Our visual identity is how we embody the Gettysburg College brand and personality through design and graphic elements. Our logo system is the common thread for all communications, whether print or digital. Consistent, intentional usage of our marks helps build our College’s name and reputation. To be successful, our identity must express the brand messaging and essence, be distinctive enough to stand on its own, set us apart from our competition, connect on an emotional level with internal and external audiences, and be flexible enough for the College-wide community to use. We all share a stake in safeguarding the integrity of our College’s branding, so please follow these guidelines to ensure that the logos retain their impact as the official mark of the College.
Our logos may not be manipulated in any way. External parties, such as vendors, may not use our logos in their promotional materials to avoid implying endorsement or affiliation. College groups may not include the words “Gettysburg College” typeset as part of their official name because it results in awkward redundancy when paired with our wordmark. The wordmark should not be used as a foundation from which to construct new logos. Departments and programs interested in developing new marks must contact Communications & Marketing.
Only with the approval of the Director of Creative Strategy may the College’s logos or wordmarks be used in non-Gettysburg College materials. Please email branding@gettysburg.edu if you need this special exemption.
Wordmark
Our wordmark is the primary branding element in our system. It functions as the official college logo, and is therefore the most externally recognizable element. Any official materials associated with the College—whether print or digital—must use the wordmark, unless special approval is received from the Director of Creative Strategy, or a specific office or department lockup is being used instead (see below). The wordmark should never be used in lieu of typing “Gettysburg College” within a text block or headline. However, if your project requires our wordmark to be used at an extremely small size, please see the Scale section below for details.
Scale
In print, our wordmark should be large enough to ensure legibility and a proper hierarchical relationship to other elements. For print pieces this means no smaller than 1.25” wide. If you need to use it smaller than these dimensions, please contact branding@gettysburg.edu for a consultation. Do not horizontally or vertically scale the wordmark out of proportion at any point, or enlarge it so much that parts of it are obscured or cut-off.
Incorrect usage
Colors
Our wordmark may only be used in black, white, or combinations of our brand’s Orange and Blue colors. More detailed information about our colors can be found on the Colors page. Additional stylings should never be applied to it, such as a colored outline.
When placing our wordmark on any background be sure it provides enough contrast between the two elements to maintain legibility, or it is not placed on a busy graphic (photo, illustration, etc). If you are unsure, please reach out to branding@gettysburg.edu for a consultation.
Incorrect usage
Placement
The Gettysburg College wordmark functions best when placed on the front or back exterior of a print piece, or within the header or footer of a webpage. The wordmark should appear on every Gettysburg College piece of collateral whether print or digital. Generally speaking, one appearance is sufficient for any project.
The wordmark should never be spun on an angle, have other elements placed on top of it, flipped to appear backwards, have any stylings applied to it (such as drop shadows, glows, etc.), or be used in place of the words “Gettysburg College” within copy.
Incorrect usage
Clearance
It is best to always leave some open space, or padding, around our wordmark. The height of the “G” is approximately the minimum amount of padding to have between the wordmark and any other design element. More space may be needed and can be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Download our wordmark here. (Login required)
College seal
Our Gettysburg College seal is used for only the most formal occasions, appearing on diplomas, formal invitations, and official documents which are either for, or have been deemed appropriate by the Office of the President. The seal is not downloadable and may not be used without permission from a member of the design team.
If you have received permission to use the seal, it is available in three different variations.
The primary version with clouds is the preferred version to be used. It includes details such as architectural ornaments on the cupola and clouds in the background. The refined version is a slightly modified version of the full color seal. Instead of clouds, it has a blue gradient in the background. This seal is also available as single-color versions in black, orange, or blue. The simplified version has even fewer architectural details within the cupola, and no clouds in the background. This seal is also available as single-color versions in black, orange, or blue.
Athletic logos
The Bullets and G marks carry a sense of pride and competitive spirit for our athletic teams and programs. These logos represent every student, alumnus, faculty or staff member and anyone that proudly supports the College.
Bullets logo
The Gettysburg College athletic program’s primary mark is comprised of the Bullets logo with the College’s name locked up below. This is to further reinforce the relationship between Gettysburg College and the Bullets teams. When an individual sports team needs to appear with the Bullets logo and the College name, a special treatment has been developed and can be supplied by a member of the Design team within Communications & Marketing. These versions include the sports team’s name in place of “Gettysburg College.”
In certain applications when a one-color version of the Bullets logo is used, care should be taken to feature the other companion brand color as an accent. For example, when reproducing the logo in our brand blue, the uniform should be orange or white with orange trim, to complement the blue.
Athletic and split G marks
The athletic G is an informal graphic for the athletic programs at Gettysburg College. It is not meant to replace the Bullets logo, which is the official identity for all athletic programs. The athletic G should not be used together with the College wordmark, seal, or other marks for the College, except for the Bullets logo.
A split-color version of the athletic G is also available. This split G can be used with either a white or black outline depending on the color of the background which it will be placed on. The outline of the split G should always be clearly visible regardless of which version you are using.
Scale
Clearance
Do Great Work tag
Do Great Work is our brand signature. The art should never be used as a headline or to replace text. It is a distinct mark and never to be used as part of a graphic lockup with the wordmark or any other College identifier.
The tag art always bleeds off of, or is “attached” to, the edge of a print piece or screen, or anchored to an element within the overall layout, and it is always shown in the vertical position. In print or electronic communications, it should never dominate a layout, and therefore will be subtle and proportionately small in relation to the size of the overall piece. It should appear only once in any given piece of collateral.
Office and departmental lockups
Office, departmental, and affiliated group sub-brand lockups are a combination of our Gettysburg College wordmark and one or more typographic lockups. They are intended for internal use within the College community, or for use informally on external communications. They should not be used for formal external communications and should not appear with any other brand marks.
These lockups endorse and organize the College’s many academic, administrative, and affiliated entities—along with offices and departments—under a single institutional umbrella. They provide clear emphasis on the sub-brands while demonstrating their connection to the College.
Below is an example of an office and departmental lockup.
Select few offices and departments need such a lockup. However, if you feel that your office, department, or group is in need of sub-branding, please contact the design team via our request form.
Scale
Similar to using the wordmark on its own, the Gettysburg College wordmark itself should be no smaller than 1.25” wide. This will then allow your group’s name to appear legibly. Do not horizontally or vertically scale the lockup out of proportion at any point, or adjust sizing of any of the elements within it individually, as mentioned above in the Wordmark section. When your office or departmental lockup is displayed at a small size, the Gettysburg College wordmark may need to be enlarged to be legible, so please adjust as needed.
Colors
Sub-brand lockups can be made available in full-color (orange and blue) or single-color variations, depending on usage needs.
Clearance
It is best to always leave some open space, or padding, around your lockup. The height of the “G” is approximately the minimum amount of padding to have between the lockup and any other design element. More space may be needed and can be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Student group collateral
Gettysburg College is home to around 2,400 students during any given year. Students and their clubs, organizations, committees, and other organized groups are not eligible for a sub-brand logo of their own. If a student wants to use any of the Gettysburg College marks on materials to show their relationship to the College, they or their group will need permission from the design team within Communications & Marketing. If granted permission, then they must adhere to all brand guidelines.
Marquee program identities
Interdisciplinary learning. Advanced scholarship. Global leadership. The following five programs set the Gettysburg curriculum apart. The Civil War Institute engages with students and scholars through an interdisciplinary approach dedicated to public interpretation, historic preservation, public policy, teaching, and academic research. Grounded in President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s legacy of leadership, the Eisenhower Institute offers engagement in nonpartisan discourse and critical analysis of issues of longterm importance. Students become leaders through intellectual and experiential opportunities at the Garthwait Leadership Center where they identify and reflect on passions and learn how to apply leadership skills ethically to make a positive impact. The Center for Public Service engages students, community members, faculty and staff to facilitate partnerships, education, critical thinking and informed action. At the Sunderman Conservatory of Music they have access to an exceptional faculty of artists and scholars, a campus culture rich in performance, and opportunities that range from residencies with internationally-renowned guest artists and lecturers to studying abroad.
Each of these marquee programs has their own marks, but otherwise follow our overarching brand standards for colors and typefaces used within their distinctive programs’ collateral, and any digital or other print pieces. Care should also be taken to be sure they are never used smaller than 1.25” wide, and comfortable clearance is given around the mark in use.
Additional brand marks
Selective graphic treatments are used to promote and identify major institutional groups, events and initiatives that support the College’s mission. Just a few examples of these uses are our Giving Societies, Reunion, Get Acquainted Day, J-Term, and graduating class flags. Each treatment has been carefully designed by Communications & Marketing and follow the same rules as our wordmark regarding approved color variations. Scale, alignment with other elements, and clearance space varies from mark to mark, so please consult a member of the design team when working on a project involving your specific treatment.
Groups within or affiliated with a larger department or office—such as committees, advisory boards, congregations of alumni—are not eligible for further sub-branding. This is due to the fact that the Communications & Marketing office recommends you use your department or office’s main branding to better convey the weight and importance of any communications. If you have an extenuating circumstance, then please contact branding@gettysburg.edu with an explanation and we can assess your need.
If your office, department, or group is in need of a special graphic treatment, or is in possession of one that has not been created by the designers within Communications & Marketing, please contact us via our design request form.