Marketing Lockups
IU Bloomington has created an informal system for branding marketing and communications with the use of consistent and easily identifiable marketing lockups for all print and digital marketing materials.
Creating your own marketing lockups is easy however, due to some recent occurrences, we’ve found some inconsistencies with lockups being submitted through the IU Bloomington lockup generator. To remain a valued partner to our clients, the Office of Communications and Marketing (OCM) would like to share our extended guidelines below that should be used in addition to Bloomington’s lockup guidelines.
- Do not abbreviate “Indiana University South Bend” within your lockup. We will not approve any materials with lockups that say “IUSB,” “IU South Bend,” or “South Bend.” The block IU does not stand in for “IU” within our lockups.
- Lockups are intended for units (Colleges, Schools, Departments, etc.), not certificates, individuals, or degrees (associate, bachelor’s, master’s).
- OCM reserves the right to deny marketing materials if branding is inconsistent.
Official Signature Marks
Official signature marks are used on formal items such as stationery, business cards, official documents, and any ceremonial materials.
Official signature marks differ from marketing lockups and can easily be distinguished. The font used in official signature marks is unique to IU and would be different than what is created when using the marketing lockup generator. A marketing lockup also places the interlocking IU inside a “tab” while an official signature does not.
Please keep in mind official signature marks cannot be altered in any way. If you do not have one available to you, you can request one from the 'Official Signatures' page on the IU Brand Guidelines website.
Student Organization Marks
You should first know or determine whether or not your student organization is known as a University Student Organization (USO) or a Self-Governed Student Organization (SGSO). If you’re not sure, you can read more about the differences on the 'Student Organizations' section of the IU Policy website.
A Self-Governed Student Organization (SGSO), an all IU campuses have an official branded mark for use on their marketing materials and merchandise. The use of the mark indicates that your organization is an official SGSO of Indiana University. This mark is designed to be used with (not in place of) your organization’s logo to indicate your organization’s affiliation with IU.
Contact the Office of Student Life to obtain the IU South Bend SGSO mark. Please remember to keep the following in mind when creating your organization’s logo and other marketing materials.
- Self-Governed Student Organizations (SGSOs) are not permitted to use Indiana University’s trademarks, symbols, logos, mottoes, or depictions of campus buildings and landmarks.
- All goods and services, including those used as a fundraiser, or promotional products bearing university trademarks, including the IU-approved student organization branding elements, must be produced by a university licensee and submitted to the Office of Licensing and Trademarks for review and approval.
- Self-Governed Student Organizations (SGSOs) may only indicate an association with IU or with any specific IU unit in a locational sense (i.e., “Club at Indiana University”). “The Indiana University Club” or any similar use of other university marks (for example, “IU Club” or “Indiana Club”) is not acceptable and can never be used in any form, including as part of a top-level domain name or email address.
A University Student Organization (USO), are treated as operating units of Indiana University, and as such must comply with all University policies and procedures. If in doubt, feel free to contact us to make sure you are adhering to IU’s brand guidelines correctly.
If you have any other questions please refer to the IU Division of Student Affairs Student Organization page.
