Commercial Lines
Small Business
Commercial Lines is organized into two audiences: Small Business and Heavy Truck. The way we see it, the line that connects our two main audiences is direct and defining.
It’s the shared spirit of hard work. You know, rolling up your sleeves and getting the job done in the name of building something better. With over 45 years of experience
and more than 30 types of business and vehicle insurance coverages, it’s our goal to help our customers protect their businesses with the coverages they need at a price they
deserve.
Small Business encompasses our commercial auto (often referred to as BACON i.e. Business Auto Contractor). Our target is microbusiness owners with one to five employees and one to nine vehicles. Our communications to them should feature commercial auto messaging and, when appropriate, also include reference to business insurance. Ideally, comprehensive creative featuring both types of coverage is preferred.
Many of our customers fall into the following categories:
- Landscapers
- Electricians
- Snow plowers
- Bakers
- Contractors
- Florists
- Carpenters
- Realtors
- Painters
- Architects
- Cleaning services
- Accountants
Logo
Use the Progressive Commercial logo in place of the Progressive logo on media or collateral related to Commercial Auto insurance, Truck insurance, or Small Business insurance.
Color
Primary palette
Secondary palette
Use hints of the secondary palette in photography whenever possible. However, it’s not required in all design.
Type
96 Sans is our custom typeface which gives us a completely unique brand identity. It also gives us a way to tie the look and feel of our brand identity across all creative pieces. For a more detailed breakdown of the nuances of type styling, see the full version of the Commercial Lines Brand Identity.
Headlines
- 96 Sans Bold Condensed
- Sentence case
- PMS 2995 / Steel Blue 900
Commercial auto and business insurance at a great value
Subhead
- 96 Sans Bold
- Sentence case
- PMS 550 / Steel Blue 500
Hands-on service
Body Copy
- 96 Sans Light
- Sentence case
- Black
In the event of a commercial auto claim, our extensive network of repair shops can take care of your vehicle, so you can get back to taking care of your customers. We offer:
- 24/7 access to policy servicing
- Mobile app and online access to certificates of insurance and ID cards
- Roadside Assistance and Rental Reimbursement coverages available!
- And more
Iconography
Icons translate our products into bite-sized, visual nuggets. Like everything else, they are an important communication aid and have guidelines to ensure they make the best impact. Before working with iconography, check out our icon best practices.
Primary icons
The primary icons represent our products and services. This is our main set of icons. These icons have a stroke weight of 1px and are typically between 50-100px or larger.
Secondary icons
The primary icons represent our products and services. If the product icon is displayed at less than 50 px, these more simplified icons should be used with a 1px stroke weight.
Product train
This set of products is what we call our product train. It’s used to quickly represent our most popular products. Use them as static icons in the order pictured below, with the same spacing between products.
Photography
Small Business photography is key to the overall look and feel of this business area. Here are three key elements to keep in mind when shooting:
Focus on the task
Photography that shows small business owners and the hands-on approach they take to make their dream a reality.
Focus on the space
Shots of storefronts or work environments that cement the investment small business owners put in to create their vision.
- Open
- Warm
- Neighborhood feel
Focus on the vehicle, or what it delivers
A nod to commercial auto where the vehicle acts as a reminder that small business owners are always delivering to their customers.
Illustration
Hand-drawn illustrations are to be used sparingly, primarily for print campaigns and conceptually-driven executions. Small business illustrations are hand-drawn using a monoline weight with 5-8px brush at 70% hardness on a Wacom tablet (or in Procreate on an iPad). If needed, additional illustrations may be created for other small business categories following the same aesthetic, brush style, and stroke weight. Here are examples of different business-related illustrations:
Substantiation badges
Badges are to act as a stamp of approval, and are designed to be used individually. Additional badges can be created on an as-needed basis; however, they should all follow a similar format. Copy in badges is legally substantiated, therefore the copy cannot be changed.
Patterns / Textures
Monoline patterns
Patterns should be contextual to the business they represent. Additional patterns can be created on an as-needed basis; however, all patterns should be monoline and use a one point stroke.
Brand behaviors
Let’s ‘talk’ about Small Business Owners
We use all seven brand behaviors to create the PGR voice for small business owners. However, based on past CL projects, we’ve found that we write with the following behaviors in mind the most:
Optimistic
Small Business Owners are burning the candle at both ends. When we have a chance to talk to them, we should convey a sense of positivity—sending them encouraging thoughts even if there’s a hiccup along the way.
Clear
Small Business Owners have a lot going on in their day-to-day. That’s why we need to be as concise, direct, and empathetic as we can when talking to them—using plain, easy-to-understand language when explaining products, policies, and claims.
Helpful
To a Small Business Owner, insurance is a necessity more than a main focus of their business. But, when they need our assistance, we need to shine by offering friendly, pleasant, solution-oriented advice to them along the way.
Keeping it simple: Creating content for PGR
When it comes to writing—whether it’s body copy, headlines, articles or more—one of our general guiding principles for all Progressive communications is to keep it simple. To cut out all of the clutter, bring the main message to the forefront, and keep our content as simplistic and easy-to-read as possible.
That’s why we’ve put together a number of questions for writers, designers, and content creators to ask themselves before, during, and after the creative build:
- Can my message be delivered more succinctly?
- Can any elements be removed from the layout?
- Is my vocabulary as clear and direct as possible?
- Can the content be made more scannable and easier to read?
CL B2B
When talking about CL in the agency space, we call it B2B, or “business to business.” Commercial Lines B2B follows the core Agency Distribution B2B guidelines, but features an alternate color palette and identifying graphic elements to create distinction from core B2B and Commercial Lines material.
Snapshot ProView®
Snapshot ProView is another UBI program for small businesses introduced by Progressive in 2018. The audience is made up of microbusiness small business owners with one to five employees and one to nine vehicles. They have a commercial auto, but may or may not have insurance with Progressive.
Business Areas
Download logos (.ZIP)
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