Branding Guide

Why Promote these Standards?

These standards provide an easy reference to ensure consistency for the OBU Brand in a variety of venues including print, website, bookstore merchandise, sports apparel, on campus signage, displays, advertisements. There is a strong visual identity in the Raley Chapel. It is representative of OBU’s commitment to Christian faith, it is a familiar mark in the Shawnee sky, seen from a distance, and it has served as the flagship building since its dedication in the early 1960s. The university communications staff considered a couple of reasons when updating the Bison used to represent athletics. There was a need to find an agreeable standardization of the Bison, and a perception that a more contemporary bison would serve the campus well.

Importance of the OBU Brand

All OBU communications should comply with these graphic standards. Using the core elements will give all OBU print, advertising, and communications a unified image. This is important because it creates, familiarity, recognition, clarity, brand loyalty.

To allow for flexibility in its use, several variants of the new university logo are available for the university as a whole and for athletics in particular.

The Official Logo

The official logos are represented with the Raley Chapel spire and "Oklahoma Baptist University" below and centered. All letterhead, stationery, fax cover sheets, notepads, envelopes, mailing labels, and business cards, invitations, other formal settings, web, and in return mailing information, must carry the spire and “Oklahoma Baptist University.” Either orientation may be used depending on spacing.

Secondary Logos

Secondary logos to the official logo, are recommended only when the space for the logo is too small for the official logos to be readable.

Official Athletic Logos

The Bison for athletics and “OBU” is used for stationary and business cards, on courts and other signage, and used on polo shirts. It may carry the athletic team name under the “OBU” in the Athletic font, all uppercase. (For more formal apparel, the Bison for athletics can be used with the “OBU” from the university logo.)

Similar considerations are made in using the athletics brand as applied to the official logo. There are four options:

1. OBU alone or with Bison. For uniforms and may also be used for athletic apparel/equipment.

2. “BISON” represented alone or with the Bison for athletics. The suggested use of this is for all home uniforms. This may also be used on athletic apparel and other equipment.

3. The Bison for athletics represented alone. The suggested use of this is for uniform sleeves and perhaps sweats and other apparels.

Athletic Logo Exceptions

1. The traditional baseball jersey is one exception.

2. The other is using “Oklahoma” and “Baptist” separated by a jersey number for basketball. (These cannot be used in other apparel

purchases outside what is used by team members.)

The University Logos Precautions

These apply to the official logo, variants to the official logo, and the athletic logo.

1. Do not incorporate in any pattern or on top of a larger image except with prior collaboration with Public Relations.

2. Never paint, sketch, sculpt, or otherwise render or interpret any version or element of the logos.

3. Do not use any other font except those fonts designated for the Descriptives, that is, Universe font, upper and lower case. The Athletic font, upper case, may be used for athletics.

The University Seal

The OBU seal is used to authenticate the highest official university documents (diplomas, legal documentation) and will continue to be used this way. It may be used in other material only at the discretion of the president. The seal can be presented in black or reversed out on a dark background. The entire seal must be used and when using with the official “OBU” mark it must be centered.

The Use of Colors

Using the Logo on Stationery

University stationery includes letterheads, envelopes, business cards, mailing labels, notepads, fax cover sheets. Each creates an impression about OBU. For the university the official logo (the spire circle with “OBU”) is used. For athletics, the Bison for athletics with “OBU” is used. If you request samples of any of the above stationary items, please contact Public Relations.

Typefaces

We highly encourage the use of two typefaces for use in OBU materials. Although not obligatory, these typefaces will, over time, help unify our presentations of OBU. The typefaces are available on most PCs as standard fonts. Please contact Public Relations for alternate fonts in the rare case that the ones below are not on your system.

Palatino (Berkeley for Mac users)

A serif font for use primarily in body copy.

 

Universe (Optima for Mac users)

A san serif font for use primarily in body copy.

 

Athletic

A san serif font that is reserved for athletics and used sparingly.

 

Impact

Mainly reserved for OBU advertising titles.

 

Verdana

For use on the web.