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Indiana University
IU Brand

The art of IU’s visual identity

That bold, unmistakable trident. The way crimson conveys that we’re never daunted. The dynamic and inspiring human experiences we capture through our photography and video. We bring these elements together in intentional, consistent ways to tell the story of IU, project our spirit of conviction, and advance our brand. These design resources help marketing and communications pros convey our unique visual language. Your time is valuable, so we also provide downloadable templates for PowerPoint presentations, social media posts, and many other commonly used assets.

Explore IU-branded templates
IU Professor Jon Racek points out details of a prosthetic arm to Bailen Murphy in Luddy Hall.

More than meets the eye

Our approach to design is as important as the words we use. Visuals position the brand, set the mood for communications, and help our audiences feel our sense of conviction when engaging with IU. Use the following resources to equip yourself with a deeper understanding of our brand guidelines for visuals, graphics, text, color, logo and marks, and the collaborative tools available to everyone at IU.

Reflect IU’s real-world impact through people, place, and purpose

Whether we’re telling stories about students, faculty, alumni, our institutional partners, or our impact on Hoosiers’ everyday lives, our photography and video—and the contexts in which we present them—should feel grounded, human, and emotionally resonant. 

Our guiding visual principles

Lead with people

Prioritize human connection, emotion, and lived experience over abstract concepts or institutional imagery.

Capture emotion

Look for moments of trust, curiosity, collaboration, and pride. These small, authentic interactions build connection.

Show context

Use environmental cues—campus landmarks, industry staples, or community settings—to ground the story.

Reflect purpose


Highlight the impact of IU’s work—whether it’s research, mentorship, innovation, or service.
Learn more about our approach to photography and video
A graphic of IU's main brand font, Benton Sans Bold Italic, with the word Indiana in light crimson, placed at an angle and repeated across a crimson background.

Our brand type

The IU brand leverages two core typefaces as part of our visual language system. Benton Sans is our primary typeface and is a prevalent design thread relied upon throughout our marketing. Our secondary, and often supportive, typeface is Georgia Pro. We also use Azeret Mono for eyebrow copy, captions, notations, or tertiary text.

Download fonts

Guidelines and tools

  • IU’s logo and marks

    The IU logo and other symbolic marks are critical signifiers of the IU brand, so use them wisely.

  • Color

    Color is one of our most identifiable visual elements. Explore IU’s primary, secondary, and utility color palettes.

  • Adobe at IU

    Use Adobe Creative Cloud—available at no cost to IU staff and students—to get the word out about IU.

  • Rivet sticker library

    Looking for an icon? Access a full library of Rivet stickers, IU's preferred iconography system.