Virginia Tech Identity Standards and Style Guide

"Branded photographs" are intended to create a distinctive Virginia Tech look that complements other branded visual communication techniques, such as the logotype, graphic design elements, or phrasing. Not all photography will be branded. Branded imagery will be used for high level branded communication products such as student recruitment literature, university-wide publications for external audiences, and high level websites.

This style requires blending of a tightly cropped, high quality portrait (head shot) of students, faculty, or staff with an environmental photo of the same person engaged in some type of activity. Together, they tell a story about the person not otherwise evident in the tight shot. The "story" reflects, of course, the brand drivers and related key messages.

Great care should be taken to select faces that are representative and are capable of many applications on the Web, in publications, or in advertising. Additionally, the story should be capable of speaking to multiple branding levels. In other words, the story photo should have the ability to carry many different headlines or captions on different topics.

For more information, please visit the Photography Services Web page.