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M State Brand

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Minnesota State Community and Technical College (M State) legal name, moniker and logos are important components of the college brand and must be used appropriately and consistently. The M State Communications and Marketing department (CAM) is responsible for communicating the brand and holds the primary authority for decisions about M State branding.

M State’s branding components are proprietary. Use of any logos, designs or other components is an acknowledgment of your acceptance of the guidelines.

Media, partners and other public entities

External marketing and/or product vendors who embark on a collaborative project with M State or wish to use of any logos, designs or other branding components must use them according to M State brand guidelines.

Alumni

Alumni groups may use M State branding with the CAM department's approval and upon alumni foundation recommendation. Individual alums are not allowed to use M State branding components.

Student groups

Student groups may use M State logos and other branding components, provided groups follow branding standards and obtain prior approval from the CAM department.

Employees

M State employees should use the tools and resources available to them on the portal at MSCTC - Communications and Marketing.

Accessibility and Compliance

M State’s digital media, such as the website, social media, apps and digital content, must be accessible to all users. Minnesota State
Digital Accessibility Standards must be followed to ensure content is accessible to everyone. By law and policy, Minnesota State
Colleges and Universities forbids discrimination against individuals with disabilities (Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 248.07).

Fact Sheet: New Rule on the Accessibility of Web Content and Mobile Apps Provided by State and Local Governments.

Accessible suggestions

Use colors with high contrast to make text easily readable.
Add alternative text (alt text) and/or descriptive text to images to explain their content for screen readers.
Properly structure content with headings to improve navigation and understanding.
Avoid using generic phrases like “Click Here” for descriptive links. Instead, consider typing out the name/URL of the page you’re linking to and hyperlinking that text. (Such as, “Visit minnesota.edu/admissions for more information.”)
Provide subtitles, closed captions (CC) or transcripts for videos.
Choose a readable font size and avoid overly small text.
Utilize tools to identify potential accessibility issues and ensure your content meets accessibility standards.
Emojis, hashtags and links should be placed at the end of your content to prevent screen readers from pausing over them.
CamelCase (capitalize the first letter of each word) in hashtags and URLs to enhance readability.

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Signature logo and usage guidelines

The M State signature logo is the official logo of M State.

To ensure visual impact and clarity, clear space (also known as white space) must always surround an M State logo. Other graphic elements or text should never intrude upon the logo. Clear space on all sides should be roughly the size of the letter “M” in Minnesota, or half the size of the M State symbol.

The M State family of logos and symbols is an important branding tool that requires careful use and guardianship. Distorting the logo in any way dilutes the M State brand and is strictly prohibited. Except for proportional scaling, approved color variations and certain other approved uses, the college logo is not to be changed or altered in any way.

The logo should appear large enough for all words to be legible.
Other elements and type must not encroach upon the logo.
A clear space of at least 3/8- inch (0.375 inch) must be established and maintained around it.
Do not use retired logos.
When M State has partnered with an external organization, the partner’s trademark or logo may be displayed along with M State’s. Partnership logos should not be given greater prominence than M State’s logo or symbol, and partner and college logos should be clearly separated

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Horizontal

Primary colors

M State’s institutional colors are specific shades of blue, green and white; these colors are uniquely identifiable as part of our college’s brand and identity. Blue, green and white are our primary colors. Black or reverse can be used when full-color reproduction is not an option or economically infeasible.

Pantone - 282 C
CMYK- 100/68/0/54
RGB - 0/45/98
HEX - #002d62

Pantone - 349 C
CMYK - 100/0/91/42
RGB - 0/112/60
HEX - #00703c

Pantone - White
CMYK - 0/0/0/0
RGB - 255/255/255
HEX - #ffffff

Co-branding guidelines

Option 1

Option 1 includes the Minnesota State logo, either the horizontal or vertical versions, coupled with a school-specific text identifier. The minimum font size for the text identifier is 7-point.

Use this option when creating any publications intended for student recruitment materials, annual reports, alumni magazines, legislative publications, brochures, newsletters, news releases, and event programs.

This is also the preferred option for external advertising, such as website, banner, digital audio, radio, billboard, newspaper, magazine and television, and marketing event signage materials like table skirts and recruitment booths.

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Minnesota state logo on top with a tagline below reading Minnesota State Community and Technical College, A member of the Minnesota State system.

Horizontal

The Minnesota state logo on left side with a tagline on right that read Minnesota State Community and Technical College, A member of the Minnesota State system.

Option 2

Option 2 includes the M State logo, either the horizontal or vertical version, coupled with the Minnesota State affiliation text-only identifier: “A member of the Minnesota State system.” Minimum font size is 7-point. The logo may be scaled to fit the needs of the media if it follows the Minnesota State Identity and Brand Standards.

All media, including but not limited to banners, billboards, newspapers, magazines, entrance signage, recruitment booths and stationery shall include a Minnesota State affiliation identifier.

For large scale materials, the identifier shall be clearly readable from a distance.

M State Brand

Media, partners and other public entities

Alumni

Student groups

Employees

Accessibility and Compliance

Accessible suggestions

Before using M State brand assets

M State signature logo

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Horizontal

M State colors

Minnesota State college and universities co-branding

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Horizontal

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News and Stories from M State

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