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VA Mobile Branding Requirements and Resources

 

App developers certify that their apps comply with VA's look and feel by certifying the VA Branding compliance review while the app is in the The MAP Staging Environment. The review is a checklist established by the Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs (OPIA). The review compares the app's look and feel to the VA Mobile Style Guidelines to ensure the app follows the appropriate Logo, Usage, Typography, Color Palette, Chiclet, Splash Page, Naming Conventions, and Splash Screen.

The Branding review addresses questions like:

  • Does the app name provide sufficient information to describe the purpose of the app?
  • If the app name has a shortened version, does the abbreviation retain the name's meaning?
  • Has the app name successfully gone through a Trademark Clearance Search using the Trademark Electronic Search Engine (TESS; www.uspto.gov)?
  • Does the app have a Department of Veteran's Affairs (VA) Header, clearly identifying it as property of the Department of Veterans Affairs?
  • Does the app follow the VA approved logos found in the App Logo Library?
  • Does the app use the correct font as approved for use within VHA?
  • Does the app use the correct VHA color palette?
  • Does the app have an approved application chiclet?
  • Does the app have an approved app splash page?
  • Is the app logo in the correct file format?
  • Is the app chiclet in the correct file format?

The app team then makes the app available to an additional reviewing body for peer review. The peer review is a secondary assessment of the app to ensure the initial review was conducted properly. This ensures a different perspective of the app in addition to uncovering issues that may only surface on one operating system (OS) or device type.

The VA App Verification and Validation team then verifies the Branding review records and reports its findings to MAP leadership, OPIA, and OCC leadership.

Branding Resources