Visual Identity

Georgetown University’s visual identity looks to the past for inspiration but must remain relevant for the 21st century and be responsive to the varied needs of all those responsible for the university’s outreach and communications.

Georgetown is a diverse institution comprising multiple distinct entities. Yet all parts of the university must reference common visual cues so that our audiences can easily recognize Georgetown as the originator of all communications.

These guidelines cover the foundational elements of Georgetown’s visual identity. Core rules governing usage of the seal, font and primary colors are presented, along with options for formatting, type styles and a broad palette of accent and complementary colors.

The official Georgetown University logo has two components: the seal and the university’s name. The university logo is the root of the university’s visual identity. Using the logo in a consistent manner is essential for visual coherence and maintaining the strength of the Georgetown University brand. Given its official — even ceremonial — character, the logo is not appropriate for all applications (e.g., for highly informal communications). Careful consideration should be given to the logo’s suitability for each intended use.

Please request authorization to use the logo, logotype or the seal of Georgetown University or the marks of any of Georgetown University’s schools, departments, centers or institutes. You may do so by using the logo usage request form. If you have a custom logo request outside of the core visual identity, please contact the Visual Identity Group at visualidentity@georgetown.edu.

Read more about general logo guidelines, logo history and symbolism, and specific guidelines on logo usage.

Due to its formality and intricacy, the Georgetown logo may not be appropriate for all intended uses (e.g., certain multimedia and online applications). In those cases, it is acceptable to use either the horizontal or stacked logotype on its own, without the logomark. Doing so can also provide additional flexibility.

Please request authorization to use the logo, logotype or the seal of Georgetown University or the marks of any of Georgetown University’s schools, departments, centers or institutes. You may do so by using the logo usage request form.

Read more about the logotype guidelines and abbreviated logotype guidelines.

The logo’s formality makes it inappropriate for some uses. Using the logomark instead of the logo can provide additional flexibility. If the logomark is being used as a texture, it may be cropped.

Read more about the logomark guidelines.

It is essential to place each school and university office within the context of the larger university. The school or university office name must fall under “Georgetown University” to place the greatest emphasis on our core Georgetown University identity. 

For departments, the name must fall under the school name and “Georgetown University” to reinforce the prominence of  the core Georgetown University identity.

Read more about school and university office-level lockups and department, center, institute and program-level guidelines.

School, office, and department lock-ups use Caslon and the university’s primary color palette (see school and university-level office guidelines); however, the university’s visual identity allows for the incorporation of other fonts and colors into sub-brand lock-ups for programs, centers, institutes, and initiatives, where appropriate to the unit’s identity.

The use of an aligned unit lock-up maintains the integrity of the Georgetown University brand, consistent with the Board of Directors’ guidance to strategic communications. If a unit chooses to create a non-compliant logo, it will not be used in official university channels, absent an exception issued by the Vice President for Public Affairs; instead, the Visual Identity Team will create a unit lock-up for use in central university communications.

Read more about sub-brand expressions.

Georgetown University and MedStar Health’s joint brand mark represents our partnership in research and education. The templates below are co-branded using this mark for commonly used applications: research posters, PowerPoint presentations, and letterhead. The use of these assets is governed by both organizations. Please review our usage guidelines for more information.

To request approval of the joint brand mark outside of the provided templates, Georgetown University users should fill out the joint brand mark request form. MedStar Health associates should visit the MedStar Health Brand Hub.

Adobe Caslon is the official typeface for Georgetown University. The Caslon typeface dates back to the 18th century. It was used in the founding documents of our country and John Carroll’s proposal to establish the university. It remains the official font of Georgetown University. However, if you do not have access to Adobe Caslon, Times or Georgia are acceptable alternatives.

If you would like to request a license to download and install the Adobe Caslon typeface onto your computer, please use the typeface license request form.

The secondary typeface, Neue Helvetica, may be used with Adobe Caslon to add more visual interest. Please note, Neue Helvetica should not be substituted for Adobe Caslon as the dominant typeface.

The university has two official colors, known as Georgetown Blue and Georgetown Gray. Georgetown’s official colors date back to the aftermath of the Civil War and were adopted to signify the union of students from the North and South. Since then, these colors have become a recognizable identifier for the university.

Color is a powerful tool that provides a quick means of identification. Georgetown maintains an impressive amount of brand equity in our recognizable color scheme. Consistent use of these colors will provide a common link among Georgetown and its many units and centers.

The university also offers recommendations for secondary and tertiary colors and accessible color schemes.

Georgetown Blue
Pantone 282
C:100 M:68 Y:0 K:54
R:4 G:30 B:66
Hex: #041E42 

Georgetown Gray
Cool Gray 10
C:62 M:53 Y:47 K:19
R:99 G:102 B:106
Hex: #63666A 

Georgetown University’s stock library is housed in Photoshelter. The photo catalogue is separated into two sections: visual identity and stock library. The visual identity section contains curated photos that best represent Georgetown. It is updated annually. The stock library contains recent photography that can be used for websites and Georgetown University publications.

To download images, visit the Photoshelter login page and enter your Georgetown NetID and password. After logging in, you will see both the Public and Invited Galleries sections. 

The Public section contains the Visual Identity images. The Invited Galleries section contains faculty and staff headshots, as well as the stock library.

All university schools, departments, offices, centers and other units are encouraged to build their websites using the university’s web templates and the enterprise-level content management system, unless the unit has a specific business reason for doing otherwise (e.g. the unit has a custom web application). To begin the process of creating a new website or to migrate an existing site into the university’s CMS and web templates, please contact the UIS Web Services team at webservices@georgetown.edu.

The presentation templates available for download reinforce Georgetown University’s core visual identity and allow for customization. Please choose from the university’s color palette and approved typefaces when building your presentation.

We have assembled a collection of “Foundational Documents” that describe the mission, educational goals and the spirit of Georgetown University. These documents are intended to serve as tools for University communications professionals to call on as they integrate the essence of Georgetown into their individual efforts. Over time, additional, brand definitional documents, speeches and communications will be added to this collection.

To request usage of the Georgetown University logos, please fill out the form linked below. If you have a custom logo request outside of the core visual identity, please contact the Visual Identity Group at visualidentity@georgetown.edu.

Our visual identity draws meaning from the past, but is also highly relevant for 21st century communications. It is intended to be responsive to the varied needs of those engaged in ongoing university dialogues. To that end, our guidelines are an important tool for those Georgetown University community members engaged in university communications—from designers and programmers to faculty and administrators. The guidelines permit and encourage communications professionals to support their respective school, department, office and/or center’s identity in a manner that is consistent with, and supportive of the university’s overarching positioning. 

These guidelines supplement the Visual Identity Guidelines to provide guidance and best practices for the creation or redesign of a Georgetown website produced with or without the help of an external vendor.