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Branding Hub

The Power of Brand Consistency at UMB

The Office of Communications and Public Affairs (OCPA) wants to help your area, school, or unit succeed while maintaining brand integrity for collective impact.

Every communication tells the UMB story. A strong brand is more than a logo or visual identity. It brings together the images, messaging, and shared perspective of the university community. By presenting a consistent brand, we build trust, strengthen our reputation, and maximize our effectiveness and reach. This branding hub provides the tools and guidelines you need to create on-brand communications.

Our brand manager is here to answer questions, review materials, and ensure your communications reflect UMB's identity and deliver a strong, relatable message.

Brand Approvals | Why Brand Consistency Matters | What Our Brand Represents

When you say “brand,” you most immediately think about logos, colors, or fonts. But a brand of a university is much more — it’s an entire structure, the images, messaging, and way of thinking of the university community. It’s about style and consistency. Brand consistency among all schools and teams at UMB ensures a solid image and solidifies name recognition to our community.

  • Anyone who communicates on UMB’s behalf should find this guide to be a helpful resource.
  • Schools and departments can use this guide to help to focus their initiatives.
  • Communicators can use it to provide examples for the creation of new and impactful marketing.
  • Writers can use it for inspiration when creating stories about the achievements of UMB.
  • Designers can use it as a guide about UMB typography, colors, photography, and design styles.

We all want to share compelling stories about UMB. While there are many different internal and external audiences, the tools in this guide should help each of us present the UMB story consistently so we will collectively and individually benefit from being part of the story.

TO CLARIFY: UMB’s strengths, advantages, contributions, and capabilities

TO ENSURE: Key themes are present in all communications to all audiences

TO ENCOURAGE: Internal and external champions for UMB

TO REAFFIRM: Our core values of Respect and Integrity, Well-Being and Sustainability, Equity and Justice, and Innovation and Discovery

Branding Resources

Brand Approvals

Some uses of the UMB brand require approval before they are published or produced.

  • Logo use.
    • OCPA must approve all uses of UMB and school logos before a project is printed, published, or produced.
    • Logos should be used as provided, not altered or rearranged.
  • Endorsements and testimonials. Do not use the UMB name or brand in testimonials or endorsements without prior approval from the UMB president or designee. Approval is generally not granted for commercial goods or services, except in exceptional circumstances.
  • Logo formatting. An ampersand (&) may not be used in any UMB logo or logo text lockup.
  • Do not create your own logo. Departments, centers, and institutes may not create their own logos. Only OCPA or approved communications departments can create official UMB logos.

Send PDF proofs for approval to branding@umaryland.edu. 

Questions? Let's Figure It Out Together

Branding can feel like a lot of rules, but our goal is to make your work look great and represent UMB well, not to slow you down. If you're not sure where to start, what template to use, or whether something needs approval, reach out. We always prefer to help early in your process rather than after decisions have been made.

Contact OCPA Brand Management: branding@umaryland.edu

Why Brand Consistency Matters

UMB Logo

Staying True to UMB

Consistent and correct branding is essential when representing a national brand — particularly one that is also a state institution. Our brand reflects the values, credibility, and reputation of the entirety of UMB, not just an individual department or project. Every communications piece, whether internal or external, contributes to the public perception of our organization. When branding is applied inconsistently or incorrectly, it can dilute the University’s message, create confusion, and undermine the professionalism we work hard to uphold.

Creating One Unified Voice

Adhering to brand guidelines ensures that all materials — from flyers and brochures to presentations and digital content — speak with one unified voice. This is especially important for UMB, where transparency, accountability, and public trust are critical. Proper branding reinforces the University’s commitment to excellence, helps build stronger recognition across diverse audiences, and supports the long-term strength of UMB’s identity.

What Our Brand Represents

Our brand is more than logos, colors, and design. It reflects who we are, what we value, and how we present UMB to the world.

UMB's Core Values

Our Core Values

Our core values guide how UMB advances its mission to improve the human condition and serve the public good through education, research, clinical care, and service. They shape how we work, how we serve our communities, and our commitment to a better future.

Respect and Integrity | Well-Being and Sustainability
Equity and Justice | Innovation and Discovery

Learn More About Core Values
Changing the Future Today

Our Tagline: Changing the Future Today

"Changing the Future Today" reflects UMB's mission and our commitment to shaping what comes next. As the founding campus of the University System of Maryland and the state's public health, law, and human services university, we use education, research, innovation, and service to improve the human condition and serve society.

Changing the future can't wait. It begins with us today.

Fast Facts

Contact

Office of Communications and Public Affairs

220 Arch St.
Baltimore, MD 21201

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Related Information

Work Requests Digital Accessibility Brand Essentials Submission Guidelines

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