Requesting guidance for a personal Google Maps Local Guide achievement T-shirt design 🎉

Connections & celebrations
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Hi Fellow Local Guides and Google Maps Team,

I am Sri Vishal.R, a Level 8 Google Maps Local Guide from Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, India.

My journey as a Local Guide has been a wonderful experience. Through my reviews, photos, and edits, I have enjoyed helping people discover places and make better decisions.

My current milestones:

:star: Local Guide Level 8
:round_pushpin: 4,900+ contributions
:trophy: 20,000+ points
:eyes: 1.6M+ photo views

To celebrate this personal achievement, I am planning to create a customized T-shirt for my own personal use as a tribute to my Local Guide journey.

I would like to share a photo/story of this T-shirt on my personal Instagram account and on my other social media’ with my friends. However, I want to make sure that my design and wording follow Google’s brand guidelines and do not create any confusion that it is official Google merchandise.

I would appreciate guidance regarding:

  1. Whether mentioning my Google Maps Local Guide level and achievements on a personal non-commercial T-shirt is acceptable.
  2. Whether there are any specific guidelines I should follow while sharing this on social media.
  3. Any suggestions to ensure my design respects Google’s branding.

I am not planning to sell the T-shirt or represent it as an official Google product. This is only a personal way to celebrate my contribution journey as a Local Guide.

Thank you to the Local Guides community and Google Maps team for creating a platform that allows people to share their experiences and help others explore the world. :globe_showing_europe_africa:

Looking forward to your guidance.

Thank you! :blush:
Sri Vishal R
Google Maps Local Guide Level 8

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Hai, @vishal_me_10000 salam kenal ya saya Nyai Titik dari Indonesia :indonesia:
Kamu kreatif banget sampai terfikir membuat kaos sendiri xixixi
Semangat terus yaaaa kamu keren :star_struck: :raised_fist:t2::raised_fist:t2:

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Hi Vishal how about Logo:
Explore - World -Hobby
Then
Local to Global - G-Guide
Vishal putting the Wish in Travel :grin:

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Yes, there are some very clear guidelines. We are not allowed to use the Maps and Google Logo as you did in the first tshirt design.

Instead we can use this new design:

https://www.localguidesconnect.com/t/introducing-your-new-community-logo-assets/516918

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I’ll develop that Design Soon Mam…

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Hi @MortenCopenhagen,

Thank you very much for your guidance and for sharing the updated community logo assets. I really appreciate your quick response.

I understand that using the Google and Google Maps logos on my original T-shirt design is not allowed, and I will make sure to follow the branding guidelines in the future.

I have one more question. I have already received this customised T-shirt for my personal use. I have only shared the front side of the T-shirt (which does not contain any Google or Google Maps branding) on my private (personal) Instagram account.

If I wear this T-shirt during a personal trip, such as visiting Wonderla, and I do not publicly post or share the back design containing the branding, would that be acceptable? My intention is not to represent it as official Google merchandise or to mislead anyone. It is purely a personal keepsake celebrating my Local Guide journey.

Thank you again for your time and guidance.

Best regards,

Sri Vishal R

Google Maps Local Guide Level 8

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If you ask Google you definitely need prior written permission for such use if their logos.

When acting as Local Guides, business owners can easily think you are representing the company. We are not.

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While not representatives of the Company it reflects onto Google Maps reviews in the Public Domain, making Google the top ‘reviews’ relied upon, signed The Subtle :blush:

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Hi Morten,

Thanks for the clarification on the branding guidelines! Totally understand the need to keep things official and protect the trademark.

I’ll keep my “Explore - World - Hobby” concepts strictly tucked away in my own private notebook. Appreciate you looking out for the community layout rules! We know we are appreciated. :wing:

Best,
Lorna

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well said. Thank you for the info @MortenCopenhagen

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