Creative Services And Publications

The UC San Diego brand is an expression of the promise made to various stakeholders to fulfill our mission of teaching, research, and public service.

The outward expression of the UC San Diego brand—including its name, trademarks, logos, communication tools, and visual design approach—is brand identity. Effective visual brand identity is achieved by the consistent use of particular design elements to create distinction. At the core of every brand identity is a brand mark, or logo, which represents the brand in its simplest form.

The campus brand guidelines specify how the identity is applied throughout a variety of mediums, using approved color palettes, fonts, layouts, measurements, etc. These guidelines ensure that the visual identity of the campus is kept coherent, which, in turn, allows the brand as a whole to be recognizable and reinforced.

The Office of Creative Services and Publications oversees UC San Diego’s brand to ensure that it is applied appropriately and consistently for both internal and external audiences. After reviewing these guidelines, if you have additional questions about brand application, please contact us at publications@ucsd.edu.

Download these guidelines as a PDF

UC San Diego Logo

The UC San Diego logo is the primary graphic identifier for the campus and the preferred logo for general use. It is not intended to replace the official or unofficial seals of the University of California or UC San Diego.

UC San Diego Seal

The UC San Diego seal is used for only the most formal occasions, appearing on university diplomas, formal invitations, and ceremonial documents deemed appropriate by the Office of the Chancellor. The seal also appears on one version of the UC San Diego business cards. It is not downloadable.

Triton Athletic/Spirit Logo

The Triton logo and UC San Diego Athletics logotype are primarily used to represent UC San Diego Athletics. They can also be used in student- and spirit-related applications. The Triton logo is not to be used in place of the official UC San Diego logo.

For more information on the Triton logo, contact Ken Grosse, kgrosse@ucsd.edu.

UCSD Alumni Logo

The UCSD Alumni logo is intended for use in print and digital media produced by and for UCSD Alumni. The Alumni logo must always be accompanied by the UC San Diego logo. For more information on UCSD Alumni branding, contact Rachelle Dostie, rdostie@ucsd.edu.

Where Did the Library Logo Go?

The logo with the image of Geisel Library has been adopted exclusively by the UC San Diego Library. The image is no longer in use or available to the campus community for new print or electronic projects, vehicles, or signage/environmental graphics. Units that have letterhead, brochures, or websites with the library logo should refresh to the new campus logo when reordering print material or redesigning sites.

Logo Components

The UC San Diego logo for print and product application has two components: (1) the logotype custom designed and based on the Rotis Serif font; and (2) the rule line below the logotype.

The logo must appear on the front and/or back of all printed material intended for internal and external audiences. For printed materials, place the UC San Diego logo in the upper left or lower right corner of the piece.

• Do not change the typeface.
• Do not attach other graphic elements to the logotype.
• Do not stretch or change the proportions of the logotype
• Do not rearrange or overlap components of logo

Online usage

For electronic applications where space is limited, such as the standard UC San Diego website header, a version of the logo without the rule has been created.

All campus websites must include the approved UC San Diego logo. The minimum logo width for all web and digital applications is 150 pixels.

Logo Color: Print and Product Collateral

The official colors of the UC San Diego logo in print are PMS 2767 for the logotype and PMS 1245 for the rule. The logo can also appear as one color, PMS 2767, or black. When using the logo over an image or dark background, as on the cover of a brochure, the logo should be reversed to white.

• Use only specified colors.
• Do not outline logotype.

Logo Color: Web

Please see the guide at left for logo colors when used online. The most effective color for the logo is often white.

Logo Size

The logotype and rule line must always maintain the same size relation. The minimum size for the logo is 1.25 inches wide. The preferred logo width for use on the front of a printed piece is from 1.75 inches to 3 inches. The logo may appear smaller in secondary applications, as on the back of the piece.

Clear Space: Print and Web

The logo requires an appropriate amount of space around it. The clear space around the logo should be a minimum of one cap height. No text, graphics, or other elements should appear in this space.

Combining the Logo with a Unit Name

Under no circumstances should any text other than a unit name be coupled with the logo. Use this configuration only when space prohibits using the unit name elsewhere.

The font face for the unit name is Myriad Pro Regular, which is included with all versions of Adobe Creative Suite software. If Myriad is unavailable, substitute Lucida Sans Unicode (Windows) or Lucida Grande (Mac). If neither Myriad nor Lucida is available, use only a sans serif font.

The font size for the unit name is approximately 1/10 the width of the logo. Font size may be adjusted, within reason, for optimal alignment with long or short unit names or for unique application needs (embroidery, signage, etc.).

When combining a unit name with the university logo, the university logo is always the dominant element and appears above the unit name.

Adjacent Information

In cases where the logo and unit name must be used with additional information, such as a return address on an envelope, the preferred format is as follows:

• Return addresses appear below the logo. A clear space of at least one x-height of the logo must be maintained between the logo and text.
• The address or other information should be set in Myriad Pro or another sans serif font at an appropriate size (usually 12 pt. or smaller).

Logo Placement in print

The logo should be placed in the top left or bottom right.

Logo Placement on the web

The UC San Diego logo should appear prominently at the top of all campus websites. In most cases, the site name is at left and the campus logo is at right.

Logo Placement on vehicles

The UC San Diego logo for general campus vehicles (ex: golf carts, cars, trucks) follows the same guidelines as for print and product collateral with the following exception:

• The logo is to appear in only one color (blue 2767 or vinyl equivalent, white) on all vehicles other than busses.

The graphic identity for the shuttle and bus program is currently in development.

Letterhead

There are two versions of letterhead and envelopes available to campus employees. The first is the UC system letterhead, with the ten campus names across the top, the unofficial UC San Diego seal, and the San Diego campus name prominent.

The second option is the UC San Diego logo letterhead.

Both can be ordered via Imprints Print Connection http://printconnection.ucsd.edu. The new letterhead will be available at Imprints April 15, 2012. You can pre-order beginning at the end of March.

Business Cards

Employees of the university may select from three business card options: one with the UC San Diego seal in blue and gold foil stamp, and two with the UC San Diego logo in blue type and gold foil (or simply blue ink). The new cards will be available at Imprints April 15, 2012. You can pre-order beginning at the end of March. To view and order the cards, visit Imprints Print Connection http://printconnection.ucsd.edu.