The mission of San Francisco State University is to create and maintain an environment for learning that promotes respect for and appreciation of scholarship, freedom, human diversity, and the cultural mosaic of the City of San Francisco and the Bay Area; to promote excellence in instruction and intellectual accomplishment; and to provide broadly accessible higher education for residents of the region and state, as well as the nation and world.
A strong visual identity is a way to represent the University brand through critical components: names, logos, typefaces and colors. A unified identity system contributes to the San Francisco State University reputation, and in turn its ability to recruit outstanding faulty, students and staff; to engage alumni, and to attract external support. Every member of the University community — large or small, whatever its mission — plays an important role in maintaining SF State’s integrity by applying the brand consistently throughout all communications, including print, web, display and electronic formats.
An identity system is a powerful tool for the campus:
- Allows clear communication and a unified voice, rather than confusing audiences with multiple interpretations that can be in conflict.
- Provides instant recognition.
- Strengthens a unit’s reputation and demonstrates a common mission.
- Makes a positive association with San Francisco State University, leveraging the recognition and feelings of goodwill for the University as a whole among a unit’s key constituencies.
- Protects the brand equity, safeguarding the concrete value of a unit’s work from financial or other gains by external groups.
The following rules and guidelines provide standards to the campus community for the implementation and use of the Primary Logotype and Signatures, the only approved marks to represent the University in marketing communications. No other marks or symbols may be used in conjunction with, or to replace the official San Francisco State University Signature Logotype system.