This site is dedicated to providing the Collaboration logo in formats that will not undermine the registered trademark. Feel free to mail Jacob Riis (j.riis@cochrane.dk) at the Nordic Cochrane Centre with comments and requests for other formats - or just to ask for advice.

Explanation of the Cochrane logo

The Cochrane Collaboration logo illustrates a systematic review of data from seven randomized controlled trials (RCTs), comparing one health care treatment with a placebo. Each horizontal line represents the results of one trial (the shorter the line, the more certain the result); and the diamond represents their combined results. The vertical line indicates the position around which the horizontal lines would cluster if the two treatments compared in the trials had similar effects; if a horizontal line touches the vertical line, it means that that particular trial found no clear difference between the treatments. The position of the diamond to the left of the vertical line indicates that the treatment studied is beneficial. Horizontal lines or a diamond to the right of the line would show that the treatment did more harm than good.

This diagram shows the results of a systematic review of RCTs of a short, inexpensive course of a corticosteroid given to women about to give birth too early. The first of these RCTs was reported in 1972. The diagram summarises the evidence that would have been revealed had the available RCTs been reviewed systematically a decade later it indicates strongly that corticosteroids reduce the risk of babies dying from the complications of immaturity. By 1991, seven more trials had been reported, and the picture had become still stronger. This treatment reduces the odds of the babies of these women dying from the complications of immaturity by 30 to 50 per cent.

Because no systematic review of these trials had been published until 1989, most obstetricians had not realised that the treatment was so effective. As a result, tens of thousands of premature babies have probably suffered and died unnecessarily (and needed more expensive treatment than was necessary). This is just one of many examples of the human costs resulting from failure to perform systematic, up-to-date reviews of RCTs of health care.

Trademark

The Cochrane Collaboration has trademarked the Cochrane logo. At the end of this page you will find the official policy regulating the logo's use.

The versions of the logo available here include the ® mark. If you are using a version of the logo without the mark, you may wish to add to the material a small note stating that "The Cochrane Collaboration logo is a registered trademark of the Cochrane Collaboration."

A note on formats

There are two basic types of computer graphic formats: bitmap and vector. Bitmap graphics (eg GIF, JPEG) are composed of small squares (pixels) and do not resize well. It is currently the dominant format for use on web pages. Vector graphics consist of lines and curves and do therefore scale well, making them well suited for high quality printing. You can read more about the difference here.

The colour

Ensuring that the exact same colour is used across different media (eg computer screen, various types of print) is a complex and time consuming process. The pragmatic approach is to say that the logo is a "dark blue". Below are some recommendations for what dark blue to use.

Professional printing
When printing, the exact colour output will always vary with the type and density of the paper used. The recommended colour is called PANTONE 281, its CMYK values are: 100,72,0,38.

Screen display (ie web sites)
The exact RGB values for PANTONE 281 are 9,28,90 (HEX value #091C5A), but for web sites, the web-safe colour RGB 0,0,102 (HEX value #000066) is recommended. That is the colour used for the logos displayed below.

The font

The font used on the logo is the standard sans-serif font Arial (alternatively Helvetica).

Disclaimer

The following disclaimer has been agreed by the Cochrane Collaboration for use alongside derivatives of Cochrane reviews (such as third-party abstracts and commentaries). Anyone wishing to use it with the Cochrane Collaboration's trademarked logo must first seek permission from the Publishing Policy Group of the Cochrane Collaboration Steering Group. Decisions about the granting of this permission will be made on a case-by-case basis, and permissions that are granted will be kept under review. If the logo is to be used, the combination of the logo and the disclaimer must be reproduced more or less as shown here. This is to ensure that the disclaimer is given similar prominence to the logo.

Text of disclaimer
"These summaries have been derived from Cochrane reviews published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in The Cochrane Library. Their content has, as far as possible, been checked with the authors of the original reviews, but the summaries should not be regarded as an official product of the Cochrane Collaboration (www.cochrane.org)."

Logo files

To download the displayed images to your computer, right-click them and select the appropriate option (eg "Save Picture as..." in Internet Explorer).

Description	Image
Bitmap format
cclogo70x82.gif 70px wide, 82px high. Blue on white background. File size 1KB. Aboout the smallest size where the text is still readable.
cclogo85x100.gif 85px wide, 100px high. Blue on white background. File size 1KB.
cclogo100x124.gif 100px wide, 124px high. Blue on white background. File size 2KB.
cclogo150x175.gif 150px wide, 175px high. Blue on white background. File size 3KB.
cclogo300x350.gif 300px wide, 350px high. Blue on white background. File size 6KB. Probably too big for web site use, but big enough to produce decent print quality at 4cm x 5cm size.
cclogo-big-trans.gif 905px wide, 1060px high - Shown here in 50% scale. Blue on transparent background. File size 15KB. Can be used in in software without proper EPS support - eg Word or Powerpoint.
Vector format
cclogoblue.ai Adobe Illustrator format. Colour: Pantone 281 CVU. File size 177KB.	Cannot be displayed in browser. Click here to download.
cclogoblue.eps Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) format (generated from Illustrator). Colour: Pantone 281 CVU. File size 203KB.	Cannot be displayed in browser. Click here to download.
All files
This file contains all of the above files in a single ZIP archive. File size 140KB.

Policy on the use of the Cochrane Collaboration logo

The following policy on the use of The Cochrane Collaboration logo was approved by the Publishing Policy Group of the Steering Group on 16 July 2001, and modified on 21 January 2003 and 28 March 2003.

Introduction

The Cochrane Collaboration logo is now a registered trademark in Australia, Canada, the European Community, and the USA. The logo comprises the combination of the symbol and the name 'THE COCHRANE COLLABORATION' underneath. The formal registration of the logo means that it is a criminal offence for someone to use it without permission. In addition, because of The Cochrane Collaboration's prolonged use of both the symbol and the name, we can exercise some control over their use and can probably stop people from using the symbol or the words on their own to imply an association with The Cochrane Collaboration, when such an association does not exist. To indicate that the logo has been officially registered, a small upper case 'R' with a circle drawn around it (i.e. ® - Control+Alt+R for Word users) can be added after the words 'THE COCHRANE COLLABORATION'. It is illegal to insert this symbol on anything that has not been registered as a trademark (so it should not be used if, for example, the words 'UK COCHRANE CENTRE' appear under the symbol or if the symbol has been modified in any way).

The text below sets out The Cochrane Collaboration's policy on the use of the logo (the symbol and phrases containing the word 'Cochrane') in connection with activities that might relate to the work of The Cochrane Collaboration.

Who can use the logo without explicit permission?

Registered entities in The Cochrane Collaboration have always been entitled to use the Cochrane logo on their headed stationery, newsletters and other material related to their work within The Cochrane Collaboration. This entitlement continues, and all entities are encouraged to use the official logo. If an entity uses its own version of the logo (for example, a modified version of the symbol or the symbol with words such as 'UK COCHRANE CENTRE' underneath it), they are strongly recommended by the Steering Group also to display the official logo (see below for policy on modified versions of the logo). Official Cochrane Collaboration publications (such as the Internet sites) should display the complete, official logo (symbol plus text plus registered trademark symbol) and not the symbol on its own.

Who should seek permission before using the symbol (with or without text)?

Members of Cochrane entities who wish to put the logo on any of their work that relates to activity within the Cochrane Collaboration, must seek permission in advance from their Cochrane entity or the Cochrane Collaboration Secretariat.

Organisations and people who are not members of Cochrane entities must obtain permission from the Publishing Policy Group (PPG) of the Cochrane Collaboration Steering Group before using the logo or the symbol.

Cochrane entities or members of entities who wish to use the logo or symbol for material that does not relate directly to activity within the Cochrane Collaboration must obtain permission in advance from the PPG.

To request permission from the Cochrane Collaboration or the PPG, an email should be sent to secretariat@cochrane.org.

Use of modified version of the logo

Several Cochrane entities use a modified version of The Cochrane Collaboration’s logo (for example, changing the diamond into a local item when advertising Cochrane Colloquia, or putting the name of their entity under the symbol). This is permitted, but the ® must not be used on modified versions, and sponsors’ names must not be included within the words under the symbol. In addition, the Cochrane Collaboration Steering Group strongly recommends that the official logo (i.e. the symbol and THE COCHRANE COLLABORATION ® underneath it) is also included on all documents using any modified version of the logo. This policy should be implemented by entities when replenishing their current stock of materials bearing a modified version of The Cochrane Collaboration logo. If offence is caused to anyone by the use of a modified logo, or if an official document does not bear the official logo, The Cochrane Collaboration's Publishing Policy Group should be informed.

What if someone seems to be using the symbol (with or without text) or name inappropriately?

The Cochrane Collaboration Secretariat should be informed as soon as possible of any apparently inappropriate use of the logo, symbol or name. If offence is caused to anyone by use of a modified logo, or if an official document does not bear the official logo, the Publishing Policy Group (PPG) should be informed. Such instances will be discussed by the PPG, together with the relevant Cochrane entity (if there is one). If the PPG decides that the use is inappropriate, the Convenor of the PPG or the Chair of the Cochrane Collaboration Steering Group will write to the organisation or person responsible, asking that they stop using the logo, symbol and/or name. If they do not comply, appropriate action will be taken to enforce this request.

Copyright © The Cochrane Collaboration
This page last updated 24 March, 2004.
Comments for improvement or correction are welcome.
j.riis@cochrane.dk