What is changing with our brand guidelines?

Mainly, our approach to how we present Indiana University in the marketplace. Think of it more as a shift in storytelling. The most significant change to our brand strategy is the way we tell our stories and how we speak to our audiences—targeted and direct.

Our core brand visual identity—logo, cream, and crimson—are not changing. The elements of our visual identity are central to the overall IU brand and will continue to support our storytelling as foundational components of all marketing efforts.

Elements of the brand that will not change include:

• Logo—IU Trident
• Traditional Signatures and Marketing lockups
• Primary colors (Cream & Crimson)
• Voice

• Storytelling—always sharing stories from the perspective of our constituents. Truth is the heart of our story. The light is how we reveal our truth, how we tell our story. We will put students, alumni, faculty and staff perspectives on full display and use their voices as brand ambassadors, creating an authentic brand story to be told by the people who believe in it the most–the ones who have experienced it. Showing, not telling.
• Expansion of the primary color palette—include our range of crimson and add gold, midnight, limestone
• Full spectrum of color for our secondary palette—have fun and match the expression of color with your message, but cream (white) and crimson still reign and should always be present.

Our voice isn’t changing—we’re still intelligent, caring, welcoming, confident, and down-to-earth. But our tone is influenced wholly by our target audiences. We should always speak peer-to-peer. Find balance between pragmatic and aspirational messaging and own what we’ve earned in health and business. Use simple, relevant language that relates to your audience.

Our core brand fonts remain the same, but we’ll leverage a full range of typography to amplify more expressive moments in storytelling. Experiment with a variety of weights and widths of core brand fonts while implementing expressive unique fonts in just the right places. Use different styles (example: outlined type allows for text to be part of the image, rather than being placed on top). Custom fonts can be considered for more expressive creative executions. Leverage brand fonts when possible.

Typography: have fun, be expressive and communicate your message

• Outlined type
• Layered styles
• Unique fonts for specific feature message
• hand lettered styles

We’ll expand design elements to include some new custom patterns and illustrations but we will also allow for expression to be leveraged in a range of graphic treatments that feature the story. Custom illustrations can add movement and playfulness to creative messaging that empower and enrich the story. The 45º notch will be retired as a container, but the geometry of all historic brand marks should be leveraged when it supports the story, with energy and movement.

Cream (white) or crimson should always be present, but primary brand colors don’t have to dominate creative. Let the image/illustration you’re working with inform color choice. Experiment with bold colors in more expressive design execution.

Color: leverage a full range of colors as long as IU Crimson is always present

Using a full expression of color allows for IU Crimson to stand out even more. Continue to leverage IU Crimson in the more functional spaces, but stretch to the expressive end of the spectrum to provide the emotional range you need to bring the story to life.

Look for new materials and style guides in late summer