Virginia Tech Identity Standards and Style Guide

Introduction

Updated March 2007

To the University Community,

Since President Steger’s announcement of Virginia Tech’s branding initiative on February 2, 2006, the university has continued to implement new and compelling ways to tell the Virginia Tech story.

Concurrently, we have updated our identity standards, which ensure a consistent “look,” and our university style, which ensures consistent references in the marketplace.

Because we have a long and complicated formal name, we adopted standards for using our name and nickname in 1990 and have continued to update and modernize them to reflect current needs.

Adherence to simple visual and editorial identity standards has enabled us to solidify name recognition, a fundamental element of institutional positioning.

The updated Identity Standards (part of policy 12000) & University Style Guide manual is available in a printed version from publications@vt.edu or 540/231-6867 as well as a PDF version available via download. This information replaces the printed version last updated in July 1999. The manual details visual and textual guidelines and standards for print and Web as well as guidelines for broadcasters.

The university has also launched a comprehensive Web redesign program involving the greater webmaster community that incorporates these new identity elements. New designs and templates, which are available for download on this website, have been added to both the online website and the printed standards manual for use by the Web community.

Webmasters are encouraged to update existing and to design new websites to reflect current standards.

The new identity materials also are available for download on this website via the "Downloads" link above and to the left. These new formats now include the two-color logo in keeping with the availability of color printers.

The new stationery designs—letterhead, envelope, and business cards—make a distinction between formats for administrative units and “brand extensions,” which are major operational units, such as colleges and certain university-level institutes. Brand extensions have the college/organization name embedded in the university logotype.

Those with preprinted stationery stock, including business cards, should replace outdated stock using the new design formats (University Printing Services at tyreec@vt.edu or 540/231-6701).

Certain special-use applications for identity material remain, including the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, university athletics, and Virginia Cooperative Extension.

For the design and editorial community, this website also contains guidelines for appropriate application of university logos, signage, printed publications, and special products, as well as editorial and broadcast style. Recommendations on how and when to use the tagline, Invent the Future, are included.

Questions about identity standards not answered on this website should be directed to identity@vt.edu or 540/231-8639.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Lawrence G. Hincker
Associate Vice President
University Relations