UAA logo usage questions and answers

These are the most common questions or areas of confusion that we get from people wanting to use a UAA logo. If you have any questions at all please let us know and we will do our best to get you the answers and guidance you need. 

• 1 -  We are a new department (or we have a new name). How do we get a new unit logo?
  All UAA-authorized new or modified logos must come from the Department of University Marketing and Communications office. To get your new logo, please fill out the new logo request form - New or Modified Logo Request. Once we receive your request, we will start work on your new logo.
• 2 -  If I use our unit-specific logo, do I need to use one of the UAA primary logos too?

  No. Your unit-specific logo takes care of it all!

  Do not use primary and unit logos in combination; use only one primary or one unit logo. Use only the logo that best represents your department or the university and makes the most sense to your audience.

• 3 -  Should I use numerous UAA unit logos (and/or other logos) all together on one document?

  Adding numerous visual identifiers or logos on one document – a.k.a. “a logo riot” – is not recommended and usually is not a good design option. Using multiple logos only confuses the intended audience and means the logos will have to appear smaller. Two or three logos may work if the design allows. It is better to just use one primary UAA logo to represent the whole university (or a single college logo if all the units are from that college). Departments can always be acknowledged in text, as opposed to multiple logos appearing on a page.

• 4 -  May I change or add to the unit-specific logo University Advancement created for us?
  No. The whole unit-specific logo that has been provided to you must appear as is and should not be altered in any way, do not use parts of the logo. If your logo does not work for a specific purpose, you may use one of the primary logos instead, or just the UAA monogram (the UAA with a swoosh).
• 5 -  How do we get a pictorial logo for our department?

  Units that are allowed logos with graphic or pictorial marks are limited to colleges and schools for which there are deans, institutes and centers*, and UAA’s signature programs (programs unique to UAA such as ENRI, ISER, RRANN).  

  *Centers must be established by the Board of Regents to qualify for a branded pictorial university logo. If the center was not, it may only use the generic “UAA” monogram logo.

• 6 -  Can I get a different file format or higher resolution version of our logo other than what is available in the download packet?

  Yes. The master files for every UAA logo are maintained by UMAC. Just let us know exactly what you need or what the logo will be used for and we will get you a new file for that purpose. If you need help figuring out what a vendor wants or is asking you for we can do that as well.

• 7 -  We have a logo we have used for many years, but it doesn’t look like the current authorized unit logos. May we continue to use it?

  No. The new logo standards went into effect July 1, 2009; all previously used logos should no longer be used in any form. You may not have been directly told to stop using it, but that does not imply it is OK to continue. There is no such thing as a grandfathered-in logo.

  No unauthorized wordmark, logo or graphic elements may be used to represent the university or any of its colleges, schools, divisions, departments, programs or offices.

• 8 -  Something on the Advancement site is not working, or a download file is not right.
  If there is something incorrect on our website or your downloaded logo, please contact UMAC. We will do our best to update or correct the files quickly.
• 9 -  We want to use the Seawolf logo on something. We can do that, right?

  Maybe. The use of the Seawolf logo by units or groups outside the UAA Athletic Department is only allowed by approved permission. For special purposes, the Seawolf logo may be used as a spirit mark representing school pride related to student activities. To use the Seawolf logo for this purpose, you must submit a request explaining the application and rationale of your usage. Seawolf Request Form 

  There are also licensing restrictions that apply to the Seawolf logo, which affect the printing and any sales of materials it appears on.

• 10 -  May we use a UAA Seal on a document to make it look more official?

  Most likely no. The university seal is the most formal signature of the university. It is a registered trademark reserved for the University of Alaska President, the UAA Chancellor and the University Board of Regents to authenticate official and ceremonial documents. Examples of use include diplomas, legal documents, commencement programs and university certificates/awards. The official seal symbolizes the formal authority vested in the university, and its usage is at the discretion of the Office of the Chancellor and UMAC. 

  To use the university seal you must submit a request explaining how and why you want to use it. University Seal Request Form

• 11 -  May we use a different color for a logo because it will work nicer in our design?

  No. UAA logos come in five color variations (three positive and two reverse) which can be used. Logos may only be reproduced in green and gold, green, black or white. Your design may need to change to become more UAA-branded.

• 12 -  We are making a logo for an event. May we put the UAA monogram or a Seawolf head within our design?

  We highly discourage the use of any UAA logos as a graphic element within other graphics or logos. In most cases, it ends up small and reproduces badly. A logo within another logo is, in general, a poor design practice. Our UAA logos are the most important visual branding tools we have at our disposal, therefore, we have a duty to treat them with care, attention and respect.

  See the above question about the use of the Seawolf logo specifically.

• 13 -  Why must we comply with the UAA branding standards when we want to have our own identity and look?

  Your identity is an integral part of UAA and not that of a separate entity. The strength of UAA’s and your brand identity comes from our combined message and look, as a whole.

  The Board of Regents and Office of the Chancellor have made compliance to these standards mandatory for the UAA system.

• 14 -  To whom do these (branding) rules apply? 

  All academic, administrative and support units whose operational funding is administered by UAA are governed by these standards, with the exception of student clubs/organizations and UAA’s community campuses. These image standards apply to all UAA materials, including those funded by sponsorships, grants, fees, partnerships or any other source.

  Any information, whether in print or electronic form, published by any officially recognized unit is considered “official” and is subject to the requirements of these standards. Items published by student organizations or by individual faculty, staff members, students or past students (alumni) are considered “unofficial” and may not carry or use any of the university logos unless authorization to do so has been granted.

   

I’m confused. Who can I contact for help?
University Advancement is here to help you! Contact University Advancement with any UAA logo use policy questions or technical questions.