Branding & Visual Identity Training

What is a Brand?

“Branding is the art of aligning what you want people to think about your company with what people actually do think about your company. And vice-versa.” - Jay Baer, author of The Now Revolution

In other words… Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room

Why is Branding Important?

Because we want to improve our visibility on both a local and global scale, we must have a strong, cohesive branding effort so that we are recognizable in a positive way to the public.

A consistent identity is a vital part of LSU’s relationship with the public.

Quiz Question 1: What is a brand? What other people say about you when you’re not in the room Aligns what you want people to think about your company with what people actually do think about your company A visual identity that includes logos All of the above

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Question 2: Why is branding important to LSU and the College of Engineering? We want people to know who we are We want people to think positive things about us We want to grow our visibility on a local and global scale All of the above

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Why did the College create its own Visual Identity Program?

Ensure the College is compliant with LSU’s branding and visual identity standards Maintain a consistent brand that is part of LSU but unique to our College

Empower departments to create their own high quality materials with little oversight

What resources do departments receive?

On the College’s Intranet you can find the following branding resources… Visual Identity Manual Logos Templates that you can adapt for your own use Fonts frequently used by the College Social Media Tips and Guidelines Writing Style Guide Photography Tips and more!

Question 3: The Visual Identity Program was created for all but which one of these reasons? Ensure the College is compliant with LSU’s branding and visual identity standards Monitor and track all materials being developed by departments Empower departments to create their own high quality materials with little oversight Maintain a consistent brand that is part of LSU but unique to our College

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Question 4: I can find templates, logos, and other branding materials on the College Intranet. True False

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About the College Logo

File Formats of the LSU Logo EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) Print quality Always use when printing high quality materials! JPEG/JPG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) Use for web only PNG (Portable Network Graphics)

Official Colors

Unacceptable Uses of the Logo

Do not use discontinued logos

Do not use the University’s official seal or system logo

Do not use athletic marks on academic items

Graphic elements can never replace or be used with any LSU logos

For more examples of LSU logo usage See page 12 in the Visual Identity Manual Which you can easily download from the College’s Intranet at http://apps.eng.lsu.edu/

Branding Approval Process

Approval Process To ensure that all departments are creating work that falls within the branding guidelines, we ask that you send all materials that are meant for external audiences to External Relations for approval using this method. Please email your final product to approvals@eng.lsu.edu for review. You will receive a response within 48-72 hours issuing either approval or needed edits.

Information to include in your email Audience – Who is the piece intended for? Objective – What are you trying to achieve? Action Plan – How and where do you plan to use this piece?

Approval Tips Always give yourself plenty of time for printing, etc. Please allow time for External Relations to review and for you to make edits Don’t wait till the last minute!

Employee Responsibilities

Internal Communications Managing a strong brand is everyone’s job We are also judged by our internal audiences LSU system, University, other colleges, etc. The following guidelines help maintain professionalism and provide a cohesive look

Letterhead and Business Cards Please make sure you and your department are using the updated business cards and letterhead.

Email Signatures Here is an example of what NOT to do! Personal quote, off-colors, and unnecessary info at the bottom

Email Signatures Font should be one of the fonts frequently used by the College: Tahoma, Meta, or Cambria Color should be black. Only exception is to use purple to emphasize a link. No quotes or pictures. Logos and small social media icons that link to the appropriate sites are the only permissible images.

Question 5: What steps are included in the branding approval process? Send email with your final product to approvals@eng.lsu.edu Include information in your email about the intended audience, objective, and how you plan to use the piece External Relations will review the piece and you will receive a response within 48-72 hours issuing approval or needed edits All of the above

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Training Re-Cap Laura Juengling Assistant Manager of Digital Marketing Contact me for assistance with social media, website and video marketing, and branding for the College Email: lauraj@lsu.edu Phone: (225)578-0092 Follow the College on social media @LSUEngineering! Utilize the branding resources available to you on the intranet Maintain consistent internal communications Send all materials for public consumption through approvals@eng.lsu.edu

THANK YOU for taking the Branding & Visual Identity Training!