Diplomatic Mission

Embassies and other diplomatic missions of the foreign service follow the Government's design standard. This includes typography (FiraGo), colours, patterns, imagery, and layout of materials.

Diplomatic missions use the Icelandic coat of arms as their emblem. It must always be treated with respect. The same rules apply to the logos of diplomatic missions as to the emblems of Icelandic government ministries.

A vertical line separates the logo and the name. The name of the embassy is always to the right of the Icelandic coat of arms.

The logo is available in the following versions:

• In colour for screens (RGB: PDF and PNG files).
• In colour, only for print (CMYK: PDF files).
  The logo includes the name of the embassy at the top and the name of the city below. In Icelandic, the name of the city is written in the dative case. In some cases, embassies have a dual role (e.g., Geneva, which serves as both a permanent mission and an embassy), and in such cases, there should be two logos available in each language, but never more.

The names "Embassy of Iceland," "Permanent Mission of Iceland," and "Consulate General of Iceland" are written with capital letters when they stand alone. Elsewhere, the names of embassies are written with lowercase letters unless at the beginning of a sentence.

When the name of the embassy is written in a foreign language, the orthography of the respective country should be followed (e.g., "Permanent Mission of Iceland" in English).

Examples of logo layouts and usage rules can be found on the "Ministry Logos" page.

For projects in collaboration with ministries, "Government of Iceland" or the equivalent in the appropriate language should be used (available in English, French, and Scandinavian languages). For promoting Iceland's international development cooperation abroad, the special logo "Government of Iceland, International Development Cooperation" is used.

The logos can be accessed below, in PDF format for screen or print, in various languages. This is primarily intended for advertising agencies and printing houses working with the emblem. SVG versions of all the emblems are available in a single zip file.

Information about the Icelandic coat of arms and its use can be found on other pages of this website, including the coat of arms on its own for print and digital media.

The Foreign Service uses four versions of business cards: for one, two, three, or four languages. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Reykjavík oversees the production of business cards for all embassies.

The general rule for Foreign Service business cards is that the front is in English and the back in Icelandic. At embassies where the 1-2 official language(s) of the host country is/are not English, the back of the business card should be in both English and Icelandic – this also deviates from the main rule regarding the embassy logo (the name of the embassy in "Semi-Bold" and the name of the city directly after in "Light" – foreign language on the upper line and Icelandic on the lower line).

1. A business card in one language (English) is only intended for honorary consuls abroad.
2. Business cards in two languages (English on the front, Icelandic on the back) are used at the following embassies: NATO, Brussels, Geneva, Kampala, Lilongwe, London, New York, New Delhi, Rome, United Nations, Council of Europe, Vienna, Washington D.C., and Winnipeg.
3. Business cards in three languages (host country language on the front, English and Icelandic on the back) are used at the following embassies: Berlin, Copenhagen, Moscow, Ottawa, Oslo, Paris, Beijing, Stockholm, and Tokyo.
4. Business cards in four languages (both host country languages on the front, English and Icelandic on the back) are used at the following embassies: Helsinki, Nuuk, Tórshavn.
   The text is printed in blue. The coat of arms is printed in colour. Size: 85×55 mm. Blue colour in CMYK 100—75—0—18. The business card is printed on high-quality paper.

The same guidelines apply to the layout of envelopes as to embassy business cards, i.e., there are versions for one, two, three, or four languages. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Reykjavík maintains the envelope templates for all embassies.

The layout is in accordance with the general guidelines for the Government Offices of Iceland: The coat of arms is printed in colour. Blue colour in CMYK 100—75—0—18. The coat of arms and the name of the ministry are always in the top left corner. Other information is in one line, in the same size as the text in the ministry's name and aligned with the ministry's name. Envelopes are available in sizes C4, C5, and M65.

General guidelines for the layout of letterheads and business cards within the Government Offices of Iceland can be found in "Letterheads and Business Cards."

Embassies use slide templates in English, with the logo "Government of Iceland" without a ministry name.

In Japanese and Chinese, the Noto Sans TC font should be used for logos, business cards, and envelopes.

For embassies, the same design standard guidelines apply as for the Government of Iceland. They can be found in the following sections:

• Typography
• Colours and Images
• Presentations
• Publications and Reports
• Advertisements and Other Promotional Material