Iowa State University has established an extensive brand along with guidelines for using our brand. It is essential for maintaining consistency and uniformity in our visual identity and messaging. When printing pieces that utilize the wordmark, graphics, colors etc., it is important to adhere to these sets of rules and guidelines. They protect the look, feel, and integrity of our brand. Iowa State University Marketing has an extensive amount of resources on their website. We highly encourage our customers to review this website and the university’s branding guidelines.
Iowa State’s Brand Standards
It is important to use the university wordmark in a way that is consistent with the guidelines set forth by marketing. This consistent use of the nameplate helps build and maintain our brand recognition, conveys professionalism and brand cohesion. Please do not attempt to recreate the university wordmark. University marketing has many resources for nameplate usage as well as resources to obtain wordmark packages for departments, divisions, units etc. Please visit the marketing wordmark webpage:
The Iowa State University customized color palette reflects the clarity and depth of our values, and it is deeply rooted in the university’s land-grant mission. Consistent and appropriate use of these colors will create a strong and consistent visual presence for the university. This established system of colors for brand communications ties all the colleges, institutes, centers and units of our university together.
To ensure the consistency of our visual identity, specifications for each color are provided for both print and digital use. Pantone colors and CMYK values are provided for color printing applications. A printer-friendly PDF outlining the primary and secondary color palettes has been created for your convenience. This information, and more, can be found at: https://www.brandmarketing.iastate.edu/brand-elements/color-palette/.
Pantone Color Library Update (Fall 2022): Upon installing the 2023 versions of Adobe Creative Cloud programs, you will no longer see Iowa State’s brand colors when browsing the built-in color libraries. This is because the Solid Coated color book, among others, is now only available with a paid subscription to Pantone Connect Premium. If you are a subscriber, you will be able to use the colors as normal. If you are not a subscriber, we have created Adobe Swatch Exchange (.ase) files, which contain both the primary and secondary Iowa State color palettes. These can be imported into your Adobe programs and used freely.
For more information about Adobe swatch libraries, go here: https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/using-creating-swatches.html
Download the ISU Primary and Secondary Swatch Libraries Here
Font/Typography is crucial in our university’s identity as it conveys our brand’s personality and tone, influencing how customers perceive the business. Consistent use of a specific font across Iowa State’s marketing materials enhances brand recognition and cohesion. Additionally, an appropriate font choice can improve readability and engagement, making communication more effective.