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.