As a partner leading Girl Scout programs, offering fun patches is a wonderful way to create a lasting memory for participants. These patches give Girl Scouts something special to wear on their vest and proudly share with others, celebrating the amazing time they had at your event. Here are some guidelines to ensure each patch meets our branding standards.
Design the patch
*Note: All products must have a council identifier (i.e., council lockup, acronym, or name, GSNorcal, Girl Scouts of Northern California)
- Review the guidelines for Patch Design Guidelines and the guidelines for council merchandise Guidelines for all Council Merchandise
- Refer to Brand Design Cheat sheet for more details on colors, fonts, and shapes GirlScouts_CheatSheet_Council
- All products must have a council identifier (i.e., council servicemark, acronym, or name)
- The preference in order is:
- Council Servicemark
- Full council name in type
- Official council acronym with Trefoil.
- The preference in order is:
- What is the servicemark and how do I space the council Servicemark or name in the design?
- Refer to GSNorCal Resource Page for our Servicemark
- Learn about the Servicemark placement here Council Servicemark – Placement and Alignment
- DO NOT change the color of the trefoil or base and keep one trefoil distance from other elements.
- Do not resemble official Girl Scout USA earned badge designs
Common Questions:
- How do I design a patch with cobranding with my organization? CoBranding section 4
- Council acronym integration with local partner logo
- Council Servicemark integration with local partner
- Full council name in type also option when space is limited
- What colors can I use?
- Use the colors from the approved GSUSA color palette, with variations allowed for specific holidays. See color guidelines: Color Overview Section 7
- What fonts can I use?
- Choose from the 8 approved supplementary fonts. Typography Section 8
Get Pre-Approval from GSUSA on the Design
Products need to be pre-approved before production and submitted by regional licensed vendors Submission and Approval Process for Council Products Form
Approval time may vary! General submissions have an estimated approval time of 10 business days.
Get the fun patch produced with approved vendors
Work with your Council Partner to connect with an approved Regional Vendor to get the patches created.
Patch Design Guidelines
GSUSA and councils can create fun patches to represent girl participation in activities, experiences, or events not connected to official Girl Scout programs represented by Girl Scout badges. Fun patch designs should follow Girl Scout Product Standards, with some flexibility due to the limited real estate and production limitations.
Design considerations
Patches in the following categories are only produced by GSUSA:
- Related to Girl Scout official program, such as badges, insignia, earned awards, and national patch programs.
- Official adult achievements, such as Gold Award Mentor, Cookie Parent, and Girl Scout Volunteer
- Movement-wide celebrations, programs, initiatives, and milestones, including:
Girl Scout Week, Girl Scout Sunday, Girl Scout Sabbath, Girl Scout Shabbat, Girl Scout Jummah, National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend, Volunteer Appreciation Week, Leaders Day, Tree Promise, Girl Scout Loves the Outdoors, Girl Scouts Loves State Parks, Girl Scout Mariners, Digital Cookie, and Resilient. Ready. Strong
Fun patch designs should NOT resemble Girl Scout badges, earned awards, insignia, or membership pins because fun patches don’t have specific requirements tied to official National Girl Scout programs.
Color
Choose from the wide selection of recommended colors within the core product color palette. You can use other colors as necessary to provide flexibility for season and trend.
Girl Scout branding
Always include a connection back to Girl Scouts by incorporating the appropriate marks and branding. Remember to follow size guidance as detailed in the product standards.
Patches developed by councils, local vendors, partners, sponsors, and regional licensed vendors
Leverage approved branding in patches, in order of preference due to space limitations:
- Council servicemark integration, if space allows.
- Full council name in type—for example “Girl Scouts of Maine”. A Trefoil can be integrated in the design only when the council’s name is included in type. The Trefoil should be included as a logo or as a hero graphic.
- Official council acronym with Trefoil [vertical or horizontal versions allowed].
Co-branding* guidance:
- Council acronym integration preferred, not necessarily side-by-side with the local partner logo.
- Council servicemark integration, not necessarily side-by-side with the local partner logo.
Full council name [e.g., Girl Scouts of Northern California] in type is also an option when space limitations prevent integration of the council acronym.
*To secure brand approval from GSUSA, designs, themes, phrasing, and photos must be original and not infringe on the work of others. Do not include third party intellectual property, such as trademarks, designs, characters, photography, and other materials into or in association with your products, unless you have secured permission from the owner and can provide such permission to GSUSA.
Design Cheat Sheet
Guidelines for merchandise:
Last updated on April 22, 2026