University Brand Guidelines

Welcome to the Alabama A&M University Brand hub. Our brand is our University’s reputation. It’s how we are perceived by the world. The brand is most effective when executed cohesively each time AAMU is represented. We do this through logos, marks, typography, colors and imagery. When applied consistently, these visual elements make our institutional presence, insignia, stories, apparel, collateral publications, and merchandise meaningful and memorable.

Download the Alabama A&M University Brand Guide

Every member of the AAMU family plays a part in advancing that reputation by protecting the brand. Consistent brand expression reinforces our collective commitment to the mission we all support as well as the perception of the greatness that comes FROM THE HILL. 

As the brand evolves, so will the content of this page. The guidelines and standards outlined here have been established to ensure brand consistency and strength. All identity elements found here should only be used as described. Do not dilute them through substitution or revision, or alter them in any way.

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LOGOS & MARKS

Our logo family is designed to convey the unique qualities of Alabama A&M University. Its foundational elements are the marks, composed of: the Interlock (institutional logo), the Bulldog (spirit and athletics logo), the Wordmark (official name mark), and the Seal (reserved for University Registrar and Presidential use).

These logos are the primary signifiers of our brand identity. In addition to the institutional logos, unit logo shortcuts (or sub-brand logos) allow campus entities to informally communicate their name and affiliation with the university. Sub-brand logos should only be created by the Office of Marketing and Public Relations.

Interlock Logo	Bulldog Logo	AAMU Wordmark	Butch Logo
Request Download of Interlock Logo Files	Request Download of Bulldog Logo Files	Request Download of Wordmark Files	Request Download of Butch Logo Files

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COLORS

Consistent use of color supports visual cohesion across our communications, leverages emotional resonance with our brand and increases the impact of our storytelling. The following represents the official Alabama A&M University color family. AAMU Maroon, White and Rich Black are the primary three colors of our brand.  

MAROON CODES

C0 M77 Y54 K62 CMYK (Full- or Four-color Printing) For nearly all print work, you will use the CMYK values listed below for the most accurate brand color reproduction.

7421C PMS (Pantone Matching System) PMS colors are also used in print work. They are based on the Pantone Matching System?, and used for spot-color applications such as specialty products, or printing with a spot in one-, two-, or five-color printing situations.

#61162D Hex (Digital Uses) Hex values should only be used when reproducing brand colors for digital applications in RGB environments such as social media, digital signage or website design. Do not use RGB color for print reproduction.

#61162D RGB (Red, Green, Blue) The RGB code (same as HEX)  should be used to match coloring produced on computer monitors, digital cameras and televisions — any device that uses light to produce an image.

TYPOGRAPHY

The University's official typography family includes a ranging set of font families that boldy express the AAMU brand. The Neue Black VF is a commanding sans-serif typefact that grounds the brand in unapologetic confidence. The variable typeface is reserved primarily for headlines and is used in all caps case.  Migra is an expressive, elegant typeface that helps balance between tradition and modernity within our brand. Migra can be paired with The Neue Black in headlines in all caps and as subhead and sentence case. Migra is also the primary typeface for all uses of the ampersand. In addition to the man typefaces, the brand is supported by several additional fonts: Neue Haas Grotesk Display Pro, Avenir, Georgia, and GT America.  

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SUB-BRAND LOGOS

The University’s widely recognized brand benefits each entity within AAMU. Individual colleges, programs, departments and initiatives should use some combination of the core elements of name, color, typography and visual mark to take advantage of AAMU’s brand power and visibility.

Below are a series of sub-branded logo examples that communicate individuality while maximizing the value of AAMU’s name and reputation.

College of Agricultural, Life and Natural Sciences Wordmark 
College of Business and Public Affairs Wordmark
College of Education, Humanities and Behavioral Sciences Wordmark
College of Engineering, Technology and Physical Sciences Wordmark

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COMMERCIAL USE OF AAMU BRAND, LOGOS, AND MARKS

Any commercial use of Alabama A&M's name or trademarks requires prior permission from the University via a contract or trademark license agreement. Once approved, the business or person requesting permission becomes a “licensee” and the individual products or services become “licensed products” or “licensed services.” 

Apply to Become a Licensed Vendor

Alabama A&M University works with a collegiate licensing agency, CLC, to administer the application process, royalty reporting, artwork approvals, enforcement and general administration of its licensing program. CLC’s website has information about the application timeline, fees and other considerations.

If you have additional questions after you review the CLC College Licensing website, please contact information@clc.com.

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SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDELINES

Approval from the Office of Marketing and Public Relations is not required before launching an AAMU affiliated social media account. However, the following guidance is strongly advised in order to build effective platforms that support the University's brand and deliver useful and engaging content to constituents. 

Consistent branding on AAMU-affiliated social media account allows users to create and strengthen connections with the University. As social platforms do not necessarily allow “verified” status to officially recognize every AAMU owned account and because every social network is filled with accounts created by fans to celebrate their personal affection for the University, a unified brand strategy is very important. Not only do these guidelines improve the overall aesthetics of University accounts, they provide a cohesion among the channels that allows a user to more easily recognize that they are consuming content from a University entity.

PROFILE IMAGE

The most important branding element of your social media presence is a common profile image. This piece of content should be uniform across all social platforms to reinforce brand awareness and allow users to immediately recognize that accounts on different platforms represent the same entity on campus.

Most social media users view platforms from a mobile device. As such, the normal brand-standard lockup for academic units may not be readable and is not recommended for use as a profile image. A more simplistic design will help readability and recognition of the visuals in your profile.

All AAMU entities are advised to use the AAMU Interlock logo and one word of text to visually identify that an account officially represents a University entity. Below are some examples of effective application: 

Header Images
Header and cover images are a great way to engage audiences with gorgeous photos of campus. X (Twitter) header images are 1500x500 pixels as viewed on a desktop. Again, it is much smaller on mobile and is built to be responsive, meaning it will change sizes depending on the size of the screen on which a user views it. Facebook cover images are high-resolution images that are sized at 851x315 pixels and, as such, should only include adequately sized photos. Normally, platforms will crop from the top and the bottom, so the safest part of the image is the center.

Handles
While an institute, program, or center may be internally known by an acronym, choose a handle that will present the organization best and in the simplest way to all users. Entities are encouraged to include "AAMU" in the naming convention for all handles (ex: @AAMUEnglish). Ideally, your Instagram name will mirror your Twitter handle.

Audience
It is important to understand where audiences are located on social media. This varries from campus to campus. Our user and engagement research has shown that AAMU students overwhelmingly engage mostly with the Instagram (IG) platform. You should prioritize IG for student-centric content between the hours of 4pm - 10pm for greatest reach. AAMU Alumni engage mostly on Facebook. You should prioritize Facebook for sharing information intended to reach large alumni audiences (peek engagement periods are Saturday and Sunday evenings). 

TikTok
AAMU-affiliated entities are not permitted to host TikTok accounts.

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OFFICIAL AAMU SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS

Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
X (Twitter)
Exposure

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GRAPHICS & PHOTO STANDARDS

These standards and practices are suggestions to help Alabama A&M University best promote its people, initiatives and brands by adhering to professional graphics and photography principles.

Photography
Photography is an essential tool in expressing the brand and values of our institution to the world. As such, we take very seriously the quality and representation of all imagery. All University communications collateral, social media, print and digital publications, and advertisement campaigns will utilize imagery that meets the following standards. All University published photos must be: 

• Taken using DSLR camera (or be approved by OMPR) 
• Tastefully composed and free of clutter
• Selective focus on subject(s) to draw the eye in to the photo
• Clean and out-of-focus or slightly out-of-focus backgrounds
• Express the joy that comes with learning and working at Alabama A&M University 
• Photos taken on a cell phone should be avoided and are not permissible in official University communications 

Graphics
In celebration of the diversity of our campus, creativity and artistic expression is encouraged in promoting events and initiatives. However, official University publications and campus-wide messaging pieces will not include graphics products (flyers, posters, etc.) that do not adhere to brand standards. Event flyers are permissible inside www.aamu.edu/news stories were applicable. Please contact the Office of Marketing & Public Relations with questions.  

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Contact our staff: 

Aaron J Thompson Asst. Vice President aaron.thompson@aamu.edu	Daryka Reeves Exec. Director, Media Relations and University Events  daryka.reeves@aamu.edu
Debra Daniel  Communications Specialist debra.daniel@aamu.edu	Collin Malone Marketing and Media Relations Coordinator collin.malone@aamu.edu
Vacant Administrative Secretary  public.relations@aamu.edu