NORTHERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT BRAND IDENTITY GUIDELINES TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................................................5 ABOUT OUR IDENTITY .................................................................................................................................5 IDENTITY ...................................................................................................................................................6 COLOR PALETTE ..................................................................................................................................6 TYPOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................................................8 PRIMARY ...............................................................................................................................................8 SECONDARY ....................................................................................................................................... 10 UNIFORMS .......................................................................................................................................... 12 ADDITIONAL UNIFORM GUIDELINES ............................................................................................ 14 PRIMARY IDENTITY............................................................................................................................ 16 LOGO ................................................................................................................................................. 16 PROTECTED AREA ........................................................................................................................ 18 COLOR VARIATIONS ..................................................................................................................... 20 USAGE GUIDELINES ..................................................................................................................... 24 SPORT-SPECIFIC LOGO LOCKUPS ................................................................................................ 26 SECONDARY IDENTITY ...................................................................................................................... 30 SPORT-SPECIFIC WORDMARKS ............................................................................................................ 30 ACCEPTABLE VERSIONS .......................................................................................................... 32,38 COLOR VARIATIONS ................................................................................................................ 34,40 PROTECTED AREA ................................................................................................................... 35,41 MASCOT ............................................................................................................................................ 42 IDENTITY STANDARDS ............................................................................................................................. 44 ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES ........................................................................................................................ 53 TRADEMARKS, REGISTERED MARKS & LICENSING ..................................................................................... 53 REFERENCE & NAMING CONVENTIONS .................................................................................................... 55 CONTACT INFORMATION ......................................................................................................................... 57 3 INTRODUCTION 4 ABOUT OUR IDENTITY ABOUT OUR IDENTITY The Northern Kentucky University Athletics brand identity is designed to build a positive image for Northern Kentucky Athletics that is consistent, recognizable, and respected. It will position NKU to receive positive regional and national recognition that is consistent, distinctive, and in alignment with our mission and vision, as well as the mission and vision of the University. These brand identity guidelines will help our team and partners achieve consistency and impact across all Athletics communications. By providing simple rules for design and application, we contribute to our rising reputation in the realm of Division I Athletics. Brand identity guidelines are not intended to constrain creativity. Rather, they ensure we are creating materials that fully express our brand image in a positive and beneficial way. It is important to consider these guidelines when designing any materials related to Athletics. 5 IDENTITY COLOR PALETTE The Northern Kentucky Athletics palette is comprised of three colors (Gold, Black, and White) that also support the University brand identity. Consistent use of these colors helps increase recognition of the brand identity within our own school environment and visually differentiates us from our competitors. As a strong visual link to our identity across various applications, it is important to use color correctly as defined in this guide. NOTE Gray, defined as any percentage of black less than 100%, is no longer an identified color in the Northern Kentucky Athletics palette. Athletics logos should never be altered to incorporate gray. 6 COLOR PALETTE PANTONE 123C CMYK RGB EMBROIDERY C: 0 R: 255 COATS 324TH GOLD M: 23 G: 200 Y: 91 B: 46 K: 0 BLACK CMYK RGB EMBROIDERY C: 0 R: 0 COATS B9720 BLACK M: 0 G: 0 Y: 0 B: 0 K: 100 WHITE CMYK RGB EMBROIDERY C: 0 R: 255 COATS B1719 WHITE M: 0 G: 255 Y: 0 B: 255 K: 0 7 IDENTITY TYPOGRAPHY – PRIMARY Typography is a main component of our identity that creates a visual connection to our brand identity and tone of voice. Like color, consistent use of typography is imperative to reinforcing our brand personality and creating clarity among all Athletic communications. In this guide, three typefaces are presented with specific guidelines for usage. Joe College Sans NF is the primary display typeface for Northern Kentucky Athletics. “Display” means it is appropriate only for high impact text in small amounts, such as headlines or titles. It should never be used for large bodies of copy. If “Northern Kentucky” or “Northern Kentucky Norse” is used without the Athletics logo (page 17), Joe College Sans NF must be used as the primary font, with Avenir as the secondary font. “Northern Kentucky,” “NKU,” “Norse,” or any combination thereof may appear in a font of choice with the approved athletics logo. NOTE There is no lowercase version of Joe College Sans NF. Do not try to create a lowercase version. The NKU brand font Veneer should not be used in Athletic communication materials. 8 TYPOGRAPHY – PRIMARY JOE COLLEGE SANS NF ABCDEFG HIJKLMNO PQRSTUV WXYZ 012345 6789 9 IDENTITY TYPOGRAPHY – SECONDARY The secondary sans-serif typeface Avenir is used to complement the primary typeface. As a University brand font, use of Avenir helps unite Athletics with other University communications. Avenir is considered a “text” font, meaning it is appropriate for large areas of copy, secondary headlines and subheads, and copy at small point sizes. Avenir may be used in any of the weights and variations listed on the following page. NOTE The University brand identity book incorporates other variations of Avenir (i.e. condensed). However, we do not recommend their use in Athletics, as limiting the number of fonts helps achieve consistency throughout communication materials. 10 TYPOGRAPHY – SECONDARY AVENIR Avenir Book A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Avenir Medium A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Avenir Heavy A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Avenir Black A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 11 IDENTITY TYPOGRAPHY – UNIFORMS Northern Kentucky Athletics has an exclusive agreement with adidas to provide official athletic footwear, apparel, and accessories for our intercollegiate Athletics program. A single adidas font will represent each team's name, player names, and player numerals on all uniforms. Coaches and staff members ordering uniforms must choose the font Half Block from the list of font options provided by adidas. Half Block is visually similar to our display font Joe College Sans NF, allowing us to achieve an unprecedented consistency not only across all uniforms, but across all Northern Kentucky Athletics communications. NOTE See page 14 for additional typographic guidelines for uniforms. 12 TYPOGRAPHY – UNIFORMS ADIDAS HALF BLOCK 13 IDENTITY ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES FOR UNIFORMS Northern Kentucky Athletics understands that personalization options for uniforms vary by sport, material, and style. However, when ordering uniforms, Northern Kentucky Athletics requires strict adherence to the following typographic guidelines. Please see page 15 for visual references. • Exclusive use of Half Block font for team name, player names, and numerals (A, B, C). • If a two-line option exists for team names, it must be used. For two-line team names, always use “Northern Kentucky” (A). • If a two-line option does not