TOOLBOX & GUIDES
Purdue Polytechnic’s Brand: A Guide
This guide is provided to help our incredible students, alumni, faculty and staff—altogether the college’s foundation—describe what makes Purdue Polytechnic unique.
First and foremost: What does “Polytechnic” mean?
The word “Polytechnic” (“many arts” in Greek) describes many European institutions that teach real-world applications of technology. Beyond Purdue Polytechnic, the U.S. also has the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, which defines a polytechnic education as “[directing] the application of sciences to the common purposes of life.”
The Polytechnic voice: Using Purdue’s tools
As one of Purdue’s 10 academic colleges, the voice and tone of Purdue Polytechnic’s brand is aligned with that of the wider university culture at Purdue.
Specific phrases for use in branded materials has been devised for by the University-level Purdue Brand Studio, and can be found here. Branded language particular to the college can be found in our own Brand Strategy guidance.
Writing, speaking and designing in Purdue Polytechnic’s voice
Any of our stakeholders (from current students, faculty, staff, alumni and far beyond) may find themselves in a situation where they are required to speak in our college’s institutional voice. For example:
- A faculty member presenting their work to the wider academic community of other colleges at Purdue
- A student club organizer advertising an event
- An industry partner designing a company-wide callout for feedback/participation from employees that are Polytechnic graduates
- A staff or faculty member communicating with external media, such as a news outlet or another university
This, and any number of other circumstances would require the writer/speaker/designer to be aware of rules around language and visual identity. This is not only to ensure correct brand usage at the level of Purdue Polytechnic, but also for the larger concern of compliance with Purdue Brand Studio guidance, which applies in all cases across the entirety of Purdue University.
For information on Purdue Polytechnic’s recommendations for correct usage of brand language, graphic design principles, social media practices, and even grammar and titling, please use our convenient Toolboxes.