CLA Design Theme

A design theme is the quickest, most direct way to communicate. It is a consistent palette of graphics, art, color, line, shape, and form working in synergy to communicate, without a word of description, a positive impression of the College of Liberal Arts. The college's visual presentation reaches people through many external and internal channels, and consistency of expression plays a major role in ensuring a positive impression and reflecting the college's character, style, traditions, strengths, and values.

The design theme is broken down into two parts. Part One outlines the usage of the College of Liberal Arts’ primary signature, which includes the treatment of the initialed name “CLA” (CLA infinity mark/CLA mark), the words, “College of Liberal Arts” (type mark) and the University of Minnesota (wordmark). All three elements of the primary signature work within the University of Minnesota’s graphic standards. Part Two of the design theme is the Design Toolkit which provides a wide range of resources for college departments and units to use.

Part One: CLA Design Theme Guidelines

Part One of the Design Theme includes three components: the design theme guidelines document, the design theme logo key, and a set of image files. The two documents are available here as PDFs. The image files are available through CLASIC, the CLA Shared Image Collection.

College of Liberal Arts Design Theme Guidelines
(1.1 MB) 22 March 2006

College of Liberal Arts Design Theme Logo Key
(880 KB) 22 March 2006

>To download the CLA signature and wordmark files, please log in to CLASIC:

1. go to clasic.umn.edu
2. click on "U of M student, staff or faculty log in here"
3. enter your U of M x.500 user name and password
4. when you are logged in, click on "CLA Signature and Wordmark " to display the design theme collection

About CLASIC: All CLA staff and faculty have access to the CLA Signature and Wordmark and CLA Image Library collections in CLASIC. Other collections exist in the database, and individuals may have access to those collections, based on their department affiliation.

To request access for a student worker, non-CLA U of M employee, or non-U of M contractor, please contact Colleen Ware at warex005@umn.edu.

If you have difficulty logging in to the database please contact the CLA-OIT web development team at webhelp@cla.umn.edu.

Part Two: CLA Design Theme Toolkit

The Design Theme Toolkit will be made available soon and will include the following design templates:

• Pocket folders
• Envelopes
• Labels for mailing and for labeling pocket folders
• Envelopes and seals
• Note cards for invitations and announcements
• CLA shells (8.5x11”) for special communications; i.e., agendas for a conference, notable quotes, information distributed at meetings, etc.
• Podium sign templates for the college and departments
• PowerPoint presentation templates
• Brochure templates
• Cover shells for reports/booklets prepared in-house
• Compliments cards (ex. from the desk of)
• Donor template cards
• Web template examples

Last updated 18 April 2006