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Brand
Indiana University
Brand framework

Powered by conviction

Indiana University’s brand framework is built for impact. It unites our values, positioning, and purpose into one powerful story: we don’t wait for tomorrow—we create it.

Here, you’ll learn how conviction anchors the IU brand, how each campus contributes through its unique strengths, and the principles that help IU—and your school, department, or office—communicate with focus and authority.

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Built for impact

The brand is one of IU’s most valuable assets, shaping how people see us, how they engage with us, and how far our impact reaches. When every school, department, and office uses the same framework, each story reinforces the next—strengthening the university’s reputation and amplifying the visibility and credibility of every unit.

The framework is a north star that provides a shared foundation so your work—whether a campaign, presentation, email, or social media post—carries the full strength of the IU brand. This isn’t about rigid rules or a sea of sameness. It’s about equipping you to succeed and creating momentum that makes IU’s message land with greater power.

Brand positioning

IU’s positioning defines how we stand apart, and our position is clear: we are a catalyst for progress, transforming ideas into action and conviction into results. Positioning is also a compass. It directs how we tell our stories and ensures audiences understand IU as a place of excellence, innovation, and service. Whether you are speaking to prospective students, alumni, partners, or peers, positioning makes sure IU is recognized as a university that is solving tomorrow's problems today.

Brand values

IU's identity rooted in purpose, powered by people, and expressed through conviction. It's a mindset—the belief that what we do matters and the determination to keep pushing, even when it’s hard. Conviction drives IU students, faculty, alumni, and partners to pursue bold ideas, overcome challenges, and make a lasting impact.

How conviction shows up

  • Lead with people: Prioritize human connection, emotion, and lived experience.
  • Show context: Use environmental cues—campus landmarks, industry staples, or community settings—to ground the story.
  • Capture emotion: Look for moments of trust, curiosity, collaboration, and pride.
  • Reflect purpose:
Highlight the impact of IU’s work—whether it’s research, mentorship, innovation, or service.

Campus values

Each campus expresses conviction through its own distinctive strength. These values are more than words on a page—they are principles that guide how IU shows up across channels, shaping both what we say and how we say it. They allow every campus and unit to express its identity while staying tied to the shared IU promise.

  • Bloomington – Discovery: advancing knowledge that redefines what’s possible
  • Indianapolis – Momentum: driving innovation in the state’s economic and cultural hub
  • Online – Empowerment: expanding opportunity through flexible, world-class education
  • Regionals – Enrichment: fueling growth in communities across Indiana
  • Medicine – Transformation: creating breakthroughs that improve health and extend lives

Content pillars

Our pillars demonstrate how we deliver on our promise to students, partners, and communities. They provide the proof points that reinforce our positioning and values in action

  • Student outcomes: A deep commitment to student success through affordability, equity, excellent faculty, and transformative experiences that prepare graduates for an interconnected world.
  • Research excellence: Innovation that responds to society’s greatest needs—spanning health sciences, human-centered disciplines, and STEM—with discoveries that make a global impact.
  • Academic excellence: Renowned faculty, diverse programs, and a forward-looking approach to teaching and scholarship that prepare students for what comes next.

Together, these pillars showcase how IU delivers lasting value to individuals, Indiana, and the world.

Brand personality

The IU brand is not only what we stand for, but how we come across in the world.

  • Looks: Expansive, empowering, strong
  • Feels: Engaging, impactful, inspiring
  • Acts: Confident, driven, supportive

Our personality ensures IU is experienced consistently—whether in a speech, a brochure, or a digital campaign—making our communications both recognizable and memorable.

Bring On Tomorrow campaign

Focusing on Hoosier lives

The brand defines who we are. Campaigns are how we bring that identity to life—turning conviction into stories and ideas into action. In late 2023, IU launched Bring On Tomorrow—a national campaign that marked a new chapter in how we share our story. We walked away from “Hoosier humility” to share our impact with pride. Every day, IU students, faculty, staff, and alumni confront adversity, overcome obstacles, and make lasting contributions to their communities and the world.

With Bring On Tomorrow, we’re showing how Indiana University is solving tomorrow’s problems today—fueling Indiana’s economic engine, building the state’s workforce, advancing health here at home, and strengthening schools to support futures. These stories are rooted in real people, real places, and real outcomes—proof of how IU’s purpose comes to life in Indiana and how our leadership extends far beyond it.