Logo Usage

PROTECTED MARKS

UT official protected marks include (among others) the Tower, the Longhorn silhouette, and The University of Texas at Austin seal. To protect UT's trademarks and promote a consistent visual identity, the guidelines for using the registered marks must be followed and the marks may not be altered.

The Office of Trademarks and Licensing must grant prior written approval for all uses of the Tower, the Longhorn silhouette, and The University of Texas at Austin seal.

UT protected marks are approved for official university business, and each use on promotional items must be pre-approved by the Office of Trademarks and Licensing. If you are using a McCombs logo with a UT registered mark, the UT mark must be smaller and not near or attached to the McCombs logo. 

CLEAR SPACE

To maintain our brand’s integrity, clarity, and consistency, the size and space left around the logo must always be maintained across all forms of communication.

Use the shield in the lockup to determine the space around it, also called the “clear space” or “exclusion zone.” Around the logo, there should be no words or images placed in the area equal to or greater than the height of the shield. This also includes the hairline and type treatment area. These clear-space guidelines apply to all versions of the logo. The examples included here are not exhaustive.

The logo must also be spaced away from the edge of a page or design.

Minimum size requirements for the reproduction of our logo help maintain brand presence and legibility. The height of the shield should be 1/4 inch or larger for print, and 32 pixels or greater for the web. These rules apply to all logo types and configurations.

PROMOTIONAL

Academic programs, Business Options, and the Alumni Network are allowed to use a customized logo for promotional purposes, but the primary logo is preferred.

All other departments, centers, initiatives, and staff offices must use the primary logo for promotional materials.

You may add a type treatment using the approved system described in our logo guidelines (Type must not appear “locked up” with the Texas McCombs logo. Type treatments should be in branded fonts), but ask yourself if a specially designed promo item is really necessary or whether one of our pre-designed, pre-ordered promotional items with a primary McCombs logo alone will work for your needs. The McCombs Office of Brand Communications is buying promotional items in bulk for an online store to offer McCombs program marketers both savings and convenience.

Embroidery

Embroidery can be tricky with the shield. To achieve the best results the shield can not go smaller than ½” tall. Also allow for some interpretation on how the shield is represented in thread – the leaves and star fill in. Always ask for a sample of the art before completing your order with the vendor. If any issues come up, feel free to contact brand@mccombs.utexas.edu. We are happy to work with you and the vendor.

DIGITAL

Any of the three logos (formal, informal, or stacked) can be used for digital purposes. The formal logo is always preferred, especially for full-sized main web pages, but the informal or stacked logos are permissible, especially as website development progresses to enable the flexible page-size needs of responsive design.