Graphic Identity System

The latest version of Colby's identity system should have been installed on all College faculty and staff computers when they were originally configured. Components are available here for those who need to reinstall them. Colby identity system downloads are for faculty and staff only (password required). They include: Colby Style and Usage Manual, Colby's Graphic Identity Standards Manual, Colby Web Standards Manual, Janson and Franklin Gothic fonts, and Colby logo and seal graphics.

Standards Manuals
Manuals explaining Colby's writing style, identity standards, and Web standards have been developed to guide faculty and staff preparing written material, publications, and Web pages for the College. Each department secretary should have a loose-leaf, hard-copy version of these manuals, and they are all available here as PDFs.

  • Colby Style and Usage Manual (154k PDF)
    Rules and conventions for style and usage in writing for Colby publications and Colby's Web site.
  • Colby Identity Standards Manual (1M PDF)
    Rules for using Colby's logotype, seal, and the logotype and seal as a unit. Includes guidelines for Colby's color palette, typography, and formatting for stationery.
  • Colby Web Standards Manual (Under Development)
    Rules for designing pages for Colby's Web site.
Fonts
 Colby's official fonts are Franklin Gothic and Janson Text. Fonts are only available for use on College-owned computers. When you click to download, you will need to enter in your login and password. In general, use Franklin Gothic for composing letters on Colby stationery. Use Janson for handbooks, long texts, etc. Refer to the Identity Standards Manual for further guidance. Logotype and Seal
There are four .tif files of the logotype, the seal, and the two together available for download. Refer to the Identity Standards Manual (included in download) for proper use. The downloads are bitmap files, designed for print use. If you wish to use them on the Web, you will need to convert them to grayscale or RGB.
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Why a Graphic Identity?
Colleges have personalities. Colby's is distinct from Bowdoin's or Dartmouth's. Colleges also produce tons of printed material, much of it good old-fashioned correspondence.

The primary goal of a graphic identity system is to create a consistent look for Colby's official correspondence in order to distinguish Colby, on paper, from other institutions. Regardless of which department generates them, letters from the College need to look like they come from the same institution. Distinguishing our communications in this way is important in a marketplace crowded with competing messages from a host of other colleges and universities.

Using Colby's new stationery, getting new fonts installed on computers, and following a few simple guidelines for formatting letters are the only things that most faculty and staff need to worry about to make the new graphic identity work. At the same time, other departments on campus will be working to ensure that all College publications, signs, employment ads, banners, lecterns, vehicles, etc. will adopt consistent graphic standards in support of this effort, though some of these will take longer than others to change over.