Please see below for available logo files and Ohio State brand standards.
The consistent and proper use of the university logo not only strengthens recognition for Ohio State but also projects the university’s established reputation onto all of the many individual entities that make up our university.
To reinforce the university logo – and thereby the university itself – as our foundation, our identity system prohibits the use of any additional iconography, marks or artwork in conjunction with the university logo or any supplemental signature. Approved secondary identity elements may be used as supporting art, but they should always be clearly separated from the official marks*.
*IMPORTANT: The minimum required amount of clear space is defined by the width of the Block O. Please refer to the Ohio State Brand Guidelines for more logo usage requirements.
The Ohio State signature system allows for a unit name to appear under the university word mark. Academic colleges, medical centers, regional campuses, central support units and university academic centers* approved by OAA/CAA have the option of using a secondary signature in marketing materials. Under no circumstances is any text other than the approved unit name permitted to appear in this space.
*University centers affiliated with the Arts and Sciences may be provided with a dedicated secondary signature logo. Please check this list to confirm center classification: oaa.osu.edu/centers-and-institutes. University centers should not attempt to create their own secondary signatures, but instead should email asccomm@osu.edu to submit a request.
Academic departments and college centers are NOT permitted to have their own secondary signature. The college secondary signature should be used on all materials (including: event flyers, course posters, brochures, print and email newsletters) with the department/center name featured in a lock up or prominently on the piece. The College of Arts and Sciences secondary signature can be downloaded above and a gallery of projects with various unit identification lock ups can be viewed here.
Please refer to the Ohio State Brand Guidelines for more unit identification information.
NOTE: Any exceptions to these guidelines need to be approved by the Arts and Sciences Marketing and Communications Office and University Marketing. Please email your files to asccomm@osu.edu for review.
Artwork used on promotional items and apparel is required to meet both product specifications and university brand standards, which requires inclusion of an Ohio State logo (university, college or center). All logos appearing on merchandise and apparel must have the ® symbol.
Departments interested in creating merchandise items should include the department name and the college secondary signature with at least a Block O's width of clear space in between the two (see guidelines at the link above). Consult the design guide below for examples of approved artwork. The Marketing and Communications office can also offer design support in this area. Submit your inquiry and learn more.
- Vendors often require the unit to submit vector files, which the Marketing and Communications office is happy to provide.
- Printed materials (brochures, posters, flyers, postcards, etc.) do not need to include the ® logo.
NOTE: All merchandise, apparel and promo items must be submitted for approval to Marketing and Communications and ultimately through Trademark and Licensing before being ordered. It is the unit's responsibility to ensure that proper approvals have been attained before placing an order.
Promotional Item Artwork Guide
When more than one unit from the university is sponsoring an event or are partners on a project, please follow these guidelines. Do not co-brand units of the university; the Block O should appear only once on a page. When more than one college, unit, entity and/or department is represented in a single communications piece, use the university logo and list the college, unit, entity and/or department names in the signoff location flush right at the bottom corner of the page (example to right). If all of the entities, units and/or departments are within ASC, use the college logo.
When co-branding with external organizations, keep their logos at least three Block O widths away from the Ohio State logo.
When there are multiple collaborators who are not equal partners in an event, recognize them in text or consider recognizing them on a separate page.
When your unit or the college is the lead organizer of an event or a program, give the logo more prominence by using a color version (while using a black-and-white or gray version of the other logos), making it bigger, or positioning it in a priority location.
Contact asccomm@osu.edu to request additional file types and color variations or if you have questions about usage.
Other Ohio State Brand Resources:
Visit brand.osu.edu for resources and guidelines on the Ohio State brand. This site includes items like approved colors, stock photography, editorial style, social media/video resources and stationary. A few relevant guidelines have been outlined below.
The two official university fonts — Buckeye Serif and Buckeye Sans — are available for download from ASCTech and the Self-Service application. Please contact ASCTech if you have any issues downloading the fonts.
For guidelines on how to use each font, key takeaway and examples, please visit this page.
Most web applications support Buckeye Sans and Buckeye Serif fonts. However, some web applications or platforms, such as email applications and data visualization, are limited to general web fonts. Arial is the preferred alternate font for Buckeye Sans, and Georgia is the alternative for Buckeye Serif.
Scarlet and gray in combination are as well known as our name. They are our signature colors by which our audiences identify us as Ohio State and should be used prominently in all materials.
While our primary color palette should be used the most across touch points, accent colors — when used in smaller amounts — can provide added context to support your marketing and communications materials. Strive to use 70% primary colors and 30% accent colors.
Accent colors can be used as a starting point for illustration and when creating supporting graphic elements.
Do not use accent colors as a predominant color or primary way to identify a school, center, institute or department.
To ensure consistency and protect our signature colors, be sure to use the proper color codes (available on the brand site). External marketing pieces should only use approved colors.
Photography is one of the best opportunities to convey the personality of Ohio State. A good image becomes the opening sentence of your story, grabs people’s attention and ingrains itself into a person’s memory.
University Marketing's signature gallery offers high-res Ohio State photos free for university use, in the subject areas of campus scenes, student life, research and the arts.
