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WELCOME
TO
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ORANGE.
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through Big Orange
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Reputation.
We all tend to think of a brand
as an attempt to sell something,
whether it’s a refreshing soda, a
swanky pair of jeans, or a new
car that burns up the highways.
While that may be true, a brand
is much more.
It’s more than just a logo, a
tagline, or a color—although all
of these are crucial.
BRANDING?
It’s about reputation, and
our brand should reflect that
reputation. Do we give students
a top-notch experience? Our
publications should reflect that.
Do we have faculty working
at the forefront of research
and creativity? Our websites
should reflect that. Do we have
a university worthy of our Top
25 aspirations? Everything we
say and do should answer with a
resounding “yes.”
FROM THE
CHANCELLOR
The University of Tennessee,
Knoxville, is a place of energy. We’re
powered by our excellent students,
our dedicated faculty and staff,
and our passionate alumni and
donors. And we’re enhanced by
our institutional partnerships, our
competitive athletic teams, and our
high-profile research and creative
activity. Tennesseans—and friends
throughout the world—take great
pride in our university.
Our university’s identity depends
on that pride and the energy found
on our campus. The Office of
Communications and Marketing—with
the help of campus communicators
and the feedback of students, faculty,
staff, alumni, and parents—developed
“Big Orange. Big Ideas.” as the
tagline that encapsulates UT’s brand.
This tagline and its related messages
and visual elements convey UT’s
identity as a competitive institution
with proud traditions and futurefocused energy, whether we’re in
the classroom, on the field, or in the
laboratory.
Everything we do should reflect our
identity and support our brand. This
brand book is the perfect place to
learn about the UT brand and how
you can share our story using words,
color, imagery, and more. When we
present information about UT that
aligns with the principles found in
this brand book, we strengthen UT
and, by extension, strengthen our
community of students, faculty, staff,
and alumni.
Take a look at the brand principles
on the following pages, and help us
ensure UT’s continued success.
Jimmy G. Cheek
Chancellor
FROM THE
PROVOST
The concept of branding may seem
miles away from the classroom, but
it’s not. Every day, in and out of the
classroom, we’re ambassadors of our
university.
How we communicate UT’s identity
and strengths is essential to this
university’s success and, therefore,
the success of our faculty, staff,
and students. Each time one of us
positively represents UT—whether it’s
at a conference, in a media interview,
through a publication, or otherwise—
all of us reap the rewards.
This brand book is a tool to help
us be more consistent in what we
say and how we say it. Familiarize
yourself with it and keep it handy.
Big ideas become reality every day at
UT. Let’s share them with the world in
ways that are both unmistakable and
unforgettable.
Susan D. Martin
Provost
Our
BRAND
Energy.
Our mission. As the state’s flagship comprehensive
research institution, UT’s primary purpose is to move
forward the frontiers of human knowledge and
enrich and elevate society.
Our position. UT embodies the best of our state’s
character and potential: fostering unwavering pride,
courageous optimism, and fiercely independent
thinking in an intellectual community where ambition
and civility are not mutually exclusive.
Our personality.
The tireless Volunteer, ready
to stand up for what’s right.
Every institution, like every
person, possesses a distinctive
personality. The qualities that
the Tennessee Volunteer stands
for—initiative, selflessness,
This is the organizing principle
for all our communications.
It’s not a tagline, and it’s not
a slogan. Instead, “energy”
provides the ultimate filter for
telling the UT story. No other
institution does more to
invigorate Tennessee than UT.
Our diplomas open
doors; our ideas
command attention.
compassion, collaboration,
civic responsibility,
leadership—reference our proud
history as Tennessee’s institution
of aspiration and opportunity.
Our audiences’ benefit.
I am a force to be reckoned with.
This is how people feel when they
affiliate with our brand. Respect
and competitiveness in the greater
world is the key benefit that
people seek from the UT brand.
Our diplomas open doors; our
ideas command attention.
Our pledge. “Together, we’re
unstoppable.” This is the promise
we make to our audiences. UT
offers the excitement of being
associated with an institution
that has incredible momentum.
Keeping that momentum
strong depends on everyone:
We’re as dynamic as the
people who invest in us
emotionally, intellectually,
and philanthropically.
At the core of our brand identity is our
tagline—a short, memorable phrase that is the
essence of who we are, what we do, and how
we do it. In a world cluttered with messages,
our tagline is a torch for everyone to carry
on campus, across the state, and around
the world.
Our tagline is an exclamation of pride, a
reminder of who we are, a challenge to what
we strive to be, and a promise to ourselves and
to the world.
Our tagline
Orange is more than a color, and we are more
than orange. We are Big Orange. Big Orange
is not just a cheer heard on game days. It is a
rallying cry for a university community built
on spirit, pride, and a tradition of excellence.
Ideas result from experiences, and our
experiences reach beyond the ordinary. We
inspire Big Ideas, which are more than just
mere pipe dreams. They’re everything from
small discoveries to major breakthroughs.
Big ideas are the possibilities that exist in
everything we do.
OUR
STORIES
TO
SHARE
An important part of branding is sharing
stories—in UT’s case, stories that illustrate
the energy and passion found on our
campus and among students, faculty, staff,
alumni, and the community.
Think of the following messages
as the five key stories that UT tells
to the world. Each message provides a
framework of facts and features, articulates
an institutional culture, and “connects the
dots” across the institution. Use these key
messages as a guide when formulating
specific messages for your audience.
OUR CORE
Big Orange. Big Ideas.
MESSAGE
Energy is a visible force at UT.
It drives everyone, from our highcaliber students and faculty to our
fired-up game day fans. It’s everywhere,
from our ever-growing campus to our footprints
across the globe. We are the state’s flagship
institution, but the power of today’s UT
reverberates beyond Tennessee’s borders. We’re
pushing to the forefront of the twenty-first
century with fresh, creative thinking in a variety
of fields, including our world-renowned supply
chain management program, our highly ranked
printmaking curriculum, and our breakthroughs in
energy sciences. Energy is in everything we do and
in everything we are. Our Big Orange spirit ignites
us. Our big ideas make us unstoppable.
Big Leaders.
On the court and in the classroom, behind the scenes and above the fray,
leaders thrive at UT. Their names may grace a building or simply a syllabus.
They may be national championship coaches or professors talking one-onone with students. They don’t lead for the glory—they lead for the results.
They want what is best for our university, our students, and our state by
solving problems, expanding horizons, and creating jobs. Leaders
at UT follow our Torchbearer’s creed: “One that beareth the
torch shadoweth oneself to give light to others.”
OUR
LEADERSHIP
MESSAGE
OUR
DISCOVERY
MESSAGE
Big Discovery.
Bold ideas and new breakthroughs are brought to life at UT.
Example: Physics professor Kenneth Hertel invented the partial
pressure indicator in the 1930s to measure the relative humidity of a gas. Years later,
he helped UT forge a partnership with what is now Oak Ridge National Laboratory
so young scientists could earn a graduate degree while working at the leading center
of scientific study. Today, thanks to our continued relationship with ORNL, UT is one
of only a few universities partnered with a national laboratory. We enjoy a similar
partnership with the Y-12 National Security Complex, and our faculty and students
reap the benefits of forensic research opportunities at the world-renowned “Body
Farm” and access to two of the world’s fastest supercomputers. UT is where worldclass researchers, brilliant students, and corporate and government investors come
to make the next big discoveries. UT is where the future begins.
Big Legacy.
Tradition is a vital part of UT culture, whether we’re making the long climb up the
Hill to Ayres Hall, or we’re listening to Smokey howl in tune with the Pride of the
Southland Marching Band’s performance of “Rocky Top.” We give our students and
alumni a home away from home, and we’re making a better tomorrow through our
environmental initiatives and our promotion of civility and community on campus. We
want students of all generations to look with pride at the discoveries unfolding on our
campus and the timeless traditions shared by all of our alumni. A UT degree should
speak volumes—in any language—about our graduates’ exceptional
abilities and their preparation to become the leaders of the future.
OUR
LEGACY
MESSAGE
OUR
UNDERGRADUATE
MESSAGE
Big Experience.
The classroom is just the beginning. We believe education is
about more than lectures and exams. Our students enjoy an entire
experience at a big campus where they never feel small. They learn about UT
traditions at Torch Night and explore the world around them through service and
study abroad. They cover the Rock with a fresh coat of painted messages and work
side-by-side with professors who are experts in their field. UT students are among
the best and brightest undergraduates in the nation, and we’re here to make sure
they’re successful. We know our students have the potential to change the world,
and we empower them to do just that.
DIS C OV ERY
Research
Create
Delve
Dig
Explore
Hunt
Imagine
Invent
Investigate
Our LINGO
“Good words are worth much, and cost little,” wrote
seventeenth-century poet George Herbert. We agree. One
strong, emotional word can tell the UT story using only a
few letters. And those words are even more effective when
included in concise, direct sentences. Keep the following
words and phrases in mind when writing about UT.
Power
Build
Competitive
Drive
Driven
Enhance
Force
Strengthen
ENERGY
Change
Dynamic
Inspire
Invigorate
Nurture
Transform
Light
Illuminate
Shine
Spark
Torch
Torchbearer
Vibrant
VOLU N T EER
SPIRIT
Service
Benefit
Collaborate
Common good
Community
Contribute
Responsibility
Volunteer
Civility
Celebrate
Community
Compassion
Differences
Global citizens
Global community
Humanity
Welcoming
What’s right
Results
Discovery
Opportunity
Possibility
Potential
Solutions
Motion
Advance
Catalyst
Climb
Drive
Incentive
Initiative
Motivation
Moving forward
Progress
Pursue
Spark
Unstoppable
Future
Aspiration
Aspire
Hope
Opportunity
Optimism
Possibility
Promise
PRIDE
History
“Beacon
shining bright”
Big Orange
Spirit
The Hill
Torch
Torchbearer
Tradition
Volunteer
Leadership
Big Orange
Competitive
Confidence
Spirit
Welcome
MOMENTUM
As we said earlier, a brand
is more than just a logo,
a color, or a tagline. It’s
about reputation.
But to uphold that good
reputation through
our communications,
we should be proud
of UT and present an
immediate and positive
first impression. The way
we do that is through
our visual language—
the elements of any
publication or website
that our audiences will
see before they even
read the first word.
OUR
VISUAL
LANGUAGE
The following core
elements—logo, color,
typography, and
photography—illustrate
our university’s energy
and embody the UT
brand.
Learn more about UT
visual identity, editorial,
and web guidelines at
communications.utk.
edu/identity.
We are orange. Orange is us. Others may also
wear orange, but for them it is a color chosen.
For the University of Tennessee, orange is at
the core of who we are.
Its origins, of course, lie in the orange
daisies that flourished on the Hill in the late
nineteenth century. Orange was literally
rooted in the center of the campus. Its shade
has shifted over the years, just as the campus
has shifted westward. But just as the Hill
remains the spiritual center of the campus,
orange remains central to who we are.
Orange is vibrant. Orange is energetic.
Orange commands attention, on the field
or in the board room. Orange leaves an
impression.
OUR LOGO
We wear it with pride. We should allow our
publications and websites to wear it with
pride, too.
The logo—also known as the icon—is the primary identifier
for our university. It’s the most immediate and most
recognizable way for our audiences to know that the
publication in their hands or the website on their monitor is from
UT. Our icon—featuring the outline of the state of Tennessee—is
representative of the important relationship between UT and the state.
The icon is most often used as part of our campus wordmark. The
wordmark is like a signature for our campus and should be included in
all university communications.
OUR PRIMARY
COLOR
Orange stands front and center in our
audiences’ perception of UT, making
color a crucial component for our visual
communications. UT Orange, as we call our
specific shade of orange, requires a special set
of colors to accent and support it. Primarily,
White and Smokey should always be used
to underscore the boldness of UT Orange,
invoking a sense of
the pairing of our
institution’s vibrant
momentum and
respect for
tradition.
ut orange
PMS 151
CMYK 0 50 100 0
hex F77F00
OUR PALETTE
white
smokey
PMS N/A
PMS 426
CMYK 0 0 0 0
CMYK 0 0 0 85
hex FFFFFF
hex 4C4D4F
Second level
VALLEY
TORCH
globe
LIMESTONE
PMS 329
PMS WARM RED 2X
PMS 308
PMS 454
CMYK 100 50 65 0
CMYK 0 85 100 0
CMYK 100 65 35 0
CMYK 5 5 10 0
hex 00746F
hex E65933
hex 006C93
hex F0EDE4
third level
Second-LEVEL and Third-Level Colors
Two additional color palettes may be used to complement our essential colors
of UT Orange, Smokey, and White. The names we have given to our chosen
colors point to an aspect of UT’s history or the region we call home.
SUNSphere
RIVER
Leconte
rock
regalia
PMS 123
PMS 549
PMS 1945
PMS cool gray 9
PMS 260
CMYK 0 15 90 0
CMYK 70 40 25 10
CMYK 0 100 60 20
CMYK 0 0 0 55
CMYK 60 80 20 10
hex FED535
hex 517C96
hex 8D2048
hex 8A8C8F
hex 754A7E
Colors in the second level complement our core colors strongly. At this
level, the colors add energy when used with the core colors and suggest
movement.
Colors in the third level should be used to accent color schemes that include
core colors and second-level colors. Third-level colors suggest UT tradition
and geography and balance the boldness of colors at the upper levels.
Note: When using one of the colors, always use the PANTONE® value for spot color printing, the CMYK breakdown for
four-color printing, and the hexadecimal code for web communications.
Summitt
legacy
buckskin
SWITCHGRASS
eureka!
PMS 304
PMS 562
PMS 4705
PMS 344
PMS 386
CMYK 25 0 10 0
CMYK 65 20 50 10
CMYK 60 70 70 15
CMYK 25 0 80 10
CMYK 10 0 75 0
hex B9E1E2
hex 579584
hex 705550
hex ABC178
hex EBEA64
COLOR SCHEMES
All the colors in the palettes should never
be used within one piece. It’s best to find
a strong combination of three or four
colors from the various levels and use that
color scheme consistently and creatively
throughout a piece or series of pieces. To the
right are some suggested combinations of our
approved colors.
Orange, Smokey, Limestone
Orange, Regalia, Torch
Orange, Globe, LeConte
Valley, Buckskin, Limestone, Globe
Valley, Switchgrass, Eureka!, Legacy
LeConte, Rock, Summitt, Legacy
Regalia, Summitt, Legacy, Globe
Valley, Summitt, River, LeConte
Torch, Summitt, Valley, Sunsphere
Switchgrass, Buckskin, Sunsphere,
Limestone
Eureka!, LeConte, Regalia, Limestone
Valley, Eureka!, Summitt, Smokey
And remember, orange should always be the
dominant color in every piece.
PRIMARY TYPEFACES
got h a m
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuv wx y z
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
123456789
OUR
TYPOGRAPHY
University communications are most effective when the words are
both consistent in content and in appearance. The following typeface
families were carefully chosen for UT communications. They reflect the
university’s identity and visually suggest the institution’s momentum
toward future progress.
Primary typefaces for print
Gotham is our primary university typeface. It’s a clean, modern
sans-serif typeface that works well for display copy, body text, and
everything between.
For a serif typeface for body text, Georgia is the preferred typeface.
For a serif typeface for headlines or display copy, Clarendon is the
preferred typeface. C l are n d o n
abcdefghijk lmnopqrstuv wxyz
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
123456789
GEORGIA
a bcde fghi j k l m nopqr s t u v w x y z
abc defg h ijk l m nopqr st uv w x y z
a bcdefghijk l m nopqr st u v w x y z
abc defghijklmnopqrst uv wx yz
a bcdefgh ij k l m nopqr st u v w x y z
ab c de f g h ijk l m nop qr s t uv w x y z
123 456789
SECONDARY TYPEFACES FOR PRINT
If you need to step outside the box or have a specialized need, three other
approved typefaces offer some flexibility. Gazole and Lobster 2 are youthful
and energetic and may be used accordingly for display copy. Bickham
Script may be used for decorative and formal purposes, such as invitations
to special events. Please note that these typefaces should never be used as
body text.
Primary typefaces for web
Arial and Cambria are the primary web fonts. The Office of Communications
and Marketing website (communications.utk.edu) serves as a good
example of how these typefaces offer easy-to-read text within a clean,
easy-to-navigate interface.
Below are the suggested font stacks for web use.
Sans-serif: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-serif
SECONDARY TYPEFACES
ga zo l e
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
123456789
Serif: Cambria, Georgia, Times, Times New Roman, Serif
lo b s t er 2
abcdefghijklmnopq
rstuvwxyz
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
123456789
Bic k h a m s cri p t
a b c d e f g h i j kl m
n opqrstu v w x yz
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
123456 789
PHOTOGRAPHIC
STYLE
Less is more
Photography is a powerful way to communicate our brand and its academic
momentum. Simple, direct, and honest images are the best way to express
the complexity of who we are to our outside audiences. Unless you’re
illustrating history, tradition, or nostalgia, photography should be free of
background or foreground noise and clutter. They should be recent and
timely, without objects, clothing, and hairstyles that are obviously outdated.
One way to achieve a strong look is to use single-focus compositions
that hold the foreground or subject in sharp focus, while allowing the
background to go soft or out of focus. Some examples of our photographic
style are shown on these pages and throughout this book.
More is too much
Photography is one of the most important visual elements in
communicating our brand. Be aware of all the essential components
of an image before shooting or using them in UT communications.
Avoid using images that are busy, too complicated, out-of-focus,
low-resolution, or too darkly lit.
Our BRAND
IN ACTION
These publications and websites are good
examples of how to effectively implement our
branding through text, design, imagery, and color.
Student
Life
WHAT YOU
CAN DO
We’re all responsible for
promoting the university
and upholding our great
reputation, whether we’re
developing publications
and websites or just talking
with others about UT.
We all benefit from a better
UT. And if we’re consistent
in what we say and do
when representing UT, we
make our university an
even better place.
Learn more about the
UT brand and effective
communications at
communications.utk.
edu/branding.
Big Orange. Big Ideas.
The University of Tennessee is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title
IX/Section 504/ADA/ADEA institution in the provision
of its education and employment programs and services.
PAN E01-0278-???-???-12. A project of the UTK Office of
Communications and Marketing, 865-974-0765. Rev: 2529