University Branding and Identity Guidelines

As the nation’s first public university and one of the world’s leading research institutions, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has a highly visible identity that continually evolves. We developed the guidelines on this site to give the Carolina community a recognizable and consistent visual style and voice, while allowing individual units within our University to tell their own unique stories.

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Key Terms

Brand

The brand of an organization—as represented by specific images and words intended to signify implicit values, ideas and personality—represents a particular experience or impression.

Brand Message

A brand message is the primary value proposition of an organization’s services or products. The message communicates what the brand is and what separates it from competitors.

Editorial Style 

Editorial style refers to a set of guidelines used by writers and editors to ensure that language is clear, consistent and effective.

Logo

A logo is a symbol or other design that represents an organization or brand. It is an essential part of any identity package.

Sub-brand

A sub-brand is a unique but complementary set of visual identity assets, such as a logo or color palette, that represents a distinct group that exists as part of a larger entity.

Writing Style

Writing style refers to a writer’s unique voice or application of language to convey a specific experience, tone or mood.