ASU Brand Guide - Elements of the Brand

Elements of the ASU brand

ASU locations, campuses, buildings and units

See ASU boilerplate text for descriptions of ASU and its locations for your use.

Arizona State University began in Tempe, Arizona, but has long since expanded to multiple locations to meet learners where they are. Today, ASU has campuses, locations, Innovation Zones and ASU Local sites that span metropolitan Phoenix, the state of Arizona and beyond. 

Please note that ASU locations no longer use the @ symbol in their naming conventions.

See a list of all current ASU locations.

Academic alliance partnerships

Students can earn an ASU degree at select community college locations:

  • ASU at Cochise
  • ASU at Northeastern Arizona
  • ASU at Pima
  • ASU at Pinal
  • ASU at The Gila Valley
  • ASU at Yavapai
  • ASU at Yuma

Find more details on ASU’s academic alliances.

ASU Local

ASU Local is a program that provides on ground academic support for ASU Online students in key locations.

See ASU boilerplate text description of ASU Local.

ASU locations

Not all ASU locations may be referred to as campuses.

ASU locations that are not campuses:

Campuses

Not all ASU locations are campuses. That is a specific designation, and there are four ASU campuses, all of which are located in the metro Phoenix area.

ASU campuses:

Writing style guidelines:

  • On first reference, use the full campus name: Arizona State University at the Tempe campus, the West Valley campus of Arizona State University, ASU’s Polytechnic campus. In these names, “campus” is not capitalized.
  • For internal communications or subsequent references, the generic campus may be used, or campus names may be shortened: 
    • ✅ Do: Tempe, 🚫 Don't: ASU, 🚫 Don't: Main, 🚫 Don't: ASU main
    • ✅ Do: West Valley, 🚫 Don't: ASU West
    • ✅ Do: Polytechnic, 🚫 Don't: ASU Poly, 🚫 Don't: Poly campus
    • ✅ Do: Downtown Phoenix, 🚫 Don't: DPC, 🚫 Don't: Downtown
  • Polytechnic campus versus school — See Unit specific guidelines. 
  • ASU Online is not a campus, but may be referred to in copy as an online campus.
  • When referring to classes occurring on campus:
    • ✅ Do: on-campus, immersive or in-person courses
    • 🚫 Don't: on-ground or on-the-ground courses

See ASU boilerplate text.

Buildings

See a current list of all facilities, building details and approved acronyms

Building names and codes

Use full building names on first reference when communicating to the public.

  • Exception: In tables and when giving directions, use ASU’s official building codes rather than full building names.
    • WCPH
    • MU
    • PBC

Find official building names and matching codes:

ASU units

 

“Unit” refers to any academic or administrative center, college, department, office, institute or school.

Find current lists of units at ASU: 

Academic and administrative unit writing guidelines

  • Avoid using acronyms to refer to any university unit. 
    • ✅ Do: Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts 🚫 Don't: HIDA
    • ✅ Do: Enterprise Brand Strategy and Management 🚫 Don't: EBSM
    • ✅ Do: Knowledge Enterprise 🚫 Don't: KE
    • ✅ Do: Explore the many majors available in The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
    • ✅ Do: The College of Health Solutions is offering a free seminar.
    • ✅ Do: New College students must meet with an advisor this week.
    • 🚫 Don't: The CLAS convocation will be held in Desert Financial Arena.
  • The full name of a unit should be used on first reference.

    Subsequent references may use endorsed abbreviations (see College and school name abbreviations below) or a workaround preceded by “the”: center, institute, office, school, college.
    • ✅ Do: The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
  • Use initial uppercase letters only for the full, official name as a proper noun. Do not capitalize when used in a descriptive manner.
    • ✅ Do: ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering
    • ✅ Do: the Department of English
    • ✅ Do: the English department
    • ✅ Do: the history department
    • ✅ Do: the institute
    • ✅ Do: the School of Human Evolution and Social Change
    • ✅ Do: the university, 🚫 Don't: the University
  • Do not use ampersands or plus signs in place of “and” in text or headlines, even for official ASU unit names.
    • ✅ Do: Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, 🚫 Don't: Edson College of Nursing & Health Innovation, 🚫 Don't: Edson College of Nursing + Health Innovation
  • On first reference, when referring to a college or school, if ASU has not already been introduced, then include Arizona State University’s before the name or at Arizona State University following the name:
    • ✅ Do: The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University
    • ✅ Do: Arizona State University’s School of Social Transformation
  • On first reference, if ASU has already been introduced in the story or written piece, it is unnecessary to include at ASU or at Arizona State University

On second reference, only write the name of the college or school (see College and school name abbreviations below).

 

Unit specific guidelines

Barrett, The Honors College
  • On first reference, if ASU has not been introduced, then:
    • ✅ Do: Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University
    • ✅ Do: Arizona State University’s Barrett, The Honors College
  • On first reference, If ASU has already been introduced, then: 
    • ✅ Do: Barrett, The Honors College
  • On second reference
    • ✅ Do: Barrett, The Honors College
    • ✅ Do: Barrett (people will know the college, not the individual, is being referenced by the context of the story)
    • ✅ Do: the honors college
  • Do not use a comma after any version of the name unless the name appears at the end of a clause that requires a comma:
    • ✅ Do: Whether or not you are a student in Barrett, The Honors College, you will receive an excellent education at ASU.
    • 🚫 Don't: Barrett, The Honors College at ASU, is one of the best honors colleges in the nation.
ASU FIDM
  • Full reference for ASU FIDM:
    • ✅ Do: ASU FIDM
    • 🚫 Don't: FIDM
    • 🚫 Don't: ASU Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising
The Polytechnic School
  • Full reference for The Polytechnic School:
    • One of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University
  • When describing The Polytechnic School and its programs:
    • The Polytechnic School, one of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University’s Polytechnic campus
Sun Devil Athletics See Sun Devil Athletics spellings and abbreviations
“W. P. Carey”
  • Must appear on one line.
  • Include a space between "W." and "P."

 

College and school name abbreviations

Official nameOfficial abbreviation
Barrett, The Honors College Barrett
College of Global FuturesGlobal Futures
College of Health SolutionsHealth Solutions
College of Integrative Sciences and ArtsIntegrative Sciences and Arts
Edson College of Nursing and Health InnovationNursing and Health Innovation
Graduate CollegeGraduate College
Herberger Institute for Design and the ArtsDesign and the Arts
Ira A. Fulton Schools of EngineeringEngineering
Mary Lou Fulton Teachers CollegeEducation
New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and SciencesNew College
Sandra Day O’Connor College of LawASU Law
School of Complex and Adaptive SystemsSCAS
School for the Future of Innovation in SocietyFuture of Innovation in Society
School of SustainabilitySustainability
The College of Liberal Arts and SciencesThe College
Thunderbird School of Global ManagementThunderbird
University CollegeUniversity College
W. P. Carey School of BusinessBusiness
Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass CommunicationCronkite
Watts College of Public Service and Community SolutionsPublic Service and Community Solutions

 

 

Residential colleges

  • Capitalize when used as an official name. Do not capitalize when used in general reference or in a list.
    • ✅ Do: When you choose a residential college, you choose a community of fellow students in your college.
    • ✅ Do: Cronkite Village is a residential college designed exclusively for Cronkite School first-year students.
    • ✅ Do: At the W. P. Carey Residential Communities, you will live, learn and experience …
  • Second references should be lowercase:
    • ✅ Do: The residential communities facilitate meaningful connections.