2. What is our brand and what do we want it to be?
At Georgia Tech,
we are the amazingly diverse, brilliant and creative minds
that are open to any challenge,
bringing inventive solutions and an industrious tenacity
to imagining, defining, and solving for what’s next,
by blazing a path for success that delivers
real-world solutions for industry, governments and societies
to positively impact our world.
BRAND 101
3. Create a Unified Brand Presence
• Defragment messaging
• Visual identity to convey “one Georgia Tech”
BRAND 101
4. Consistency is the Secret to Brand Identity Success
“With enough repetition, people encode brand identity.
If you mess with the overall look and feel of the brand,
these linkages and associations are likely to break down.”
– Derrick Daye & Brad Van Auken, brand strategists
BRAND 101
5. Ensure your brand is portrayed consistently, clearly,
and compellingly.
“If you intentionally or unintentionally send mixed messages,
it erodes trust and devalues the brand.”
– Brand Periscope
BRAND 101
6. The more consistent the brand is
across all customer touch points...
“…then the more the brand will have a firm impression
on people and will be more easily recognizable.”
– Michael Tasner, Chief Marketing Officer for Guerrilla Marketing
BRAND 101
7. “Brand consistency is the only secret to success.”
– Silvia Pencak, Brand Strategist for Magnetic Look
BRAND 101
8. Without repetition,
how does a brand create consistency?
“And without consistency,
how does a brand maintain value?”
– Marc Shiller, Fast Company columnist
BRAND 101
9. Design consistency helps ensure that our execution remains
aligned with business strategy.
While design consistency can transform your brand,
it takes commitment.
“The single biggest reason businesses fail to become
exceptional brands is a lack of commitment to respect
the brand.”
– Matthew Schwartz, Five Benefits of Designing a Consistent Brand
BRAND 101
10. The best reason to use consistent design
“Having a strong brand concept with design systems and tools
to support it speeds the execution of high-quality, on-brand communications.
It creates consistency that increases brand recall and retention
and makes the sum greater than the parts.
Not only is marketing more effective, but budgets are also more efficient.
With tools like brand guidelines and templates to ‘operationalize’
your brand, marketing efforts become more nimble and responsive
—without sacrificing quality.”
– Matthew Schwartz, Five Benefits of Designing a Consistent Brand
BRAND 101
11. A visual identity system is a set of consistent
standards about when and how to use visual
elements, graphically coordinated in such a way that
the public easily identifies Georgia Tech, its units, and
its activities. Elements of a visual identity system
include:
Logo
Colors
Typography
http://issuu.com/stephenbollinger/docs/enrollment_services_pages
WHAT IS A VISUAL IDENTITY SYSTEM?
12. Related items that play an important part of Georgia Tech’s
brand, but are not a part of our formal visual identity
system include:
Spirit Marks
(e.g. The Interlocking GT)
Mascots (e.g. Buzz)
The Institute Seal
NOTE: Prior approval to use spirit marks or
mascots MUST be obtained from the Licensing
Department of Institute Communications.
WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE SYSTEM
13. Consistency improves the chance our
audience will take note of what we’re
saying.
Adherence to our visual identity guidelines is
vital to ensure Georgia Tech is represented in a
uniform and consistent fashion.
To maximize the benefits of our revised visual
identity system, it must be used in a consistent
fashion over time.
THE VALUE OF CONSISTENCY
15. The Georgia Tech logo is the most
important element of our visual identity. It
is essential that we preserve its integrity
at all times.
Our logo puts a “face” on our communications and
signals that audiences are interacting with Georgia
Tech. It should therefore be prominent on all our
communications.
GEORGIA TECH LOGO
®
19. GEORGIA TECH LOGO GUIDELINES
Nothing may be added to the logo.
Never combine another element with the logo.
Do not add a text element, such as a tagline, to the logo.
24. Secondary logos are not allowed.
Some units, in the past, have created secondary logos. You may see some these
still floating around. Years ago, this was allowed, but it has been an allowed
practice for the last 6 years. Please do not consider using a non-standard logo. We
may demand that you dispose of any items with such secondary marks on them at
your department’s expense.
REMINDER… WE ARE ONE GEORGIA TECH
25. Secondary logos are not allowed.
Units have flexibility and visibility within the visual identity system.
Present a unified Georgia Tech visual identity.
REMINDER… WE ARE ONE GEORGIA TECH
26. Units with long names may use
a two-or-three line unit identifier.
THE SYSTEM IS FLEXIBLE
Three
Lines
Two
Lines
28. May use solid
lettering at small
sizes for clarity, or
when the logo is
applied over a busy
background
THE SYSTEM IS FLEXIBLE
29. BRAND COLORS
Official Institute Colors
White and gold are key components
of Georgia Tech’s visual identity
system and are the primary colors
available for use by all Georgia
Tech units. Consistent use and
careful matching of colors are
essential in establishing and
maintaining a consistent and unified
image.
The official Georgia Tech Pantone
colors should be specified and used
when printing communication
materials and must be used on all
Institute identity materials such as
business cards and letterhead.
Campus communicators should
obtain color samples prior to
production of materials to ensure
the colors on printed materials are
closely matched with the Institute’s
official colors. When a Pantone
color is not available, the CMYK mix
may be used. The WEB values may
be used on web, video, and
PowerPoint projects.
According to Staples Design
Services,
PMS 124 denotes
cheerfulness, enthusiasm,
success, happiness,
creativity, and intellectual
achievement, all qualities
associated with the Georgia
Tech brand.
PMS 874 communicates
stability and abundance.
White represents light and
purity and is favored by
technology brands.
Navy, represented by PMS
539, is the most popular
brand color. It communicates
depth, stability, intelligence,
and precision.
When choosing colors for
your project, try to match
color to audience. For
undergraduate students, the
qualities communicated by
PMS 124 are ideal, while the
stability communicated by
PMS 874 is appropriate for
alumni and donors.
30. Careful matching of our brand colors will help
reduce the variability and ensure consistency
across mediums.
BRAND COLORS
32. TYPOGRAPHY
OFFICIAL TYPEFACES
Consistent use of typography plays an
important role in shaping an organization’s
brand image. Using just one or two typefaces
within all communications to Georgia Tech’s
constituencies will go a long way to ensure a
singular brand impression.
To create a consistent identity for all printed
and electronic materials generated by
Georgia Tech, a standard family of typefaces
has been chosen for use in all media
(marketing materials, corporate
communications, business forms, signage,
etc.). These typefaces have been selected to
complement the Georgia Tech logo
and to help create a uniform brand identity.
Helvetica is available in light, thin, regular,
medium, bold, heavy, and black, condensed
in all weights and extended in all weights.
The extreme flexibility of this sans-serif font
lends itself to successfully creating
documents in all categories. Helvetica may
be used for both headlines and body copy.
33. Georgia Tech’s secondary, serif
typeface is Palatino.
Palatino serves as a companion
to Helvetica and may be used for
both headlines and body copy.
The Institute does not distribute
typefaces. Helvetica is
commonly found on many
computers. If Helvetica is not
available, Univers or Arial may
be used instead. The typeface
family shown on the previous
page is named Helvetica Neue.
Palatino is also commonly found
on many computers. Palatino
variations include:
• Palladio
• Book Antiqua
• TeX Gyre Pagella
• Renaissance Antiqua
• Zapf Calligraphic
• Zapf Calligraphic 801
TYPOGRAPHY
34. Accent TYPEFACE
Georgia Tech’s accent typeface
is Vitesse.
Vitesse serves as an accent
when using Helvetica and may
be used for both headlines and
body copy. It should not be used,
or used sparingly, together with
Palatino.
The Institute does not distribute
typefaces. The free Google font,
Roboto Slab, may be used as an
acceptable substitute.
TYPOGRAPHY
35. INSTITUTE IDENTITY MATERIALS
Letterhead
Official Georgia Tech
stationery uses the logo
with the Campanile.
Stationery paper is stocked
by Printing and Copying
Services (PCS) and
standardized for consistency,
for cost-effectiveness,
to maximize recycled
content, and to support the
Institute’s sustainability
goals.
Palatino or Helvetica
typefaces must be used
for identification and contact
information. Unit identifier
size is 9 point.
36. Letterhead
Official Georgia Tech
stationery uses the logo
with the Campanile.
Stationery paper is stocked
by Printing and Copying
Services (PCS) and
standardized for consistency,
for cost-effectiveness,
to maximize recycled
content, and to support the
Institute’s sustainability
goals.
Palatino or Helvetica
typefaces must be used
for identification and contact
information. Unit identifier
size is 9 point.
INSTITUTE IDENTITY MATERIALS
37. The Georgia Tech seal is the most formal
of the Institute’s marks and is reserved
for use by the Office of the President.
THE GEORGIA TECH SEAL
No other Georgia Tech
unit is permitted to use
the seal.
The seal is used on
official Institute
documents, such as
diplomas and certificates.
38. Our mascot, Buzz, and our spirit marks are
primarily reserved for use as athletic marks
and to communicate school spirit.
The interlocking GT should never appear with or replace the Georgia Tech logo.
These marks may be used by officially chartered student organizations and alumni
groups when Georgia Tech pride is the primary message.
Georgia Tech’s mascot and spirit marks are licensed trademarks which
require prior approval from Georgia Tech Institute Communications before use.
GEORGIA TECH’S MASCOT & SPIRIT MARKS
39. Q. Where do I get logos?
A. Contact Rachael Pocklington or Honey Brannon
in Institute Communications.
Q. Where can I view the visual identity guidelines?
A. The Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Tech logo, and a
PDF of the visual identity guidelines are available to download in
the Institute Communications toolbox at
www.gatech.edu/comm/toolbox/logos.html.
Q. I need help socializing the revised visual identity
throughout my unit.
A. We are here to help and will be happy to come speak to your unit
about the Georgia Tech brand.
FAQS
