Digital

Our suite of digital tools was developed to prioritize user experience and accessibility for all. Here, you can access branded icons, standardized headers and footers, analytics and customizable email signatures.

Modification of FSU's official web themes, templates, components or graphics is not permitted.

Required Components

Header

Properly utilizing the header of a website is the easiest way to create a consistent experience across all pages. The simple header is intended to be used in conjunction with the existing header navigation and layout.

Footer

The global web footer provides visual consistency across all FSU websites. Users can easily navigate to key university-level pages from all FSU websites. The footer includes several required links to help maintain consistency but is also flexible to accommodate specific website goals. Similar to the header, the footer can be appended after any existing site-specific footer on your website.

See Web Style Guide for more detailed information.

Digital Signage

FSU's digital signage must be accessible to everyone. Appspace, as well as a space for advertising in the Tallahassee International Airport.

Text

Font

  • Use our brand fonts for all digital signage to maintain FSU’s look and feel. Open Sans is preferred for digital communications.
  • Garamond is used in an institutional or formal context.
  • Script font must not be used for digital signage.

Readability

  • Font must be at least 16 point font.
  • All caps should only be used for headlines, never for body font or blocks of text.
  • Italics font may only be used for footnotes.
  • Consider using bold or color to emphasize words or phrases instead—or simply editing the content down to essential phrases.

Length

  • Text for digital signage should be limited no more than three to four sentences.
  • It is best to focus on one to two key points in any given slide, keeping messaging concise and simple.

Visuals

Consistency

  • Use the FSU color scheme when designing content for digital signage.
  • Templates are available in Appspace, and Brandfolder has a large library of FSU photos that can be used for visual content.

Copyright

  • Do not use copyrighted images or other content without explict written permission—this puts the university and you at risk. This includes all FSU restricted-use logos including the university seal.

Brand

  • All content representing FSU must adhere to the university’s brand policies. Please reach out to brand@fsu.edu with any questions.

Accessibility

High Contrast

  • When designing content for digital signage, it is best to ensure that the colors of words and graphics are in high contrast with the colors in the background. It is best to utilize white space, especially for the background of designs.

Font sizes

  • Keep text large enough that it will be legible to viewers who are visually impaired and/or reading from a far distance.

Keep accessibility in mind by:

  • Limiting the use of italics and asterisks (*) to footnotes only.
  • Limiting the use of all caps for headlines and one line of text only. Don't use all caps for body copy.

To use these fonts, follow the example below:

  • If you want the font “Open Sans Condensed Extra Bold” to be italic, do not click the Italics icon in the ribbon. Instead use the font drop-down menu and select “Open Sans Condensed Extra Bold Italic”.
  • If you have any design requests or questions, contact Brand@FSU.edu.

Domain Name Guidelines

Domain names communicate Florida State University’s image and reputation to the public. To ensure that university-related domain names support the Florida State brand and align with university goals, Information Technology Services (ITS) and University Communications oversee the creation of university domain names. The following guidelines outline the approval and registration process for obtaining university domain names.

Domain Name Guidelines

Email Signatures

Create a professional and cohesive email presence with the FSU email signature generator. Our email signatures ensure consistency and professionalism in all of your communications. Enhance your email interactions with a signature that reflects FSU's identity and includes essential elements.

Email Signature Generator

Favicons

Icons ensure a cohesive and recognizable FSU brand image across all platforms, providing a seamless and visually appealing user experience.

All Florida State University websites should use one of the following options:

Download Favicons

Web Analytics

Understanding user behavior on a website is critical for assessing its performance and making decisions for content/design improvements.

Analytics help us to understand user behavior, track key metrics, and make data-informed decisions to improve user engagement and optimize FSU's digital strategy.

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