American Society of Plastic Surgeons
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The Symbol of Excellence in Plastic Surgery

Guidelines for Symbol Usage

The ASPS ("Symbol") is a registered trademark and thus protected by Federal law. It is registered as a collective mark to indicate an individual physician's membership in the American Society of Plastic Surgeons® (ASPS®).

The following guidelines explain the requirements and prohibitions associated with the use of the Symbol by Members. These guidelines must be followed and adhered to at all times when an Active or Life Member uses the Symbol to promote his/her affiliation with the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. If there is a question pertaining to usage of the Symbol, it is the responsibility of the individual Member to contact the ASPS Executive Office and obtain clarification. Please allow a minimum of five (5) business days for an explanation of the Symbol usage.

Failure to adhere to the Symbol guidelines can result in serious consequences to an individual's membership standing or finalization of the membership process for a Candidate for Membership.

Who Can Use The Symbol?

The Symbol may only be used by ASPS Active and Life Members.

The Symbol is not to be displayed or used by Candidates for Membership, Associate Members, Residents, International Members, International Candidates or any other membership category other than Active and Life members.

The "ASPS International Member" logo may only be used by International Members (S6 category); it is not to be used by International Candidates, International Residents nor any other membership category (see separate policy on ASPS International Member Logo: Guidelines for Usage for more information).

Integrity of the Symbol

The Symbol may not be modified in any manner.

  • No other text or graphics may appear inside the Symbol.
  • Placement of the Symbol should be such that there should not be any suggestion that the Symbol represents anything more than the individual(s) membership in ASPS.
  • The Symbol includes the registered trademark designation (®) and one of the approved taglines (ASPS Member Surgeon(s) or Member(s) American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

           

Style and Size of Symbol

When reproducing the Symbol all Members must use the following:

  • Type Style - Novarese Book
  • Pantone® Matching System ink colors (PMS) - PMS 315 (teal) and PMS 430 (grey) unless printed in black or reversed out in white

It is recommended that the Symbol font not be more than twice the size of the font used for the name(s) of the Active or Life Member(s).

General Usage by Individuals When the Practice Contains Only Active or Life Members

The ASPS logo should stand alone and apart from other text or graphics and always contain one of the approved taglines: The Symbol shall not be used in any way by ASPS members without the appropriate member affiliation language included.

The Symbol is only to be used to designate individual membership in the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. All uses of the Symbol must include the following criteria:

  • The Active or Life Members' full name on the space where the Symbol is present.
  • One of the approved taglines
  • The registered trademark designation (®)
  • The Symbol should not dominate the space in which it is used or create the impression that the communication vehicle is sponsored, endorsed or paid for by ASPS.

   

General Usage by Groups When Practice Includes Non-Asps Member Surgeons

Same criteria applies as noted above (General usage by groups when practice includes non-ASPS Member Surgeons) but, also note the following:

    The group practice name, division or section name is not to be used in place of the member(s) name so as not to give the impression that the group is a member and not the individual.
  • All Active and Life members are identified in the materials with an asterisk (*) that clearly designates their affiliation with ASPS. The asterisk should be near the member's name(s) and also near the Symbol.
  • If a member is in a Multi Specialty Clinic setting he/she may use the symbol on all practice materials by placing the symbol in close proximity to his/her name in order to prevent any misunderstanding that anyone but him/her is a member.

If the information contained in this guide is not clear, it is the responsibility of the individual Member to seek clarification from the ASPS Executive Office for all materials containing the Symbol prior to production. This explanation is limited to placement and usage of the Symbol and does not constitute an approval of the Member's compliance with the Society's Bylaws and Code of Ethics. Please allow a minimum of five (5) business days for explanation of the Symbol usage.

To download the ASPS symbol, log in to the Members Only section of plasticsurgery.org and look under the Members Only link or call (800) 766-4955.

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