Frequently Asked Questions

While a brand exists in the mind of the audience, the visual experience has a tremendous impact on the opinions formed. This site is a tool to help present all components of Texas A&M in a consistent style and manner. Marketing research shows that consistency builds trust.

No. Secondary logos are not allowed for any Texas A&M University unit, whether academic or administrative. There may be exceptions for programs that are federally funded or part of a multiple university consortium, but those instances will need to be approved by the Division of Marketing & Communications.

Guidelines are just that — information and advice on how to approach your projects. These principles can be applied in a variety of unique ways (see our templates page). Also, whenever possible, work with a professional graphic designer who is trained to create effective material within guidelines. You can contact Kim Miller at the Division of Marketing & Communications for a list of approved vendors.

As the university’s official logo, the Primary Mark is always appropriate. With the development of a brand architecture (see Dr. Loftin’s letter), each college, department and division decides whether to use their custom logo lockup or maintain the university identity.

Stationery, which includes printed letterhead, envelopes, business cards, and ephemera, should always feature the university's formal identity. While a customized brand architecture allows information and marketing pieces to focus on a specific discipline, our stationery system remains focused on the university as a whole, which ties us all together. Guidelines are more flexible for electronic correspondence. For example, when sending a flyer announcing a workshop, the custom lockup may be used; however, a letter signed by the dean or department head should be emailed on the formal stationery (download the Word template here).

This is a graphic design term that refers to several elements grouped together and used as a whole. A logo symbol — such as our block TAM — grouped with specific type treatment plus a vertical or horizontal line, and arranged in a deliberate manner are "locked together," forming what is called a lockup. A logo lockup should be used in whole and never disassembled.

If you plan to use any Texas A&M logo or mark on items for sale, you must obtain permission from the Office of Business Development. Departments, divisions and programs on campus may use university logos and marks on T-shirts and promotional items but must use a licensed vendor. Contact our Office of Business Development for a current list.

As independent groups, the more than 800 student organizations at Texas A&M are not held to university brand guidelines. In fact, they are encouraged to create their own unique logo/identity. The same logo restrictions apply, however, in that student organizations may not use university logos as part of another logo (See Dos and Don’ts). To show university affiliation, Texas A&M logos may appear in a separate area from the organization logo, like on the sleeve of a T-shirt, for instance. Also, organizations may feature this small mark and statement on their material (download pdf):

Aggie Maroon™ is a custom Pantone® mix, so you will not find a number in a Pantone® swatch book. The color was developed in 2007 to yield a more consistent signature color for printing. If a vendor says they must have a Pantone® number, refer them to Brand Colors. Contact the Division of Marketing & Communications if your vendor needs a printed Pantone® swatch of Aggie Maroon™ for matching purposes.

It's important to understand color distinction when working in print media versus electronic media. To quickly summarize:

• CMYK refers to the 4-color process (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) used on a commercial printing press. The 4-color process for Aggie Maroon™ is C=15 M=100 Y=39 K=69. CMYK images will NOT work in electronic media.
• RGB refers to the color on a computer screen or monitor (red, green, blue). These colors are usually listed as a percentage of each value, so, for instance the RGB value of Aggie Maroon™ is 80-0-0, which means 80 percent red, 0 percent green and 0 percent blue. Files in RGB format will NOT work in commercial printing.
• Hexadecimal is another color term used in website design. The 6-digit number is called a “Hex Code.” The Aggie Maroon™ Hex Code is 500000. See Brand Colors for more detail.

A color palette is key in establishing a visual identity. Look at the corporate example of AT&T: their color palette is pretty much limited to blue, orange and white. Limiting? Perhaps. But even from a distance, you can recognize their materials at a glance due to this strict adherence to their color palette.
Our color palette was carefully selected to work effectively with our signature color Aggie Maroon™. Whenever possible, consult a professional graphic designer, who is trained to work effectively within a color palette.

Texas A&M University brand typefaces may be purchased at a reduced rate through the Texas A&M Software Center. The fonts are sold as "Aggie Fonts" at a cost of $50 for the bundle of four typefaces (ITC New Baskerville, Frutiger, Aachen and Sloop).

While it is strongly recommended that your department invest in the brand fonts, the following alternatives are acceptable:

• Serif fonts: Substitute Georgia or Times New Roman for ITC New Baskerville.
• Sans Serif fonts: Substitute Arial or Helvetica for Frutiger. Verdana can also be used, but be aware that this font is larger than similar fonts at the same point size.