OCAD University

Graphic Standards Guide

Effective: January 2014

This Graphic Standards Guide covers the basic guidelines

for OCAD University’s graphic identity.

The manual provides a summary of the primary features

and applications of the graphic identity. For further
guidelines on how to apply the identity in specific
communications materials, please contact OCAD U’s
Marketing & Communications Department, (416) 977 6000,
ext. 222.

OCAD University Graphic Standards Guide | 1

This guide covers the basic guidelines for OCAD University’s graphic identity.
It provides a summary of the primary features and applications of the graphic identity.

The OCAD University logo is used to designate that a publication, whether TEMPLATES
print or digital, a place (such as a building) or an item (such as a pen or mug) is
A number of templates for items such as:
sanctioned by the university. Only official university departments and groups can
use the logo. • digital letterhead
• fax cover sheets
The graphic identity is a system. Each year, medal-winning students will be invited
• memos
to submit their work to be used in OCAD U’s visual identity, resulting in approved
• PowerPoint slideshows
versions of the logo.
• email signatures and
Departmental variations may be requested from the Marketing & Communications • other materials
office. Please do not modify existing logos or design your own.
are available for use. Download files from the web based information drive:
infodrive.ocadu.ca/Marketing & Communications, accessible to all faculty and
staff. You will need to log in using your OCAD U I.D. and password.

OCAD University Graphic Standards Guide | 2

Email signatures and Powerpoint

EMAIL SIGNATURES POWERPOINT TEMPLATE

• Signatures should be formatted in the Arial typeface at 10pt size, in the colour Please download our official OCAD University powerpoint template from
black. infodrive.ocadu.ca under Marketing & Communications > Forms & Downloads.
Log in with your faculty or staff I.D. and password.
• Your name, title, department and the university’s name must be upper case.

• Use only the main mailing address in your email signature (100 McCaul
Street). This ensures that any mail or packages are delivered to our centralized
distribution services.

• Do not use logos in your signature.

• Do not use slogans or personal messages.

The following examples may be copied and pasted into the “Signature and
Stationary” dialogue box in Outlook (instructions follow). Ensure that you
personalize your signature and that all hyperlinks are directing towards the correct
addresses (otherwise your signature’s email address may continue to send to
jsmith@ocadu.ca).

Full length signature example: Short signature example:

JOHN SMITH JOHN SMITH

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
STUDENT SERVICES STUDENT SERVICES,
OCAD UNIVERSITY
T 416 977 6000 x123
F 416 977 6006 T 416 977 6000 x123
E jsmith@ocadu.ca E jsmith@ocadu.ca

OCAD UNIVERSITY For more information on how to apply the identity in specific communications
100 McCaul Street, Toronto, Canada M5T 1W1 materials, or any other questions or assistance, please contact Marketing &
www.ocadu.ca Communications at 416 977 6000 x. 222.

For more detailed information, please download the email signature specifications
document at infodrive.ocadu.ca under Marketing & Communications > Resources.
Log in with your faculty or staff I.D. and password.

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Ordering stationery

Requests for stationery are managed through the Finance Office and the form Business card orders may be placed directy with the printer Somerset Graphics.
can be downloaded from infodrive.ocadu.ca under Finance > Forms & Downloads The order form may be found under infodrive.ocadu.ca under Marketing &
> Purchasing > Stationery Order Form. Log in with your faculty or staff I.D. Communications > Forms & Downloads > Business Card Order Form. Submit
and password. This form will alllow you to place an order for letterhead (plain and forms by the 15th of each month in order to receive cards the following month.
medal winner), envelopes (10 x 13”, No. 10 and No. 10 secure) and folders. A large print option is available for accessibility. Please note this entails reduced
information to accomodate large type. Braille is available through a third party for
an additional cost; please download the order form for detailed instructions.

Letterhead, plain Letterhead, medal winner 2-pocket Folder Business cards

No. 10 Envelope

Large print business cards

OCAD University Graphic Standards Guide | 4

Primary & secondary typography

Gotham was specially selected for OCAD U to act as the primary typeface A limited number of licences for the Gotham and Malaga typefaces were obtained
for headings in printed communications and core identity implementation. for use on campus. Users who will make use of these typefaces should be
Consistency of typeface in all of OCAD U’s communications is important to identified for each department. Licences (available in Open Type only) may be
the successful implementation of these visual identity standards. The Malaga obtained by requested from IT Services Helpdesk (x. 277 or ITHelp@ocadu.ca).
type family was selected to complement the primary typeface to be used in all
For all general office use, alternative versions of these fonts are also permited.
graphically-designed material.
The alternative for Gotham is Arial. The Malaga alternative is Georgia.

Gotham Book

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
Gotham Bold

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
Malaga Regular

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
OCAD University Graphic Standards Guide | 5
Logo configurations

The logo can exist in three configurations. The two most common orientations
include the container for content. Option A is the preferred orientation as it is the
most graphically pleasing and we would like to build equity around it. Option B is
provided in the case that there are specific graphic constraints that make option
A undesirable. Option C is provided for small-scale usage and to avoid visual
repetition, especially when the full recommended mark is present nearby (for
example: building signage next to banners).

A. B. C.
Recommended Alternative Small scale alternative

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Logo files LOGOS FOR PRINT, CMYK 0/0/0/100

Full OCAD University Full Imagination Small scale OCAD U

Logo, Black Type is Everything Logo, alternative, Black Type
Reverse Type

In order for logos to appear as a true black, different formats are required for
web and print. Print uses a CMYK colour model (where black is 100%); web uses
an RGB colour mode (where RGB values are all set to zero). Within the infodrive
folder there are both CMYK and RGB files. Please be sure to use the appropriate
logo; the RGB files are low resolution and will not reproduce correctly in print.

Download the official OCAD U logos from infodrive.ocadu.ca under Marketing

& Communications > Forms & Downloads > OCAD U logos. Log in with your
Filename: Filename: Filename:
faculty or staff I.D. and password. AI, EPS and JPG files are available in CS version ocadu_imaginationiseverything_ ocadu_imaginationiseverything_ ocadu_smallscalealt_logo_CMYK_
5 and 6. If you require any other format or resolution, please contact Marketing & logo_CMYK_blacktype_CSver6. logo_CMYK_whitetype_CSver6. blacktype_CSver6.eps
Communications at ext. 222. eps eps

LOGOS FOR WEB, RGB 0/0/0

Full OCAD University Full Imagination Small scale OCAD U

Logo, Black Type is Everything Logo, alternative, Black Type
Black Type

Filename: Filename: Filename:

ocadu_ocaduniversity_logo_RGB. ocadu_imaginationiseverything_ ocadu_ocaduniversity_logo_RGB.
jpg logo_RGB.jpg png

Please note safety area has been incorporated into the web logos.
Note that web files should NOT be used for printed materials as resolution is low and for screen viewing only.

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Mimimum logo size

PRINT MINIMUM SIZE WEB MINIMUM SIZE

We have identified a minimum size (pictured below) for the logos which maintains The OCAD U logo for web is available for download with the safety area already
legibility of text and the integrity of the artwork. incorporated into the image. Anything smaller than the minimum sizes outlined
below is not approved for usage.
When choosing a logo to fit an application, please consider the detail of the
artwork and at what size those details suffer. For example, a hairline pencil
drawing will look great at large scales but will likely break up at the minimum size
identified. There will be a need for a variety of art work that works at different
scales, from letterheads to billboards.

Please use your own discretion when creating applications with the logo in terms
of the scale of the artwork. It is not sufficient to place the logo “out of the box” on
applications without considering how the artwork interacts with the layout. For
example, if the application is a shirt, do not hesitate to scale the artwork beyond
the margins outlined in these guidelines in order to fill the shirt.

MINIMUM: 100 px

MINIMUM: 160 px

The full OCAD University logo The small scale alternative OCAD
must never be smaller than 160 U logo must never be smaller than
pixels wide. 100 pixels wide.

MINIMUM: 3 cm MINIMUM: 3 cm MINIMUM: 1.5 cm

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Logo placement

PRINT PLACEMENT WEB PLACEMENT

Where possible on posters, brochures and other similar material, the logo should Where possible on evites and other digital communications, the OCAD U logo
be placed in the bottom right corner. Logos of any other group should line up to should always appear at the top so that it is instantly recognized as an OCAD U
the left of the OCAD U logo. It is permissable to put the logo on the back cover of comunication.
a brochure, either centred or right placement.

Evite placement: logo at top.

Print placement alternative:

brochure back cover, logo in centre.

Evite placement: logo at top.

Print placement:
logo in bottom right corner.

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Clear space

There will be instances where the logo will have to live in a crowded layout. We
have identified a minimum amount of clear-space around the logo for these
instances. In overly crowded layouts, it’s recommended to use a version of the
logo with text instead of artwork as it’s more confined. In extreme cases we
recommend the use of the pared down logo, option C.

The rule: a width equalling the small “U” box must surround the logo in clearspace.

A. B. C.

X X X

= X

X
X

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Incorrect use of the logo

Always use the master logo provided by the Marketing & Communications
Department. The consistent application of the OCAD U logo is essential to
building and maintaining brand identity.

OCAD
UNIVERSITY

DO NOT rotate the logo. DO NOT distort or alter DO NOT use a blank logo. DO NOT alter the font DO NOT misalign the
the proportion of the logo. within the logo. letters within the logo.

DO NOT change the colour DO NOT place the logo on a background with DO NOT place image logos on DO NOT change the
of the logo. insufficient contrast. other images. weight of the stroke

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Design colour palette

BLACK OR WHITE

The brand is stripped of colour to allow the content in the frame and in layouts to
stand out. The preferred direction is black on white. However, we offer the inverse
for constraints requiring the logo to be knocked out of a solid background or
image. In these instances we always suggest to use a text-based logo and not one
with student artwork.

Typography is always meant to be black on white. Please do not use colour when
setting type. The typefaces we chose have an extensive family of styles to suite all
needs when typesetting.

BUT WHAT DO I DO ABOUT USING COLOURS?

Publications and web pages should rely on artwork, photography and images of
design to bring colour to the pages. If a highlight colour is required, please use
sparingly and consistently. For examples of previous publications, please see the
2013 Viewbook and Sketch magazine.

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Background information

OCAD U, Canada’s pre-eminent art and design university,

achieved degree-granting status in 2002 and in 2010, a 1903 1912 1921
new name reflecting that status. OCAD U’s new visual
identity was designed to reflect the path of a 135-year-old
institution moving quickly into the future.

The Bruce Mau Design team worked collaboratively with

OCAD U staff in an intensive research and engagement
phase. The team involved students, alumni, faculty
and staff through interviews, multiple workshops,
disseminating questionnaires, leading classroom
discussions, and connecting through social media: all with
the goal of excavating the stories and spirit of OCAD U.
The synthesis of this material led to a robust set of design
principles that guided the design work. The resulting
visual identity is a true reflection of what was heard and
seen — an inclusive, vibrant and vital institution built on
creativity, risk and innovation. 1947 1957 1990

With this in mind, the design team asked, “Can the visual
identity reveal the extraordinary creative energy that lives
at OCAD U?” Inspired by the iconic and transformational
Alsop-designed building, Bruce Mau Design created
a base of black-and-white pixel windows — modular
frames to hold actual student art and design work. It is
through these windows that we see the core of OCAD U
often hidden from view — conceptually strong, diverse
and compelling. This is a dynamic and modular identity
where every year, graduating student medal winners
will be invited to contribute to the logo within the basic
window framework, providing a set of logos for that year.
As OCAD U grows and evolves, a library of identities will
emerge, recording the ideas and aesthetics that have
shaped our culture over time.
1996 2003 2011

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