As communicators, each of us plays a vital part in articulating our role, our mission and our impact, and in connecting with the hearts and minds of our audiences.
Use these guidelines to craft effective communications on behalf of the university and this campaign. You'll find direction regarding our strategy, our voice, and our visual identity. These guidelines apply to all campaign communications including printed materials, social media, videos and other media. They work in conjunction with existing UVU graphic standards.
These guidelines should be used only for communications and materials that pertain directly to the UVU A Place for You campaign, and should not be used for all UVU messaging and design.
Section 1
Purpose
A Place for You intends to achieve the following goals for UVU:
Strategies
UVU will use the following strategies to promote the A Place for You campaign and achieve the above purposes:
A Place for You will be directed to primary and secondary audiences and primary geographic regions.
Primary audience
Secondary audience
Primary geographic targeting
Section 2
How We Say It
This brand messaging guide aims to help you align with the tone, voice, and overall look and feel of Utah Valley University's campaign - UVU: A Place for You. This guide gives instruction and context that tells the story of this campaign and the spirit behind it.
Use the voice and tone section as guidelines for crafting messaging for your purposes, including social media, website copy, brochures, infographics, or any other messaging assets. However, please keep in mind that the copy used in this guide is not to be used word for word. Rather, the examples illustrate the overall voice and tone of this campaign, which can be emulated in your own unique copy.
The Mission Behind the Campaign
The phrase "A Place for You" isn't new at Utah Valley University. We have been saying and living this for years. But the student population of UVU is ever-evolving, and more than 40,000 students from many diverse backgrounds have chosen UVU as a place for them.
The university comprises students from numerous backgrounds and demographics - including first-generation students, nontraditional students, students of color, students of different gender identities, and more. We believe this diversity makes UVU the special place that it is - a place for dreamers, a place for innovators, and a place for everyone who wants to learn and better their lives through education. This belief is evident in our dual-mission, open-enrollment model that allows all students to earn everything from certificates to master's degrees.
At its core, A Place for You is a campaign that aims to communicate to our audience that UVU is a place for anyone who wants to be here. Through the campaign's design, aesthetics, and storytelling, our audience should be able to picture themselves at UVU. We aim to speak authentically to our audience, showing them that opportunity awaits when they seek it out and do the work.
The following guidelines are intended to ensure clarity and consistency in all A Place for You messaging across the university to engage audiences and encourage action.
Building Stories
While the copy for the A Place for You messaging campaign is mainly made up of single sentences (e.g., A place for discovery), a great thing about this campaign is that you can combine several of these single sentences to build messaging stories. These phrases can be combined with design elements to add to the storytelling effect.
Below is an example of a story build for the College of Science.
The story illustrates the process of scientific discoveries - having ideas and then acting on them to make discoveries. When combined, these sentences communicate the message that the College of Science is a place where its students can explore and research.
Section 3
Consistency is a good look.
For versatility, square, horizontal and side stack versions have been created. The appropriate choice is dictated by the application.
Section 4
Our people are our story.
This campaign combines strong visual storytelling with simple messaging. Our objective is to show active, engaging subjects with a dynamic stance and perspective. We want our audience to see themselves and be invited in through our chosen photography styles.
Phase 1.
The first phase of the UVU: A Place for You campaign is about firmly establishing our core message of A PLACE FOR YOU. University Marketing Communications will manage large-scale campus installations, transit advertising, and other high-impact applications of the campaign.
(This style is reserved for primary UVU campaign installations and is to be applied by the UMC Creative Services team.)
Phase 2.
As we build upon the campaign, additional messaging and visuals will begin to speak with more specific messaging. Using the tools provided in this guide allows the broader UVU community to apply this campaign it's messaging style and it's look-to their own materials.
Section 5
Color palette
Not just any green will do when it comes to maintaining the UVU: A Place for You campaign style.
Typography
The campaign typography is bold, active, and recognizable. We use our core brand font, Stratum, exclusively for the campaign.
Patterns with purpose
Our strong campus architecture give us visual queues for the developement of our campaign patterns. The architecture, plus our roots in Bauhaus design have grounded this campaign in a solid, yet active design style.
Shapes to add interest
The shapes that can be added to our patterns are simple and geometric. When used sparingly, they add an extra pop of creativity. But be careful in your use, mix, and placement. It only takes a few! When in doubt, leave it out.
Borders
Borders can be in solid colors or created by using the provided patterns. They can contain your content, or be a stripe on the side of a page.
templates
We have developed some standard templates that can make your job easier when formatting materials in this campaign. We recommend only using these design assets when you are creating materials that support the UVU: A Place for You primary campaign messaging.
photography
This campaign combines solid visual storytelling with simple messaging statements. We aim to show active, engaging subjects with a dynamic stance and perspective. We want our audience to see themselves and be invited in through our chosen photography styles. Three photography styles have been designed for this campaign to provide the needed variety: perspective, studio, and lifestyle.
Download the guide for extended information on usage; contact marketing if you have any questions of need support on the campaign guide.
Section 6
Social Media