UTMB Identity System

What is the UTMB identity system?
The UTMB Identity System combines the university’s name, logo and style guidelines to create a consistent and recognizable look for the university promotional materials, whether print or electronic.

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Why does UTMB need a recognizable brand identity? Isn’t a “brand” something only businesses need to worry about?
With a $1 billion budget and 14,000 employees, UTMB is larger than a lot of for-profit businesses. The fact that we serve the health needs of Texas, rather than the interests of shareholders, doesn’t change the fact that we can benefit from a cohesive image. Internally, such a unified image helps to build loyalty among employees and encourages a cooperative spirit of professionalism. Externally, having a unified image can enhance the reputation of UTMB as a whole and of each of our components. Building a strong brand identity helps ensure that news of UTMB’s efforts in health science education, research, patient care and community service will be noticed among the thousands of messages our audiences receive each day.

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Why does my department need to worry about UTMB’s brand identity?
An important part of creating an identity for an institution as broad and far-reaching as UTMB is consistency from department to department. Whether an administrative office, a school, an institute, a research lab or a clinical department, each part of UTMB represents the whole university in the community. If one department sends a letter with one logo, another department uses its own logo and still another does something entirely different, there is no consistent identity for UTMB. A consistent identity helps to make UTMB a household name in the community and thus helps increase awareness of all of our many components.

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Don’t all these graphic and editorial standards limit academic freedom?
The goal of the identity system is to help develop a strong brand identity for the institution. While they do prevent a graphic free-for-all in promotional materials (which serves no one’s interests), they in no way prevent faculty members from conducting research and communicating findings, caring for patients, educating students, or publishing opinions about health care, health policy or medical research.

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Does this mean that all UTMB publications must look alike?
No. No one wants a “cookie cutter” approach to design for an organization as large and as diverse as UTMB. The identity system does pare down the choices regarding color, typography and logo, but it was designed to leave plenty of room for creativity. (In fact, UTMB’s identity system offers more choices in terms of color and typefaces than many other identity systems for major universities and health science centers.)

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I personally don’t like the logo that was introduced in May 2001. Can I forgo using it on my university publications and web pages?
No. Creating a brand identity is not about individual preferences, but rather consistent use of the chosen mark. The current logo is UTMB’s chosen mark. The logo was developed with market research in mind, and it was chosen by university leadership from among several proposed options. It has been endorsed by all members of the UTMB President’s Council, and all UTMB departments, divisions and programs are expected to use it on promotional materials. (A corporate analogy: A person doesn’t have to like the color red to work at Coca Cola, but Coca Cola will still continue to use the color red as part of its brand identity.)

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What about my own department’s logo? Can I still use it?
Over the years, numerous departmental and programmatic logos had been developed to help certain areas gain individual recognition. Some of these logos were officially sanctioned by university administration; others were not. Regardless, a 2000 print communications audit by an outside marketing firm determined that the number and variety of logos had diminished the overall identity of the institution and therefore did not serve either the university or the individual components well.

The launch of the current identity system in May 2001 in effect wiped the logo slate clean. Logos that are separate and distinct from the university logo are no longer allowed, no matter how long they’ve been in use or whether they were officially approved in years past.

That being said, UTMB is a large and complex organization with numerous departments and programs that promote their work. For this reason, the UTMB logo was specifically designed to be customizable with department and program names. The customized logo helps foster name recognition for university components without compromising the overall identity of the institution.

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What if I want a customized logo for my department?
Customized logos that meet all graphic standards and convey the connection of your department to the university can be obtained from:

• Academic Resources/Biocommunications—(409) 772-5900 (print version)

• Public Affairs—(409) 772-2618 (print and web versions)

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My publication or web site is only for internal use. Does it still need to follow the identity standards?
Yes. Our employees are one of our most important audiences, and materials targeted to them need to be consistent with UTMB’s brand identity. In addition, the nature of our health care mission brings numerous visitors to campus each day. These visitors often notice flyers and memos that are intended for internal use only. Therefore, even internal documents have the potential to help (or hinder) brand identity.

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Why do we now have to send publications through University Advancement/Public Affairs for review?
There always has been a policy of institutional review for promotional publications. But with the introduction of the new UTMB logo and identity system, university leadership placed renewed emphasis on the review process. The process allows a central office that is familiar with both the letter and the spirit of the brand standards (in UTMB’s case, Public Affairs) to review materials for consistency, style and professionalism. The Public Affairs team in the Office of University Advancement is here to help make sure that any publication, print or electronic, represents the best possible image of UTMB.

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What kinds of publications need to go through Public Affairs?
Publications of a promotional nature need to be reviewed. These include brochures, viewbooks, newsletters, flyers, posters, postcards, advertisements and specialty items such as pens, pencils, mugs and T-shirt designs. Public Affairs does not review academic works such as journal articles, book chapters, textbooks, dissertations or theses. Public Affairs might need to review cover art for a book published on behalf of a UTMB faculty member, but only if it includes the logo. Again, the contents of the work would not require review.

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How much time do I need to allow in planning for the institutional review?
Public Affairs understands the importance of returning reviews as quickly as possible. We will work with you to ensure an efficient turnaround on your project.

Following are general guidelines for how long to allow for the required review. (This list does not take into account the time it may take to make required or suggested changes.) Please understand that the editor’s workload and institutional priorities may alter these turnaround times somewhat. If the review will take longer than indicated below, the editor will contact you in advance to negotiate a mutually agreeable deadline:

• Flyers, posters, ads and similar brief items—three working days

• Newsletters, tri-fold brochures, event programs and similar medium-length items—five working days

• Longer materials such as viewbooks or lengthy brochures—10 working days

Please also be aware that, in the case of certain items, such as faculty/staff recruitment advertising or clinical trials advertising, additional reviews by other UTMB offices may be necessary.

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How do I know what the right style is?
Refer to the identity system web site for guidance. The site is divided into print, web and multimedia/specialty item sections, and also includes resource materials such as PowerPoint templates and logo files for download. If you still have questions, don’t hesitate to contact Public Affairs at (409) 772-2618 or public.affairs@utmb.edu.

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Why are web logos different from print logos?
Web publishing and traditional printing are two very different media. The web and print logos were designed to make the best use of each medium.

The web logo takes advantage of the always-horizontal orientation of web pages while preserving as much space as possible for site content below. It has a “dimensional” look that is appropriate for computer screens, and it is rendered at a resolution that is high enough to look good on screen but low enough to conserve server space and limit loading times for pages.

The print logo is designed for the usually vertical orientation of printed publications. It is presented in a more straightforward manner, because the “dimensional” effect of the web logo hinders readability on the printed page. It is produced at a much higher resolution to reproduce well on paper.

The most important thing to remember: web and print logos are not interchangeable.

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The “downloads” page confuses me. Can I just pull a logo from an email or off a web page for my publication?
No. Logos created for electronic use (such as web pages and email badges) are not appropriate for use in print. They follow a slightly different format, and their resolution is much too low for quality printing. If you need a logo for use in print and are having trouble downloading the one you need from the identity system web site, contact Public Affairs at (409) 772-2618 for assistance.

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What is an approved typeface?
The print communications audit conducted in 2000 pointed to a need for the university to adopt a list of approved typefaces for UTMB promotional publications, both print and electronic. Although typefaces can be a subtle graphic element (most readers won’t be able to identify the exact names of the typefaces used), consistent use of a limited number of typefaces does contribute to a cohesive image overall. The resulting materials won’t be identical, but they will be similar enough to be seen as part of a family. Refer to the identity system web site for a list of approved typefaces for print and electronic publications at UTMB.

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What is the color palette?
Along with the approved typefaces is a list of approved accent colors for UTMB promotional materials. Again, color can be a subtle aspect of a design. By using accent colors from the approved list (which is actually quite extensive compared to color palettes at other organizations of similar size), you’ll help create a consistent graphic image that conveys UTMB as a strong, innovative, enduring force in health care. Refer to the identity system web site for more information on approved colors for university print publications and web sites.

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I know we have a new logo. Does this mean we don’t have a seal anymore?
Like all UT System components, UTMB has a regentally approved seal. It is patterned after the UT System seal and includes components from the seal of the State of Texas. It is reserved for formal uses such as certain invitations, certificates and diplomas, and will likely always exist. However, the seal does not help build name recognition for UTMB, because its design is identical to that of the other 14 UT System component institutions. For this reason, the seal is not recommended for use in general promotional communications.

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OK. So what can I do to jazz up my promotional publications?
You have a number of options. There are several accent colors approved for use under the identity system. In most instances, they can be used at 100 percent and/or screened to a lighter shade to provide some variety. You can emphasize text with bold type or italics, or by varying the point sizes between headers and body copy. You can use up to two different typefaces (generally one serif and one sans serif to achieve contrast) in one document for variety. You can reverse text out of a solid background (although this technique should be reserved for small amounts of text). You can incorporate illustrations or photographs. For printed publications, papers of different textures, weights and colors are available. Even the way a printed publication is folded can make a statement to readers.

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I’ve heard Public Affairs maintains a dungeon where identity system scofflaws are thrown. Is this true?
Well, it’s not exactly a dungeon, because of Galveston’s high water table. <wink>

Seriously, the Public Affairs staff members responsible for managing the identity system and the review process are decent, hard-working folk who have parents and children and friends. Some of us even have pets. We’re here to help you and your colleagues follow the identity system, not to punish people for downloading the wrong logo or misplacing a comma. Really. (If you don’t believe us, ask our mothers.)