Intercom Online......January 13, 2000

Policy outlines correct use
of University symbols

Obviously, Penn State has name recognition. Just last year, a Gallup Poll found that Penn State came in second to Harvard as the best university in the country. Not only does Penn State lend its name to some thousands of licensed products, but last year more than 70,000 people from across the country applied to one of the University's 24 locations.

Numbers like these make Penn State an institution that's hard to overlook, but according to University officials, it's also numbers of this nature that make it tough for one institution to portray a unified message. That's why the Department of University Publications has updated a policy aimed at helping Penn State portray a consistent image.

The policy, known as AD10, was introduced years ago as a way to manage the design and content of University publications. Over the years, the policy has been broadened to include the 1987 introduction of a system-wide graphic identity program, created to visually unify Penn State's campuses, colleges and units. This year, the policy was again updated to more clearly define the University mark as the official logo for Penn State and to provide guidelines for the use of other University symbols. A key message in the updated version is that "no other logos, trademarks, wordmarks or special graphics" should be used to identify units within the University.

AD 10, which can be found on the Web at http://guru.psu.edu/policies/AD10.html, also provides approval procedures for major publications and spells out the responsibilities of University Publications as keeper of Penn State's institutional identity program.

"We've long had a 'no logo' policy as part of our identity program and AD 10 makes official what has always been an understanding," said Jeffrey T. Hermann, director of University Publications. "The cornerstone of this program is the mark, which was born as part of a process to define Penn State's future and reinforce who we are -- an institution with a strong academic reputation and a unique multi-campus system. The mark goes hand-in-hand with the mission statement of the University."

The mark, shown at left, includes the shield etched with the date of Penn State's beginning (1855) and the Nittany Lion statue, which studies have shown is the most recognized symbol of Penn State. The words "Penn State" are printed in a logotype derived from a 200-year-old Italian typeface and a thin line extends from below the type. When the mark was introduced, Penn State stopped using the University seal as a logo, because of its similarity to the Pennsylvania state seal. The University seal is still used as a stamp of validation on official documents and contracts.

Karen Magnuson, assistant director of publications, said that about 18 months of research and development went into creating the mark, which was publicly unveiled in March 1987 and has since been Penn State's overarching symbol.

"We now have a symbol that you can analyze element by element ," Magnuson said. "Every aspect of the mark's design characterizes some important quality of the University, including history, tradition, academic stature and excellence."

The use of the mark as Penn State's official symbol will help provide a sense of continuity for all of the University's various centers and institutes, according to Hermann.

Magnuson agreed and said that units that create logos on their own may actually be harming their programs.

"There's nothing wrong with individuality, but a great deal of stature for a program comes from its affiliation to Penn State," Magnuson said. "Sometimes it's more confusing for the public if there is layer upon layer of logos. Centers and programs should want to paint a clear picture of who they are, but they should do that first and foremost by identifying Penn State -- and we have a mark that does that and has done it well for more than 12 years."

Hermann said University Publications can provide professional planning, project management and editorial and design service to units that are looking to define their image. The director said his department can work with units to help them find a distinct look within the University's AD 10 guidelines. To reach Publications, call (814) 863-1870.

Back to news index

Back to Intercom home page