Video & film standards
Specific dimensions, stylistic elements, and guidelines to drive brand consistency through our video assets.
Resources
Below are links to downloadable assets, guides, reference materials, and more. If you’re an external partner, you can download resources from the Brand Asset Library.
Social spec sheet 
1:1 Captions AE template
Logo end card
Safe margins
Safe margins
Safe margins house all text and important actions. Keep all essential elements within the safe margins to ensure nothing is cropped out — 80% of the screen for title-safe and 90% for action-safe.
Keep in mind: A 16:9 aspect ratio is our most commonly used video deliverable size.
Note: For other aspect ratios (1:1, 9:16, and 4:3), refer to current best practices on this page and check the latest guidance when producing for social.
Supers
Supers
Many of our videos feature copy and messaging to provide context and further the storytelling, whether that’s through key narrative elements or letting viewers know who they’re seeing. Here’s how to handle supers when creating videos for Square.
Small super specs (1920x1080)
Font: Square Sans Display — Regular or Medium
Size: 166px
Line height: 100%
Tracking: 0
Supers
Type rise mask
When using our motion option called type rise mask, shorten headlines to 4–5 words max for best results. You can learn more about this option in our motion section.
The type specs below are meant as a base and can change depending on aspect ratio and size.
Type Risk Mask specs (1920x1080)
Font: Square Sans Display — Regular or Medium
Size: 166px
Line height: 100%
Tracking: 0
Lower thirds
Lower thirds
Lower thirds give space for additional copy that provides context to people, settings, and more. We’ve outlined specifics below for how to use the lower-third space with and without cards.
Supers
With card
To ensure legibility, use the lower-third space with a card for a clean, quick read. Cards also help enhance legibility when the background is busy.
For motion, use the lower-third card from our motion section. Follow design standards from this page.
Specs (1920x1080)
Name
Font: Square Sans Display — Medium
Size: 48px
Line height: 110%
Tracking: 0
Secondary information
Font: Square Sans Display — Regular
Size: 32px
Line height: 130%
Tracking: –2%
Card
Color: White
Rounded corners: 14
Margins (left, top, bottom): 38px
Margins (right): 3 x 38px
Grid
Supers
No card
Text in the lower-third space doesn’t always need a card. When using text in the video with no card, make sure that it’s legible and that the background isn’t too busy.
For motion, use the lower-third card from our motion section. Follow design standards from this page.
Specs (1920x1080)
Name
Font: Square Sans Display — Medium
Size: 48px
Line height: 110%
Tracking: 0
Secondary information
Font: Square Sans Display — Regular
Size: 32px
Line height: 130%
Tracking: –2%
Grid
Captions
Captions
Our caption styling mimics our frequently used pill design element to establish consistency and brand recognition. We set captions in two color combinations: dark (white text on black) and light (black text on white).
Both color combinations are designed to pass legibility, and both backgrounds have a level of opacity so as not to not distract from the visuals.
Captions — dark
Captions — light
A few specifics on captions:
-> They should always be a single line
-> Stick to 42 characters max per line
-> The max pill width should be no more than 10 columns so there’s no interference with Instagram UI
Logo end card
Logo end card
Our videos should always end with our logo end card to ensure consistency and brand recognition.
For motion, use the logo guidance from our motion section and the After Effects templates. There are only two options available at all times. Don’t use any other colorway.
Note: Do not edit the animation of any logo action so we may keep brand expression consistent.
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