Colleagues,
This week marks the official launch of Illinois’ new brand platform to faculty and staff—a crucial step in strengthening our identity and ensuring a clear, cohesive voice across the university.
Why the brand matters
In today’s higher education landscape, our impact, reputation, recruitment and global reach depend on a clear and unified narrative. The Illinois brand isn’t just our logo or a slogan — it’s how we boldly and honestly declare who we are and how we improve the world. Built on extensive research, the brand platform provides long-term tools to highlight each unit’s impact while reinforcing an aligned identity.
How to share the brand with your teams
Every interaction—whether with colleagues or external stakeholders—shapes the way our university is perceived. By adopting and applying the brand platform, you help strengthen the university’s story, making us better equipped to share our impact with the state, nation and world.
- Share Information and Emphasize Consistency: Share the brand with your teams. Encourage faculty and staff to use the correct university name, adopt branded email signatures and utilize downloadable templates for presentations. These tools create a unified, professional presence.
- Defer to Your Chief Communications Officer: Your CCO is the expert on brand implementation. They can provide guidance, answer questions and ensure alignment with the new standards.
- Consider Faculty-Specific Scenarios: Faculty members are key to amplifying Illinois’ impact through academic work and public-facing materials. Encourage them to adopt the new branding tools to elevate both their work and the university’s visibility through PowerPoint and research poster templates.
Thank you for your continued dedication and support. Together, we’ll ensure the Illinois story is told boldly and with a unified voice.
Sincerely,
Robert J. Jones
Chancellor