University logo use details
Who may use the logo
The Arizona State University logos may be used only by faculty, staff and units of the university when conducting university business.
Voluntary faculty and staff organizations may not use these marks.
Most student organizations may not use the mark.
However, paraprofessional student organizations may use the university’s marks when representing the university. Paraprofessional student organizations are groups registered with the Student Organization Resource Center whose primary purpose is to support Arizona State University in a particular area, such as admissions, community outreach or student government. Paraprofessional organizations include ASASU, Devils' Advocates, START and REACH. It is expected that these and similar groups will adopt graphic identities separate from the university; however, because the students represent the university in their roles, it is also expected that the ASU sunburst logo will be included on the sleeve of shirts used for identification purposes.
Any individual, organization or entity external to the university interested in using any of the university trademarks must contact ASU Trademark Licensing. Anyone internal to ASU must contact Enterprise Brand Strategy and Management.
Prominent location
Place a logo in a prominent position on all electronic and print communication. A unit logo is granted only under particular circumstances.
Only one ASU logo may be used on any materials, either the ASU logo or an ASU unit logo.
Minimum reproduction
The minimum print reproduction size is 5/16”.
The minimum digital reproduction size is 47 pixels wide (to accommodate mobile app icons).
Area of isolation
The protected area around the logo is called the “area of isolation." No graphic elements, titles, text, background color changes or other design elements may occur in this protected space.
The area of isolation is an area equal to half the height of the ASU sunburst and extends out on all four sides of the logo. In the example below, “x” equals the height of the ASU sunburst, and 1/2x on each side is considered the area of isolation.
For digital channels where space is limited by ad specifications and the full area of isolation cannot be achieved, the area of isolation can be reduced to 1/4x on each side, but should be 1/2x whenever possible.
Approved usage of university colors
Color
The logo and signature should be reproduced in the official university colors only. Below are the only approved color and usage combinations. No other combinations should ever be used. The logo may not be converted to gold coloring. The maroon and gold version of the logo is the preferred one to use whenever possible.
Differences in ink color may occur depending on the quality of paper or product material used. The final product must match the official ASU maroon and ASU gold.
Embossing, foil stamping, metallic inks
The logo, signature, athletic mascot and seal may be embossed or debossed. For information on foil stamping and metallic inks, see the Color Palette page.
Logo usage on four-color photo or dark colors
When using the configurations over a four-color photograph, the logo must be either maroon and gold or reversed to white. The placement of the logo should be in an area of the photograph where there are no distracting patterns or elements. When using the white logo or signature, the photograph should be seen through the sun area.
Definition – Logo: A logo is a symbol or other design adopted by an organization to identify itself. For example, the ASU sunburst is a logo. It was introduced in 1995, replacing all preexisting ASU logos. The logo is made up of a sun icon that is incorporated into the three letter forms (A, S and U) and provides a strong and recognizable graphic image of ASU’s mission and purpose.
Definition – Unit Logo: Unit logos, also referred to as endorsed logos, may be developed for university units that meet certain criteria need to be consistently represented to the public. The logo includes the ASU sunburst, the unit name and the full name of the university, which may not be omitted in any circumstance. Guidelines have been developed to ensure the brand is always presented at its most ideal, for each of the logos associated with the ASU brand.
Definition – Wordmark: A wordmark is a distinct text-only typographic treatment of the name of a project, event, product or other non-logo identifier of a company, institution, or product name used for purposes of identification and branding. The annual “Commencement” wordmark or “Powered by ASU,” are examples associated with the ASU brand.
Definition – Graphics: Graphics are visual elements that are used in marketing content to promote and demonstrate the ASU brand. Graphics can include many types of media, like images, icons, textures or charts.
Definition – Icon: Icons are symbols that help users see different groupings of items or help navigate different types of information. ASU has approved the use of Font Awesome Free as its primary icon set and has created ASU Awesome as an additional set of icons that relate directly to ASU.
Definition – Patterns: Patterns are part of the graphical elements associated with the ASU brand. They have meaning for the university, unit or program, and are not arbitrary or purely decorative. Standard patterns have been developed for asu.edu which can be adopted by units to develop additional options. Examples include the topographical map pattern is “A” Mountain and the morse code pattern reads, “Learn to Thrive.”
