Official University Visual Identity Guidelines
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the visual identity system and what is its purpose?
Notre Dame's visual identity system is a set of consistent standards about when and how to use our institutional visual identifier elements. The system protects and builds the value of Notre Dame's identity and image by allowing the University to speak with clarity, immediate recognition, and impact in conveying messages to our many publics.
Who needs to use the visual identity?
These rules are intended for implementation by the full range of Notre Dame faculty, staff, and commercial partners who participate in communicating the University's messages and identity.
What if I have a special request?
If you have a special request to use the shield without the wordmark, it must first be approved and authorized by the Media Group.
What if the Media Group prepared a visual identity for my unit in the past?
Please contact the Media Group for a revision at no charge. We recommend a timeline of 6-10 months to transition to the new standard.
What if I am using a version other than the options specified on this Web site?
Please contact the Media Group for a revision at no charge. We recommend a timeline of 6-10 months to transition to the new standard.
Why is the visual identity so important to the University?
If we believe we have stories, values, resources, and aspirations that the world will want to tap into, if we want to achieve our strategic aims, we must approach our audiences with clarity about who we are. Consistency in identifiers breeds awareness of the brand, promoting instant recognition, which is the first step in engagement and in building the equity of the institution.
Our peer institutions and countless other organizations that rely upon the public's attentiveness and receptivity are moving rapidly to reach audiences more effectively. Our peers are leveraging carefully vetted institutional symbols to make their messages more memorable.
Similarly, adherence to standards on all our external communications will help our audiences to focus on our messages. Our visual identity simultaneously expresses a sense of Notre Dame's scholarship and its Catholicity.
Because letters and business cards reach external audiences first and with greater frequency than any other print publication, Notre Dame makes its greatest impression through these communication vehicles and the visual elements they incorporate.
Why must we use this system?
When we communicate with audiences, we are to keep in mind the overall University goals, which should be the underpinning to all activities within our units.
Brand identity is the first message you communicate to the audience. It is the first step toward recognition and sets the stage for reaching institutional goals.
Looking at the big picture, remember that our audiences view our institution from their perspective, not our own. Audiences don't see administrative dividing lines. If we promote our separateness rather than our unity, we are a house divided and cannot meet larger goals.
We need to work together to make sure that our visual identity is coordinated well in the information marketplace-quickly recognized and easily consumed. Just as mixed metaphors distort the coherence of a sentence, confusion results from a hodgepodge of symbols.
The University realizes that some campus entities have developed their own identity systems (type treatments, logos, etc.) over the years.
While personal attachments to these identity systems are understandable, remember that the intent of creating the visual identity was to present Notre Dame to its audiences under a single, unifying visual element in which individual identities would not supercede the identity of the overall institution. The parent brand, Notre Dame, adds value to the sub-brands.