Graphic Elements

Following is some information that will help you implement these elements in the most effective manner.

• Brand Identity
• University of Houston Logotype
• University of Houston E-mail Signature
• The UH Color Palette
• UH Fonts
• Cougar Image
• University of Houston Seal
• Interlocking UH Mark
• The Chancellor & President's Image & Signature
• UH Entities that may be Exceptions to Graphic Standards

Brand Identity

As we continue to make great strides as a Tier-One research university, we must continue to build a unified brand for the university. The UH community has embraced this university’s unique identity and has used it’s many strengths to achieve Tier One status, Princeton Review recognition and a host of other local, regional, national and international accolades. 

The University of Houston Logotype

The University of Houston logotype is the graphic depiction of the name "University of Houston" in a type format. It is a one-of-a-kind signature, which identifies our university and projects our unique identity. Spacing and size relationships between the logotype have been carefully established and calibrated so that university identity will remain consistent in all applications.

An important key to presenting a strong and consistent image is the correct use of the wordmark.

The Pantone PMS (Pantone Matching System) numbers are:

• 186 red, black and white

• Red RGB colors:
  • 204 (red)
  • 0 (green)
  • 0 (blue)
• Silver RGB colors:
  • 153 (red)
  • 153 (green)
  • 153 (blue)
• To provide greater flexibility in designing materials the PMS color 877 silver has also been added.
• Silver is 60% of black
• Red CMYK Formula: C=0, M=100, Y=81, K=4

The RGB color combinations are:

• Red HEX color #CC0000
• Silver HEX color #999999

The University of Houston logos should be displayed on a background of one of the official colors of the University of Houston that are noted above, particularly when presented in “reverse” or white color. Those colors are:

• 
Red (see PMS, RGB, and HEX colors above)

• Black
• White
• Silver/Gray (see PMS, RGB, and HEX colors above)

In the official logotype, the word "University" appears in ITC Avante Garde Gothic Book by BT type style all upper case, separated by the word “of” which is in Avante Garde Gothic Book all lower case and "Houston" in all upper case in the Avante Garde Gothic Demi by BT type style.  Additionally the tagline can appear in ITC Avante Garde Gothic Demi by BT type style, all upper case condensed.

The logotype can be obtained through University Marketing in digital format.

*The “You Are the Pride” or the “Carnegie-Designated Tier One…” tagline may or may not be used with the University of Houston logotype. You may choose whether to include one of them in your mark. Alternate taglines may not be substituted. Also, logos cannot be used as part of text, i.e. within the body of text, headline or caption in such a way as to be read as part of a sentence or phrase.

The logotype images are available in digital format on our photography Web Site. Log in using your Cougarnet credentials (cougarnet\username).

Primary Logotype: (with sample tagline)

 

Primary Reversed with tagline:

Primary without tagline:

Primary Reversed without tagline:

       

Secondary Logotype (with tagline):

       

        

Secondary Logotype (without tagline):

        

        

UH Logotype with Carnegie Designation/Tier One Tagline:

You may choose to use the University of Houston logotype with the Carnegie designation/Tier One tagline. This tagline is only available with the University of Houston logotype.

College and/or Business Unit:

Note: The Bauer College of Business logotype has been used as an example. Other college and/or business unit logotypes are available upon request. Department, program and business unit logos are also available upon request and can be created both with or without the name of the college or division included in the logo "stack" at your request.

College and/or Business Unit:

       

       

        

        

The university does not have a site agreement with Adobe to place these fonts on every printer and computer on campus; if you would like to purchase these fonts for your own use please see UH Fonts below for instructions.

All UH faculty and staff may use the university logos without completing a request form for use on reports, research grant proposals, or other business-use documents. However, an Intellectual Property Use Permission form (PDF) must be completed for logos used on T-shirts, pens, mugs and other promotional items. UH Faculty and staff are required to submit art for all advertising and promotional items, especially those bearing any UH logo, for Ad Approval. Students must request permission to use the UH logo on anything outside of routine school work. Even if they have permission, they are also required to submit art for all advertising and promotional items bearing any UH logo for Ad Approval.

Anyone outside the university who would like to use UH logos, logotypes or other marks for non-commercial purposes should also complete the Intellectual Property Use Permission form (PDF). This permission exempts them from paying a licensing fee or being fined for license/trademark infringement. The form should be submitted to the AVC/AVP of University Relations Office at University of Houston, 125 E. Cullen, Houston, Texas 77204-2046 (UH mailcode 2046) or fax 713-743-8185 or scanned and emailed to adapproval@uh.edu.

A PDF of the Intellectual Property Use Permission Form can be downloaded here.



Anyone who is not employed by the university or who does not have permission and wishes to use any University of Houston logo or mark on items they plan to sell should contact Licensing Resource Group, LLC (LRG) 616-395-0676. Learn more the FAQ's about UH Licensing.

 

 

(Samples only.)

There are also stylized "Houston Cougar" logos that are official Athletics marks. These images cannot be used in lieu of the official University of Houston logotype on non-athletic pieces of communication, marketing, promotion and signage. If you have questions about this logo, please contact the Office of Athletics Marketing, Promotions and Sales at 713-743-9450 or rstewart5@uh.edu.

Official UH E-mail Signature

As one of the most frequently used forms of communication, e-mail messages should serve as a reflection of the institution. Because of the wide variety of formats used by faculty and staff, the university has adopted a standardized signature format to help e-mail signatures reinforce the university’s brand identity, as well as convey important contact information.


E-mail signatures should include your name, job title, department or college, the name of the university, your phone number and e-mail address.  This information should be in plain text format to easily accommodate all types of users. The signature also should contain specific text recognizing the university’s Carnegie designation.
 


The text-only version:



Jane Doe
Department Manager

College of Technology

University of Houston

A Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university

713-743-0000

janedoe@central.uh.edu



The logo version:


Jane Doe

Department Manager
Human Resources

University of Houston

janedoe@central.uh.edu

713-743-0000

These two formats are the recommended signatures. We encourage UH faculty and staff to use one of these options. These e-mail signatures reflect our status as a Tier One institution in all of our e-mail communications, which helps promote the university’s reputation to people off campus.



The e-mail logo file is available on our SharePoint site. It is usually best to download the smaller version of the signature logo that is formatted to operate in most email programs. Everyone with a cougarnet ID should be able to access this new folder with the image files. If someone has trouble logging in, try typing cougarnet\ and then the ID in the user name field.
 


Best Practices when creating an E-mail Signature:

• Logo Clarity - If you cut and paste the logo file, it will look fuzzy and distorted. It is best to use the insert image functionality in your respective e-mail program. For instructions on inserting the logo image into the email signature properly, see the instructions in the How To section.
• Mailing Address & Mail Codes - It’s not considered best practice any longer to include a postal address as part of an email signature, but if you wish to, it should go below the email address.  You may also list your mail code in this space if you wish.
• Listing the web site - Most (if not all) people recognize the email domain on your e-mail address contains your web address.  Since some of our email addresses have ‘central.uh.edu’ it is recommended to list the UH web site.
• Quotes - Quotes should not be used in a university e-mail signature.
• Fax numbers - Industry trends indicate that fax is slipping in popularity as a mean of communication, so it’s no longer necessary to list it.
• Signature on every reply & forward - When continuing a conversation via email, there’s no need to include the signature in every response.
• Include faculty’s private practice – Please refrain from promoting a faculty or staff member’s other employment in your email signature. State rules preclude university employees from using public resources to promote private entities.
• Font size and type - We recommend Arial 9 pt bold for your name and 8 pt for the rest. 
• Back-ground Color – Please refrain from using watermarked, colored, or photographic backgrounds in your emails. Those backgrounds often make your correspondence difficult to read and do not render appropriately in every email program. White is the only admissible background color for University of Houston emails.
• Professional licenses or certifications - Feel free to add professional designations or certification directly after your name. For example: John Doe, FAIA or Jane Doe, MBA.Alumni – UH is proud of its alumni, so graduates are welcome to add their grad year directly after their names in the email signature.  Please omit the college name or degree as the degree is from the University of Houston.
• Committees - While these are very important, the email signature is not the best location to communicate that information.
• Confidentiality clause - If it is a necessary part of your business operations to work with confidential information, the confidentiality clause can be included at the bottom of the signature.
• Social media - If you would like to include social media links, it shouldn’t be more than two.  Usually it’s Facebook and Twitter.  Do not include images, only the links.

The UH Color Palette

University of Houston’s primary color is red, PMS 186, sometimes known as “Cougar Red”.  Secondary colors are black, white and silver/grey. These colors should comprise the UH Brand Color Palette. As with all graphic elements, these school colors have a rich historical tradition and are immediately identifiable amongst internal and external audiences.

The Pantone PMS (Pantone Matching System) numbers are:

• 186 red, black and white
• Red RGB colors:
  • 204 (red)
  • 0 (green)
  • 0 (blue)
• Silver RGB colors:
  • 153 (red)
  • 153 (green)
  • 153 (blue)
• To provide greater flexibility in designing materials the PMS color 877 silver has also been added.
• Silver is 60% of black
• Red CMYK Formula: C=0, M=100, Y=81, K=4

The RGB color combinations are:

• Red HEX color #CC0000
• Silver HEX color #999999

UH Fonts

The official University of Houston logotype is based on ITC Avant Garde Gothic. We do not have a license for the whole university to use them, but we do have a special agreement to use them only in logos. Recommendations for headlines and body copy are based on what looks best with ITC Avant Guard logos, is most easily readable and helps project the UH brand. For Sans Serif font, the Helvetica font family is recommended. For Serifed fonts, Times New Roman, the Berkeley font family (more serifed) and the Trajan Pro font family (a slightly less serifed, capital letter font that is more formal that is nice on invitations) seem to work the best.

If your department is interested in purchasing a font, there are companies selling them online. Here are links to purchase some of the fonts that University Relations commonly uses in marketing pieces.

• ITC Avant Garde Gothic
• Trajan Pro
• ITC Berkeley Oldstyle

 

The Cougar Image

(Sample only.)

The official UH cougar mascot photograph was taken by photographer Pam Francis. It is not a logo, but a copyrighted graphic element that may be used.

The Cougar image is not excluded from the new brand or from the pantheon of UH symbols. The Cougar will not be used in academic or institutional marketing as focus is shifted to represent our students, faculty and alumni.

Here are some guidelines for using the Cougar image with the new brand:

• This fine photograph projects the overall strength of the university and when used consistently and correctly unifies the many different programs on campus. Therefore, other photographs of cougars should not be substituted.
• This photo cannot be used in lieu of the official University of Houston logotype.
• As an official symbol, it should not be manipulated in any way
• The Cougar may NOT be placed next to or combined with the new university logotype.
• When using the Cougar image in marketing and informational pieces, remember that University of Houston is host to many international students. Many cultures do not have mascots associated with schools and universities. The idea of having a Cougar for a mascot may be new to international audiences and they may not understand why the image of a Cougar appears in UH materials. Carefully consider your audience before deciding to incorporate the Cougar image into your marketing and information pieces.
• Digital copies of the cougar image are available from University Relations (713-743-8863).

 

   

(Samples only.)

There are also stylized cougar head logos that are official Athletics marks. These images cannot be used in lieu of the official University of Houston logotype on non-athletic pieces of communication, marketing, promotion and signage. If you have questions about this logo, please contact the Office of Athletics Marketing, Promotions and Sales at 713-743-9450 or rstewart5@uh.edu.

The University of Houston Seal

(Samples only.)

According to historical accounts, the UH seal is the coat of arms of General Sam Houston. The seal was adopted for use by the university in 1938 in conjunction with construction of the new UH campus.

• The seal is an official, trademarked academic symbol of the University of Houston. It is not to be used interchangeably with the UH logotype.
• The seal is reserved for academic use only by the Office of the President and the Provost's Office. Other uses must be approved by the Associate Vice President for University Relations.
• No graphic element may be placed next to the University of Houston Seal. On most print pieces, a distance of at least a half-inch gives the appropriate amount of separation between the UH Seal and all other text and images on the piece. Please keep in mind that the amount of space needed between the seal and other elements may vary according to the size of the piece and elements contained in it.

If you have questions regarding the proper use of the seal, please contact University Relations (713-743-8863)

The Interlocking UH Mark

Collegiate symbols are a long-standing and well-respected tradition in higher education. Alumni, students, faculty, and staff instantly recognize their university by its mark and often wear that logo with great pride. The Interlocking UH logo is a "heritage" or “spirit” mark for the University of Houston. The Interlocking UH will most often be seen as a mark among the “Cougar Family”.  Specifically, the interlocking UH now pertains to current students, alumni, sports and school spirit.

       

Classic Interlocking UH and the Beveled Interlocking UH (Samples only.)

Here are some guidelines for using the Interlocking UH Logo with the new brand:

• As an official symbol, the Interlocking UH should not be manipulated or appended in any way.
• The Interlocking UH is available in digital format from University Relations (713-743-8863). University Relations reserves the right to review and approve any and all uses of the Interlocking UH logo. Please submit all advertising, communications and promotional pieces to adapproval@uh.edu

    

(Samples only.)

This is the “thick” interlocking UH that is an official Athletics logo. If you have questions about this logo, please contact the Office of Athletics Marketing, Promotions and Sales at 713-743-9450 or rstewart5@uh.edu.

The Chancellor & President's Image & Signature

Any time that the image, likeness, or signature of the University of Houston System Chancellor and University of Houston President is used in any printed (brochure, magazine advertisement, poster, etc.) or electronic (e-mail, web ad, etc.) promotional piece, the final mock-up of that piece must be approved by the Associate Vice President of University Relations or his/her designee.

• Any promotional piece bearing the University of Houston System Chancellor and University of Houston President’s image (photos, drawings, etc.) requires prior approval.
• Any promotional item bearing the University of Houston System Chancellor and University of Houston President’s signature (copied or otherwise) requires the Associate Vice President of University Relations approval. The Chancellor/President's signature may not be used in electronic advertising, marketing or communications. This includes (but is not limited to) e-mail, web, and online ads.
• This policy includes printed pieces as well as electronic promotions (mass e-mails, web ads, etc.)
• Sent final PDF’s or mock ups to adapproval@uh.edu and state in your email subject line that you will need approval of the Chancellor & President’s image and/or signature. 
• If you need to mail a printed mock up, please send it to Dianah Hobbs at interoffice mail code 2021. Include a memo stating that approval of the President’s image and/or signature is needed.
• Please send pieces in for approval at least 6 business days in advance of when you need them approved.
• University Relations and the UH Chancellor & President’s Office are not responsible for costs incurred from having to make changes to the piece.
• If you submit a piece for Ad Approval, please do not assume that the piece has also been approved for use of the Chancellor & President’s image and/or signature.

UH Entities that may be Exceptions for Regular UH Branding Standards

Exceptions to the regular UH Branding and Graphic Standards must be approved by University Relations and are available only to non-academic, public-facing entities.  Exceptions are not available to a college, a degree program, an official business department, or any other established unit of the University of Houston or University of Houston System. Outside funds can come from other public organizations, private organizations, private individuals, or from services rendered.

Specifically, entities eligible for exceptions must be one of the following:

• Funded 51% or more by entities outside of the University of Houston or University of Houston System
• Registered as 501c3/Nonprofits
• Public-facing units with a transactional relationship to the community that have a non-academic operational structure
• Not a college, degree program, official business department, or any other established unit of University of Houston or University of Houston System
• Approved as exceptions by University Relations - please contact Liz Stephens or Madeline Nichley to inquire.

What it means to be an exception:

Being an exception entity does not mean the UH branding and graphic standards are eliminated entirely, it means:

• UH Graphic Standards may be adjusted slightly to allow for the inclusion of the other funding source's branding and logos.
• An official University of Houston logo must appear on the piece.
• Any advertising pieces produced for, by or about the entity are subject to UH ad approval guidelines
• Any logos used on behalf of the exempt entity must be approved by the Associate Vice President of University Relations or his/her designee (see ad approval in the graphic standards)
• It is preferred that UH approved fonts, colors and branding be used as much as possible in promotional materials.
• Any UH logos, fonts and branding used in said materials will be subject to UH graphic standards.

If you have questions, please contact Liz Stephens or Madeline Nichley.