CFAES

New day, new mark. Now what?

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You’ve probably heard the news by now: Extension has its own mark to use. Exciting!

So what does this mean? How does this development impact you?

The good news is that it doesn’t really impact you very much. The brand itself has not changed. I repeat, the brand itself has not changed. You’ll still use the CFAES tag, brand colors, and brand fonts. The only “change” is to the logo file. If you’re using one of the current templates, you’ll swap out the college logo for the Extension version. And just like you used to spell out Extension’s full name somewhere on the document, you’ll spell out the college name somewhere. Easy peasy!

Our brand site has been updated to outline the changes, and we’ve mocked up a couple of examples to show you what’s required. Check it out here.

I’m sure you still have questions. And that’s a-okay. Here are some of the common ones we’ve gotten since the announcement.

 

Q: Can I use the Extension logo in my email signature or on letterhead?

A: No. Except in a few circumstances, the university logo is used on all stationery, including email signatures, for colleges, central offices, and regional campuses.

 

Q: Will you be creating new templates with the logo on them?

A: Yes. That’s part of the reason why this is happening now. Our goal is to simplify the templates by making it easier to identify each entity involved. And since we have to create new ADA-compliant templates anyway, this seemed like the perfect time to make the update. In the meantime, just swap out the college logo for the Extension one (or the Extension/4-H combo mark, or the CFAES Wooster mark) and you’ll be good to go.

 

Q: What should I do if we have a program that’s equally funded by Extension and Research dollars? 

A: Unless your program is 100% Extension, you should continue to use the college logo. Do not use both logos to represent your program.

 

Q: Can we use the Extension logo on shirts?

A: You absolutely can! The Brand Approval Team has been working with the university and with Trademark and Licensing to make sure that vendors have approved logo files. And our updated guidelines show how to apply the files to merchandise and apparel.

Still have questions? Send us an email: CFAES_BAT@osu.edu. You can also visit the BAT Cave for regular brand updates.

As always, Go Bucks!

Brand approvals

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Q: I’m creating a giveaway item for my group and I don’t plan to use the logo. Do I still need to get brand approval?

A: This is a question we get frequently and the answer in short is that, yes, you do need to get approval. The longer answer is still yes, but it’s a bit more involved.

The Ohio State University as an entity, including its name and associated symbols, represents a tradition of excellence. Did you know that Ohio State has one of the largest alumni associations and single-campus enrollments in the nation? Impressive!

We know that one of the ways that Buckeyes show their pride is through Ohio State merchandise. What you may not know is that every time official Ohio State gear is purchased, the purchase helps to support student scholarships and other university initiatives that maintain our legacy. To date, the university’s Licensing Program has generated over $130 million in royalty revenue from approximately $1.3 billion in licensed retail sales. Outstanding!

It’s important that we help protect the university’s identity and legacy. That reputation is why we’re here. It’s why we’re seen as the experts in our respective areas. The Ohio State brand lends credibility to everything we do, and we all need to be good stewards by helping to protect it.

One of the ways we protect the brand is to make sure we properly represent our trademarked properties.

A trademark can be in the form of a:
– Word
– Phrase
– Symbol
– Design
– Color
– Group of letters or numbers
– Sound
– Smell
– Combination of the above

Because we’re such a large institution, we have many trademarks, including our name. Any time the university’s name is used, it has to include a registered trademark symbol: The Ohio State University®. The Block O is also protected, as are Buckeye leaves and nuts, Brutus, Script Ohio, and the logo.

Ohio State has registered its marks in the state of Ohio and the United States, and continues to pursue registration overseas. This is done to protect the university’s integrity and identity on a global level. At the same time, royalties collected through the Licensing Program continue to fund scholarships for deserving students. This is why it’s important to get an approval on anything you’re creating — we want to make sure that students are benefitting. And by ensuring that products bearing the university marks are of high quality and good taste, we further promote Ohio State’s reputation as one of the nation’s finest universities.

The university has some guidelines around creating merchandise and apparel, which we abide by. The College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) also has additional, specific guidelines for creating those items. When space allows for it, the college logo (or other approved entity mark) must be used on clothing and merchandise. If space is tight, the trademarked college name or another trademarked symbol like the Block O may be used. Check out the document here for the complete list of requirements.

If you have any questions about branding or trademarks, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Send an email to CFAES_BAT@osu.edu, or tweet us at @CFAES_BAT.

Pardon our mess

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If you happened to visit the brand site last week, you may have noticed some inconsistencies. Maybe something was out of place. Maybe something just looked weird.

Have no fear. We haven’t lost our minds—yet. We’re doing a minor refresh to the site which will eventually make its way to the rest of our sites.

We’re brightening things up to help with readability. Expanding our views to make it easier to find things without excessive scrolling. Removing the clutter because less is more. Basically, we’re doing some spring cleaning in October.

We’ll also be adding some new art elements, an Adobe Spark toolkit, and overhauled templates that are accessible to screen readers. We’ll update this space when we have an announcement to make. We’ll also send out a note on Twitter, so make sure you follow us if you don’t already.

In the meantime, let us know if you have any questions about anything. We’re here to help!

Get ready to get ready!

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Beginning in the academic year 2019-2020 and running through the fall of 2020, The Ohio State University and the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences will mark 150 years with a global celebration for all Buckeyes.

The university got its start in 1870 when the Ohio General Assembly established the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College, which evolved to become the institution we know and love, CFAES. Since its founding, Ohio State has epitomized the belief that by educating our citizenry, we ensure a better tomorrow for ourselves and for society. Throughout the sesquicentennial, we’ll be honoring and exploring our history, celebrating who we are today, and envisioning and embracing our future as a national flagship public research university.

As a cornerstone college, we want to make sure that our contributions are recognized. The BAT team has worked with the university to develop a set of marks that should be used on all print materials. There are also special marks to use when you’re creating sesquicentennial-related merchandise and apparel.

 

CFAES 150 print mark

 

 

 

 

CFAES 150 merchandise and apparel mark

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Download assets here.  Note: You must have Ohio State credentials to access the contents of the folder. If you are not part of CFAES and need access to one of the marks, please email us at CFAES_BAT@osu.edu.


How does this impact me? Anyone producing print materials that have a shelf life of less than two years should add the CFAES 150 print mark in place of the regular CFAES logo.

I just printed my department’s brochures. Do I need to reprint them with the 150 mark? No. Buckeyes are all about sustainability. If your materials have already been printed, that quantity should be used up before reprinting. However, if you run out of your materials while the sesquicentennial is underway, or you are in the process of developing materials that will be printed soon, you should include the 150 mark.

Can I add my department or unit name to the 150 mark? No, the CFAES 150 mark should not be modified in any way. You can, and should, include your department or unit name in text using one of the approved brand identification methods. See the brand site for unit identification options.

 

Do you have other questions about the sesquicentennial? Email us at CFAES_BAT@osu.edu.

Social Media Guidelines

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Social Media Guidelines

Effective April 15, 2019, The Ohio State University adopted The Institutional Social Media Accounts for Marketing and Communications policy. If you manage a social media account for CFAES purposes, please read the policy and accompanying documents at go.osu.edu/socialmediapolicy. To help you implement the policy, please refer to the Social Media Policy Playbook.

As you know, our brand identity reinforces that we are one college with one mission: We sustain life.

Through all CFAES communications, including social media accounts, we want individuals—alumni, donors, partners, friends, legislators, and clientele—to know and recognize who we are. We also want them to know about the great work we do through teaching, research, and outreach. To do that, we must be consistent in how we communicate about who we are. To help strengthen our online identity, we have created avatars to be used across all accounts. If you maintain a CFAES-related social media account, please use the general CFAES avatar. If your program is a cross-college initiative, meaning your work is done through more than one college, please use the alternate avatar. Avatars should be applied to accounts now.

If you have any questions about avatars, social media branding, or have trouble downloading the files below, please email the CFAES Brand Team at CFAES_BAT@osu.edu.

CFAES social media avatar

CFAES avatar

Alternate social media avatar

Alternate social media avatar

The only blog you’ll ever need

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Welcome to The Bat Signal, not to be confused with the Bat-Signal which, I’m sure, is protected intellectual property. Instead of serving as an alert call for your local superhero, this blog is the go-to place for information, updates, and tips for anyone producing branded materials for the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. We’ll keep you informed about new additions to our brand website, answer any questions you might have, show off some great submissions to our BAT email, provide important brand update information, and sometimes include some tutorials that will help you take your communications materials to the next level. So sit back and prepare to be delighted and maybe even dazzled!