

The Marketing & Communications Branding and Style Guide is a helpful and easy-to-follow resource that supports all of the college’s marketing and communication efforts. It defines the college’s brand identity and gives clear guidelines on how to share that identity across different channels, like the website, social media, print materials, and ads. This ensures that everything looks and feels consistent, professional, and true to who we are as a college. Whenever you’re creating content or designing materials, this guide is your go-to tool to keep everything aligned and on brand.
The Marketing team is happy to help you reach your marketing goals while maintaining a consistent style. Please submit requests through the Marketing Service Form and reach out to us with questions at marcom@highlands.edu.
Georgia Highlands College
The Georgia Highlands College (GHC) logo reflects our institutional identity and proud affiliation with the University System of Georgia (USG). It features the bold, serif Galliard font for “GHC” and “Georgia Highlands College,” conveying tradition and strength, while the USG slogan appears in the modern, sans-serif Futura font for clarity and innovation.
Including the USG designation highlights our role in Georgia’s public higher education system, providing students with affordable, highquality education and statewide resources. The structured design, with bold typography and the signature blue and orange color scheme, reinforces GHC’s trusted reputation.
While the primary logo features blue and orange, variations in all-blue, all-orange, allwhite, and all-black are also permitted, ensuring flexibility while maintaining a strong brand identity.
The GHC athletics logos prominently feature the Charger, symbolizing power, speed, and determination. The primary logo showcases a stylized Charger head, while some variations depict a jumping Charger, emphasizing agility and strength.
Each sport, including Charger Basketball, Charger Baseball, and Charger Softball, has its own variation of the logo, maintaining the Charger identity while distinguishing each team. The typography includes a bold block font for “College”, reinforcing a strong, dynamic presence.
With GHC’s signature blue and orange color scheme, these logos create a unified and recognizable athletic brand, representing the college’s competitive spirit and pride.
The Atrium Health Floyd and Georgia Highlands College partnership addresses the regional demand for qualified nurses by expanding educational opportunities and career pathways. This includes the Atrium Health Floyd School of Health Sciences at GHC, enhancing nursing education, clinical training, and offering tuition assistance.
The GHC logo should be paired with Atrium Health Floyd’s branding, ensuring clean, balanced visual alignment and complementary colors. The primary combined logos feature Atrium Health’s teal and GHC’s orange and blue, with an allwhite variation also permitted.
The department and school variations of the GHC logo, such as for Admissions or the School of Social Science & Education, feature the department or school name centered within the top orange bar. Available in all-blue, allorange, all-white, and all-black formats, these variations offer flexibility across materials and backgrounds while maintaining consistency with GHC’s overall brand identity.
Departments and schools may use their specific logo for items such as swag or marketing materials for events, like table setups, ensuring a professional and cohesive presence. This flexibility allows for customized promotional efforts while keeping the GHC brand unified.
The official seal represents GHC’s legacy and credibility within the University System of Georgia. It is primarily used for formal documents, such as diplomas, transcripts, graduation, etc. Key features include:
• A circular design with the GHC acronym, laurel branches, and crossed quill pens symbolizing academic excellence.
• The college name, University System of Georgia affiliation, and 1970 founding year for credibility.
• Primarily used for formal items and events within the Marketing department.
The shield logo is a modern, versatile mark also utilized in specific instances, like the seal. Key features include:
• A shield shape, bold typography, and GHC acronym with laurel branches for a strong brand presence.
• Just like the seal - University System of Georgia affiliation and 1970 founding year for credibility.
• Also used for formal items and events, similar to the seal
Georgia Highlands College
Georgia Highlands College’s primary colors define its brand identity, reflecting over 50 years of commitment to academic excellence and community engagement. The deep blue conveys professionalism, trust, and tradition, while the vibrant orange adds energy and innovation, symbolizing a dynamic campus life. In marketing materials, blue should be the dominant color, grounding designs in stability, while orange acts as an accent, drawing attention to key details and calls-to-action. Used together, these colors create a balanced, engaging presence that reinforces GHC’s brand across all platforms.
GHC’s secondary colors add versatility to the brand. Paris Lake, Highlands Sky, Horseshoe Blue, and Georgia Clay bring depth inspired by Georgia’s landscapes, while Fossil Rock shades and Tower Steel provide warm, sophisticated accents. These colors should be used sparingly, primarily for background elements, subtle highlights, and complementary accents, ensuring they enhance but don’t overpower the primary colors. This approach maintains a cohesive, polished look across all materials.
Georgia Highlands College
The College’s primary fonts, Futura, Galliard, and Avenir, each bring a distinct style to the brand. Futura (all forms, including condensed) is versatile and clean, suited for headlines and body text. Galliard is used mainly for the logo and formal materials, adding elegance, while Avenir provides a modern, refined option for both headlines and body copy in thinner weights. Together, these fonts create a balanced, professional, and engaging look.
Futura (all forms)
• Primary font
• Headlines
• Body font (thinner forms)
Galliard (all forms)
• Logo font
• Formal materials
Avenir (all forms) A
• Main body font (thinner forms)
• Sub-headlines
The College’s secondary fonts bring personality and versatility to the brand. Lumios Marker adds an energetic, handwritten touch, while Industry and College provide a bold, athletic feel, primarily used for GHC Athletics. Sant Elia, featured in the 2024 Viewbook, offers a modern, dynamic flair, and Cheap Pine—also highlighted in the Viewbook—adds a unique, rustic style. Each font has specific guidelines for when and how to use it, including recommended forms and restrictions, such as certain fonts not offering lowercase options. These fonts complement the primary typefaces, creating visual interest while ensuring consistency across all communications.
Lumios Marker
• GHC Athletics
• Headlines
• Sub-headlines
• All caps, lowercase option is without extensions
• Headlines
• Sub-headlines
• Headlines
• Sub-headlines
• Difficult to read in certain designs, so limit use
(Base, Cutline, Inline, outline)
• Headlines
• Sub-headlines
• All caps, no lowercase option
• Headlines
• All caps, no lowercase option
• Difficult to read in a small size, so limit use
The GHC brand voice is clear, engaging, and student-focused—designed to inform, inspire, and connect. Our tone is professional yet welcoming, ensuring every message reflects our commitment to academic excellence and community impact.
Key Characteristics:
• Clear, Confident, and Engaging: We communicate with energy and purpose, ensuring our messages are easy to understand and compelling to read. No fluff—just meaningful, relevant content that resonates.
• Warm & Community-Focused: GHC isn’t just a college; it’s a community. Our language fosters connection, making students, faculty, and partners feel like they belong. We highlight real stories, real people, and real impact.
• Encouraging & Aspirational: We empower students to take charge of their futures. Whether we’re promoting academic programs, student services, or success stories, our tone is motivating, forwardthinking, and student-first.
• Celebratory & Proud: Achievements matter at GHC. From student milestones to institutional accolades, we proudly share accomplishments in a way that feels exciting and inspiring.
• Authentic & Inclusive: Everyone has a place here, and our words reflect that. We speak in a way that is welcoming, inclusive, and reflective of the diverse backgrounds and aspirations of our students and community.
At its core, GHC’s brand language isn’t just about what we say—it’s about how we make people feel. Every message should leave our audience informed, inspired, and ready to take action.
Understanding your audience is key to crafting effective and impactful messaging. In higher education, our communications must be student-centered, data-driven, and strategically tailored to resonate with diverse groups.
• Prioritize Relevance: Speak to what matters most to our students, prospective students, parents, alumni, faculty, and community partners. A message that doesn’t connect won’t inspire action.
• Demographics & Beyond: Go beyond surface-level data like age, location, and socioeconomic background. Consider psychographics—values, aspirations, motivations, and barriers to enrollment or engagement, but always maintain focus on GHC’s role in student success.
• Student-First Approach: Higher education decisions are deeply personal. Acknowledge individual goals, career ambitions, and financial concerns in our messaging.
• Tone & Style Matter: Whether engaging first-generation students, working professionals, or transfer students, adapt our voice to match their needs—supportive, aspirational, or informative.
• Action-Driven Communication: What inspires a prospective student to apply? What encourages a donor to give? Identify triggers that turn interest into action.
By deeply understanding who we’re speaking to, we can create messages that not only inform but also inspire and drive engagement.
GHC maintains a consistent and engaging tone across its communications, including press releases (GHC Today articles) and social media platforms.
• Informative & Professional: Clear, precise, and accessible, covering achievements, events, and academic updates.
• Community-Focused: Highlights student, faculty, and community success, fostering pride and connection.
• Engaging & Approachable: Friendly, interactive, and student-centered, encouraging participation.
• Celebratory & Motivational: Showcases achievements and campus life with enthusiasm and energy.
Overall, GHC’s tone and voice are crafted to inform, engage, and build a strong sense of community, aligning with the institution’s mission and values.
Bolt gallops into every situation with unbridled enthusiasm! He is the best orange and blue Ambassador for GHC, always ready to round up support and never shying away from meeting new people. Bolt lassos any approach to everything & everyone with enthusiasm & energy. He is the biggest supporter of GHC.
Bolt doesn’t rein in his sense of humor! He loves to horse around, joke with people, and get into light-hearted “trouble” to make people laugh. He is playful & goofy. Giddy Up, Bolt jokes with anyone not showing school pride. Bolt is an “energy reciprocator.”
Bolt embodies a youthful energy that inspires school spirit. He is lighthearted, energetic, and always ready to charge forward with fun wherever he goes.
Bolt has a heart as big as an open pasture. He loves all living things & ALL students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni, and community members of GHC. He is kind and caring to all. Bolt is kind & compassionate. He shows love & support for everyone in the Charger community
Bolt embodies the passion, pride, and grit of GHC students. Like a true Charger, he races toward every challenge with determination, never backing down from the hurdles ahead.
• The performer shall change into the costume in a private area. This always has to be considered when planning for attendance and events.
• If the mascot head needs to removed, please do so in a private area so no one sees.
• Bolt must have a private area for breaks.
• Mascot performers are to take breaks every 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the environment and temperature, and spend no longer than an hour in the suit.
• Mascot users should stay hydrated – safety first!
• You must be approached by or receive permission to touch people.
• BIG gestures are encouraged including high fives (hold hand up first and let the person give you a high five), shaking head up and down, dancing, waving, etc.
• Do not interfere with the performance of the activity or event.
• Wear comfortable clothing underneath the costume that allows for mobility and breathability.
• Bolt’s pronouns are he/him.
• The costume must be returned following the event within the agreed upon timeframe.
• Do not alter the costume by adding or removing elements without the permission of Marketing.
• For holiday/theme events, any additional Bolt costume accessories must be approved by Marketing prior to the appearance.
• If the costume is damaged during use, it is the borrower’s responsibility to notify Marketing prior to returning.
• Each department is responsible for cleaning, maintenance and care of the costume.
• The mascot costume MAY ONLY be worn by a GHC student or employee.
• The costume will remain on GHC premise, unless the mascot is taking it home for an upcoming off campus appearance.
• The costume will be handled with care. It should be hung up to air out after each performance and should be stored in the prescribed transport bag.
Bolt should always have a guide or handler during events. Bolt’s vision is limited, so the main role of a handler is to keep Bolt safe and to communicate with the performer about trip hazards, etc. Bolt does not talk, so it is the responsibility of the handler to relay appropriate messages to spectators and fans as well.
Handler’s Basic Responsibilities:
• Keep Bolt safe, guide him through doorways, assist with tripping hazards & crowd navigation, etc.
• Be Bolt’s eyes, ears, and voice.
• Engage with the audience, let Bolt know when there is a “fan” that wants a photo, etc.
• Secure respect for Bolt. Don’t let people harass him. Harassment can include pulling his tail, trying to see into the head, etc.
• Keep Bolt’s identity confidential. When asked, “Who is Bolt” or “Who’s in there” the answer is always, “It’s Bolt!”
• The wrangler’s main responsibility is safety.
• The health of the person representing Bolt is ALWAYS a priority. If there is any concern about the weather conditions, crowd control, or crowd attitude, the handler will remove Bolt from the situation immediately.
The handler must understand their role and these responsibilities and must be dedicated to keeping Bolt safe and aware of his surroundings.
Georgia Highlands College
Georgia Highlands College’s photography captures the essence of our vibrant and inclusive community. Through authentic, candid moments and a focus on diversity, our images reflect the real experiences of our students and faculty, creating an inviting representation of campus life.
• Authentic Experiences: We believe in showcasing genuine moments that resonate with our audience. Our photography tells the stories of our students and faculty as they engage in academic and extracurricular activities.
• Natural Aesthetic: Utilizing natural light, our images are rich in color and warmth, creating an inviting atmosphere that reflects the energy of our campus.
• Community Focus: Our photography emphasizes collaboration and connection, highlighting the relationships built within our diverse community.
• Campus Life Representation: We capture a wide array of campus facilities and events, providing potential students with a vivid glimpse into what life at GHC offers.
• Inclusivity at Heart: Our commitment to representation is evident in our photography, which features individuals from all walks of life, ensuring everyone feels welcome and included.
Flickr Account: The GHC Flickr account is primarily used to document and share events, capturing the energy and excitement of campus life in realtime. This platform allows us to showcase key moments that reflect our community’s spirit.
NetX Account: The NetX account serves as a comprehensive database of all GHC photos, categorized by students, campuses, and faculty. This resource not only facilitates easy access to images but also includes our branding logos, ensuring consistent representation across all marketing materials.
GHC faculty & staff can access this by clicking on the “GHC Staff Click here to login” button at the bottom, and then sign in with their single-sign-on (SSO).
• Resolution & Format: Capture highresolution images (300 DPI for print, at least 1920x1080 pixels for digital).
• Lighting & Exposure: Ensure proper exposure and balanced lighting to maintain a natural look.
• Composition: Use consistent framing, avoid cluttered backgrounds, and align with the brand’s visual aesthetic.
• Editing & Retouching: Apply minimal, natural-looking edits to maintain authenticity and visual consistency.
• Use of Cell Phones: When capturing photos with a smartphone, use gridlines and the rule-of-thirds (turn on in settings) for composition. Be sure the camera lens is clean for clarity and avoid using too much digital zoom to maintain image quality.
Georgia Highlands College’s videography brings our campus to life through dynamic, authentic storytelling. With a focus on candid moments, diversity, and real student experiences, our videos capture the energy, inclusivity, and spirit of GHC. Every shot is designed to feel engaging and immersive, offering a genuine glimpse into campus life and the Charger community.
• Resolution & Format: Use at least 1080p HD resolution (4K preferred) with a 16:9 aspect ratio.
• Lighting: Prioritize natural or professional lighting setups to enhance clarity and avoid harsh shadows.
• Framing & Composition: Follow the rule of thirds for balanced shots and maintain proper headroom and lead room.
• Audio Quality: Use external microphones when possible for clear sound; minimize background noise.
• Editing & Branding: Keep edits clean and professional, incorporating brand colors, fonts, and logos.
• Use of Cell Phones: When using a smartphone for video recording, ensure it is stabilized with a tripod or gimbal. If you do not have a gimbal, try to be as stable as possible without sudden movements. Record in landscape mode (unless vertical is required or shooting for social media) and use the highest resolution available.
With a student-centered focus, our videos showcase real experiences, campus life, and the Charger community in a way that is both engaging and inspiring.
Our YouTube channel is the home for GHC videos, featuring event recaps, student spotlights, campus highlights, and promotional content. Our style blends candid footage, cinematic visuals, and energetic pacing, creating videos that inform, connect, and motivate action.
Explore our videography style through the examples below:
The business cards for Georgia Highlands College feature a clean and professional design that aligns with the college’s branding guidelines. Here are some key elements:
• Logo: The GHC standard logo is prominently displayed, at the top and centered.
• Color Scheme: The cards use the college’s official colors, which is primarily the blue and orange for the website at the bottom.
• Typography: The text is set in the clean, readable Futura font that matches the college’s branding.
• Contact Information: This includes the individual’s name, title, department, phone number, email address, and the college’s address for their specific location.
• Layout: The layout is vertical, clean, simple, and uncluttered, ensuring that all information is easy to read and visually appealing.
• Ordering Process: These business cards are ordered through the business office by completing this form with the correct information for the employee as well as the department budget information to purchase them.
When creating a presentation on behalf of GHC, it’s essential to align with our brand identity for consistency and professionalism. We highly recommend using the provided PowerPoint and Canva templates to ensure branding remains intact. Canva presentations are especially encouraged, as they maintain GHC’s visual identity without the need for downloads and can be accessed easily from anywhere with internet.
• Use GHC-Branded Templates: Ensure your presentation reflects GHC’s official colors, fonts, and logos. Download our PowerPoint templates or use Canva for seamless branding.
• Maintain the GHC Voice: Keep the tone optimistic, energetic, and purpose-driven, inspiring audiences while staying approachable and professional.
• Incorporate Core Values: Reinforce GHC’s mission and values to create a strong, impactful message. (Refer to page 16 for key characteristics.)
• Structure for Engagement: Start with a compelling hook, maintain a logical flow, and use visuals to enhance understanding.
• End with a Call to Action: Clearly guide the audience on next steps, whether visiting GHC’s website, applying to programs, or attending events.
• Design: Name tags are magnetic and feature the full-color horizontal GHC logo on top. The University System of Georgia slogan is omitted due to its thinness for the name tag.
• Text:
• Employee Name: Capitalized in Futura Bold.
• Title: Displayed below the name in Futura Book.
• Ordering Process: Name tags are ordered through the business office by completing this form with the correct information for the employee as well as the department budget information to purchase them.
• Placement: Name tags must be worn on the right side of the chest to help draw the eye when shaking hands. Note: If there is a logo on the right side of the shirt, the name tag may be worn on the left side.
Chief Enthusiasm Officer
All emails and other communications from GHC faculty and staff should follow the visual brand guidelines. This email signature builder tool makes it easy to create a professional, on-brand email signature in just a few clicks. Once your signature is generated, simply copy and paste one of the three options into your Outlook signature settings to start using it immediately. This builder can also be accessed from the Marketing website and on the Faculty/Staff Intranet.
Georgia Highlands College
Campus signs at GHC are governed by three main goals:
1. Promote a distinctive identity and unified character on campus
2. Establish a coherent signage and gateway hierarchy to navigate to and through campus
3. Provide information about the physical layout and organization of the campus
Included in the signage hierarchy are off-campus signs, boundary markers, on-campus directional signs, oncampus directories, temporary signs, and signs for buildings, parking, shuttle buses, and universal design.
• Take advantage of the widespread use of digital devices with digital signage
• Enhance wayfinding signage to create a smoother experience
• Celebrate your GHC’s unique identity at every opportunity
• Triple check that your signs are posted with How, What, When Where, and Why
• If signage is for an event, signs need to be posted no less than four weeks prior to the event. Note that Marketing needs a minimum of three weeks prior to with all needed information to design and print any materials
• Designed by Marketing and maintained by Facilities. All exterior signs must be approved by GHC Marketing and Facilities.
• Color: Signs should feature Georgia Highlands College’s official blue and orange colors with white lettering (using Futura or Avenir font).
• Only the Georgia Highlands College Signature or Georgia Highlands Abbreviated Signature may appear alongside the sign text.
• As new signs are developed, the Georgia Highlands Abbreviated Signature should be used.
Highlands College
Creating appropriate content for the GHC Instagram, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn accounts involves balancing professionalism, engagement, and relevance with the overall intent being to drive engagement and bolster enrollment and retention. Social media showcases the culture of GHC through real photos with small pops of graphics, making it feel authentic yet fun and creative. Each post should have an artsy look with a hint of orange and blue in the photos.
INSTAGRAM: @gahighlands X (TWITTER): @gahighlands
FACEBOOK: Georgia Highlands College
LINKEDIN: Georgia Highlands College
Here are some guidelines for what Marketing considers engagement-worthy content for social media posts:
• Announcements: Post updates about important dates, registration deadlines, events, and changes in policies.
• Resources: Share information about available resources, such as tutoring services, library hours, mental health services, and career counseling.
• Events and Activities: Promote campus events, clubs, and extracurricular activities. Highlight student organizations and their activities.
• Student Stories: Feature student achievements, testimonials, and profiles. Celebrate diversity and inclusivity by showcasing students from different backgrounds and disciplines.
• Course Spotlights: Highlight unique or popular courses and programs. Include information about new courses or changes to existing programs.
• Unique Faculty Highlights in a Limited Capacity: If Marketing is presented with extraordinary news about a faculty member that would be considered newsworthy (of interest to local news/ radio), we will consider posting to social media.
• Local Partnerships: Share information about partnerships with local businesses, organizations, and other educational institutions as they relate to programs of study. Because of the community-based nature of Georgia Highlands College, we must limit the capacity of posts relating to community partnerships.
• Community Service: Highlight community service projects and volunteer opportunities involving students and staff.
• High-Quality Images: Use clear, high-resolution images and graphics. Ensure that all photos are appropriate and respectful. If submitting photos to Marketing, make sure they are under 2 MB and formatted as a JPEG.
• Consistent Branding: Use the college’s colors, logos, and fonts consistently. Maintain a cohesive look and feel across all posts.
• Interactive Content: Use polls, Q&A sessions, and interactive stories to engage with followers.
• Responding to Comments: Maintain a friendly and professional tone when responding to comments and messages. Address questions and concerns promptly.
• Privacy: Ensure that posts do not violate privacy laws or policies. Obtain consent before posting photos or information about individuals if not group events.
• Respect and Inclusivity: Avoid content that could be seen as offensive, discriminatory, or divisive. Promote a culture of respect and inclusivity.
• Accuracy: Ensure all information shared is accurate and up-to-date. Correct any mistakes promptly.
• Admissions: Share information about the admissions process, financial aid, scholarships, and open houses.
• Alumni Success Stories: Highlight the achievements of alumni to showcase the long-term value of the college’s education.
• Regular Posting: Maintain a consistent posting schedule to keep the audience engaged. Avoid posting too frequently to prevent overwhelming followers.
• Seasonal Content: Plan content around the academic calendar, holidays, and special observances relevant to the college community.
• Copyright: Use only images and content that you have the right to post. Credit sources when necessary.
• Ethical Standards: Adhere to the college’s social media policies and ethical standards.
By following these guidelines, the community college’s Instagram can effectively engage and inform its audience while maintaining a professional and respectful online presence.
The purpose of the primary GHC social media accounts is to maintain a positive, public-facing image of the college. While it is important for the platforms to engage with and reflect the student experience at GHC, the accounts are also viewed by the general public, local leaders and government officials, the University System of Georgia, donors to the GHC Foundation, and many more. Consider the broad audience when creating videos.
• Keep videos under 2 MINUTES, so we can use on all accounts when needed, and use high quality photos under 2MB.
• Keep in mind the context of the situation in which you are creating a video. For example, talking to students at a Chargers basketball game or another fun student event is casual and should reflect how students enjoy themselves. A video taken at an awards banquet or a video depicting something related to the academic experience of students should fit the tone of the situation.
• These videos are a video record of the college, and those featured in the videos may want to keep them for their professional portfolio.
• Try to shoot the highest quality video and photos possible:
• This means checking your device’s camera settings and keeping in mind variables like setting, lighting, reflections, windows, etc., which may unintentionally create undesired results on photos and videos.
• For video, this also means paying attention to what sounds are going on around you. For example, if you’re speaking directly to the camera in a busy Student Center, try to get away from groups of talking students so your narration can be heard more clearly. In addition, when choosing a location to shoot video and audio, be aware of audio interference like air conditioning units/running fans, running vehicles, doorways/doors and nearby classrooms, as well as device ringtones, alarms and other sounds that may unintentionally impact your recording.
• Take a moment to watch your video and listen to the audio without headphones on. If you’re having trouble hearing someone’s voice, or if there is anything immediately noticeable that shouldn’t end up in the final video (like someone unintentionally in-frame), you can rerecord then and there.
• Use discretion when deciding who to include in photos and videos and ask permission.
• Shoot a maximum of 2 MINUTES, so we can post on all platforms.