Brand Guidelines
See below for resources and guidelines on logo files, unit identification and additional university brand resources. If you have questions about any of this content, contact Lauren Fanfer, senior graphic designer, at fanfer.1@osu.edu.
Logos
Either the university name, logo or an official Ohio State unit logo is the only graphic identity mark for all university campuses, units and endeavors. The name or logo must be included on all materials. Use of Ohio State’s name or logo indicates agreement to abide by the university standards within the brand guide.
When multiple university units are represented, the logo of the umbrella unit that represents all of them should be used. In some cases, a college or school is the umbrella under which departments and units may be represented.
In cases that cross units or report through different branches of the university, the university logo should be used as the umbrella and references to individual units themselves should occur in text format only.
Unit logos, previously called secondary signatures, are made up of the Block O, full name of the university and a unit's name. Academic colleges, medical centers, regional campuses, central support units and university centers have the option of using a unit logo in marketing materials. Under no circumstances is any text other than the approved unit name permitted to appear in this space.
Academic departments and college centers are not permitted to have their own logo. The college logo should be used on all materials (including: event flyers, course posters, brochures, print and email newsletters) with the department/center name featured in a lock up or prominently on the piece.
Please refer to the Ohio State Brand Guidelines for more unit identification information.
NOTE: Any exceptions to these guidelines need to be approved by the Arts and Sciences Marketing and Communications Office and the university. Please email your files to asccomm@osu.edu for review.
Arts and Sciences Templates
For your convenience, templates for frequently created items by College of Arts and Sciences faculty and staff are available with the College of Arts and Sciences logo already applied:
- A-Frame (24x36)
- Agenda (8.5x11)
- Digital Screens (16x9)
- Fact Sheet (8.5x11)
- Flyers (8.5x11)
- Memo (8.5x11)
- Postcard (8.5x5.5)
- Poster (11x17)
- PowerPoint Presentation
- Report
- Trifold Brochures
- Administration
- Recruitment
NOTE: These templates have been updated to allow for unit identification. If you have any questions about how to use any of the templates, please email us at asccomm@osu.edu.
Ohio State Brand Guidelines
Brand Center, is the university’s official brand guide. This site is frequently expanded to meet the needs of our campus community creating various materials and experiences for our audiences; and revised to reflect changing industry best practices and Ohio State processes and policies.
Always reference brand.osu.edu as your source for the most current standards, tools and resources.
The university’s student brand guidelines may be accessed at brand.osu.edu using your osu.eduname.# and password credentials (do not use your buckeyemail).
Frequently Used University Resources and Templates
Use this tool to quickly create your email signature. Remember, personal messages should not be part of a university email signature. Once created, the formatted email signature may be copy and pasted into Outlook as your standard signature. The signature generator requires using your osu.eduname.# and password credentials (do not use your buckeyemail) to sign into Brand Center.
If the site at the link below appears empty, please sign in via the button at brand.osu.edu/external-brand-requests and then return to the email signature generator.
PowerPoint templates are available in both standard and wide format. They may be used as is or with your unit's logo. See unit templates provided above.
How fonts are used can make it easier for your audience to familiarize themselves with your content and consistently recognize your materials are from Ohio State. Reference the guidance to learn how brand fonts Buckeye Sans 2 and Buckeye Serif 2 can be used.
Fonts are available for download here. Please contact ASCTech if you find you need assistance downloading and installing the fonts on your computer. Web fonts are available through Buckeye UX, Ohio State’s web design system.
Scarlet and gray in combination are as well-known as our name. They are our signature colors by which our audiences identify Ohio State and should be used in all materials. To ensure consistency and protect our signature colors, be sure to use the proper color codes. External marketing pieces should only use approved colors.
To streamline design, review and approval processes, please refer to the Branded Swag and Apparel Guide for Employees. The guide includes information about:
- Finding a contracted university supplier and selecting product.
- Applying university brand guidelines, including logos and unit identification.
- Overview of the review and approval process.
Departments interested in creating merchandise items should include the department name and the trademarked college logo. The Arts and Sciences Marketing and Communications office can offer design support in this area.
All merchandise and apparel must use a contracted university supplier. Use of all other suppliers for branded promotional or apparel items must be reviewed and approved by Trademark and Licensing.
Submitting your request for trademark use form and design to brandcenter@osu.edu will ensure it is reviewed by the Office of University Marketing and Communications and Trademark and Licensing Services for required approvals.
These templates have been designed with accessibility in mind. Using the templates as provided, adding your copy and images as applicable, will help ensure your communications meet the university’s accessibility requirements. If modifying the template layouts, it is your responsibility to check your document for accessibility.
QR codes and short links
All university affiliates have access to go.osu.edu to create short web links and QR codes for printed materials. Once you log in with your Ohio State credentials, use the fields at the top to shorten your URL. To find the QR code image, click on your shortlink under the "Alias(es)" column, then click "Stats." This brings up the QR code image as well as the number of times the link has been visited.
With its power to pack a heap of emotion and storytelling into a single frame, photography is crucial for enabling our brand personality to shine and evoke emotion. Photography creates and reinforces recognition of Ohio State in all that we do.
- Ohio State’s digital asset management (DAM) system is a cloud-based service where digital assets of all kinds can be uploaded, stored and shared. A robust search allows users to create personal collections of assets for projects and share those assets via email with anyone.
- Within the DAM is the Signature Gallery – a gallery made up of a variety of Ohio State photos that best reflect our brand experience principles. This gallery has been organized into sub-collection folders to make it easier to find photos. All photos are available for you to use in your work.
- Not sure when and if you need to get permission for photos or video footage for a project you’re working on? Check out the multimedia releases guidance and resources.
Inspired by our visual identity and Brand Art, patterns provide versatility and flexibility while building consistency through our primary colors.