Social Media
Brand Guidelines
The Alghini Institute for Italian Americans — Official style guide for social media coordinators. Version 1.0, April 2026.
Brand Identity
Full Legal Name
The Alghini Institute for Italian Americans
Acronym / Short Name
AIIA / The Alghini Institute
Website
ItalianAmericans.com
Organization Type
501(c)(3) Nonprofit
Always include in fundraising posts. Donations are tax-deductible.
Primary Tagline
"Family. Tradition. Legacy."
Use as the closing line or hashtag anchor on brand content. Never abbreviate or alter this phrase.
Mission Statement
"The Alghini Institute for Italian Americans (AIIA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to celebrating and archiving the stories, traditions, and contributions of Italian Americans."
Four Core Pillars
Preserve
Archive family stories, oral traditions, and historical records
Connect
Unite 20 million Italian Americans through shared heritage
Educate
Provide resources for citizenship, genealogy, language, and culture
Celebrate
Honor Italian American contributions to American life
Color Palette
Click any color swatch to copy the hex code. Always use these exact hex values in design tools (Canva, Adobe Express, Figma) to ensure pixel-perfect brand consistency across all platforms.
Primary Brand Colors
Heritage Gold
Accents, dividers, icons, gold rule elements
Verdant Green
Primary brand color, section backgrounds, headers
Crimson
Call-to-action buttons, emphasis, Italian tricolor
Charcoal
Body text, dark backgrounds
Espresso
Headings, primary text
Cloud Dancer
Page backgrounds, heritage cream, light sections
Secondary & Accent Colors
Umber Brown
Secondary accents, logo subtext
Terracotta
Warm CTA buttons, highlight cards
Warm Beige
Soft backgrounds, card fills
Alabaster
Off-white surfaces, alternating sections
Olive
Nature-inspired accents, secondary palette
Italian Tricolor — Heritage Accent
Color Usage Rules
- Heritage Gold is an accent only — never use as a primary background for large areas
- Verdant Green and Charcoal are approved dark backgrounds for social graphics
- Crimson is for CTAs and emphasis — do not use for decorative text at small sizes
- Always pair dark text on light backgrounds and light text on dark backgrounds
- The Italian Tricolor stripe is a logo-only element — do not use as standalone decoration
Typography
Heading Font — Serif
Playfair
Display
Use for: headlines, pull quotes, post titles, event names, and display text on graphics.
Download free from Google Fonts →Body Font — Sans Serif
Inter
Regular & Medium
Use for: captions, body copy, labels, hashtags, and all UI text.
Download free from Google Fonts →Type Hierarchy
Display / H1
Playfair Display Bold — 60–96px on graphics
Family. Tradition. Legacy.
Section Title / H2
Playfair Display Bold — 36–48px
Italian American Heritage
Subheading / H3
Playfair Display Bold — 20–24px
Preserving Our Stories
Body Text
Inter Regular — 14–16px, line-height 1.6
The Alghini Institute connects Italian Americans with their cultural roots through education and community programs.
Label / Tag
Inter SemiBold — 10–12px, letter-spacing 3px
HERITAGE PRESERVATION
Typography Rules
- Headlines on graphics: always Playfair Display. Never use a script or decorative font as a substitute.
- Minimum 3 font weights maximum in any single graphic
- Section labels always UPPERCASE with generous letter spacing (tracking-widest)
- Line height: 1.2 for headlines, 1.6 for body text
- When Playfair is unavailable, Georgia (system serif) is the approved fallback
Logo Usage
Horizontal Logo — logo.svg
Use on: LinkedIn cover, YouTube channel art, email headers, white/light backgrounds. Minimum width: 180px.
Square Logo — logo-square.svg
Use on: all social media profile photos, post corner watermarks. Works as circle crop. Minimum size: 60×60px displayed.
Logo on Dark Backgrounds
Apply white version (invert filter or white SVG export) on dark or photographic backgrounds.
Logo on Light Backgrounds
Standard full-color version on cloud-dancer cream or white.
Approved Logo Uses
- Place in corner of social media graphics (bottom-right preferred)
- Use on approved backgrounds: cloud-dancer cream, white, verdant green, charcoal
- Maintain clear space equal to the height of the "A" in AIIA on all sides
- Scale proportionally — never stretch or distort
- Square logo for all profile photos (crops to circle)
Never Do This
- Do not change any logo colors
- Do not add drop shadows, outlines, or effects
- Do not rotate or flip the logo
- Do not place on busy or low-contrast backgrounds without an overlay
- Do not use the acronym "AIIA" in a different typeface
- Do not crop the Italian tricolor stripe from the logo
Hero Image
Richard Alghini and family with staff at their tagliatelle and tortellini shop, 315 — early twentieth century
Primary Brand Hero Image
This photograph is the emotional anchor of the AIIA brand. It represents family, legacy, and the immigrant story at the heart of Italian American identity. Use it as the foundation of Facebook and LinkedIn cover photos, and as the primary background image in key social media graphics.
Facebook Cover
820 × 312 px
Crop to center-top. Apply light dark overlay (black/30). Place tagline "Family. Tradition. Legacy." in Playfair Display white text, bottom-left.
LinkedIn Cover
1584 × 396 px
Wide crop focusing on the store facade and family. Apply verdant-green gradient overlay on left side for text placement.
X (Twitter) Cover
1500 × 500 px
Horizontal crop. Apply dark overlay (black/50). Place AIIA logo center-right and tagline bottom-left.
Image Rights & Usage
This image is property of The Alghini Institute for Italian Americans. It may be used across all official AIIA-owned social media accounts, websites, and print materials. It must not be shared, licensed, or used by third parties without written permission from the organization.
Voice & Tone
Warm
We speak like a trusted family friend — welcoming, inclusive, and full of genuine care for the community.
Authoritative
We are the definitive voice for Italian American heritage. We speak with confidence rooted in deep research and respect.
Celebratory
We honor the joy of our culture. Our tone embraces pride, gratitude, and the beauty of the Italian American story.
Accessible
We speak to everyone — from recent Italian Americans to those rediscovering roots for the first time. No jargon.
We Say / We Don't Say
We say
Your family's story belongs in our archive.
We don't say
Submit your data to our database.
We say
Help us preserve this legacy for generations to come.
We don't say
Donate money to our organization.
We say
Join our community of Italian Americans.
We don't say
Sign up for our platform.
We say
We are celebrating Italian American Heritage Month.
We don't say
It's Italian Heritage Month.
We say
Our volunteers cleaned three streets this weekend.
We don't say
Community service was completed.
We say
Share your nonna's recipe — it's part of history.
We don't say
Upload food content.
We say
501(c)(3) nonprofit — your gift is tax-deductible.
We don't say
We need money.
We say
La Famiglia — our community, our strength.
We don't say
Our user base.
Platform Tone Variations
Warm, storytelling, longer-form. Ideal for sharing archived family stories, event recaps, photo albums, and donor spotlights. Write the way you'd talk to a family member at Sunday dinner.
Visual-first. Captions are short and emotionally resonant. Open with a strong first line before the "more" cut. Heritage pride, community energy, cultural beauty.
Professional credibility. Focus on impact metrics, nonprofit milestones, partnership updates, and program announcements. Speak to donors, academic partners, and cultural organizations.
X (Twitter)
Concise and culturally sharp. Heritage facts, event countdowns, cultural date observations, and retweet opportunities. Max 2 hashtags per post.
YouTube
Educational and documentary. Descriptions should read like exhibit copy — informative, reverent, and inviting deeper exploration.
Platform Specifications
Profile Photo
170 × 170 px (displays at 128×128)
Cover / Banner
820 × 312 px
Post Image
1200 × 630 px (landscape) or 1080 × 1080 px (square)
Story / Reel
1080 × 1920 px
Logo Variant
Square logo (logo-square.svg) — crops to circle
Tone
Warm, storytelling, longer-form. Ideal for sharing archived family stories, event updates, and donor spotlights.
Ready-to-Use Bio Copy
The Alghini Institute for Italian Americans (AIIA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit preserving, celebrating, and promoting Italian American heritage through education, cultural archives, and community programs. Family. Tradition. Legacy. 🇮🇹 ItalianAmericans.com
Profile Photo
320 × 320 px (displays at 110×110)
Cover / Banner
N/A (no cover image)
Post Image
1080 × 1080 px (square) or 1080 × 1350 px (portrait)
Story / Reel
1080 × 1920 px
Logo Variant
Square logo (logo-square.svg) centered on cream background
Tone
Visual-first. Short, culturally evocative captions. Heritage pride, cultural moments, volunteer spotlights.
Ready-to-Use Bio Copy
Preserving Italian American heritage 🇮🇹 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Family. Tradition. Legacy. 🔗 ItalianAmericans.com
Profile Photo
300 × 300 px
Cover / Banner
1584 × 396 px
Post Image
1200 × 627 px or 1080 × 1080 px
Story / Reel
N/A
Logo Variant
Full horizontal logo (logo.svg) on white or cream background
Tone
Professional, credibility-focused. Share impact stats, donor acknowledgments, program milestones, and partnership announcements.
Ready-to-Use Bio Copy
The Alghini Institute for Italian Americans (AIIA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to preserving Italian American heritage through education, digital archives, and community programs. We connect 20 million Italian Americans with their cultural roots. Visit ItalianAmericans.com
X (Twitter)
Profile Photo
400 × 400 px
Cover / Banner
1500 × 500 px
Post Image
1200 × 675 px
Story / Reel
N/A
Logo Variant
Square logo (logo-square.svg)
Tone
Concise, energetic. Heritage facts, cultural dates, event countdowns, quick community milestones.
Ready-to-Use Bio Copy
Preserving Italian American heritage through education & community. 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Family. Tradition. Legacy. 🇮🇹 ItalianAmericans.com
YouTube
Profile Photo
800 × 800 px
Cover / Banner
2560 × 1440 px (safe area: 1546 × 423 px)
Post Image
1280 × 720 px (thumbnail)
Story / Reel
N/A
Logo Variant
Full horizontal logo on cream/dark background for channel art
Tone
Educational, documentary-style. Long-form storytelling, cultural deep-dives, oral history interviews.
Ready-to-Use Bio Copy
The Alghini Institute for Italian Americans (AIIA) — 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Celebrating Italian American heritage through oral histories, cultural documentaries, and community stories. Subscribe for heritage content, educational programming, and archival footage. Visit ItalianAmericans.com
Sample Posts
Use these as ready-to-publish templates or as reference for tone and structure. Customize dates, names, and links as needed.
Instagram / Facebook
Heritage Story Spotlight
Caption Copy
"My grandfather came to America with $8 in his pocket and a recipe for Sunday gravy that fed our entire neighborhood." Stories like these are the foundation of who we are. At the Alghini Institute, we're preserving these voices for generations to come. Share your family story → Link in bio #ItalianAmerican #LaFamiglia #ItalianHeritage #AIIA #ItalianAmericans
Visual Direction
Use archival family photo or community portrait. Apply warm vintage filter. Overlay AIIA logo in corner.
Facebook / LinkedIn
Donation / Fundraising Ask
Caption Copy
Every heritage preserved begins with a community that cares. The Alghini Institute for Italian Americans is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit — your gift is tax-deductible and directly funds our story archives, educational programs, and community initiatives. This month, help us reach 500 archived family stories. Donate at ItalianAmericans.com/donate. #SupportOurMission #ItalianAmerican #Heritage #NonprofitImpact
Visual Direction
Feature the Richard Alghini store hero image with crimson overlay. White text headline: "Preserve a Legacy Today."
Instagram / X
Heritage Fact — "Did You Know?"
Caption Copy
Did you know? Over 20 million Americans identify as Italian American — making it one of the largest ancestry groups in the United States. 🇮🇹 We are teachers, architects, senators, chefs, and neighbors. And we are still writing our story. #DidYouKnow #ItalianAmerican #ItalianAmericanHistory #AIIA
Visual Direction
Heritage-cream background with AIIA Heritage Gold typographic treatment. Playfair Display for the stat, Inter for supporting copy.
Instagram / Facebook
Clean Streets Initiative Program
Caption Copy
Family takes care of its neighborhood. 🌿 Our Clean Streets Initiative is building a community of Italian Americans who adopt and maintain streets across Phoenix — and across America. Join us. Learn more at ItalianAmericans.com/clean-streets-initiative #CleanStreets #ItalianAmerican #CommunityService #AdoptAStreet #AIIA
Visual Direction
Use volunteer team cleanup photo from the Phoenix events. Overlay verdant-green gradient at bottom with text.
Impact Milestone Announcement
Caption Copy
We're proud to share a milestone: The Alghini Institute for Italian Americans has officially archived over 300 family stories — and we're just getting started. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, our mission is to ensure no Italian American story goes untold. Thank you to our donors, volunteers, and community members who make this work possible. Read our impact report → ItalianAmericans.com/impact #ImpactReport #ItalianAmericanHeritage #Nonprofit #CulturalPreservation #AIIA
Visual Direction
Clean white or cream card with green/gold accent bar. AIIA horizontal logo at top. Include stat graphic: "300+ Stories Archived."
Instagram / Facebook
Quote Card — Heritage Voice
Caption Copy
"The strength of the family, like the strength of an army, lies in its loyalty to each other." — Mario Puzo Celebrating Italian American values, one story at a time. #FamilyTraditionLegacy #ItalianAmericanQuotes #LaFamiglia #AIIA
Visual Direction
Gold background, Playfair Display serif quote in Charcoal, AIIA logo at bottom. Italian tricolor stripe accent at top.
Facebook / Instagram
Italian American Heritage Month (October)
Caption Copy
October is Italian American Heritage Month — and we are celebrating all month long. 🇮🇹 From the archives to the piazza, we'll be sharing stories, facts, and voices that define the Italian American experience. Follow along and share what Italian heritage means to YOUR family. #ItalianAmericanHeritageMonth #ItalianAmerican #OctoberHeritage #AIIA #ItalianAmericans
Visual Direction
Dark espresso background with Heritage Gold lettering. Richard Alghini store image in background at low opacity.
X (Twitter)
Cultural Date / Quick Fact
Caption Copy
🇮🇹 March 19 is La Festa di San Giuseppe — St. Joseph's Day — celebrated by Italian Americans with zeppole, altars, and gratitude passed down through generations. What did your family do to celebrate? Share your traditions below. #SanGiuseppe #ItalianAmerican #ItalianTraditions #AIIA
Visual Direction
St. Joseph’s altar or zeppole photo. Clean, minimal card layout with small AIIA logo.
Content Calendar & Themes
Recommended Posting Cadence
3–4×/week
Mix reels, carousels, and static posts
4–5×/week
Stories, photo albums, and longer-form text
2–3×/week
Articles, milestones, and program updates
X (Twitter)
Daily
Heritage facts, cultural dates, replies
Monthly Heritage Themes
January
New Year, New Stories — Story submission campaign, family resolutions
February
Amore — Love of family, love of culture. Spotlight Italian love traditions
March
San Giuseppe — St. Joseph's Day (March 19). Zeppole, altars, and gratitude
April
La Primavera — Spring renewal. Feature community gardens, outdoor programs
May
Famiglia — Mother's Day. Feature Italian American mothers and matriarchs
June
Midsummer Heritage — Italian summer traditions, recipes passed down
July
Italian American Founders — Spotlight Italian American contributions to America
August
Ferragosto — Italian holiday spirit, summer festivals and feste
September
Back to Roots — Genealogy, citizenship, language resources spotlight
October
Italian American Heritage Month — Full month celebration, all programs active
November
Gratitudine — Thanksgiving through an Italian American lens, community thanks
December
Natale — Italian Christmas traditions, La Vigilia, family feast stories
5 Recurring Content Series
Story of the Week
Feature one archived Italian American family story every Monday. Include a quote, an archival photo, and a link to the full archive at ItalianAmericans.com.
Did You Know?
Short heritage fact every Wednesday. Crisp typographic treatment on a cream or gold background. Max 2 sentences + hashtags.
From the Archive
Historical photographs, documents, or artifacts shared every Friday with rich contextual captions.
Volunteer Spotlight
Profile a Clean Streets volunteer, donor, or community contributor. Humanizes the nonprofit mission. Post bi-weekly.
La Cucina
Italian American food and recipe content. Feature traditional dishes with cultural context. Highly shareable and broad-audience appeal.
Blog & Content Sharing
Blog Name
The Alghini Institute Blog
Always use this full name when referencing our editorial content in social captions or email copy.
Blog URL
ItalianAmericans.com/blog
Link directly to individual articles when sharing. Never share the homepage URL in place of the article.
Attribution
AIIA Editorial Team
Author attribution on guest posts uses the contributor's name. Staff articles credit the "AIIA Editorial Team."
Should coordinators share blog articles?
Yes — every article is a social post waiting to happen.
Each blog article we publish — citizenship guides, cultural traditions, community stories — is high-value, shareable content. Sharing an article extends our reach to new audiences for free, drives traffic back to the site, and positions AIIA as the authoritative voice for Italian American heritage. Coordinators should share every new article within 24 hours of publication across all active platforms.
Platform Caption Templates — When Sharing an Article
Replace [ARTICLE TITLE] and [ARTICLE LINK] with the actual title and URL. The share button on each article pre-populates the title and link automatically.
We just published a new article on The Alghini Institute Blog: "[ARTICLE TITLE]" Read it now → [ARTICLE LINK] #ItalianAmerican #AIIA #ItalianAmericans
Warm, inviting. Great for tagging the community.
X (Twitter)
New on The Alghini Institute Blog: "[ARTICLE TITLE]" [ARTICLE LINK] #ItalianAmerican #AIIA
Lead with the title. Max 2 hashtags. Tweet threads work well for long articles.
The Alghini Institute for Italian Americans has published a new resource: "[ARTICLE TITLE]" This piece is part of our ongoing effort to provide authoritative, accessible content for the Italian American community. Read the full article → [ARTICLE LINK] #ItalianAmericanHeritage #CulturalPreservation #AIIA
More formal. Emphasize research and authority. Good for citizenship and history articles.
New on The Alghini Institute Blog — "[ARTICLE TITLE]" 🇮🇹 Link in bio → ItalianAmericans.com/blog #ItalianAmerican #AIIA #ItalianHeritage #LaFamiglia
Short, punchy. Always "link in bio" — Instagram does not support clickable links in captions.
The Article Share & Reaction Feature
Share Button (on every article)
Every article on The Alghini Institute Blog includes a share bar at the bottom of the article — after the full content. It provides one-click sharing to:
- Facebook — opens sharer with article URL
- X (Twitter) — pre-fills title + link in tweet
- LinkedIn — opens share dialog with URL
- Copy Link — copies the direct article URL
Each share handoff includes the article title and blog attribution automatically. No copy-pasting required.
Helpful Reaction
Readers can mark an article as "Was this helpful?" using the heart reaction in the share bar. This gives us:
- A lightweight quality signal per article
- Editorial feedback for future content planning
- Community engagement without requiring sign-in
Coordinator tip
When you share an article, encourage readers to mark it helpful if they found it valuable. The count is visible on the article and provides social proof.
Blog Sharing Best Practices
- Share every new article within 24 hours of publication
- Always link directly to the article, not the blog homepage
- Use the built-in share buttons — they pre-populate title + link
- Add 1–2 sentences of your own commentary before the template caption
- Re-share high-performing articles on their topic's cultural date (e.g., share a San Giuseppe article every March 19)
- Tag the AIIA account handle when sharing from personal accounts
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Do not share without attribution to "The Alghini Institute Blog"
- Do not paraphrase article content as if it's original social copy — link back
- Do not share the article image without the article link
- Do not use more than 4–5 hashtags on Facebook or LinkedIn
- Do not add clickable links in Instagram captions — always "link in bio"
- Do not share articles that have not been reviewed and published by the editorial team
Every share is an invitation.
When you share a blog article, you are inviting someone new into the Italian American story. Make it count with proper attribution, a direct link, and a personal note about why the story matters.