Mastercard Symbol and Debit Mastercard Mark Branding Requirements

Full-color Mastercard Symbol

The Mastercard Symbol is comprised of the Mastercard circles and associated trademark symbol ™ without the word "mastercard®." The Symbol is used at merchant locations (physical, websites, and apps) to signal acceptance and in marketing materials to market and promote Mastercard products and services.

  • The Symbol must be used in full color only. See Color specifications.
  • The Symbol must never be used in grayscale or other colors. (Instead, use the grayscale or solid Mastercard Brand Mark as noted in the next section.)
  • Artwork is available for download and must not be altered.
  • Download artwork for cards at mastercardconnect.com.
Image of the Mastercard Symbol configuration

Note: When used to signify acceptance, the Symbol may also be referred to as an Acceptance Mark.

Debit Mastercard Mark for websites and apps (to indicate acceptance only)

Used to signify acceptance of Debit Mastercard in digital point-of-sale (POS) interactions on websites and apps. It should not be used on cards or marketing materials.

Mastercard decal sticker

  • The Mastercard decal sticker (also known as the “Acceptance Mark”) is comprised of the Mastercard Symbol on a specifically-sized black background.
  • Decal stickers are physically printed signage used to signify acceptance at retail locations such as on door decals, card terminals, or ATMs.
  • Decal stickers and other signage must not be printed in grayscale.
  • Artwork is available for download and must not be altered.

Debit Mastercard decal sticker

An optional printed decal sticker for use by Europe merchants in Debit Mastercard countries as well as U.S. and Canada merchants who wish to underscore their acceptance of Debit Mastercard.

Not all configurations of Mastercard branding are available in all color versions.

  • The Mastercard Symbol and Debit Mastercard must be used in full-color only. When technical limitations prohibit the use of full-color, use the solid or grayscale Mastercard Brand Mark.
  • On physical cards, the Mastercard Symbol must be printed in full-color match PANTONE®* only. For using the Debit identifier on physical cards and for more information regarding cards, refer to the Card Design Standards published on mastercardconnect.com.
  • When depicting cards in digital payments/wallets, the Mastercard Symbol must always be in full color using the provided RGB or Hex values.
  • The decal sticker is available in full-color only and must be reproduced in full-color match PANTONE only.
  • Colors are built into the downloadable artwork files and must not be altered.

COLOR

Mastercard Red
RGB: 235/0/27
HEX: EB001B
CMYK: 0/100/98/3
PANTONE: 2035 C
Mastercard Orange
RGB: 255/95/0
HEX: FF5F00
CMYK: 0/75/100/0
PANTONE: 165 C
Mastercard Yellow
RGB: 247/158/27
HEX: F79E1B
CMYK: 0/44/100/0
PANTONE: 1375 C

*

The color values shown here have not been evaluated by Pantone, Inc. for accuracy and may not match the PANTONE Color Standard. Consult correct PANTONE Color Publications for accurate color. PANTONE® is the property of Pantone, Inc.

**

For online/digital RGB use or PANTONE printing, the trademark symbol (™) next to the yellow circle must be reproduced in Mastercard Yellow. For CMYK printing, the trademark symbol (™) must be black for the positive mark or white for the reverse mark.

To ensure legibility of Mastercard branding, never use the logos at sizes smaller than the minimum size requirements.

Mastercard branding must appear in an uncluttered space free from text and other graphics.

  • Surround the Mastercard Symbol and Debit Mastercard Mark with clear space of at least 1/4 the width of one of the circles within the Symbol.

Lettercase

When referencing Mastercard® in text, use an uppercase “M” and lowercase “c” with no space between “Master” and “card”. The name must not be modified in any way. When referencing Debit Mastercard in text, use an uppercase “D”. The name may appear in all uppercase only if the font style of the user interface or communication also appears in all uppercase letters.

Registered trademark symbol (®)

In the first or most prominent text use of Mastercard on a page or screen (after use, if any, in a headline), the ® trademark symbol (or other symbol required under local law) is required. In subsequent use on that page or screen, the ® symbol may be omitted.

Read-through

Mastercard branding may be used as a read-through in a headline, but may not be used as a read-through in the body of a communication. When used in text, it should be set in the same typeface as the surrounding text.

Trademark attribution notice

When the Mastercard name, or Mastercard Symbol or Debit Mastercard Mark are used, the following trademark attribution notice must be included once in the communication, as applicable:

“Mastercard and the circles design are registered trademarks of Mastercard International Incorporated.”

If the Mastercard Symbol appears without a mention of the word “Mastercard” in the body copy of the communication, the following trademark attribution notice must be used instead: “The Mastercard circles design is a registered trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated.”

Note: On small-size marketing communications, the above trademark attribution notice is not required.

Translations

The Mastercard name must appear in English only. The Mastercard name must not be translated into other languages nor appear in another alphabet except for specific authorized versions in Chinese (translation), Arabic (transliteration), and Georgian (transliteration).

Parity

In communications that promote more than one acceptance mark, the Mastercard name and/or branding must be presented with size, frequency, color treatment, location, and prominence equal to that of all other acceptance marks and/or logos presented.

Note: As used on brand.mastercard.com, an access mark is any name, logo, sound, haptic, visual depiction, trade name, logotype, trademark, service mark, trade designation, and/or other designation, symbol or mark not licensed by Mastercard, that identifies a service through which a Mastercard, Maestro, or Cirrus account can be accessed and/or accepted for a Mastercard, Maestro, or Cirrus transaction.

All Mastercard® branding, including the decal stickers, must be displayed at the point of interaction where payment options and/or access marks are presented.

At the point of interaction, Mastercard branding must be displayed at parity (in terms of size, frequency, color treatment, and location) with all other acceptance marks displayed, with Mastercard preferably in the first position.

At the point of interaction, Mastercard branding, including the decal stickers, must be afforded similar prominence to any access mark displayed (characteristics to consider for similar prominence, include size, frequency, color treatment, and co-location within the same field of vision), except in the e-commerce environment as follows. In a digital environment, when displaying an access mark checkout option, Mastercard branding is not required to be displayed if (1) the cardholder can readily navigate from the screen displaying the access mark checkout option to a screen displaying a checkout option where the Mastercard branding is appropriately displayed or (2) Mastercard branding is appropriately displayed prior to payment confirmation, when use of an access mark checkout option is the only available checkout option. Access mark marketing materials (i.e., promotional signage, checkout lane dividers, etc.) are not required to include Mastercard branding.

Illustrative, but not exhaustive, examples of compliant displays follow.


GENERAL

Note: All point of interaction (POI) locations that accept Mastercard must display a Mastercard Mark at parity (in terms of size, frequency, color treatment and location) with all other acceptance marks (with the exception of Mastercard POI locations in the U.S., where a specific regional Standard that permits otherwise exists. Refer to Mastercard Rules, Rule 5.12.1 “Discrimination” of Chapter 16, “Additional U.S. Region and U.S. Territory Rules”).

Note: Gray boxes in the examples of displays represent a payment option or access mark, as applicable. As used on brand.mastercard.com, an access mark is any name, logo, sound, haptic, visual depiction, trade name, logotype, trademark, service mark, trade designation, and/or other designation, symbol or mark not licensed by Mastercard, that identifies a service through which a Mastercard, Maestro, or Cirrus account can be accessed and/or accepted for a Mastercard, Maestro, or Cirrus transaction.

Use at physical merchant locations

For complete information, refer to Use at physical merchant locations on the Global Mastercard Brand Center.

Use at digital merchant locations

For complete information, refer to Signaling digital payment acceptance on the Global Mastercard Brand Center.

Mastercard family of brands

When more than one Mastercard brand is accepted, display the marks horizontally or vertically in the approved sequence:

  1. Mastercard®
  2. Maestro®
  3. Cirrus®

Lettercase

When referencing Debit Mastercard® in text, use an uppercase “D” and “M” and lowercase “c” with a space between “Debit” and “Mastercard” and no space between “Master” and “card”. The name must not be modified in any way. The name may appear in all uppercase only if the font style of the user interface or communication also appears in all uppercase letters.

Registered trademark symbol (®)

In the first or most prominent text use of Debit Mastercard on a page or screen (after use, if any, in a headline), the ® trademark symbol (or other symbol required under local law) is required after “Mastercard”. In subsequent use on that page or screen, the ® symbol may be omitted.

Read-through

Debit Mastercard branding may be used as a read-through in a headline, but may not be used as a read-through in the body of a communication. When used in text, it should be set in the same typeface as the surrounding text.

Trademark attribution notice

When the Debit Mastercard Mark is used, the following trademark attribution notice must be included once in the communication, as applicable: “Mastercard and the circles design are registered trademarks of Mastercard International Incorporated.”

Note: On digital communications and small-size marketing communications, the above trademark attribution notice is not required.

Translations

The Debit Mastercard name must appear in English only. The Debit Mastercard name must not be translated into other languages nor appear in another alphabet except for specific authorized versions in Chinese (translation), Arabic (transliteration), and Georgian (transliteration).

Parity

In communications that promote more than one acceptance mark, the Debit Mastercard name and/or branding must be presented with size, frequency, color treatment, location, and prominence equal to that of all other acceptance marks and/or logos presented.

Note: Beginning 1 November 2018, the full-color Mastercard Brand Mark without the word “mastercard®” is featured on cards. This Mastercard Symbol branding is required on all physical cards manufactured on or after 1 July 2020.

Refer to the Card Design Standards published on mastercardconnect.com

At entry into a merchant location

Display the Mastercard® decal sticker on a main entry door or on a nearby window to signal acceptance. If these locations are not available, the decal sticker must be displayed so they are seen easily from the outside. Illustrative, but not exhaustive, examples of compliant and non-compliant displays follow:

Note: For merchant decal stickers, the primary source to receive decals is the financial institution that processes the merchant’s transactions. However, for convenience, merchants may download artwork to create custom signage or order limited quantities from Mastercard.

Note: Non-compliant example becomes compliant when Mastercard branding is added to the display in compliance with Using with other payment options and access marks* (e.g., (1) with acceptance marks, adding Mastercard branding at parity with size, frequency, color treatment, location, and prominence equal to that of all other acceptance marks and (2) with access marks, adding Mastercard branding with similar prominence to any access mark displayed (characteristics to consider for similar prominence, include size, frequency, color treatment, and co-location within the same field of vision)).

Note: Gray boxes in the examples of displays represent a payment option or access mark, as applicable. As used on brand.mastercard.com, an access mark is any name, logo, sound, haptic, visual depiction, trade name, logotype, trademark, service mark, trade designation, and/or other designation, symbol or mark not licensed by Mastercard, that identifies a service through which a Mastercard, Maestro, or Cirrus account can be accessed and/or accepted for a Mastercard, Maestro, or Cirrus transaction.

At the point of interaction

Also display Mastercard branding at the point of interaction (POI) to encourage card use. Examples of POI branding include: cash register, terminal display, digital display, tent cards, card presenters, etc.

  • Physical decal stickers may be used on cash registers and terminals.
  • For digital cash register or terminal displays, optimized artwork is available for download.
  • The Mastercard Checkout Sound and Animation may be played and/or displayed at the POI. Please contact your Mastercard representative or contact us for more information.

Illustrative, but not exhaustive, examples of compliant and non-compliant displays follow.

Note: Non-compliant example becomes compliant when Mastercard branding is added to the display in compliance with Using with other payment options and access marks* (e.g., (1) with acceptance marks, adding Mastercard branding at parity with size, frequency, color treatment, location, and prominence equal to that of all other acceptance marks and (2) with access marks, adding Mastercard branding with similar prominence to any access mark displayed (characteristics to consider for similar prominence, include size, frequency, color treatment, and co-location within the same field of vision)).

Note: Gray boxes in the examples of displays represent a payment option or access mark, as applicable. As used on brand.mastercard.com, an access mark is any name, logo, sound, haptic, visual depiction, trade name, logotype, trademark, service mark, trade designation, and/or other designation, symbol or mark not licensed by Mastercard, that identifies a service through which a Mastercard, Maestro, or Cirrus account can be accessed and/or accepted for a Mastercard, Maestro, or Cirrus transaction.

*With the exception of Mastercard in the U.S. Region and U.S. Territories, where a specific regional Standard that permits otherwise exists. Refer to Mastercard Rules, Rule 5.12.1 “Discrimination” of Chapter 16, “Additional U.S. Region and U.S. Territory Rules”.

For complete information on using Mastercard branding in digital payments, refer to the Use in digital payments section of the Mastercard Branding Requirements on the Global Mastercard Brand Center.

The Debit Mastercard decal sticker must not be used on ATMs.

All ATM locations must display the appropriate decal sticker for the brands which are accepted on or near the main entrance. Mastercard branding may also appear on ATM screens.

Decal stickers must be:

  • Clearly visible on or near the cash machine and must not appear only on the ATM screen.
  • Displayed horizontally or vertically following the approved sequence: Mastercard, Maestro, Cirrus, along with other payment options or access marks displayed.
  • Displayed at parity (in terms of size, frequency, color treatment, and location) with all other acceptance marks displayed.
  • Displayed with similar prominence to any access mark displayed (characteristics to consider for similar prominence, include size, frequency, color treatment, and co-location within the same field of vision).

Illustrative, but not exhaustive, examples of compliant and non-compliant displays follow.

Note: Non-compliant examples become compliant when Mastercard branding is added to the display in compliance with Using with other payment options and access marks* (e.g., (1) with acceptance marks, adding Mastercard, Maestro, and/or Cirrus branding at parity with size, frequency, color treatment, location, and prominence equal to that of all other acceptance marks and (2) with access marks, adding Mastercard, Maestro, and/or Cirrus branding with similar prominence to any access mark displayed (characteristics to consider for similar prominence, include size, frequency, color treatment, and co-location within the same field of vision)).

Note: Gray boxes in the examples of displays represent a payment option or access mark, as applicable. As used on brand.mastercard.com, an access mark is any name, logo, sound, haptic, visual depiction, trade name, logotype, trademark, service mark, trade designation, and/or other designation, symbol or mark not licensed by Mastercard, that identifies a service through which a Mastercard, Maestro, or Cirrus account can be accessed and/or accepted for a Mastercard, Maestro, or Cirrus transaction.

*With the exception of Mastercard in the U.S. Region and U.S. Territories, where a specific regional Standard that permits otherwise exists. Refer to Mastercard Rules, Rule 5.12.1 “Discrimination” of Chapter 16, “Additional U.S. Region and U.S. Territory Rules”.

Use in contactless payments

For complete information on using Mastercard branding on contactless devices, refer to Use in contactless payments section of the Mastercard Branding Requirements on the Global Mastercard Brand Center.

Common mistakes to avoid

Consistent presentation of Mastercard branding benefits issuers, acquirers, and merchants, by promoting consumer recognition and card use that builds business. Here are some common mistakes to avoid:

Do not recolor or reposition the word "debit".
Do not display or reproduce at insufficient resolution or size.
Do not create a grayscale decal sticker.
Do not use the grayscale or solid Symbol without the word “mastercard®”.
Do not use the Debit Mastercard Mark in marketing material
9. Do not use the Debit Mastercard mark on cards. Refer to the Card Design Standards published on mastercardconnect.com.

Download Artwork

Download approved artwork for use on websites and apps, and for printing decal stickers

Order Decal Stickers

Order pre-printed decal stickers for your business

Looking for Maestro or Cirrus?

Download guidelines and artwork for Maestro® or Cirrus®.

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