Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

Campus graphic standards established for print and Web

Campus graphic standards established for print and Web

Suppose you sought the answer to this question: Who, or what is the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign? The answer would depend on whom you ask. The campus is a small animal clinic to a pet owner, a research center to an industrial partner, an entertainment complex to local residents who enjoy art, theater, sports or music. And, of course, Illinois is much, much more. In the end, it is just as important to show the richness and broad reach of Illinois as it is to tell someone about it, and that is the goal of the graphic standards that went into effect Jan. 2. The Graphic Standards Manual is the first of a three-part project to create Illinois Identity Standards. Parts two and three are in development, including a Writing Style Guide (already online in draft form), and a set of Illinois Messages to be developed out of the Campus Strategic Plan. Illinois Messages will give all campus community members consistent ways to describe the campus, its strengths and the opportunities it provides. The Graphic Standards Manual provides guidelines for using Illinois’ logos, typefaces, trademarks and colors in print, online and in video. Subsections regarding campus unit logos, business cards, letterhead and stationery are under development. Public Affairs is providing workshops to help designers and communicators across campus navigate those, and other, details.

Frequently Asked Questions

The following Frequently Asked Questions give an overview of the graphic standards. A more detailed FAQ, along with the full Graphics Standards Manual, is online at www.uiuc.edu/goto/idstandards/iis.html. Why are we adopting graphic standards? Consistent use, by all campus community members, of these visual cues identifies the Illinois campus at a glance. It associates the campus with the tremendous variety of activities, work and resources this campus provides to the world. At the same time, these visual clues do not intrude on the expression of what is unique about individual parts of the campus community. In short, what’s required? Three things for Web sites:

  • Unit home pages on the uiuc.edu domain should use the Illinois mark (the column I and the box around it only) and the text “University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign” prominently. Use of the campus logo (the mark and adjacent campus name) accomplish both of these requirements.
  • The campus favorites icon should be used exclusively.
  • The campus name (U of I is acceptable) should appear after the unit’s name in the title field of the home page.

On printed publications:

  • The Illinois mark must appear on the front of all print materials.
  • The campus logo or an approved campus unit logo must appear elsewhere in the materials.

How long do I have to comply? Print products developed after Jan. 2, 2007, must comply with the graphic standards for print. There is a grace period for print products currently in development that are scheduled to be printed by March 31, 2007. Products currently in development that are printed after that date must comply with these standards. All print communications must comply by Jan. 2, 2009. Web pages and PowerPoint presentations developed after Jan. 2, 2007, must comply, and existing Web home pages must comply with the Web standards by June 1, 2007. New, compliant PowerPoint templates are available at www.uiuc.edu/goto/powerpoint. Do I have to revise all of the existing pages on my Web site to meet the standards? No. Only the home page needs to be changed now. Newly created lower level pages should include an Illinois mark and the campus name (U of I is acceptable) in the title field. Do course materials need to comply with the graphic standards? No. Who’s going to enforce this? The Chancellor and Provost will charge a committee to monitor compliance with the identity standards. The committee will review Web pages and print publications quarterly. Units that produce communications that comply with standards will be publicly recognized. If communications do not follow the standards, the Chancellor will send a letter to the college or unit explaining how they can comply. The Chancellor will enforce stricter consequences if colleges and units fail to comply after initial consultation. Should we still use our department logo? The campus is developing specific guidelines for how unit logos will be handled visually in a “family branding” approach. When guidelines are finalized, a new compliance date will be announced to the campus. Once unit logo guidelines are approved by campus administrators, Creative Services will provide an approved logo for your unit at no charge. All the electronic files needed to reproduce your unit’s logo correctly on the Web, in print, and in PowerPoint presentations will be provided. Meanwhile, continue to use your previously approved campus unit logo. Who can answer my questions about this? Questions about the Illinois Identity Standards and all compliance issues can be posed to Sharla Sola in Public Affairs (333-5010, ssola@illinois.edu). Questions about design issues related to the graphic standards will be addressed by Joel Steinfeldt in Creative Services (333-0420, jsteinfe@illinois.edu).

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