NC STATE UNIVERSITY
university student centers
BRAND BOOK
HELLO welcome to the university
student centers brand book.
A strong brand is powerful, but the word ‘brand’ is often misunderstood. A brand is not a logo, tagline, design template or message – these are all tools used to reflect and reinforce the brand. A brand is the total experience, expectations, perceptions and emotional connections people have with an organization. Strong brands are authentic, attractive, distinctive and a bit aspirational, reflecting where the organization is, and where it is going. This brand book was developed to share our story and develop a standard for communicating our brand to the campus community.
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So, what’s a brand book? good question, it provides an overview of the organization and explains how we should talk, feel and act about the brand.
oh cool, what’s the point? it helps ensure we communicate in a way that’s consistent, clear and effective.
who is this book for? well, everyone. If you’re a part of University Student Centers, no matter what you do, this book applies.
what do I do now? read it, please! 2
“A brand for an organization is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hard things well.� -Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon
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WHO WE ARE
We run the student centers on NC State’s campus. This includes event services, housekeeping, room set-up, tech/AV support, information services, facility maintenance and much more. We operate in four buildings: Talley Student Union, Witherspoon Student Center, Price Music Center and Frank Thompson Hall.
CONNECT DISCOVER SHOP DINE WORK ENGAGE CREATE 4
GOALS
University Student Centers was founded in 2009 as a part of the creation of Cam‣ Apply management practices and pus Enterprises. Campus Enterprises is responsible planning to ensure exNC State’s lead division for retail and hospitality and is comprised of University Dincellent service, quality facilities ing, NC State Bookstores, Trademark Liand annual financial return for stucensing, Lonnie Poole Golf Course, Univerdent support and merit- and needsity Student Centers (Witherspoon, based scholarships Thompson, Price and Talley), and the Wolfpack One Card Services. Each unit ‣ Provide students, faculty, staff and shares a common goal: deliver quality visitors with one-stop functionality and efficient services worth dedicated financial support for student activity and ‣ Identify retail hospitality and scholarships. student-service opportunities that Dr. Dan Adams is the associate vice chancellor, Campus Enterprises. Dr. Adams has an extensive background in university administration, most recently at the University of Arizona, where he served as associate vice president for the division of Student Affairs. His experience provides a broad base of knowledge of retail operations, facilities planning, contract development, as well as an understanding of the technical aspects of auxiliary services operations.
continually improve customer experiences ‣ Respond to service requests in a prioritized and prompt manner ‣ Emphasize and develop resources that enhance the student experience and offer on-the-job training ‣ Put the best ideas into action by encouraging input from employees at all levels or member organization
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OUR PAST Since the opening of NC State’s first college union in 1954, we have been integral in the transformation of student life on campus. We look back at our rich history in order to better understand how we got here and why we should be proud of our past.
Gerald Erdahl
“The heart of the union is not locked in the steel and concrete of a building, but rather in the Union organization. The Union building is merely the instrumentality through which the union idea is accomplished.� Gerald O.T. Erdahl, Union Director 1949-1961
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The University Student Centers has a rich history tracing its roots back to the early American College Union Movement. 1949 marked the arrival of the first union director at NC State, Gerald O.T. Erdahl, who trained at the Wisconsin Union under legend Porter Butts, father of the college union movement. In spring of 1951, the College Union was founded with comprising a board of directors, today’s Student Centers Board of Directors, and a board of chairmen, today’s Union Ac-
tivities Board. These two groups carry the legacy of the original idea to enhance campus life at NC State. 1954 marked the opening of the North Carolina State College Union, later renamed the Erdahl-Cloyd Union. As the university expanded, the union outgrew this facility, and in 1972 the organization moved into the newly constructed Talley Student Center. NC State’s student body president at the time, Cathy Sterling, expressed con8
cern that the union was becoming less of a student-run organization and more of a mere facility that was run by the administration. “By the time I came in . . . the student union had no connection with the word ‘union,’” she said. “It was just the building.” The movement away from the core union idea and toward the concept of a multipurpose student center that paid for itself through student fees and retail operations could be seen across the nation as unions skyrocketed in popularity. In 1949 there were about 150 college unions; by 1961, that number had quadrupled to about 600; and in 1971 there were about 1,200 college unions nationwide. Talley Student Center is now part of University Student Centers, a multi-unit, multi-facility umbrella organization that still performs the functions of the original College Union and much more.
NC State’s Student Life Master Plan, completed in 2008, calls for Talley to be renovated and expanded to serve an ever-increasing student population and to meet the needs of today’s mobile, information-hungry students. The renovation is intended to return Talley to its college union roots by making it a hub of student life that functions as the center of the campus community. In addition, the University Student Centers board of directors, a student-led governing body, has decided to take that effort one step further by changing the facility’s name. When phase I of the new Talley opens, nearly 59 years to the month after the first College Union building opened it will greet the world as Talley Student Union, a landmark building that helps students learn and grow beyond the classroom.
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OUR MISSION, VISION, AND VALUES
Our mission, vision, and value statements are words that are crucial for our organization. A Mission Statement defines our organization's purpose and primary objectives. Our vision statement shows the direction we want to push ourselves in. Our values describe the qualities we work and strive towards everyday.
OUR MISSION The University Student Centers provide a clean, safe, and welcoming environment for the NC State community. In support of the university’s educational mission, the Student Centers will provide support to events and activities that will enrich the student experience. Through formal and informal experiences, the University Students Centers serve as a cornerstone for student growth, learning and involvement.
OUR VISION To become a leader on campus in serving the needs of students, staff, faculty, alumni and guests with a reputation for the highest quality of service and facilities.
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OUR VALUES EXCELLENCE provide high quality service through knowledge, professionalism, and friendliness
INITIATIVE solve problems before they occur, take the lead, exceed expectations
RESPECT respect those around you, the facilities, and yourself
STUDENTS we put our students and their needs first, and work to be an organization where many aspects are run by student employees
COMMUNITY provide space and opportunities to build community and strengthen the Wolfpack family
STEWARDSHIP promote the responsible use and management of human, fiscal, and environmental resources
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OUR LOOK The look of the brand is what ties everything together. It is crucial that our visual identity is representative of our organization and our goals. The following pages contain the guidelines for our visual communication and how to implement our look.
www.go.ncsu.edu/uscbrand this site is your best friend. On the brand site, you’ll find templates that fit all your needs, including word documents, powerpoint slides, our marks, and more. Don’t find what you need? Let us know in the help section of the website.
The goal of our design is to make it as easy as possible to implement. Always use our templates when applicable. Don’t ever go rogue!
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this is our mark:
BLACK
WHITE 000000 HEX 0,0,0 RGB
FFFFFF HEX 255,255,255 RGB
university student centers the mark can also be stylized horizontally
this is our font family: for body text:
FOR HEADLINES:
Univers
UNIVERS 45 LIGHT (ALL UPPER CASE)
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890
don’t add a drop shadow don’t change the dimensions
don’t change the color
university student centers
don’t change the font
don’t mess it up, we’re counting on you!
THE END thanks for reading the brand book.
Designed and Edited by Kevin Rollinson Supervising Editor: TJ Willis Historical images and information provided by NCSU Libraries Special Collections, PackPix and Brett Winter. Special Thanks to the University Student Centers and Campus Enterprises administrative teams.
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