Massachusetts College

Official Websites

• https://massart.edu
• https://www.massart.edu
• http://www.massart.edu

Brand Guidelines

2009

Brand Summary

Mission

• MassArt aims to foster creativity, build community, and inspire artists and designers to make a difference in their world, remaining true to its legacy as the nation’s first and only public independent college of art and design [^1].

Core Values

• creativity
• community
• diversity
• leadership
• excellence
• expression
• inclusivity
• innovation
• integrity

Target Audience

• Students from all economic and ethnic backgrounds, including recent immigrants, aspiring artists and designers, and those seeking a creative, diverse, and inclusive educational environment [^2].

Personality Traits

• inventive
• flexible
• expressive
• modern
• professional
• dynamic
• collaborative

Visual Identity Overview

• The visual identity is modern, minimalistic, and professional, featuring bold geometric shapes, a distinctive angle motif, vibrant color palettes (orange, blue, gray, red, gold), and flexible layouts. It emphasizes clarity, dimensionality, and visual hierarchy, with consistent logo usage, original imagery, and integration of student artwork and sketches [^3].

Categories

Brand Imagery

• Original photography, illustration, sketches, and artwork are integral to the identity system. The use of stock photography and clip art is strongly discouraged.
• Photography should be used to capture the dynamic energy of the studios and classrooms at MassArt. Imagery should be vibrant, energetic, and portray the excitement of individuals engaged in the art-making process. Photographs of empty studios, building facades, or similar images are discouraged.
• Sketches are used throughout communication materials to provide texture and contrast. We encourage the use of sketches from MassArt students and projects to give context to stories.
• Student, faculty, and alumni artwork is an important part of the MassArt system and should be used when appropriate. Care should be taken when integrating artwork with other design elements to ensure the integrity of the art.

Color Palette

• Business cards use MassArt gold (PMS 7409 U). The cards are flexible enough to handle both long and short titles.
• Envelopes and mailing labels use MassArt blue (PMS 638 U).
• Letterhead uses MassArt red (PMS 7417 U). There are two types of letterhead: department­specific and generic templates. A second sheet also is available.
• In many instances the MassArt stationery system will be an individual’s first experi­ence with the college. Business cards, mailing materials, and letterhead each utilize one of the MassArt primary colors and the MassArt gray (PMS 424 U), ensuring a complete representation of the college’s identity when mailing letters or packages.

Typography

• Interstate Bold all-caps is always used in headlines for emphasis, but one can use either light or regular in upper and lowercase as well. Lowercase characters should never appear in the Interstate Bold typeface for anything other than subheads.
• MassArt should never appear in all-caps. In cases where MassArt is part of a headline, Interstate Light or Regular may be used as upper and lowercase in tandem with the all caps Interstate Bold.
• Interstate Light or Saban Roman should be used for large areas of body text to ensure legibility. Bold, Italic, and Small Caps should be reserved for pull quotes, heads, subheads, and sidebars or when otherwise dictated by editorial standards.
• Interstate and Saban have been made readily available to the MassArt community and should be used across all communications. However, if absolutely necessary, the following system fonts may be substituted: Verdana for Interstate and Book Antiqua for Saban.
• Letters should be set in 10pt Saban Regular over 13pt leading.

Logo Usage

• The logo should always be surrounded by clear space that contains neither text nor graphic elements. The distance of this clear space should be consistent with the cap-height of the letters in the logo. The logo may be placed over a photographic image or piece of artwork. See page 21 for guidelines.
• In order to ensure legibility, the logo should never appear smaller than .875" (when used in print materials) or 88 pixels wide (when used on screen; measure pixels using Adobe Photoshop). The size relationship between the logotype and full name of the college is fixed and should never be altered.
• On occasion the MassArt logo will need to appear in tandem with the logo of one of its partners or supporters. In these cases the logo should appear proportionally similar to the peer logo with a one-point rule (vertical line) separating the logos. The placement of the separating rule should respect the clear space previously defined.
• Do not use the two­Do not stretch the color logo over a field logo either vertically of color, with the excep­or horizontally. tion of PMS 7534 U (or SACHUSETTS COLLEGE CMYK equivalent). ART AND DESIGN Do not change the Do not render the scale of any component logo dimensionally. of the logo. Do not change the Do not apply a drop scale of the full name M ACHUSETTS COLLEGE shadow to the logo. of the college within O}ARTAND DESIGN the logo.

Tone And Messaging

• MassArt’s identity provides flexibility and room for expression. As befits an art institution, users are encouraged to be inventive and push the boundaries of the identity system. However, it is important that this flexibility be used to express most appropriately the given communication goal. Much effort has been made to ensure that this guide is easy to understand and use. It is, however, impossible to anticipate every application of the visual identity system. Users should exercise their best judgment to determine the ideal expression of the vision outlined in this guide.
• From the viewbook to the diploma, from the website to departmental postcards, all communications should reflect MassArt’s commitment to excellence.
• Photography should be used to capture the dynamic energy of the studios and classrooms at MassArt. Imagery should be vibrant, energetic, and portray the excitement of individuals engaged in the art-making process. Photographs of empty studios, building facades, or similar images are discouraged.
• The use of stock photography and clip art is strongly discouraged.
• Sketches are used throughout communication materials to provide texture and contrast. We encourage the use of sketches from MassArt students and projects to give context to stories.
• Student, faculty, and alumni artwork is an important part of the MassArt system and should be used when appropriate. Care should be taken when integrating artwork with other design elements to ensure the integrity of the art.
• In order to express the vibrancy of MassArt’s community, it is critical that the identity system allows for flexibility. The following pages portray a range of visual expressions of MassArt’s visual identity system.
• These designs are intended to be used as examples and inspiration for future communications, not to be reproduced exactly as shown here.

Brand Values

• Massachusetts College of Art and Design was born of a pioneering spirit.
• And from the beginning, recognizing that talent knows no class or racial distinction, the college welcomed students from all economic and ethnic backgrounds, including recent immigrants—a far cry from the demographic of other American art schools at the time.
• Today, Massachusetts College of Art and Design remains true to its founders—visionaries who imagined a better future and saw creativity at its core. We are proud of our legacy of leadership as the nation’s first and only public independent college of art and design and the first art school in the United States to grant a degree. Our history sets the direction for our future.
• As we look to the future, we will continue to build community, to foster diversity, and to inspire artists and designers to make a difference in their world.

Visual Style

• The logo should always be surrounded by clear space that contains neither text nor graphic elements. The distance of this clear space should be consistent with the cap-height of the letters in the logo. The logo may be placed over a photographic image or piece of artwork. See page 21 for guidelines.
• In order to ensure legibility, the logo should never appear smaller than .875" (when used in print materials) or 88 pixels wide (when used on screen; measure pixels using Adobe Photoshop). The size relationship between the logotype and full name of the college is fixed and should never be altered.
• On occasion the MassArt logo will need to appear in tandem with the logo of one of its partners or supporters. In these cases the logo should appear proportionally similar to the peer logo with a one-point rule (vertical line) separating the logos. The placement of the separating rule should respect the clear space previously defined.

Layout And Composition

• The logo should always be surrounded by clear space that contains neither text nor graphic elements. The distance of this clear space should be consistent with the cap-height of the letters in the logo. The logo may be placed over a photographic image or piece of artwork. See page 21 for guidelines.
• In order to ensure legibility, the logo should never appear smaller than .875" (when used in print materials) or 88 pixels wide (when used on screen; measure pixels using Adobe Photoshop). The size relationship between the logotype and full name of the college is fixed and should never be altered.
• On occasion the MassArt logo will need to appear in tandem with the logo of one of its partners or supporters. In these cases the logo should appear proportionally similar to the peer logo with a one-point rule (vertical line) separating the logos. The placement of the separating rule should respect the clear space previously defined.
• Do not stretch the color logo over a field of color, with the exception of PMS 7534 U (or CMYK equivalent).
• Do not stretch the logo either vertically or horizontally.
• Do not change the scale of any component of the logo.
• Do not render the logo dimensionally.
• Do not apply a drop shadow to the logo.
• Do not change the scale of the full name of the college within the logo.
• Margins are 1.75-inches from the left and top of page, and 1.25-inches from the right.
• Letterhead uses MassArt red (PMS 7417 U). There are two types of letterhead: department­specific and generic templates. A second sheet also is available.
• Letters should be set in 10pt Saban Regular over 13pt leading.

Co Branding

• On occasion the MassArt logo will need to appear in tandem with the logo of one of its partners or supporters. In these cases the logo should appear proportionally similar to the peer logo with a one-point rule (vertical line) separating the logos. The placement of the separating rule should respect the clear space previously defined.

Stationery System

• In many instances the MassArt stationery system will be an individual’s first experi­ence with the college. Business cards, mailing materials, and letterhead each utilize one of the MassArt primary colors and the MassArt gray (PMS 424 U), ensuring a complete representation of the college’s identity when mailing letters or packages.
• Business cards use MassArt gold (PMS 7409 U). The cards are flexible enough to handle both long and short titles.
• Envelopes and mailing labels use MassArt blue (PMS 638 U).
• Letterhead uses MassArt red (PMS 7417 U). There are two types of letterhead: department­specific and generic templates. A second sheet also is available.
• Letters should be set in 10pt Saban Regular over 13pt leading.
• Margins are 1.75-inches from the left and top of page, and 1.25-inches from the right.

Signage

• SIGNAGE

Event Materials

• JOIN US! Saturday, April 5, 2008 MassArt’s 95th Annual Benefit Art Auction RECEPTION Massachusetts College of Art and Design The State of Massachusetts The Boston Committee
• MassArt’s Annual ART AUCTION SAVE THE DATE: APRIL 5, 2023

On Screen Materials

• In order to ensure legibility, the logo should never appear smaller than .875" (when used in print materials) or 88 pixels wide (when used on screen; measure pixels using Adobe Photoshop). The size relationship between the logotype and full name of the college is fixed and should never be altered.

Additional Properties