Nittany Lion Shield Penn State Mark
The Brand Book

Templates

Templates are a quick and easy way to maintain brand consistency in your PowerPoint presentations, videos, and social media posts. These tools take the guesswork out of proper logo placement while saving you time with pre-added design features. Templates will continue to be added for your use.

1 Templates //

PowerPoint

A variety of PowerPoint templates are available to meet your internal and external presentation needs. Templates are available in multiple designs and leverage graphic elements to keep our brand consistent. Be sure to choose the template that best matches the content and audience of your presentation.

Download
examples of the video template
2 Templates //

Video

The release of the Classic Video Template, version three, represents a significant simplification of the User Interface and new advanced features. This includes an easier way to select your animated campus or college mark, new color options, and responsive text on the slate and lower third templates–automatically sizing and spacing as the text content changes.

Download
Social background example with white shield outline over a filtered teal background
3 Templates //

Social Backgrounds

As our first social-specific brand element, Social Backgrounds provide an easy way for you to incorporate visual brand consistency into your posts. All backgrounds are provided in widescreen, square, and vertical aspect ratios with and without the Community Shield design.

Download

Gradients

Gradients are supplemental design elements that can make photos and patterned backgrounds more dynamic and compelling. Adding a gradient can soften a photo and create a canvas for design content and typography.

A dark blue to transparent white filter effect
1 Gradients //

Color Filters

Because of their vibrant and transformative nature, Color Filters add an optimistic and organic quality to your photos. Color Filters are available in multiple colors from our three brand palettes. Be sure to align the colors you choose with the content and audience of your creative. Learn more about matching colors to your messaging in the colors section.

Download
Creative References //
Color Filter example - instructor in the foreground with a teal and navy color filter in the background and on the left text saying
Color Filter example - student raising their hand and to the right is a filtered navy blue color with white lorem ipsum text

Graphic Patterns

Graphic patterns act as a secondary layering technique to add texture and depth, and they should always be used subtly even on bold designs.

Points/Expanded Points design - white dotes producing line on a light blue background
1 Graphic Patterns //

Points/Expanded Points

Points now include two styles: original Points and Expanded Points. These elements are flexible, simple patterns derived from the dotted lines of the Community Shield. Points can add depth and interest when layered with our other brand elements. Because of the suggested subtle application of this element, the Points pattern works well for casual designs.

Download
H33 pattern - repeated grey and dark grey herringbone pattern design with a 33 degree angle
2 Graphic Patterns //

H33

H33 is a herringbone pattern inspired by the 33-degree angle in the lower portion of the Penn State shield. The H33 pattern evokes a collegiate tone, and the fiber-like quality symbolizes our community of Penn Staters woven together. H33 works well in formal designs, and the pattern is flexible enough to be used as a background texture or as an accent on marketing materials.

Download
Lines patterns - horizontal grey lines to over a navy background color
3 Graphic Patterns //

Lines

Based on the connecting lines found in the Community Shield, the Lines pattern can add energy and visual interest to a design. Like Points, Lines play well with our other brand elements and can be layered to add depth. The straight lines of this pattern work well for formal designs.

Download
Positive Grid - White plus signs line vertically and horizontally over a dark slate background color
4 Graphic Patterns //

Positive Grid

As the name indicates, the Positive Grid is a graphic pattern that reflects the optimism and active nature of our voice and tone. This element’s grid provides alignment opportunities for text and images and may complement designs with a technical or scientific aesthetic.

Download
Three examples of the S curve
5 Graphic Patterns //

'S' Curve/'S' Flow

If you look closely at the Lion Shrine at University Park, you may notice an ‘S-shaped’ mark in its right ear. The ear had been cracked and expertly re-attached decades ago, and we pull inspiration from this story for these patterns as they represent the University’s strength and resilience to overcome obstacles.

The ‘S’ Flow is a variation on the ‘S’ Curve pattern, with variety in the thickness as well as transparency of the lines. These soft, curving patterns can be used for a variety of audiences.

Download
Creative References //
Old Main with Heinz Flow pattern overlaid
Points design example - navy dots over blue background behind white, bold text and light blue bar with navy blue text
Lines pattern example - photo of instructor seemingly touching a ripple with thin grey lines running horizontally thought-out the image
Lines pattern example - yellow bar with diagonal lines representing a timeline bar with infographics and text
Points design example - light blue dots over blue background with graphic of a white outline water bottle with the Penn State mark in the middle and some static numbers on the right

Geometrics

Geometric elements feature bold and graphical designs, influenced by Penn State architectural and structural details. Based on your design choices (including transparency, blend modes, and positioning), you can use these elements for a variety of moods and audiences.

1 Geometrics //

HUB and Expanded HUB

Inspired by architectural details like the ceiling of the HUB-Robeson Center at University Park, the HUB and Expanded HUB elements add sophistication and character to designs and photos. The HUB and Expanded HUB geometrics embrace the structural strength of a simple triangle pattern and honor the University’s foundations.

Download
Creative References //
Limestone geometric design - white outline representing limestones brick on top of a light blue background
2 Geometrics //

Limestone

As an abundant mineral resource in Pennsylvania, limestone is an important historical element found throughout Penn State—from the construction of campus buildings to signs across the Commonwealth. The Limestone geometric reflects Penn State’s strong foundation in communities across Pennsylvania.

Download
Creative References //
Girl in hat looking at her books in library
Girl wearing blue shirt and safety glasses in laboratory
Purpose Agility and Opportunity as parts of the Penn State vision
Nittany Lion Shrine with blue color overlay
Carved lion head statue on the University Park campus

Shield Elements

Inspired by the iconic Penn State shield featuring the Nittany Lion, these elements can add visual interest to marketing materials while seamlessly aligning with our core brand and identity. While this graphic category carries the strongest visual connection to our academic mark, it should not replace or compete with Penn State’s official academic mark or shield.

Corner shield, multiple white outline of the Penn State shield on a blue background
1 Shield Elements //

Community Shield

The Community Shield represents the diverse community of Penn Staters working together to positively impact the world. The points and lines of varying shapes and sizes connect and overlap to create an energy and motion for the design, just as individual Penn Staters contribute new and differing perspectives to the spirit of the University.

Download
Central Mood map, a square with the following text: formal at the top, subtle on the left, casual on the right, and bold on the right; and at navy dot in the center.

The Community Shield is central to the Penn State brand but is flexible enough to be used in designs ranging across the mood map.

Creative References //
Graphic of parts of the shield outline in white on top of a teal background
Photo of professor in the foreground with a fabric texture with navy overlay in the background and the words
Example image: A slice image of part of a infographic of the Penn State Harrisburg campus with shield outline
Example design: Slice of a design doc with the text
Example Design: Nittany lion on the right with his arms open and some text on the left with the white outline shield in the background
Multiple slightly transparent navy shield overlaying each other with a teal background
2 Shield Elements //

Shield Overlay

The Shield Overlay is a bold, semi-transparent pattern of Penn State shields and can be placed over a photo to add interest, texture, and a canvas for text. The Shield Overlay uses overlapping gradients to signify the strength and layers of our diverse community.

Download
Casual Bold Mood map, a square with the following text: formal at the top, subtle on the left, casual on the right, and bold on the right; and at navy dot in the bold and casual quadrant.

Because of the color aspects of this element, the Shield Overlay leans toward the casual and bold quadrants of the mood map. This element may work well in communications for prospective students, most social media networks, and other materials needing a bold and vibrant design.

Creative References //
Overlay Example: navy transparent shields on top of an image of people hand typing on laptop with white loreum ipsum text in the foreground
Overlay example - photo of a student on right with numerous transparent overlay on top of each other on left with white Lorem ipsum text on top.
Blue curved corner of the Penn State shield over a navy background.
3 Shield Elements //

Corner Shield

The Corner Shield adds a simple nod to our identity without overpowering a design. The placement of the Corner Shield can help draw attention to a design’s call to action or key messaging.

Download
Formal Bold mood map

When paired with the Community Shield, the Corner Shield skews toward the formal and bold quadrants of the mood map. Used apart from the Community Shield, the Corner Shield can be applied in more casual designs.

Creative References //
Corner Shield example - photo of Nittany Lion with arms open in the foreground with students in the background and wrapped with white transparent corner shield with white shield outline.
Corner Shield example - Graphic of documents with corner shield on the right.

Design Essentials

Our visual identity, colors, fonts, and photography are fundamental to every design. The intentional use of these design essentials will align all our communications in a recognizable and visually consistent way.

Guidelines, file downloads, and other helpful information are available by clicking the download buttons throughout the site. For your convenience, a master download of all design toolkit guidelines and files is available. Before you begin, please read these guidelines carefully.

We’ve collected our brand color palettes and design toolkit into convenient, organized Adobe CC Libraries. These libraries offer in-Adobe application access and will automatically update with notifications when any edits or additions are made. If you’d like to be subscribed to the brand libraries, please email us at pennstatebrand@psu.edu.

Image of three Penn State marks; one is the main mark, the second is the mark for Penn State Behrend campus and third is the mark for the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
1 Design Essentials //

Visual Identity

Visual identity is the single most important visual element of our brand. Diligent use of the standards and requirements for our identity cements our brand at every level of our University, maintaining and advancing our brand recognition on a national and global stage.

Please visit the Visual Identity Standards section for more information on using the Penn State academic mark and shield.

2 Design Essentials //

Color

Continuing our efforts to strengthen the Penn State brand, we’ve enhanced our color guidelines for greater clarity and flexibility.

We’ve simplified the Penn State Brand Palette by embracing our primary brand colors (Nittany Navy, Beaver Blue, and White Out) and Pugh Blue as our secondary brand color.

Additionally, our new guidelines feature a simple color formula, refined accent color options, useful pro tips, critical accessibility standards, and much more — all reinforcing the power of the Penn State brand.


Remember, your designs must always conform to Penn State’s accessibility standards. Be sure to reference the tools, resources, and examples of accessible ways to use our brand colors—especially for web text.

Download
2ADesign Essentials // Brand Palette

The Penn State Brand Palette

The four colors of our Penn State Brand Palette are central to the Penn State brand.

No matter the audience—whether your design is subtle or bold, formal or casual—consistently using the primary brand blues (Nittany Navy and Beaver Blue) strongly links your design to the Penn State brand.

Primary

Nittany Navy
  • HEX: #001E44
  • RGB: 0,30,68
  • CMYK: 100/90/13/68
  • PMS: 282
Beaver Blue
  • HEX: #1e407c
  • RGB: 30,64,124
  • CMYK: 100/76/0/18
  • PMS: 287
White out
  • HEX: #ffffff
  • RGB: 255,255,255
  • CMYK: 0/0/0/0
  • -

Secondary

Pugh Blue
  • HEX: #96BEE6
  • RGB: 150,190,230
  • CMYK: 40/14/0/0
  • PMS: 284

Download the color (v3) guidelines for extensive details on:

  • simple formula detailing correct color use
  • refined accent color options
  • critical web accessibility standards, text/background combinations, and link colors

Download the Color (v3) guidelines.

Download
Graphic image of a camera view finder
3 Design Essentials //

Photography

Compelling photography can evoke an emotional response and convey the optimism, authenticity, and active nature of the Penn State character. As we move toward this goal together, please use Canto as our continually updated resource for the latest collection of brand photography, approved for all marketing communications. Additional photography guidelines, tips, and tutorials are available in our downloadable photography resources.

Download
3ADesign Essentials // Brand Aesthetic

The collage of images below represents what we aspire to communicate through all brand photography and videography. The use of lighting, long lenses, purposeful composition, and a shallow depth of field all contribute to our goals for a compelling and differentiating brand aesthetic.

Penn State Female Gymnast stands in an end pose.
Male and Female interpretive dancers perform in fog.
Penn State Female Student Poses During Sunset.
Detail shot of man's hands sifting sawdust.
Diverse male poses near Penn State ceramics studio.
Man in fly fishing gear near creek surrounded by trees.
Man stands on dock lined with boats during sunrise.
Close up of Man's hand splashing water in lake.
Female near Harrisburg capitol building.
Detail shot of lab machine flexing material.
Diverse female studies in dorm room lit by desk lamp.
list of brand fonts
4 Design Essentials //

Fonts

Our brand fonts are another essential component to visually aligning your communications and designs with our brand. Beyond the PowerPoint fonts, our brand fonts afford options and flexibility for use in digital and for print, because of the power of Adobe Fonts and their Open Type design. For certain aesthetic and practical reasons, we are recommending specific fonts for certain uses or mediums: 

 
Print: The Proxima Nova (Proxima Nova and Proxima Nova Condensed) and Serifa typefaces are recommended as they are well designed to render with significant accuracy at high resolution.
  
Web: The Roboto typeface (Roboto, Roboto Slab, and Roboto Condensed) is recommended and has advantages as a web typeface available from Adobe Fonts and Google Fonts.  

Digital: (This includes social platforms, videos, and digital ads.) You have plenty of flexibility to use the Proxima Nova, Serifa, and Roboto typefaces for this non-web category. 
 
PowerPoint: Franklin Gothic and Rockwell are recommended since these fonts are included within all Microsoft Office products.

Download
Nittany Lion Shield Penn State Mark