KU branding alignment

Required review

All marketing communications tactics produced at the university should follow the KU brand positioning, branding platform, and visual identity guidelines. The highest-profile marketing communications collateral should also go through a branding alignment review process before you print, produce, or distribute such projects. 

Submit materials for branding alignment review if they meet any of the following criteria: 

• Materials will reach 200+ external audience members
• Materials use KU’s limited-use trademarks (reversed Jayhawk, historic Jayhawks or JayDoc, Jayhawk head, Beak ’em Hawk, or university seal) 
• Materials incorporate custom artwork 
• Materials feature non-photographic representations of campus buildings or landmarks
• Materials include any of the following items:
  • Swag, giveaways, or promotional items
  • Signage, banners, or other environmental assets (excluding wayfinding signage)
  • New webpages or major updates on Sunflower/Ingeniux
  • Webpages not on Sunflower (Drupal) or Ingeniux systems
• Materials target the intended audience of governmental officials, elected leaders, and/or senior leaders at institutions of higher education

Note that this policy applies to marketing communications tactics only — not academic work product or personal communications. Read the full branding policy for more details, as well as exclusions and special circumstances.

Alignment review process

Submit files for review through the links above. You will receive a confirmation email to let you know we’ve received your submission. Next, the KU Marketing team or KU Medical Center Office of Communications team will review your project. Within five business days, you will receive a response email from us with approval or notes on how to bring your project into brand alignment. 

• Work marked “approved” is ready for immediate publication. It fully aligns with the KU brand. 
• Work marked “approved with changes” should be adjusted before publication per the notes provided. However, you do not need to resubmit this work for another alignment review once those changes have been made.
• Work marked “unaligned - resubmit” must be revised according to the notes provided and resubmitted for additional branding alignment review(s) before approval and publication. The work contains significant misalignments and/or policy violations.

Alignment review criteria 

Once you submit your materials, the KU Marketing team or KU Medical Center Office of Communications team will review the project to ensure it reflects the KU brand positioning, branding platform, and visual identity. Here’s what we look for:

Editorial alignment 
Messaging and brand alignment

• Does the copy appropriately reflect key messages and/or key message themes?
• Does the copy appropriately incorporate Towering Toward the Blue language?

Accuracy

• Is the copy free of major errors, misspellings, or inconsistencies?
• Is the nondiscrimination statement present and accurate, if needed?
• Is the accessibility and accommodations statement present and accurate, if needed?

Visit the University Style Guide on the Brand Center site for the current versions of the nondiscrimination statement and accessibility and accommodations statement.

Design alignment
Visual identity alignment

• Are all official marks (signatures, logos, and Jayhawks) used correctly?
• Does the design use approved KU brand fonts and colors?
• Are Towering Toward the Blue graphic elements applied appropriately?

Design principles

• Does the layout appropriately incorporate principles of good design for the audience, subject, and medium?

Alignment review reminders

The review teams do not provide proofreading, editing, or fact-checking services. If we happen to see a mistake, we’ll flag it for you. However, individual communicators are responsible for the final content of their files, including spelling, grammar, accuracy, and formatting.

Review teams do not review submitted files for accessibility standards. All digital communications from the University of Kansas must be accessible to the widest audience possible. 

• Lawrence/Edwards communicators: Read more about accessibility standards and how to create accessible digital communications. 
• KU Medical Center-affiliated communicators: Read more about accessibility standards and how to create accessible digital communications.