Visual Identity System

College of Charleston employees, please visit The Hub for complete visual identity guidelines.

All outside vendors working with College of Charleston on using the visual identity system should work with their campus point of contact and University Marketing to ensure branding is used correctly. 

Visual Identity System

The College of Charleston visual identity system includes:

• Randolph Hall graphic with wordmark (logo).
• block C with approved type treatment.
• wordmark.
• combinations of these elements with approved unit identifiers.

In most cases, you should use the Block C with the approved type treatment. If you have questions about which mark to use, please ask the Office of Marketing and Communications.

The logo or the Block C with approved type treatment should be used on all College of Charleston print materials, websites, communications and other materials. 

Vendors looking to access all current College of Charleston marks, please connect with your College of Charleston point of contact. For approval, please email Betsey Geier, senior director of brand marketing. 

Graphic 

Whether you are using the logo or the Block C with approved type treatment, the graphic portion of either one should not be used alone. In limited circumstances - such as in advertising, on signage or merchandise - you may use the graphic as a stand-alone mark only with prior permission from the Office of Marketing and Communications. In addition, if the graphic is to be used as a stand-alone mark, the words "College of Charleston" must be somewhere on the item. The graphic should never be used as a substitute for the logo or the Block C with approved type treatment on any official print materials, stationery or other official business documents.

Wordmark

The wordmark (the words "College of Charleston") can be used without the graphic treatment in limited circumstances. This will primarily be approved only when space does not allow for the graphic to be legible. For example, small digital ads and promotional items with small print areas. The wordmark should never be used as a substitute for the complete logo on any official print materials, stationery or other official business documents.

Block C with type treatment lockup

The Block C can be used with the approved type treatment. The approved type treatment was created using one of College of Charleston’s approved fonts - Avenir Next LT Pro. The College's approved fonts are available through the Adobe Font Library as OpenType fonts, which means they may be used on both PCs and Macs.

The type treatment portion of the Block C lockup consists of the official Avenir Next font in medium (College of) and bold (Charleston) type weights.

In horizontal applications, the type treatment must be left justified and separated from the Block C by a vertical line. 

In vertical applications, the type treatment must be placed beneath the Block C.

Examples of the Block C with the approved type treatment and a unit identifier.

Logo Exclusion Zone

All versions of the College of Charleston logo have an exclusion zone.

The minimum exclusion zones are defined as follows:

Vertical logo: The minimum exclusion zone is equal to the width of nearest adjacent character on the left and right and the height of one character on the top and bottom.

 

When displaying the College of Charleston logo alongside more than one other brand logo (co-branding), exclusion zones maintain hierarchy and legibility are defined as follows:

Horizontal logo: The minimum exclusion zone is equal or greater than the width of the logo on the left and right and the height of two characters on the top and bottom.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Vertical word mark: The minimum exclusion zone is equal or greater than the width of the logo on the left and right and the height of two characters on the top and bottom.

Trademark and Licensing

To protect the College of Charleston from unauthorized or improper use of the College’s wordmark, logos, seals, symbols, athletics marks and other proprietary identifiers, the College has trademarked these identifiers and licenses them exclusively through its licensing firm, CLC (formerly Learfield Licensing Partners).

All vendors who use the College’s trademarks on merchandise must be licensed. Vendors who have access to electronic files of the institution’s trademarks are required to obtain approval through the licensing program on all designs and products that are produced bearing College trademarks.

Use of the College of Charleston wordmark, logos, graphic marks and names on merchandise produced for resale by any vendor (including but not limited to gifts, apparel, supplies, etc.) requires that the vendor license the appropriate mark and/or name from CLC. Under no circumstances should the College’s logo or symbols be provided to an external vendor who has not followed the licensing procedure.

All purchases made exclusively for internal consumption (i.e., products purchased for the exclusive use of a college department or student group, and that are not resold for a profit) are exempt from royalty obligation but must still be produced by a licensed vendor. A list of licensed vendors can be found at the CLC website, clc.com, by clicking on "Find Product" and selecting the appropriate product category and picking "College of Charleston" from the school dropdown menu. (Search: Charleston, College of)

In addition to using a licensed vendor, any item using the College of Charleston wordmark, logos, seals, symbols, athletics marks and other proprietary identifiers must be approved by the Office of Marketing and Communication. To receive approval, please work with your internal campus contact to submit a marketing request form (CofC Login required).

The College may pursue legal remedies for unauthorized use of its trademarked and licensed identifiers. If there is any doubt about the proper procedures, please email Betsey Geier, senior director of brand marketing.

College of Charleston Seal

The College of Charleston seal may be used only with official correspondence, such as binding legal agreements; formal documents such as diplomas, transcripts, major institutional report, and research covers, and programs for academic ceremonies; approved signage; and formal invitations and engraved notecards. It may appear on selected apparel and gift items upon proper licensing. For further information, or for approval to use the seal, submit a standard marketing request form.

The seal of the College of Charleston is derived from the City of Charleston's seal, which was adopted in 1783. The College's seal was approved by the Board of Trustees on March 23, 1843 and features the Latin phrases Sapientia Ipsa Libertas (Wisdom Itself Is Liberty) and Ædes Mores Juraque Curat (She Cares for Her Temples, Customs and Rights). The seated woman holding the scepter is described as a personification of Charleston and evokes an image of the city deriving its livelihood from the sea and prepared to defend itself. She is shown presenting a laurel wreath to a young man holding a diploma in front of a classroom building. The dates 1770 and 1837 refer to the year of the College's founding and the year the City of Charleston assumed responsibility for its support.