First, there’s the UC Davis brand, the essence of what we do and what we stand for. And then there are all the tools that we use to convey the brand: that UC Davis is smart and strong, and working to improve people's lives around the world.

The tools, from the Office of Strategic Communications, include resources to help with messages for different audiences; templates for publications and PowerPoints; photo style and Web guidelines; and logos and fonts and colors — the visual look that connects people to the university and the brand.

Now, primarily for the benefit of campus communicators, Strategic Communications has put all this and more on a new website, the Marketing Toolbox, replacing and expanding on the Identity Standards website.

“Whether you are presenting at a scientific conference, creating a website or communicating in come other capacity, you have an opportunity to represent UC Davis effectively and show Aggie Pride,” said Tom Hinds, the university’s director of marketing in the Office of Strategic Communications. “Here are the tools to get it done.”

The marketing and communications toolbox, developed with input from the Communications Council and a user group, went live on Oct. 28. The toolbox includes downloadable templates for brochures, fliers, posters, postcards and invitations, plus the suite of UC Davis wordmarks.

“Random messages and presentations can make it difficult for us to show what UC Davis truly stands for,” reads the Brand Guide overview within the toolbox.

A strong and clear brand, on the other hand, “allows us to consistently share our purpose, describe our mission and present the university in words and images that reflect what is unique and special about our university.”

The visual Brand Identity Guidelines — logos, fonts and colors — can help all UC Davis colleges, schools, departments and programs produce materials that are quickly recognizable as UC Davis.

The toolbox also includes resources for the “One UC Davis” campaign that the university has been rolling out this fall, most visibly to date through UC Davis Health System advertising in the region. This Friday (Nov. 1), the Strategic Communications office will expand the campaign with a website and posters, banners and more around the Davis campus, celebrating the UC Davis community.

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