College-Level Logos

By featuring the college or school name prominently within the logo composition, each College/School is able to better market itself and its respective departments and programs. This level allows a focus on the College/School while maintaining the connection to the University identity. To obtain University-approved logo artwork for your respective college or school, contact University Communications and Marketing.

When to use

Display college-entity logos on marketing collateral that represent the college as a whole. For department- or program-specific collateral, it is preferred to display the department (or program) logo, which displays the department name in a fixed relationship to the University logo, so as to maintain a strong tie back to the overall University.

Mentioning in text

When mentioning in text and on first reference in applications whose intended audiences may not already be familiar with the University, the University’s full name precedes the college’s (or school’s) full name. A comma separates the two. For example: “Metropolitan State University of Denver, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences” The abbreviated “MSU Denver, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences” may be used on first reference in applications whose intended audiences are likely to already be familiar with the University. Subsequent references within the same application for either first-reference scenario may omit the University prefix and simply use the college name, “College of Letters, Arts and Sciences” or its acronym “LAS.”

The logo components are in a fixed size and spatial relationship to one another. There are two formats available for use: horizontal and vertical (vertical shown). Do not resize or reposition the components within the logo. Additionally, the college (or school) name is displayed in a custom-rendered typeface. Do not typeset the college name in an attempt to re-create the logo.

Using MSU Denver, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences as an example, these guidelines apply to each college-entity logo.

This provides optimal logo display within the space provided per application. The components within these formats are in a fixed size and spatial relation to one another and should not be altered.

Using MSU Denver, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences as an example, these guidelines apply to each college-entity logo.

• Horizontal Format: College/School names are placed to the right of the Abbreviated logo. For lengthy College/School names, refer to the “Medium Format” listed below. The diagram below indicates the size and spatial relationship of the logo components.

• Medium Format: College/School names are placed to the right of the Abbreviated logo in two or more lines as appropriate for optimal readability. The diagram below indicates the size and spatial relationship of the logo components.

• Vertical Format: College/School names are placed below the Abbreviated logo. For lengthy College/School names, the name may break naturally between words on two or more lines, keeping optimal readability in mind. The diagram below indicates the size and spatial relationship of the logo components

The two main components of the college/school logos are:

• Abbreviated MSU Denver University Logo
• College/School Name

University Abbreviated Logo

• The Abbreviated logo in its vertical format should always be used in College/School logos.
• The “M” in the Abbreviated logo is the basis of all measurements and component placement in College/School logos.

Click here for more details about the MSU Denver Abbreviated Logo.

College/School Name Details:

• Full College/School name is placed to the right of or below the Abbreviated Logo (depending on the format)
• Typeface: MSU Denver’s custom typeface
• Height of the Capital letters is equal to the height of the “M” in the Abbreviated Logo.
• Object Spacing: Space between the College/School name and the closest point of the Abbreviated logo is 50% of the height of the “M” in the Abbreviated Logo.

A “clear zone” is the minimum amount of space to remain free of other imagery such as text, photography, illustrations, color breaks or rule lines. This minimum space requirement also applies to page trim and folds.

The clear zone for MSU Denver College/School logos is proportional to the size of the logo.  Its border is determined by measuring from the outer edges of the logo to the distances indicated in the diagrams below.

Adhering to clear zone guidelines will best ensure legal protection of our logos by minimizing confusion as to their appearances.

Shown below is the minimum approved size for our College/School logos as measured from the width of the Roadrunner Symbol. If a size smaller than the approved is necessary, the academic department or program name is typeset in one of the approved support typefaces. See Support Typefaces.

Minimum size: ½ inch (12.7mm, 36 pixels) as measured from the width of the Roadrunner Symbol.

If the display area does not permit sufficient logo sizing, you may display the College/School name in upper and lowercase or in all caps. It must be typeset in one color in one of the typefaces from our approved type families: Univers, Gotham or Century Schoolbook. Contact University Communications and Marketing for approval of any typeface substitutions.

DO NOT display the college-entity name in a two- or three-color solution in an effort to mimic the appearance of the college-entity logo.

Mentioning College/School Names in Text

When mentioning college/school names in text, the University name will precede the College/School name separated by a comma in methods dependent upon the anticipated audience. For example:

• First reference:
  • For audiences who may not be familiar with the University:
    “Metropolitan State University of Denver, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences”
  • For audiences likely to be familiar with the University:
    “MSU Denver, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences”
• Subsequent references within the same application:
  • College/School name: “College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.”
  • College/School acronym: “CLAS”

Our College/School logos consist of specific hues of blue, red and gray. Accurate reproduction of these colors, referred to as MSU Denver Blue, MSU Denver Red and MSU Denver Gray, is critical to maintaining a consistent brand image. See Brand Colors for each color’s specific color formulas per media.

When a College/School logo is darker than the background color on which it is displayed, it is referred to as “positive.” When the logo is lighter than the background color on which it is displayed, it is referred to as “reverse.” Within these two categories, there are both full-color and one-color options from which you may choose. The full-color options are preferred and should be displayed wherever practical. See Color Selection below for more details.

Clear logo visibility is important for ensuring its integrity and the professional reputation of the University. All logo components must be easily discernible from the background on which they are displayed. The grayscale diagram below demonstrates how the visibility of each logo color option is affected by the color value of its background. Additionally, avoid displaying the logo on background areas with a high degree of distracting visual activity. Generally, positive logos provide optimum contrast on light- to medium-value backgrounds and reverse logos provide optimum contrast on medium- to dark-value backgrounds.

Important note about the Roadrunner Symbol

To best ensure clear legibility and maintain brand integrity, it is important to select the correct color version of any of our logos that include the Roadrunner Symbol. To this point, there are two important design features:

1. The Roadrunner Symbol artwork is available with and without a white silhouette behind the symbol. The white silhouette ensures clear legibility regardless of the background color value on which it is displayed. However, the white silhouette is not always practical in certain reproduction techniques. In scenarios such as small imprint or two-color reproduction limitations on colored backgrounds, it is preferred to use a one-color logo to avoid diminished visibility of the red logo components caused by close color boundary between the red components and the background.
2. When selecting a one-color logo, be sure to select the one-color positive art for light- to mid-value backgrounds and the one-color reverse art for mid- to dark-value backgrounds. These two one-color versions are NOT interchangeable. The one-color positive logo should always be displayed entirely in MSU Denver blue or entirely in black on light- to mid-value backgrounds.  The one-color reverse logo should always be displayed in white on mid- to dark-value backgrounds.  The rendering of the Roadrunner Symbol is different between the positive and reverse versions so that the eye “reads correctly.”

Preserving the integrity of the MSU Denver brand is paramount. A visible method of preservation is through accurate and consistent display of our University Support entity logos. This practice will help reinforce its strength and continue to grow MSU Denver’s current degree of brand equity.

At left is the approved and preferred appearance of our College/School logos.

Shown below are just a few of potential misuses of our College/School logos. All attempts should be made to adhere to the guidelines stated in this document. Any misuse will ultimately diminish the current degree of brand equity and potentially jeopardize its legal protection. If you have questions regarding correct logo use, contact University Communications and Marketing.