Identity and Brand

Our identity provides a framework to convey UB’s distinctiveness and helps us align all of our schools and institutions under one official name. This message map acts as a guide for SEAS faculty and staff. It shows how we in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences can tell our unique story, while continuing to align with the university's brand attributes.

Maintaining brand consistency and language used for all entities across the university is important.

In copy, units and entities across the University at Buffalo—including schools, colleges, departments, divisions and offices—must be linked to one of the following formal academic names:

• [School of Engineering and Applied Sciences or Department Name], University at Buffalo
• [School of Engineering and Applied Sciences or Department Name] at the University at Buffalo
• University at Buffalo [School of Engineering and Applied Sciences or Department Name]
• UB [School of Engineering and Applied Sciences or Department Name]

Note: There are no other approved names for the university. Using “SUNY-Buffalo” and different versions of the official names is not permitted.

One of the important outcomes of the university’s recent brand launch is consensus on the name of our university. There has been much inconsistency in the past, which has caused confusion and impacted our reputation.

There are only two ways to refer to the university:

• University at Buffalo
• University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

This name should be used on all communications, such as affiliations on journal articles, conference registrations, contest entry forms, email signatures, and other written materials.

UB is in the top 1% of U.S. institutions for number of international scholars. International faculty and staff are a large and important part of our diverse engineering and science community.

Think of your email signature as a digital business card that provides relevant contact information, ideally in fewer than eight lines. Name, pronouns, title(s), department or unit, university name and telephone number are appropriate items to include. Use simple URLs, if any, without “http://www”.

Specifying your pronouns is not required, but it is a helpful practice in support of UB’s ongoing commitment to creating a more diverse, inclusive and equitable community. An individual’s pronouns generally follow their name and may take one of several forms: (she/her), (she, her), (she/her/hers), (she, her, hers), (they/them/their) or (they, them, their).

Include as part of your email signature only those web links that are directly related to your professional role within the university. All web addresses (URLs) used in your signature must ultimately resolve to a .buffalo.edu domain. For extremely long URLs, please work with your unit senior communicator to create a shorter URL that redirects.

Choose appropriate text styling to ensure readability. While plain text is ideal in most instances of casual communications, if you choose to use rich text (to bold, italicize, underline, etc.) use Arial or Georgia as your standard font, as they are university-approved brand typefaces.

Include information for relevant social media and/or instant messaging accounts in text only, without icons. Include only those accounts that are affiliated with the university as a whole or with your school, unit, department or professional role. Include a personal social media account only if it is used primarily to promote your academic and/or professional expertise and contains a disclaimer in your profile that states that your opinions are your own and do not express those of your employer.

Do not use quotations, aphorisms or other personal statements. Such statements may be objectionable to some recipients and may be misconstrued as the university’s official position. Use of officially sanctioned university statements or slogans (e.g., “Go Bulls!” or “New York’s Public Powerhouse”) is permissible.

Consider including a brief confidentiality clause if warranted by the nature of your communications, for example:

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The contents of this email message and any attachments are intended solely for the addressee(s) and may contain confidential and/or privileged information and may be legally protected from disclosure.

Graphics or stationery backgrounds should not be included in your email signature. This includes logos (e.g., UB master brand mark or unit brand extension mark) or other graphic identifiers.

Unless placed within a stylized email (using HTML), these elements are often inaccessible for individuals relying on assistive technology to read its contents, and are often treated as attachments and can clog a recipient’s inbox or cause email to be filtered as spam. Furthermore, images may not display properly in some email programs, resulting in a distorted or confusing image that is not consistent with the university’s image.

The UB academic brand uses several important marks, including our logo. Each has a specific role in representing the university.

Complete the Sub-Brand Request Form to download all SEAS sub-brand lockups. Once completed, you will be sent to a page where you can download your sub-brand lockup. Refer to the lists above to find the group that includes the sub-brand lockup. The SEAS Office of Communications will be notified and if you need help, we can assist you with any use-related questions that you may have.

Please Note: After you complete the form, you will be taken to a web page with downloads for all of UB's schools. Click on "School of Engineering and Applied Sciences" and then you will see the download button for "Print and Digital."

You can download each department lockup at the UB Logos, Marks and Graphics page. Each lockup is available in the following color and file formats. Review the section below to determine which is appropriate for your usage.

Our brand has a number of graphic tools that create a unique look and make us distinct from our peers and instantly recognizable. When they’re used consistently, these elements create continuity within our family of materials, across a variety of media.

The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences has three typical pops of color from the general UB branded color palette to be used in conjunction with UB Blue and Hayes Hall White.

For a consistent brand experience, each department has unique pops of color to be used in conjunction with UB Blue and Hayes Hall White.

We want our communications to resonate with all audiences, so take consideration when choosing color combinations for digital and print communications. Our color palette has been optimized for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)—an equal opportunity law for people with disabilities—so it’s visually effective and functionally useful.

Here are some tips to help make your communications accessible to all.

Since some users may override page colors, color should not be the only way information is conveyed. Make sure information is available even if colors are altered. This means adding another cue, like an underline, to show a link or an icon to reinforce the meaning.

The following are some examples of ADA compliant color combinations:

• Hayes Hall White on UB Blue
• Hayes Hall White on Townsend Gray
• UB Blue on Hayes Hall White
  
• Townsend Gray on Hayes Hall White
  
• Harriman Blue on Baird Point Gray
• Harriman Blue on Hayes Hall White

For more combinations, please refer to: UB's ADA Color Compliance Chart

A free online educational resource is available to improve your web accessibility knowledge and skill set through Deque University. The full curriculum contains over 30 courses on creating accessible documents, testing and more, which are extremely valuable to web developers, content editors and all faculty and staff who create online materials.

The school can assist in arranging professional photography and/or providing in-house photographers. If you have an event you would like photographed, submit your request to the SEAS Office of Communications.

Please include the statement below for events where there will be a photographer. This includes (but is not limited to) confirmation emails to participants who register online, program booklets/schedule of events, and other print or electronic communications to participants as appropriate. In addition, for large events, consider including a sign at the event.

'The University at Buffalo will occasionally have a photographer at events such as the one for which you are registered. Please be advised that UB may use photographs taken during events for publication in print and online, including social media. Please alert the photographer at the event should you not wish to have your photograph taken.'

Download the Event Photography Sign

The UB Photo Database is an excellent resource for all UB faculty and staff. More information, including guidelines for capturing the UB "spirit" in visual form, can be found on UB Photography and Videography.

The School of Engineering and Applied sciences also has its own SEAS Photo Database for more school-specific images.

Looking for stock media? The SEAS Office of Communications has access to serveral photo, graphic, video, and music databases. Please contact us for more information.