Policy and Guidelines

Logo Policy

All marks are reserved for official University business and may not be used to promote non-University activities or imply endorsement.

Third party logos used in conjunction with University marks must be approved by Trademark Licensing. No third-party logos should be included in any official University communication without a signed agreement between the University and the outside vendor or company. Whenever possible, sponsors or collaborators should be indicated in text, not with a logo.

Logo Guidelines

As stated earlier, our logo is the most important visual aspect of our brand. Before using a UMD mark, please consider whether the use of the logo is appropriate and supports the University’s mission. Please follow the guidelines stated below to adhere to good design practices.

  • A logo must be present on all communications from the university.
  • Depending on the medium, message, and audience, you may choose to use the university logo, tagline logo, or a unit logo.
  • Some colleges and administrative offices may require that their subunits identify affiliation with their parent organization by using the parent organization’s unit logo.
  • Check with University Marketing and Public Relations for more information if you are not sure.

Multiple Logos

You may not use more than one university logo or unit logo in the same design space, such as on the same page of a print communication. You also may not combine multiple unit names into one logo.

If you need to identify more than one university entity equally on a communication, you should use one logo, preferably the university logo, and list multiple units as part of the content or within the design.

Using the UMD Logo

The clear-space rule

Always position the logo for maximum impact and give it plenty of room to breathe. This will help to ensure our logo’s visibility and legibility.

The minimum clear space for the UMD logo is defined as the height of the icon UMD. This is the standard for logo position and scale on most printed communications. The clear space rule should be maintained as the logo is proportionately enlarged or reduced in size.

Minimum size

When reproducing our logo, be conscious of its size and legibility. Use common sense — a logo that is too small ceases to serve any useful communication function. Generally, our logo should never appear less than ½” tall in printed materials, and no less than 36px tall in digital spaces.

In text

In text, the University of Minnesota Duluth should appear as four words in upper- and lower-case with a capital “U” for University, a capital “M” for Minnesota and a capital “D” for Duluth. In sentences, the University of Minnesota Duluth wordmark is never to be used in place of text. These same rules apply for the logos for schools, colleges, institutes, and units.

Alterations

Simply put, do not alter the UMD logos. Below are examples of misuse of the logo.

DO NOT: use any part of the marks, including the UMD icon, as part of another word.

DO NOT: redesign, redraw, animate, modify, distort, or alter the proportions of the marks.

DO NOT: surround the marks with—or place in the foreground over—a pattern or design.

DO NOT: rotate or render the marks three-dimensionally.

DO NOT: add words, images, or any other new elements to the marks.

DO NOT: replace the approved typeface with any other typeface.

DO NOT: enclose the marks in a shape or combine it with other design elements or effects.

DO NOT: modify the size or position relationship of any element within the marks.

DO NOT: add a shadow to the logo.

DO NOT rotate or render the logoDo not add images to logosDO NOT alter the fonts of the logo
DO NOT: rotate or render the marks three-dimensionallyDO NOT: add words, images, or any other new elements to the marksDO NOT: replace the approved typeface with any other typeface
Do not combine marksDo not alter proportions of logosDO NOT add a drop shadow
DO NOT: enclose the marks in a shape or combine it with other design elements or effectsDO NOT: modify the size or position relationship of any element within the marksDO NOT: add a shadow to the logo