APU Brand Standards
The Division of Strategic Communication and Engagement is responsible for protecting and promoting the Azusa Pacific brand identity. As a university community, we have many opportunities each day to help protect and promote the brand, and just as many chances to damage it. Before you say, write, type, text, tweet, or post something, it is important to remember that you are representing the brand.
Whether you are working with our office on a project or reaching out on behalf of the university to your audience, we invite you to review and become familiar with the Azusa Pacific University brand standards.
Strategic Communication and Engagement is committed to producing high-caliber pieces that are professional and representational of the university’s commitment to excellence and corporate image consistency. To facilitate this, Strategic Communication and Engagement adheres to specified visual design standards that help guide the production of university pieces.
The APU Graphics Standards Quick Guide (PDF) provides specific guidelines for the proper use and distribution of the university logo.
For additional information on design-related issues (e.g., graphics standards, university logo usage, etc.), contact the Strategic Communication and Engagement office at (626) 815-4500.
APU Logos
Strategic Communication and Engagement provides downloadable versions of the APU logo in both JPEG and PDF formats below.
By downloading the university trademark and logotype, you agree to adhere to guidelines outlined in the APU Graphics Standards Quick Guide (PDF) available for download.
The JPEG files below are high-resolution, 300 dpi Photoshop files used primarily for websites and Microsoft Word documents. The PDF/EPS files are Adobe Illustrator vector files used on print materials, T-shirts, giveaways, etc.
Download this standard APU stacked logo as a PDF/EPS or JPEG.
Download this black APU stacked logo as a PDF/EPS or JPEG.
Download this white APU stacked logo as a PDF/EPS or JPEG.
Download this standard APU horizontal logo as a PDF/EPS or JPEG.
Download this black APU horizontal logo as a PDF/EPS or JPEG
Download this white APU horizontal logo as a PDF/EPS or JPEG.
The Division of Strategic Communication and Engagement is committed to producing high-caliber content that represents the university's brand and commitment to excellence. The content team aims to balance editorial standards of quality with the specific needs of each office, school, or department in an effort to best communicate the intended message to our audiences. Strategic Communication and Engagement also provides original, creative copy used to promote the university’s outstanding programs and draw more interest to APU.
APU Editorial Style Guide
In order to present consistent and accurate language, style, and voice to properly brand the university with professionalism and excellence, Strategic Communication and Engagement adheres to an Editorial Style Guide that determines the standards and style of communication filtered through our office.
We recommend that offices, schools, and departments on campus use the guide as a helpful reference in university-wide efforts to maintain consistency in our language and style to align with our brand standards. The Division of Strategic Communication and Engagement regularly updates this guide to align with institutional changes and industry trends.
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Editorial Style Guide for APU (PDF)
Provides specific guidelines, based on The Chicago Manual of Style, for writing and editing.
Email Guidelines
Strategic Communication and Engagement is committed to maintaining consistent standards of practice in the use of email communication to both internal and external clients. When developing email communication pieces for a broad audience, whether internal or external, we encourage the university community to adhere to our Email Guidelines (PDF).
Story Ideas
Strategic Communication and Engagement looks for interesting, relevant, and engaging topics on APU people and programs for stories featured online and in university publications. Submit your story idea for consideration to [email protected] or (626) 815-4500, along with contact information, possible angles for the story to take, and relevance to the university and its mission and purpose.
Social media offers a great way to inform, engage, and educate an audience. In addition to Azusa Pacific University’s core accounts managed by the Division of Strategic Communication and Engagement, many departments, offices, athletic teams, and other areas of the university use social media to communicate with their audiences and help tell the APU story.
If you plan to create an account on behalf of a university department, office, program, or event, or you currently manage existing accounts, please review the resources on this page to help set your accounts up for success and ensure you are meeting Azusa Pacific guidelines.
Using Social Media on Behalf of Azusa Pacific
Before Creating an Account
Prior to launching a social media account that represents an area of the university, it’s important to keep in mind the following:
- What is the purpose of this account?
- With whom are you communicating?
- Is this the best place to reach that audience? Does your audience already use this social media outlet?
- Do any other accounts currently exist that are already reaching your audience? In other words, be sure you are not duplicating efforts.
- Do you have the resources/ability to regularly provide content and interact with your audience on this account?
- Who will be responsible for the account? (A full-time faculty or staff member should manage the account, and we recommend establishing at least two managers in case one person leaves the university.)
If you are unsure whether or not you should create an account, or which tools to move forward with, connect with the Division of Strategic Communication and Engagement team to discuss best options for your area. Email [email protected] to set up a meeting.
Creating an Account
Once you decide to move forward with creating an account, please review the Azusa Pacific University Social Media Guidelines (PDF) for naming guidelines and brand representation.
Representing the Brand
The most important thing to remember when producing social content is that the profile represents Azusa Pacific and should therefore be in line with the university’s overarching brand. Keep in mind the university’s mission to develop disciples and scholars to impact the world for Christ. With each post, consider, “Is this true, meaningful, and distinct to our area and APU?” Also, does it reflect one or more of the following:
- Christ-Centered
- Comprehensive, Relevant Scholarship
- Meaningful Access to Transformational Education
- Welcoming, Generous Community
- Selfless Service
Social Media Best Practices
Using social media can expand opportunities to interact directly with your audience—your friends, fans, and followers—whether promoting resources and successes or fielding questions. It’s essential to keep in mind that managing a university-related account brings with it great responsibility. Start by setting goals and building a strategy for what content you will share, how frequently you will share, and how you will interact with responders. Then, use the following best practices to guide you:
Be Relevant: Content should resonate with your audience and be relevant to your area. If you’re ever unsure if content is fitting and appropriate to post, run it by others on your team. When in doubt, don’t post.
Be Authentic: Use words and images that are true to your area and APU, and what the university represents. Ensure content is accurate, and if a mistake is made, acknowledge the error and correct it.
Build Relationships: Content should seek to inform and engage your audience, and extend their relationship with your area and with Azusa Pacific. If a fan or follower posts a question, answer it in a timely manner, or help redirect them to someone who can help.
Show Respect: Everyone matters. Treat those who comment and post with consideration and kindness. Sometimes you may need to remove inappropriate content or respond to negative comments, but you can do this while modeling respect. If you are unsure how to handle a post, contact Strategic Communication and Engagement. You can also review APU’s House Rules on Facebook for guidelines on what may be deemed “inappropriate.”
Acknowledge Sources: If you are sharing content from other sources, be sure to credit those sources.
Additional Resources
The following resources can also help as you manage your account.
- University Style Guide: APU’s editorial style guide
- Graphic Standards Manual: APU’s style guide for representing the university through logos and visuals.
- Azusa Pacific Logo Downloads: Download university logos here. For university school, department, or office logos, contact Strategic Communication and Engagement.
Launching Social Media Accounts for your Department/Office/Program
- Identify account managers (this should be at least two full-time faculty or staff members).
- Refer to the Azusa Pacific University Social Media Guidelines (PDF) for best practices for naming your account to ensure it clearly represents your office and the university. Be sure to use “Azusa Pacific” in the name for identification and credibility, and if you must use APU, ensure Azusa Pacific University is included in your profile description.
- Contact the Division of Strategic Communication and Engagement if you need an office or department university logo to serve as your profile image.
- Outline your goals for what type of content you plan to post and how frequently you will post. It’s fine to start small and then build up more posts over time, as long as you are posting consistently.
- Start posting before publicly announcing your account, so that your audience will have content to engage with when they begin following you.
- Notify the Strategic Communication and Engagement team that you are launching a new account, so we can add it to our list of university accounts. [email protected].
- Spread the word! Let your audience know your account exists and start interacting.
- Schedule a time to evaluate your accounts to see what’s working and what you can improve.
Social Media Audit
Once an account is up and running, it’s important to regularly review your account to see what’s working and what’s not. Is your audience responding? Are you meeting your goals with the account? Do you need to evaluate the content you share? Are you following the APU social media and brand guidelines? The Division of Strategic Communication and Engagement social media team may provide recommendations if posts are seen that do not align with university goals and values. You can also reach out to the Strategic Communication and Engagement team if you would like an audit of your account for additional recommendations and best practices. Email [email protected] to request an audit.
The Division of Strategic Communication and Engagement has created the research-driven Undergraduate Admissions Content and Style Guide (PDF) to help our campus partners engage prospective students in fresh, relevant ways. The guide covers topics such as themes, color palette, fonts, design elements, photography, social media, and more, sharing best practices for reaching and building relationships with Gen Z audiences. We recommend that APU’s various departments, offices, and schools rely on this helpful resource when crafting content targeted at the traditional undergraduate population.
At Azusa Pacific University, we believe in the transformative power of human stories. A story can move, empower, teach, humble, and inspire individuals and communities. The Division of Strategic Communication and Engagement’s visual storytelling team is tasked with capturing the narratives of various alumni and current students, staff, and faculty on film.
We recognize that our community is the sum of the stories being lived out by the people in it. From the nursing alumna building hospice facilities in Kenya to the DPT graduate changing the way people work out at the gym, we work to tell stories of meaningful impact in the world.
Prior to pursuing any lead, our filmmaking team asks three questions about the narrative:
- Is it TRUE to the individual and to who we are as Azusa Pacific University?
- Does it offer something MEANINGFUL to the viewer?
- Is it DISTINCT to Azusa Pacific?
Our team is on the lookout for stories of APU community members (past and present) who are doing amazing things and making a difference in communities locally or around the world. If you would like to submit a story for consideration, select “Submit a Story” below.
Note: Due to the high volume of submissions, we cannot guarantee a response.
For those interested in creating their own videos, we encourage you to review our Video Production Toolkit (PDF), which outlines our general standards and guidelines for video productions created on behalf of Azusa Pacific University.
Create a professional Azusa Pacific University email signature using the generator below.