Official Style Guide

Accountability

All external messaging, including promotional materials, fundraising collateral, apparel, and official publications of the college must be reviewed and approved by the Provost and/or the Department of Communications before being disseminated.

Ethical StandardsGoodwin College strives to uphold the highest ethical standards in all of its promotional endeavors through the following standards, adapted from the codes of ethics promulgated by three leading professional organizations, the American Marketing Association (AMA), and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), and the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).

Through all of our communications and marketing endeavors, the College will:

1. Offer services of value that do what we claim in our communications

2. Strive to be truthful in all situations and at all times, and avoid false, misleading, or deceptive promotion

3. Act promptly to correct erroneous communications for which we are responsible

4. Honor our explicit and implicit commitments and promises

5. Cite the sources of statistics or other data presented as fact

6. Strive to portray our students the way they would like to be portrayed

7. Strive to accurately portray the cultural and ethnic diversity of our campus community

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Consistency in branding and messaging across collegiate departments conveys professionalism and excellence to internal and external audiences. As a College, we strive to uphold branding standards that are flexible enough to allow creativity and innovation, while stringent enough to ensure that all content is a positive reflection on the College and our students and contributes to a greater understanding of our mission and core values as an institution.

IntroductionUpholding The Brand

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College Colors

The official College colors are Blue and Green. They are represented in the College logo with the following Pantone colors: Book – PMS 328. Text and water – PMS 541. The Department of Com-munications can help vendors accurately match the College colors for various items.

BluePantone: PMS 541 CMYK: C100 M80 Y23 K07 RGB: R0 G70 B127

GreenPantone: PMS 328 CMYK: C86 M31 Y52 K09 RGB: R0 G127 B124

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The Goodwin College logo should be used for most materials that are distributed both internally and externally. There are three acceptable versions of the logo. Defer to Communications staff to determine the most acceptable version. Copies of the logo are available on the Public Drive or by contacting the Department of Communications. The grayscale version of the logo is the only version that may be used in black-and-white publications. When used on top of a darkly colored background, a white version of the logo may be used; otherwise, the original color version must be used. Applying alternate colors to the logo is not permitted.

The College Logo

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Appropriate

Inappropriate

Logo Colors

ColorsThe PMS colors for the logo are as follows: Book and waves – 328. Text and water – 541. The grayscale version of the logo is the only version that may be used in black-and-white publications. When used on top of a darkly colored background, a white version of the logo may be used; otherwise, the original color version must be used. Applying alternate colors to the logo is not permitted.

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Sizing and Spacing

SizeThe logo may be any size; however, the proportions must remain the same as the original image (i.e. do not stretch the logo to make the image wider or taller). The logo may be enlarged as long as the image does not become pixelated (the image should not look dotted or fuzzy). The most appropriate file format when enlarging the logo for banners or other large applications is EPS (available on the public drive).

Appropriate

Appropriate

Inappropriate — the logo is stretched disproportionately

Inappropriate — insufficient space is left around the logo

SpacingIt is important to ensure that there is sufficient space surrounding the logo to prevent the logo from appearing crowded. A margin equal to at least the height of one of the letters in the logo is an acceptable minimum margin around the logo. Graphic elements; type, rules, lines, or other art; should be allowed within this area.

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There are three acceptable versions of the logo. The Horizontal Version places the words “Goodwin College” to the right of the logo mark. The Vertical Version stacks the word mark below the logo mark. The Book and Waves version does not include the words

“Goodwin College” and should be reserved for uses where Goodwin branding is otherwise clearly apparent. Refer to the Official Style Guide or Communications staff to determine the most acceptable version.

Acceptable Variations

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Unacceptable Variations

GoodwinCollege

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The Goodwin College Seal is the official mark of the Office of the President. It may only be used with permission from the Communications Department for special occasions, such as commencement, or on official documents from the College, such as official transcripts.

The Seal should never be used in place of the Goodwin College Logo.

The College Seal

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The official Goodwin College logo font is Foundry Sans. If you wish to use this font, contact the Communications Department. It is not required to use this font as long as the logo is properly displayed in materials.

For design purposes, no more than two different fonts can be used in a single piece.

Suggested Alternates

Lucida Sans

Arial

Helvetica

Font Use

Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww

Xx Yy Zz 0123456789

Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww

Xx Yy Zz 0123456789

Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww

Xx Yy Zz 0123456789

Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww

Xx Yy Zz 0123456789

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Branding standards for magnet schools administered by the College are set by the Goodwin College Department of Communications in consultation with the Goodwin College president. All promotional materials must be reviewed and approved by the Department of Communications before being disseminated.

The College’s role as administrator of magnet schools, where applicable, should be communicated through the use of Goodwin’s font, logo, colors, and other branding elements. Use of the Connecticut River Academy logo on materials for the Academy in place of the Goodwin College logo is allowed, provided that the logo is reproduced large enough that the text “At Goodwin College” is sufficiently legible.

The creation of any logos for the magnet schools will be managed and the final versions approved by the Department of Communications and Goodwin College president.

Magnet Schools

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The Navigators are the official mascots of the College. They are depicted as male and female seafarers. Only official Navigators artwork approved by the Department of Communications may be used. Images depicting the Navigators may be used on apparel and promotional items, but should never be used in place of the College Logo. Whenever possible, the College Logo should also appear on any Navigators-themed items.

Mascot Artwork

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Student ImagesTo show respect for the privacy of our students, it is strongly recommended that permission is obtained before using student images in any promotional materials. If a student requests that the College cease the use of their image, the College will do so.

Use of Copyrighted Images The use of copyrighted images or those from unknown sources, such as images downloaded from a Google search, is prohibited, unless permission is obtained in writing from the creator.

Image Use

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Where deemed appropriate by the Department of Communications, logos may be developed to promote specific departments or programs. These logos should complement the College Logo and all materials that feature departmental logos must also include the College Logo.

Departmental and Programmatic Logos

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We should be consistent in the way we present ourselves (including in our use of grammar), while also being appropriate for the particular situation and the intended audiences for our messages. This may mean that certain grammar rules will differ from one circumstance to another, but the rules should be consistent for that particular circum-stance (for example, all grant applications should follow the same grammar rules). Applying gram-mar rules is intended to provide clarity to writing and should be used with that goal in mind.

Houses of StylePressAdhere to Associated Press Style for press materials/promotional materials in order to best communicate with media audiences.

Exceptions:• Use commas throughout a series (the apple, the orange, and the

pear, NOT: the apple, the orange and the pear)

•“website” as one word and lowercase

•“email” as one word (no dash) and lowercase

GrantsAdhere to a style of citation that is appropriate for the academic audiences who are reading grant applications. Maintain consistent use of style, grammar, and citation throughout the grant application and throughout other correspondence relating to that grant. Chicago Style Manual is recommended, but the grant writer may choose to follow a different house of style that is acceptable to the funding agency.

Grammar and Style Guide

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Grammar PointsAcademic DegreesCapitalize formal names of specific degrees. BUT, when speaking of degrees in general, lowercase the first letter of the degree.

Examples:• Associate in Science; associate degree

• Bachelor of Arts; bachelor’s degree

• Master of Arts; master’s degree

“Doctoral” is an adjective and “doctorate” is a noun: They all earned doctoral degrees. They all earned doctorates.

Academic Departments/ProgramsCapitalize the name of a department/program and the words

“department” and “program” ONLY when they appear as part of an official name: Goodwin College Homeland Security Program.

On second reference, do not capitalize “department,” etc.: The de-partment later announced the success of its graduates in finding jobs.

Academic TitlesCapitalize and spell out formal titles such as “professor,”

“president,” and “chairman” only when they precede a name: President Mark E. Scheinberg (but Mark E. Scheinberg, president of Goodwin College)

Alumnus/Alumni/Alumna/AlumnaeUse “alumnus” (“alumni” in the plural) to designate a man who has attended Goodwin College. Use “alumna” (“alumnae” in the plural) in reference to a woman (or women) who has attended Goodwin College.

“Alumni” are groups of men and women. Avoid using “alum.”

Ampersand {&}Use an ampersand in corporate titles only when it is part of the official title: Cherr, Bekaert & Holland. Never use an ampersand instead of the word “and” in text: Medical Billing and Coding.

Apostrophe {‘}Use apostrophes to show possession or in contractions: Sonya’s dog. It’s time for class to begin. Do not use an apostrophe when forming plurals of dates or acronyms: 1890s, 1920s, 1990s, PhDs.

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Bulleted SeriesIn bulleted lists within text passages, the bullet is the punctuation. No other punctuation is required to separate listed items. Do not use commas or semicolons at the end of each item. Avoid mixing sentence and non-sentence items in a bulleted list.

CampusThe official name of Goodwin College’s campus on Riverside Drive is

“the River Campus.” The main academic building is currently referred to as the “Academic Center at the River Campus.” The address is

“One Riverside Drive,” not “1 Riverside Drive.”

CommasUse commas throughout a series (the apple, the orange, and the pear, NOT: the apple, the orange and the pear)

emailLowercase without hyphen.

Four-Year vs. BaccalaureateThe characterization of Goodwin College as a four-year college is a mis-nomer. Some students will earn bachelor’s degrees in fewer than four years, and some will take more than four years. Referring to Goodwin College as a baccalaureate degree-granting institution is appropriate.

FacultyLowercase “faculty” unless the word is part of a specific name or title: One of the program’s faculty members was part of the Faculty Senate.

Goodwin CollegeThe official title of the college, always capitalized. Second refer-ences to Goodwin College are dependent upon context. Both “the College” and “the college” are acceptable, as long as each is used consistently (it is recommended that “the College” be reserved for promotional materials).

Goodwin College FoundationOfficial title of Goodwin College’s foundation, always capitalized.

Health CareTwo words, unless it is spelled otherwise in an official title.

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Home PageTwo words, lowercase.

Hyphens and Dashes { - } { – } { — }Distinguish between hyphens, “em”, and “en” dashes.

Hyphens are used to link words or parts of words. Examples: mother-in-law, up-to-date

En dashes are commonly used to indicate a closed range of values with clearly defined upper and lower boundaries. This may include ranges such as those between dates, times, or numbers.

Em dashes are longest, require a space before and after, and separate related thoughts or ideas. For example: Do not give her the keys — the Navigator lacks the peripheral vision needed to drive a car safely.

Instructors vs. ProfessorsAt Goodwin College, the term professor refers to a specific job title held by a small portion of the faculty. However, because the common understanding of the term “professor” denotes college instructor, either may be used to refer to our faculty members in external messages.

Majors/ProgramsDo not capitalize majors, programs, specializations, or concentra-tions of study, unless they are part of a designated degree/part of the official name: She majored in early childhood education. Goodwin College offers the Early Childhood Education Program.

MonthsCapitalize the names of months in all uses. When a phrase includes only a month and a year, do not separate them with commas: Goodwin College was founded in June 1999 on a sunny day. When a month, day, and year appear in the middle of a phrase, set off the year with commas: July 13, 2006, was the distribution date of the golf tournament invitation.

NumbersSpell out numbers at the beginning of sentences. There is one exception — numerals that identify a calendar year: 1999 was an important year for Goodwin College. Spell out whole numbers below 10 except when used in statistical data. Use figures for 10 and above: They had 10 associate degree programs. Use numerals when referring to credit hours: The course carries 3 hours of credit.

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OnlineOne word, no hyphenation.

SeasonsLowercase “fall,” “winter,” “spring,” and “summer” and all derived words such as “springtime.” Capitalize only when part of a formal name: Winter Olympics, Fall Session 1994.

Semester vs. SessionThe term “semester” technically refers to a schedule with two sessions of equal length. Statements such as “the College offers three semesters a year” should be avoided and where possible use

“academic sessions” or “academic terms” instead.

TimesAbbreviate and lowercase a.m. and p.m., using periods but no spaces: 8:00 a.m.

WebsiteWebsite as one word and lowercase, same for “the web.”