bscure weather data r warnings. b. Executins shuld nt use bld, striking clurs that may be perceived as warnings r alerts (ESPECIALLY RED MUST BE AVOIDED since it is a reserved clur fr Alerts). If red is a part f the client s brand/campaign clurs and has t be used, it has t be used sparingly and is subject t apprval by the internal TWN/MM design team. This is t ensure the integrity f ur alerts and warnings distributin system. * Please nte that whenever there is a weather alert present, n first lad, a red weather alert inf page will ppulate the entire city page where the alert exists. Spnsrship skins will nt ppulate an alerts page. The skin will be viewable as sn as the user exits the alerts page t view their city page (refer t 6.ii). 2
iii. Cpy Spnsrships shuld cmplement the ad unit and shuld act as supprtive imagery. They shuld nt include additinal ad units. These types f skins will nt be apprved. In additin: a. Minimize the use f repetitive cpy. Cpy shuld nt cmpletely mirrr the cpy within the ad. b. Cpy within the spnsrship skin will be limited t 50 characters ttal and nt exceed the fnt cap height f 58 pixels depending n cpy rientatin. See ptins belw. c. Cpy shuld reside belw the y- crdinate f 640 pixels. d. If the skin is integrated with the ad in the right rail, cpy (and lg) shuld reside belw the y- crdinate f 714 pixels. e. There shuld be a 25- pixel breathing space between the TWN/MM site and takever cpy (and lg) n the skin. f. Cpy shuld nt take away frm the TWN/MM brand and cntent (refer t 2i). Optins fr including cpy n takever skins, nly ne ptin can apply per takever skin: Optin 1: Use f a header tag with cpy running vertically alng ne r bth sides f the TWN/MM site. Specificatins Maximum cap height f 58 pixels One line f text per side Maximum 50 characters ttal n the skin including spaces Optin 2: Use f a header tag with cpy running hrizntally within ne r bth sides f the TWN/MM site. Specificatins Maximum cap height f 30 pixels Can run int multiple lines Maximum 50 characters ttal n the skin including spaces iv. Click Thrus Skins will nt be clickable and must nt cntain buttns r messaging that suggests a click thrugh. v. Other a. The purpse f the skin shuld be t supprt the ad units n the page. It shuld nt be used t display additinal ad units. b. Spnsrships & takevers shuld avid repetitin e.g. avid using the same ad in the leaderbard, billbard r big bx and skin. As an alternative t repeating ads, a transparent ad unit can be substituted fr better integratin (either in the masthead r in place f the right clumn ads). c. We re a family friendly, brand safe cmpany and we d nt allw images f nudity, sexual innuend, discriminatin and/r vilence n ur website. Dergatry messages and images are nt allwed. 3
3. Reference i. EFFECTIVE TAKEOVERS: Designing Hmepage Takever Skins 101 http://designcareer.wrdpress.cm/2012/05/14/designing- hmepage- takever- skins/ 4. Submissin i. Spnsrship Assets Clients shuld have the prper rights fr all assets prvided. All assets shuld be submitted t the Interactive Design Team using the fllwing guidelines: a. In rder t facilitate revisins, we ask that all spnsrship assets be submitted in their riginal frmat. Acceptable file frmats include (in rder f preference): 1..PSD Phtshp CS5 r higher Layered wrking file High quality images 2..AI Illustratr CS5 r higher Layered wrking file Vectr, high quality images 3..EPS 4..PDF 5..JPG 6..TIF Layered wrking file Vectr, high quality images Layered wrking file Vectr, high quality images High quality images High quality images 4
b. Fnts used shuld either be prvided t us, r cnverted t utlines (Illustratr). Acceptable fnt frmats are: 1..OTF 2..TTF c. Creative assets usually expected frm clients include: lgs, stck phtgraphy, fnts and brand guides (if applicable). d. If a flattened file is prvided, please make sure t send alng the surce file as well (PSD wrking file). ii. Ads Fr ad specs, please refer t ur Online Advertising Specificatins dcument. iii. FTP Client Access Large files (> 3MB) that cannt be sent via e- mail, shuld be sent t ur FTP site. Upn successful uplad f all files please email t yur Sales Representative the lcatin f the assets and the flder s names. FTP Hst Address: ftp2.twncs.cm Username: clientaccess Passwrd: ftpsite Directry naming cnventin: CLIENT_DATE (ex. Pelmrex_june122011) *Please cntact yur Sales Representative if there are any questins r issues that arise. 5. Timeline We need at the very least, a 5- business day lead time fr internal apprvals, revisins, and implementatin. Please keep in mind that lead time starts as sn as we receive all assets including banner ads. 5
6. Examples i. Integrated Skins When a weather warning is present, skin mves dwn 74 pixels t align with the integrated ad unit in the right rail. Withut a weather warning, the skin sits 74 pixels higher. 6
ii. Weather Alert Inf Page: Cannt run with a skin. Alert banner n a city page: Can run with a skin 7
iii. Guides Screen reslutins 8
User Experience: We want ur users t be entertained by an immersive takever creating ne expansive brand experience. Sample: D s i. Skin that des nt integrate int the right rail ad but uses supprtive imagery 9
ii. Supprtive Imagery with minimal cpy 10
iii. Prduct packaging placement iv. Lg n skin 11
Samples: Dn ts i. Dn t: Backgrund skin that distracts frm ur lg ii. Dn t: Excessive amunt f cpy n skin 12
iii. Dn t: Numerical messaging that interferes with cntent and weather data iv. Dn t: Skin displaying additinal ad units 13
v. Dn t: Oversized repetitive lgs vi. Dn t: Cpy and lg t clse t the masthead 14
vii. Dn t: TWN brand lst in the backgrund. viii. Dn t: Red skin that culd be mistaken as an alert If red is a part f the client s brand/campaign clurs and has t be used, it shuld be used sparingly. 15