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Brand


OUR BRAND:

Towering Toward the Blue

Inspired by KU’s Alma Mater, Towering Toward the Blue represents the connection between the boundless Kansas horizon and KU’s boundless creativity. Soaring vistas inspire soaring ambition. Vast skies inspire us to make vast improvements to people’s everyday lives.

The active verb “towering” recalls our endeavoring spirit. It evokes a sense a standing tall and proud for all to see, both grounded and moving upward.

“Toward the blue” references our home state’s limitless blue sky as well as KU’s limitless talent, ingenuity, and determination. Under Kansas’ big sky, we can’t help but look up. All that blue makes us want to climb higher. Reach farther. Do more.

Brand strategy

The objective of our brand is to emphasize KU’s significant contributions to teaching, research, Kansas, and higher education. The University of Kansas is powerful for what we create — including art, scientific advancements, therapeutic treatments, career opportunities, skilled workers and researchers, economic improvements and activity, and more.

Download KU’s Brand Blueprint for a summary of our brand strategy that you can reference in your daily work. (PDF)

A collage of three photos: the sun shining through a blue flag with the Jayhawk logo on it, an architecture student working on a construction site, and a student admiring their risograph print in KU’s RISO lab.

Positioning statement

The University of Kansas is a community that harnesses the talent, ingenuity, and determination of Jayhawks to create and discover, working to bolster Kansas and better the world. 

A collage of four photos: an engineering professor instructing three students in a lab, musicians performing at an elegant event, a researcher examining a microscope slide, and the sun shining over Jayhawk Boulevard.

Brand foundation

These four qualities are essential to KU’s brand and create the foundation on which we build our reputation.

SCHOLARSHIP

Dedication to teaching, learning, and discovery

KU academics are founded on curiosity, rigor, and upward growth. Our AAU membership and R1 status reflect our commitment to research that creates a better future and improves people’s quality of life. Our wide range of disciplines, emphasis on experiential learning, and top-rated University Honors Program prepare students to make significant contributions to their fields, ascend in their careers, and elevate the quality and scope of their work.

COMMUNITY AND SPIRIT

An energized kinship

KU’s spirited, joyful culture creates a feeling of community espoused with every “Rock Chalk.” Our traditions share a language and history — including our Alma Mater, “Crimson and the Blue,” which we sing with arms linked at athletic events and university ceremonies. On our campuses across Kansas, KU’s historic limestone halls and modern glass towers reach skyward, reflecting Jayhawks’ high hopes, huge dreams, and hard work. Together this people, this place, and this pursuit are glorious to view.

CREATIVITY

The freedom to tackle big challenges

In the prairies’ open spaces, there’s the freedom to try new approaches and solve problems that affect Kansas, the nation, the planet, and the universe. Like the freedom-fighting Jayhawkers for whom KU’s mascot is named, we are well positioned and equipped to advocate for positive change and create a better world.

MIGHT

Steadfast confidence in our strength

KU is a university on the rise. We stand tall among our peers, modeling thought leadership for public universities and carving a path forward for higher education. We approach difficult undertakings with optimism and tirelessness, confident in our power to produce far-reaching outcomes. In everything we do, we are determined to move closer to our vision for Kansas and the world.

Brand personality

All KU branded materials should exude these characteristics through the messaging, copy, and visuals.

A collage of three photos: KU soccer players celebrating their Big 12 Championship on a confetti-covered field, the bronze Jayhawk statue in front of Strong Hall looking up toward the sky, and the KU Innovation Park building.

MIGHTY

Strong culture, winning Jayhawks, a powerful force for good

We act our size. As the biggest university in the state, we undertake big projects, like the Gateway District and KU Innovation Park. We pursue research endeavors with high-profile results and revel in our accomplishments. Our influence on Kansas and the world is potent, positive, and powerful.
A collage of two photos: three vehicles parked on the horizon as KU researchers explore a green field and a volunteer holding a monarch butterfly on the tip of their finger beneath a blue sky.

OPEN AND INSIGHTFUL

Curious, interested, engaged, perceptive, knowledgeable

Openness is the key to discovery. Insight, on the other hand, implies that we already have a knowledge base from which to begin. Combined, they showcase our top-tier academic environment, grounded in a long tradition of inquiry and mastery.
A blue gradient background with an overlay of stars
A collage of three photos: a student wearing safety goggles and measuring a new design in a workshop, camping tents under a starry night sky, and a researcher measuring liquid in a test tube.

CREATIVE AND DETERMINED

Clever problem-solving, the joy of creating, ambition

KU creates. We make, we build, we deliver. Our determination combines with creativity to foster bold thinking, a tireless resolve to solve challenges, and the distinct excitement of making something new.
A collage of three photos: two hands creating a Lego construction, a group of students gathering around to look at information in a book, and Baby Jay holding a rake during a volunteer event.

SPIRITED AND ENGAGED

Energetic, enthusiastic, kind, warm, considerate, collaborative

KU inspires tremendous school spirit, which takes many forms beyond the Rock Chalk Chant. It shows up in the way we value community, which drives us to connect, care, and support. It shows up in our generosity with time and efforts. These traits are fundamental to the Jayhawk identity and sustain a sense of belonging that lasts forever.
A blue gradient background with an overlay of stars

Key messages and target audiences

To receive additional information about the key messages and target audiences at the heart of KU’s brand strategy, please fill out this request form.

Explore the rest of our brand website for more details about how KU’s brand is expressed through words, visuals, and more.