Brand and Visual Identity
UW–Madison's official brand guide

Inspiration

Need inspiration? This gallery showcases both the power and flexibility of the UW–Madison brand. Aligning your work with the brand provides the instant recognition and credibility of a world-class institution — and still allows lots of creative space to differentiate your campus unit.

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Open booklet with showing a blue left-hand page with text and a series of five logos on the right-hand page
Open booklet showing colorful examples of swag items (stickers, buttons, tote bag, and sweat pants)

School of Nursing Rebrand

UW’s School of Nursing rings in their centennial year with a fresh, inspired plan for visuals and messaging. Custom visuals for specific research areas provide each with distinction, while still aligning with the greater ecosystem of the SoN brand. And the creation of a modular messaging system allows for maximum usability far beyond a single year.

A screenshot from the Seed by Seed website showing the front of Bascom Hall with the three panels of the Seed by Seed banner hanging between tall, white columns above the building's main entrance. The banners contain symbols and colors representing traditions of the Ho-Chunk Nation.
A screenshot from the Seed by Seed website showing four images of Pauliot and Fairbanks designing the banners. Surrounding them are drawings, textiles and beadwork.

“Seed by Seed” Story

To pay tribute to the new Bascom Hall banners featuring traditional Ho-Chunk imagery, the Office of Strategic Communication produced an elevated news story titled “Seed by Seed” that beautifully weaves words and images.

Social graphic with headline "Leading for Racial Equity" on a yellow background
Social graphic with headline "Leading for Racial Equity" on a yellow background

DCS Social Graphic

This social graphic from the Division of Continuing Studies shows how you can ladder up to the institutional brand while standing out. Through brand fonts, Badger Red, and use of an internally consistent set of signature visual elements, the graphic’s effect is striking and uniquely DCS, but also unmistakably UW.

Screenshot of a UW News website featuring an image of water, grasses, trees and mountains in Yellowstone National Park with text reading ’Tomorrow’s Yellowstone‘.
Arielle Link and Monica Turner, outfitted in layers and backpacks, walk through waist-high trees. Behind them are tall dead trees burned by a forest fire.

“Tomorrow’s Yellowstone” Story

Tomorrow’s Yellowstone, a UW News story package produced by the Office of Strategic Communication, combines stylistic writing with striking visuals to highlight research on how one of the world’s most beautiful ecosystems is being altered by climate change.

Colorful graphics with buildings and Bucky Badger mascot
Colorful graphics with buildings and Bucky Badger mascot

175th Anniversary Open House

The Community Open House, a series of events continuing the university’s 175th anniversary, align with and build from 175th visuals to create a vivid, energetic vibe. Travel iconography and messaging promising “the ultimate campus experience” create a sense of fun and excitement to close out the demisemiseptcentennial.

Face down open book
Open book and front cover of another book

Commencement Program

UMark’s rebrand of UW–Madison’s commencement was inspired by — and aligns with — the overall UW brand. Through the concept of a countdown to commencement and ingenious nods to academic regalia, the updated commencement brand is flexible for use with different audiences. The event program design uses these elements to striking, yet polished effect.

The top of UW–Madison's timeline page, which shows an archival photo-illustration of Bascom Hill and the surrounding area, with Lake Mendota and Picnic Point in the background.
A section of the timeline with the heading Student Firsts followed by some of the UW's first graduates and other notable students.

175th Anniversary Timeline

The “UW–Madison at 175” interactive timeline, produced by the Office of Strategic Communication to anchor the 175th anniversary website, brings together crisp writing, archival research, and an engaging design to show how the UW has changed the world.

Large billboard
Large billboard

175th Digital Billboard Ads

Through the use of messaging and visual dichotomy, UMark and WFAA took full advantage of the UW’s 175th anniversary brand identity platform to craft digital billboards that bring to vivid reality the expansive, far-reaching work of the university. The 175th mark ties together the visuals and grounds them to the UW.

A screenshot of UW–Madison's Commencement homepage from January, which shows a large photo of students at Commencement and the option to learn more about the recent winter commencement.
A section of the Commencement website which present the options to watch the entire ceremony, the keynote speaker Michael Finley, Chancellor Mnookin's remarks, or the student speaker, Jnae A. Thompson.

Commencement Website

The new commencement website, a collaboration between the chancellor’s office and University Marketing, combines two previous sites into a visually appealing, easily navigable, and fully informative source for new graduates and their families.

Three full-page ads for the Can't Stop a Badger campaign
Three full-page ads for the Can't Stop a Badger campaign

Institutional Ads

The “Can’t Stop a Badger” print ad series tells a story of the UW’s vast educational opportunities through thrilling juxtaposition. Creative photo treatment, illustration, and word play are paired with brand fonts, colors, and graphic elements. The effect is to create a distinctive set of ads that are still unmistakably UW–Madison.

Screenshot of the top of the UW–Madison home page, as seen on a laptop computer.
Two screenshots of sections of the UW–Madison home page.

UW–Madison Home Page

UW–Madison presents its flagship digital experience with a mix of brand colors, graphic elements, and stunning photography to emphasize UW values in a responsive, accessible design.

Screenshot of a portion of the hero area of the State Impact website depicting a woman peering into the Pegasus III machine in an engineering lab.
Three desktop screenshots taken from the home page of the State Impact website, along with one mobile view.

State Impact Website

The State Impact website uses brand typography and colors, campus photography, and UW Theme elements to highlight stories and statistics that demonstrate how UW–Madison is improving lives throughout the state of Wisconsin.