North Central RTD | Blue Bus
Who We Are
The North Central Regional Transit District (North Central RTD) began service in 2007. The organization provides free and fare-based transit service connecting communities and pueblos throughout the counties of North Central New Mexico including Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Santa Fe and Taos. Further expanding its reach, the signature North Central RTD Blue Buses provide riders with connections to New Mexico Rail Runner Express, Santa Fe Trails, NMDOT Park and Ride, Los Alamos Atomic City Transit and Red River Miner’s Transit. All of its buses are ADA accessible and equipped with bicycle racks.
North Central RTD’s Mission
The mission of the North Central Regional Transit District is to improve communities’ quality of life by providing a resilient, equitable, and effective public transportation system.
North Central RTD’s Vision
To be a mobility leader connecting people, communities, and the region through seamless, integrated, and innovative mobility options for the betterment of our region.
What is a Brand?
The Blue Bus brand is what distinguishes our services from other transportation services and shapes the perception of the organization. A strong Blue Bus brand influences preference and loyalty in customers—key for retaining and building ridership. By managing our brand identity consistently, we will protect and grow our ability to build ridership.
How To Use the Blue Bus Brand
To help protect and maintain the Blue Bus brand, please observe the following guidelines in advertising literature, displays, uniforms, signs, promotional items, business documents, correspondence and promotional items.
Logo Usage
Co-Branded Logos
After the transit fleet, the organization’s name and logo are the most highly identifiable elements of the brand. They distinguish the organization from the competition and must be used consistently to ensure instant recognition.
Combined Logo Usage
As the fleet design is always the most important element of any transit brand, the iconic Blue Bus name has become synonymous with the name of the organization. Easy to say and remember, the iconic “Blue Bus” is how the organization is identified by regional residents. The Blue Bus logo should always be used as the dominant logo and North Central RTD is a co-branded, secondary logo with a branded house strategy. The size relationship between the two logos requires the North Central RTD logo to be 50% or less of the width of Blue Bus logo on all collateral. The two logos should be used together but not adjacent to one another.
Logo Strategy
The North Central RTD logo is designed with the same customized font style as the Blue Bus for a cohesive logo family.
Logo Usage
The logo dimensions can vary depending on particular materials (e.g., vehicles, letterhead, brochures, postcards, etc.). However, once a relationship for the logos have been established for that particular format, the logos’ placement and sizing should remain consistent.
The Blue Bus Logotype
The Blue Bus logotype is a custom font designed specifically to differentiate this brand from other transit systems on a national level while capturing the unique Northern New Mexico aesthetic.
The terminators of the letterforms are curved to mimic the curves of the Blue Bus feather motif iconic to the brand and symbolic of the region. Serving a region rooted in Native American and Spanish cultures, the Blue Bus and North Central RTD celebrates the cultural diversity of regional residents. The Blue Bus brand strives to visually capture what makes this region so authentic and unique—its vast, majestic landscape, ever-changing sky and organic, textural qualities seen in everything from the land, pueblo-style architecture and hand-crafted arts.
With both a progressive and timeless look, this logo and Blue Bus brand are designed to resonate with the communities served by North Central RTD.
Logo Variations
- The Primary Logo
will be used on the majority of marketing collateral including maps, signage and advertising when bus transit service is being highlighted. - The Horizontal Logo
will be used in horizontal spaces. - The Embroidery Logo
will be used for embroidery purposes, or when the logo is .75 inches or smaller.
The Logo Clear Space
When the Blue Bus logo is used, it should be surrounded by adequate clear space to ensure visibility and impact. No graphic elements should crowd the logo or encroach upon this zone.
The minimum clear space is equal to the width of the word “bus” on all four sides of the logo.
Logo Usage
The Blue Bus logo should never be altered and should never be seen in the following formats:
DO NOT:
- Change the logo colors
- Rotate the logo
- Distort or alter the logo or change the horizontal scaling
- Distort or alter the logo or change the vertical scaling
- Use heavy-handed Photoshop effects or drop shadows
- Screen the logo
The Blue Bus logo should only be seen against a white background or reversed on a colored background.
DO NOT:
- Place on a busy photograph if the logo is illegible
- Place against a colored background with very little contrast
- Place on a dark background that provides too little contrast and impedes legibility from a distance
Blue Bus Colors
The color blue is synonymous with Northern New Mexico. The ever-changing blue sky hovers peacefully over the majestic Northern New Mexican landscape while the waters of the Rio Grande give life to the region. Blue is the signature accent color in regional pueblo- style architecture, while Indigenous artisans are known for their turquoise jewelry. A deep periwinkle blue is the signature color of North Central RTD.
Contact
For legal inquiries, please contact legal-notices@ncrtd.org
For everything else, including requesting permission to use our logos, questions about these guidelines, or if your communications go beyond the cases outlined above, please contact marketing@ncrtd.org
NCRTD logos, trademarks and/or copyrighted materials, including any similar variants, may not be used in association with data, without the NCRTD’s prior written approval.