Logo and Secondary Logo Use

Responsibility: Associate Vice-President, Communications 
Authorization: Board of Governors
Approval Date: Jul 30, 2015

To ensure the correct official primary logo and/or secondary logo(s) are used to represent the University of Saskatchewan in all instances, whether internal or external, and whether commercial or non-commercial.

The way we represent the University of Saskatchewan through visual elements affects our stakeholders’ perceptions of us both internally and externally, which, in turn, affects our reputation, our ability to recruit top students, faculty and researchers and our relationships with donors.

The University of Saskatchewan strives to present a coherent visual identity. This visual identity helps position the university within the post-secondary sector. To remain effective, the official logo, and its various permutations, must be consistent. Logos may appear on letterhead, presentations, and on merchandise and marketing materials, among other things.

The policy applies to all members of the campus community, including faculty, staff and students. Consistency is a key factor in ensuring success, and so the university community must generally adhere to this policy.

This policy is especially pertinent to staff that work in marketing and communications, to administrative staff across campus and to retail operations.

There are two other policies related to the university logo: commercial use of university trademarks and non-commercial use of university trademarks. This policy does not affect the content of either of these two policies, but they should be linked to ensure the correct logo(s) are being used on either commercial or non-commercial products.

It should be noted there are rare exceptions to this policy, such as when funding partners have already made agreements or when ownership of an entity is shared (such as the Edwards School of Business, Global Institute for Food Security and the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy). Please refer to the U of S Visual Guidelines or contact communications@usask.ca for direction on logo use when the primary, correct logo does not fit (for example, as a Twitter avatar). Any exception must be authorized by the associate vice-president strategic communications, and chief communications officer.

All colleges, units, departments, groups or the like who operate under the university’s umbrella must use the correct official logo in any materials created that are intended to represent the university through use of visual identifiers.

When at all possible, the primary university logo should be used. There is only one correct version of the logo, and all previous versions, including the round logo, must not be used on new products. The round logo was replaced in 2005, but it will, of course, continue to exist in specific instances: for example, on historic documents or in stone carvings around campus. However, when anything new is produced that is meant to represent the U of S now, the current logo must be used. The logo can be found and downloaded here.

If a more specific logo is required, colleges, departments and centres who belong wholly to the University of Saskatchewan can use an official secondary logo that represents both the university as a whole as well as the unit in question. Guidelines for the secondary logo can be found here.

Any use of a logo, whether the primary university logo or a secondary logo, must adhere to the U of S Visual Guidelines.

This information is also highlighted on the logo page.

Questions regarding logos for centres that are part of the university, but have their own funding and operating structure, can be directed to Marketing and Communications at communications@usask.ca.

Oversight of the policy: associate vice-president strategic communications, and chief communications officer.

Providing assistance to those needing help in order to comply: creative services specialist (marketing, University Relations), marketing specialist (marketing, University Relations) or director of marketing (marketing, University Relations).

Ensuring compliance: members of the marketing and communications team, especially the directors.

Determining responsibility for issues that overlap with other existing and related policies: associate vice-president strategic communications, and chief communications officer, manager retail operations and director of consumer services.

Authority to enforce this policy: associate vice-president strategic communications, and chief communications officer.

Anything with an official university logo (whether primary or secondary) that is produced on behalf of the university must use the correct, current logo. The university has the right to prohibit incorrectly marked/branded materials from being distributed. The associate vice-president strategic communications, and chief communications officer has the authority to enforce this policy.

The logo can be found and downloaded here.

Guidelines for the secondary logo can be found here.

Any use of a logo, whether the primary university logo or a secondary logo, must adhere to the U of S Visual Guidelines.

This information is also highlighted on the logo page.

Questions regarding logos for centres that are part of the university, but have their own funding and operating structure, can be directed to Marketing and Communications at communications@usask.ca.