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Approved by Executive Leadership Team 8/2/2017 1 | P a g e
Purpose and Introduction to Brand Identity
When you hear the word logo, think for a moment about what comes to mind most immediately. Chances
are you thought of a “swoosh,” coffee-loving mermaid, or other symbol that is imprinted on your brain
because it always looks the same. You recognize it and all that it represents in a split second. That
instantaneous recognition is the whole point of brand identity and is extremely valuable.
Our name, logo and other visual design elements used in print and digital form make up our brand identity.
Brand identity truly is one of our most valuable assets, and is essential to maintaining the college’s
reputation. Reputation supports the size of our audience, which is important for maximizing enrollment.
In this publication, you will find the guidelines and necessary tools to enable you (whether you are an
employee or student conducting business on behalf of the college) to understand and appropriately use
the College’s branding elements. By adhering to the standards in this manual, you can help build our brand
identity and enhance the reputation of Lower Columbia College (LCC).
Applied inconsistently or incorrectly, our logo and other visual design elements undermine our brand
identity and create a disconcerting, forgettable jumble. The ensuing brand confusion can in turn
undermine our reputation, which reduces the size of our audience and can negatively impact enrollment.
It is a vicious—and yet entirely avoidable—cycle.
Brand Identity
Reputation
Audience Size
Enrollment
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The Lower Columbia College Logo
The Lower Columbia College logo consists of two components, the mountain and rivers—which represent
our geographical location—and our name. This is our official logo, for which we hold the trademark. You
should not alter the logo, including the color or typeface, in any way.
The easiest way to avoid distorting the logo is to use original artwork obtained from the Office of
Effectiveness and College Relations. You can access the logo and other graphics by visiting the
Effectiveness and College Relations webpage located under “departments” on the Faculty-Staff website
at internal.lowercolumbia.edu/departments/effectiveness-college-relations. If you need graphic files for
a print vendor or other advanced project, please contact the LCC Graphic Designer at 360.442.2111.
Minimum Size for Reproduction
If the logo is too small, the intended audience may not clearly recognize it as part of our brand. To
maximize readability and clarity of our logo, the minimum size for reproduction is 1” in width (for
reference, that’s the size used on LCC business cards).
Clear Space
To ensure proper readability, provide visual impact and protect brand identity, the LCC logo should always
have space around it (generally referred to as “clear space.”) This space should be free of other graphic
elements such as photos, artwork, etc.
The LCC logo must be surrounded on all sides by 2x, where x equals the height of the ‘M’ in the logo. You
should center the logo in the available space. If you have questions about clear space around the logo or
need assistance, please contact the LCC Graphic Designer at 360.442.2111.
Color Guidelines
Color is an important part of brand identity, so it is important that you only use colors from our approved
color palette. Blue (Pantone 654), black, and white are the only colors approved for use in connection to
the LCC logo. These colors reinforce and promote established brand identity. When reproduced on dark-
colored backgrounds, always use the white (reverse) logo.
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Supporting Colors
The colors in the extended palette compliment the official college colors and represent the official LCC
brand identity. You should not add colors to the palette, or use too many colors in a single piece. Tints or
screens of these colors may also be used.
Typography
The College’s name is an important part of brand identity. As with the logo and its components, consistent
use of approved typefaces is important to building and maintaining LCC brand identity and professional
image.
The official font for the College’s name is Myriad Pro Bold. This is a specialty font that most LCC employees
don’t have, but is included in the graphics you can obtain from Effectiveness and College Relations.
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For documents and other general use by LCC employees, the recommended fonts are:
Arial Black for document titles and page heads.
Calibri for body copy due to its suitability for reading large passages of text.
Departmental Logos
In cases where there is a specific need, Effectiveness and College Relations can combine the LCC logo with
the name of a department or unit of the college. If you would like to request a departmental logo, contact
Effectiveness and College Relations for assistance and approval. Do not combine elements on your own.
Examples of approved departmental logos include the LCC Foundation and Corporate and Continuing
Education logos.
Logos Do’s and Don’ts
Do display the logo and other branding elements correctly.
Do request assistance from Effectiveness and College Relations if you have questions, are unsure
about something, or have a special project or need.
Do use original artwork obtained from Effectiveness & College Relations.
Do not alter the logo and other branding elements in any way. This includes the shape, proportion
of elements, and/or typeface.
Do not alter the color of the logo, or add special effects such as shadowing. The logo and other
branding elements should not appear in any color other than those specified in this manual.
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LCC Slogan: The Smart Choice
Our slogan helps us communicate that LCC is an informed choice for a high quality, accessible and
affordable education. The LCC slogan and associated design elements are part of the College’s overall
brand identity. As with the logo, you should not alter the slogan. To do so would compromise brand
identity. The Smart Choice slogan replaced the college’s former slogan, Higher and Hire. Please dispose
of/discontinue use of any materials or communications containing the former Higher and Hire slogan.
As with the LCC logo and associated design elements, the best way to use the slogan correctly is to obtain
and use original artwork from Effectiveness & College Relations. You can access the logo and other
graphics by visiting the Effectiveness and College Relations webpage located under “departments” on the
Faculty-Staff website at internal.lowercolumbia.edu/departments/effectiveness-college-relations. If you
need graphic files for a print vendor or other advanced project, please contact the LCC Graphic Designer
at 360.442.2111.
Letterhead
Two styles of letterhead are available. The official LCC letterhead contains the mountain and rivers logo.
You should use official letterhead for all formal correspondence. A second letterhead design using The
Smart Choice slogan is also available. Use The Smart Choice letterhead for more informal correspondence
such as communication with students or prospective students.
Typography is also important when using LCC letterhead. For headlines, Arial Black 14 or 16 pt. and for
body copy, Calibri 11 pt. are the preferred fonts and sizes.
Letterhead templates are available from the Office of Effectiveness and College Relations upon request.
Please note that letterhead templates are no longer available through the LCC website due to potential
for misuse.
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Email and Email Signatures
Email signatures (used at the bottom of email correspondence) constitute an important aspect of brand
identity. As with other aspects of college communication, consistent application of branding guidelines
helps to bolster our reputation and subsequently support enrollment.
Do not use backgrounds in email under any circumstances.
Email signatures should contain your name, title, and contact information. Graphic elements are optional.
If you choose to use graphic elements, you should use only the graphic elements included in this guide (or
an approved departmental logo) as part of your email signature (see exceptions under “Athletic
Branding”). If you have a particular message you are trying to get out, such as something related to a
deadline or specific information, include the information below your official signature block.
Approved graphics for email signatures appear below. You can access the approved graphics by visiting
the Effectiveness and College Relations webpage located under “departments” on the Faculty-Staff
website at internal.lowercolumbia.edu/departments/effectiveness-college-relations.
To set up an email signature in Outlook, select “new email.” In the new email window, select “signatures.”
From the “signatures and stationery” window, you can create, rename, edit or delete email signatures.
From the same window, you can also select which signature you would like to use (if you have more than
one) on any given email you send.
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The Lower Columbia College Mascot:
The Red Devil
Our mascot is the Red Devil, in many ways a representation of the less formal aspects of the institution in
addition to our athletic teams.
The LCC mascot is an established part of the brand identity of the College, but is only appropriate for
informal, internal, athletics and/or student use. You should not use the mascot in association with any
formal communication on behalf of the College (aside from athletics). This includes email signatures of
LCC employees (please see “athletics branding” for exceptions).
Despite historical precedent, you should not use the red devil cartoon character under any
circumstance. Another entity holds the trademark to this image, and you should not use it for
any reason or purpose, including for athletics and/or student groups or projects.
Approved LCC mascot images include the Red Devils “script” and “Red Devil Nation,” which appear below.
The approved graphics are available from the Office of Effectiveness and College. Please contact the LCC
Graphic Designer at 360.442.2111 if you need assistance.
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Athletics Branding
Many colleges and universities have unique branding to represent athletics. For LCC, this goes beyond the
Red Devil mascot. Historically, the “LC” image seen on campus (located on the Gym & Fitness Center
Building and embedded in the baseball field turf, among other places) has also represented athletics.
Lower Columbia College does not hold the trademark to this image. You should not use the “LC” image to
represent the College aside from the athletics program.
A small number of LCC employees represent both athletics and another area of the College, for example,
coaches who also work in advising. For these co-mingled employees it is acceptable to use athletics
branding, but every attempt should be made to clarify the athletics connection to the intended audience.
Example: John Doe is an advisor as well as the coach for LCC’s new rugby team. John wants to include an
approved mascot image in his email signature. John should include both his titles in the signature
(Educational Planner & LCC Rugby Team Coach) so there is a clear connection to athletics for anyone
receiving a message from him. Alternatively, John could create two email signatures and exclude any
athletics branding from the Educational Planner signature.
An even smaller number of LCC employees hold positions in the Student Activities and Programs area.
Since the students are free to use branding related to the Red Devil mascot, it follows that employees
working in that area would also use branding related to the mascot. Student Activities and Programs
employees should not use the “LC” however, as that is reserved exclusively for athletics.
A third exception is the LCC Fitness Center. Although it is a separate entity from athletics, the Fitness
Center’s co-location with the gym creates a need to share branding as well.
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