wgu texas brand style guide

wgu texas brand style guide WGU Texas

MARKETING DEPARTMENT Contents Brand Overview Media Center Copywriting Logo Usage Fonts Colors Photography Video 2 3 4-5 6-7 8 9 10 11 WGU Texas Overview Brand Promise We help our students achieve their dreams for a degree and career success by providing a personal, flexible, and affordable education based on real-world competencies. How we are different Our messaging states how we are different: WGU Texas only offers full degree programs rather than individual classes. WGU Texas does not charge per credit. WGU Texas measures competency, not seat time, through rigorous assessments (tests, papers, etc.) WGU Texas has a flat-rate tuition per term no matter how many courses a student completes in that term. WGU Texas terms last 6 months. WGU Texas students are assigned mentors who assist them through graduation and beyond. Students study is individualized, and students aren t required to re-study material they already know. WGU Texas has a continuous enrollment cycle that allows students to begin their programs on the first of every month. WGU Texas uses a program council made up of academicians and industry experts to develop and continually review our programs to make sure that the competencies taught are the most relevant to the workplace in each field of study. WGU Texas is a non-profit, online university. WGU Texas will never prevent you from accelerating as quickly as you can through your program. WGU Texas is a great value, with tuition that is significantly less than most of its for-profit competitors. How WGU Texas is similar to other universities: As a subsidiary of Western Governors University, WGU Texas programs are regionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, one of the major accrediting commissions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). As a subsidiary of Western Governors University, WGU Texas is also nationally accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC). WGU Texas offers federal financial aid to its students. WGU Texas accepts transfer credits that are from other accredited schools and that are considered relevant to the program the student is entering. WGU Texas has rigorous courses that are designed to graduate highly competent individuals with skills that are valued in the workplace. WGU Texas degrees are credible proof of competence and accepted by employers. 1.877.214.7011 2

WGU TEXAS STYLE GUIDE Media Center Terms of Legal Use WGU registered marks The words WGU and Western Governors University, as well as associated logos are valuable trademarks. Use the trademark ( ) symbol with the first use of a trademark on a webpage, collateral, etc., and whenever the marks appear as trademarks. In some cases, we may request that a footnote be inserted on web pages and collateral stating that Western Governors University is a registered trademark. An example: WGU is a registered trademark of Western Governors University. Note: All agencies, companies, and organizations using WGU registered marks and trademarks must be licensed according to the terms and conditions included in Exhibit A. Registered marks: The University That Comes To You Goods and Services IC 038. WGU 100 101 104. Serial Number 76124368 Filing Date September 11, 2000 Registration Number 2712543 Registration Date May 6, 2003 WWW.WGU.EDU Goods and Services IC 038. WGU 100 101 104. Serial Number 75698686 Filing Date May 6, 1999 Registration Number 2374880 Registration Date August 8, 2000 Education without Boundaries Goods and Services IC 042. WGU 100 101. Serial Number 75540846 Filing Date August 24, 1998 Registration Number 2628544 Registration Date October 1, 2002 Western Governors University Goods and Services IC 042. WGU 100 101. Serial Number 75173573 Filing Date September 30, 1996 Registration Number 2293056 Registration Date November 16, 1999 Goods and Services IC 041. WGU 100 101 107. Serial Number 75173570 Filing Date September 30, 1996 Registration Number 2293054 Registration Date November 16, 1999 WGU pending trademarks Use the trademark ( ) symbol with the listed unregistered marks (below), and any word, phrase, or design in which WGU wishes/may wish to assert trademark rights. Trademarks in process: WGU Texas - Application in process Download page link: http://texas.wgu.edu/wgubranding 3 texas.wgu.edu

MARKETING DEPARTMENT Copywriting General Usage and Style WGU and its state franchises use the Chicago Manual of Style to guide the majority of style and usage decisions. Listed below are some common usage and punctuation rules for WGU: 1. Western Governors University, not Western Governor s University is correct. 2. Use Western Governors University for the first usage, not WGU when referring to the main university. 3. State universities always use WGU, not Western Governors University. Examples: WGU Indiana, not Western Governors University Indiana. 4. Associate s, bachelor s, and master s degrees are written with apostrophes and are not capitalized unless used with a specific degree title. Examples: WGU offers more than 50 bachelor s and master s degrees. 5. WGU capitalizes the names of each college. Examples: Western Governors University offers more than 50 accredited bachelor s and master s degrees in Business, Information Technology, Teacher Education, and Health Professions, including Nursing. 6. WGU Teachers College is not written with an apostrophe. 7. Prelicensure, a term that is used in both the Teachers College and the College of Health Professions, is not hyphenated. 8. Nonprofit is not hyphenated. We are transitioning to this usage, so it should be changed whenever materials or web copy are updated. 9. WGU uses the serial comma before the and, or the or in a series 10. University is not capitalized when used without Western Governors. Example: All students attending the university should be aware of their status. 11. Use periods in B.S., B.A., M.S., and M.A., but not in MBA, MSN, BSN, RN, or IT. 12. We do not use the words class or teachers when talking about academics at WGU. It is acceptable to use the word course or coursework. There are no classes at WGU, and our faculty does not teach; they provide one-on-one mentoring. Common Terminology and Definitions 1. Most WGU faculty members are called mentors. There are two kinds of mentors: student mentors, who are assigned to work with students one-on-one throughout their degree programs, and course mentors, who are subject matter experts for specific subjects and courses. We often refer to them as faculty in our external messaging. 2. A CU, or competency unit, is roughly equivalent to a credit at another university. They are different because they do not represent a number of hours they focus on mastery of the subject matter, or competency. The plural form, CUs, does NOT use an apostrophe (CU s is incorrect). 3. SAP and OTP SAP, or satisfactory academic progress, is the term that has been used to define whether students are advancing in their programs at a rate that is acceptable both to the university and in compliance with federal financial aid guidelines. WGU is currently changing to a different term, On Track Performance, or OTP, to help students focus on what they need to do to complete their degrees. 1.877.214.7011 4

WGU TEXAS STYLE GUIDE Copywriting (cont d) 4. EWB, or Education without Boundaries, is the orientation program that all new WGU students attend. 5. Demonstration Teaching, or DT Student teaching for teacher ed programs leading to licensure. 6. Term break basically the same thing as a leave of absence from WGU. A term break can be as short as a month. 7. Assessment refers to the tests, papers, and performance tasks that students must complete to demonstrate competency in each course. Students must earn the equivalent of at least a B grade to pass. 8. B.S. Health Informatics belongs to the College of Health Professions, not IT. SEO Keywords for writing Affordable online degree Accredited online university Online bachelors degree Online masters degree Online degree program Online business degree Online IT degree Online nursing degree Online teaching degree Online university Texas Accreditations 1. Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (regional accreditation). 2. DETC Distance Education and Training Council (national accreditation). 3. NCATE National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education, the only exclusively online university to receive NCATE accreditation for its programs leading to initial teacher licensure. 4. CCNE Commission for Collegiate Nursing Education. 5. CAHIIM Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (B.S. Health Informatics). 6. NSAIS Certified WGU s M.S. in Information Security and Assurance has been certified by the National Security Agency s Information Assurance Courseware Evaluation (IACE) Program. 5 texas.wgu.edu

MARKETING DEPARTMENT BW & Greyscale logos Logo Usage Color Options ONLY use WGU approved logos in any original colored artwork NEVER substitute another color when using WGU Texas logos When producing WGU Texas logos in a one-color format, please use black, white or WGU Navy only Size Requirements The minimum size for the WGU Texas seal is.75 inches wide for print applications and 60 pixels wide for on-screen applications. The seal should never be smaller than 2.5 inches for embroidered items due to lettering degradation. Against Dark Background Placement/Relationship Never connect to or be a part of any other symbol or icon. Always appear in the orientation seen in these guidelines. Never modify or recombine in any way to create new artwork. Always use in the original colored artwork or in the black and white line art provided. Never put inside any box, circle or other shape. When used as a signoff on WGU Texas marketing materials, the WGU Texas logo should be placed in the bottom, either left, right or centered, as pictured below. The seal may only be used alone on merchandise where it is the sole element. Allow 1/4 space around entire logo. WGU Texas should only be on one line; do not stack WGU on top of Texas Never use the logo rotated on an angle. Use only logo art provided. Never try and recreate any WGU logo. Never remove the TM from the logo. WGU Texas is pending a Registered Trademark. Seal & Title Accepted Orientations Seal only Centered Logo - Preferred use of logo Horizontal Logo - Preferred use of logo in situations where centered logo will not fit Horizontal Logo Seal Right - Used as a signature only, placement on the lower right hand corner of a page or ad 1.877.214.7011 6

WGU TEXAS STYLE GUIDE Logo Usage (cont d) Incorrect Uses Below are examples of how NOT to place or use the WGU Texas logo. WGU Texas STAFF GROUP WGU Texas Any rotation Stacking the text portion of the logo Changing the logo in any way WGU Texas Colors other than provided artwork There must always be at least 1/4 minimum space around the logo Using a substitute font for the text part of the logo WGU Texas type placed in different arrangement other than artwork provided In a box. If the background is light, use the navy blue type. If the background is dark, use the reverse type Integrated into another design 7 texas.wgu.edu

MARKETING DEPARTMENT Fonts & Font Usage Approved Fonts Minion Family Main font for use as copy, headlines, subheads, and display in print Minion Condensed (Preferred) AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJjKkLlMmNnOoPpQqRrSsTtUuVvWwXxYyZz 1234567890!@#$%^&*()_+{} : <>?-=[]\;,./ Print body copy uses Minion Condensed 10-12pt. Only one size must be used throughout publication. Bold Condensed, Italic Condensed and Bold Italic Condensed may all be used to emphasize words, links, or subheads. Univers Family For use as subheads in print ads and literature, and as the main font in video. Univers 67 Bold Condensed (Preferred) AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJjKkLlMmNnOoPpQqRrSsTtUuVvWwXxYyZz 1234567890!@#$%^&*()_+{} : <>?-=[]\;,./ Acceptable Use In some materials, fonts can be reversed to white on a colored background Initial caps is the preferred treatment for headlines and copy. Minion Pro is best used as a headline font, with a condensed version for copy Avoid extreme kerning (either tight or loose). Avoid a mixture of fonts and sizes - particularly in the same headline, block of copy, or subhead. Note: Never try to recreate any WGU logo, including the text portion. Only use approved logo artwork. 1.877.214.7011 8

WGU TEXAS STYLE GUIDE Colors WGU Texas s visual identity uses primary colors, secondary colors and color gradients to identify a college or for general use. Standard Color Palette Examples Only the main colors of Navy Blue, Pine, Light Pine, Gray and white should be used for large areas (seen to the right). Maroon, Pine, Light Pine, Navy Blue are used for bold accent lines. Yellow can be used for text or thinner lines, but never as a main color. Cream should only be used in infographic backgrounds. Example of WGU Texas color palette at work. 9 texas.wgu.edu

MARKETING DEPARTMENT Photography Overview Typical office and indoor shots (including posed shots against studio backdrops) should be avoided in favor of people matching our target audience engaged in their career, demonstrating confidence, and visually representing the key messages associated with WGU Texas. WGU Texas does have a custom photo library with approved photos. Please contact us for use. WGU Texas custom photography can be used ONLY for WGU and its subsidiaries. Stock photography can be used if it is licensed, and if it visually falls within these guidelines. Our preference is custom photography where applicable. Approval Process All photos must be approved by the WGU Marketing Department Contact Juan Maestas at (801) 428-5715 or jmaestas@wgu.edu 1.877.214.7011 10

WGU TEXAS STYLE GUIDE Video Production Preferred video production techniques, editing styles, and music Production Equipment Video productions should be shot in 1080p high definition at a 16:9 ratio. Although much of the content will be used on the WGU Texas website, shooting in a large format gives the editor more options in cropping the footage. HD also gives us the option to use the footage in presentations should the need arise. All audio should be shot with a shotgun microphone or lavelier mic depending on setup. DO NOT USE the on-camera mic except as a reference track. Interviews Interviews should be gripped by a tripod and dolly (No handheld photography). Interviews should be shot with as shallow depth-of-field as possible. Interviews should use natural lighting and a bounce card to fill in shadows, or use a 4-point lighting setup. Interviews should use a lavalier microphone. Please ensure that your audio levels are high but not hot. B-ROLL Videography All B-ROLL videography should use very cinematic techniques, with a high production value. Event Videography Event videography should use a tripod or a camera stabilizer. No whip-pans or shaky video. Interviews should use a hand held or shotgun microphone. Editing Styles Slower pacing. Cross-fades between different interviews. Color grading should reflect true color correction only (No stylistic or harsh color grading). Music Use a modern library of sampled music, no MIDI (eg. Digital Juice StackTraxx). Approval Process All video must be approved by the WGU Marketing Department. Please contact Juan Maestas at (801) 428-5715 or jmaestas@wgu.edu. 11 texas.wgu.edu

WGU Texas promise We help our students achieve their dreams for a degree and career success by providing a personal, flexible, and affordable education based on real-world competencies. 1.877.214.7011 texas.wgu.edu