The Notre Dame Brand

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Expressions of the Notre Dame brand should honor the University’s rich legacy and future aspirations. Notre Dame seeks to become the premier Catholic research university for the 21st century. It is unwavering in its commitment to its Catholic character and to providing unparalleled opportunities for inquiry for students and scholars, both here in South Bend and around the world.

The boldness of this vision can be traced to the University’s founding, when a French priest named Rev. Edward Sorin, C.S.C., trekked through the brutal Indiana winter to take possession of land on which he would start “a great university for Our Lady,” that would, in Father Sorin’s words, become a “force for good in this country.” Now, in keeping with Father Sorin’s audacious vision, we broaden our area of focus to include the world.

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The Notre Dame Brand

As communicators at Notre Dame, we are stewards of one of the great stories in American higher education. Consistency (not to be confused with uniformity) and quality in articulating the University’s core focus areas serve to make the University stronger, including its individual parts.

  • Research

    For scholars who share a common passion for inquiry because of what it can reveal about our world and ourselves, there is opportunity here.

  • Faith & Service

    Notre Dame is animated by a faith that inspires us to seek knowledge because of the powerful tool it can be in improving humankind.

  • Global

    Notre Dame seeks to be in the world, and to bring the world to Notre Dame, because inquiry and scholarly exchange are enriched by the pursuit of cultural fluency.

Onmessage On Screen

On Message

Caring for the Notre Dame visual brand is a responsibility of the communicators at the University. The On Message website is a repository of the elements and how-to’s that help maintain a consistent, cohesive, and effective visual identity for the University of Notre Dame and its entities.

On Message Website

Consistency Matters

Just as we seek distinction among our peers in what we do, we also seek distinction in how we look. The Notre Dame look and feel should both set us apart and unify us as a university. Audiences should be able to identify association with the University quickly based on key visual indicators including color and font, as well as overall design.

  • Unified Message

    Notre Dame is a single university with many parts.

  • Unwavering Values

    Notre Dame is a mission-driven institution.

  • Uniform Design

    Notre Dame has a distinct look and feel.

One brand, many voices

Consistency does not always mean uniformity. The Notre Dame brand is built to be flexible, to give room for individual entities on campus to carve out their own visual identity within the framework. We are one University with many voices. Yet while these individual units are making valuable contributions in their respective fields, they will never outshine the brand of Notre Dame in the hearts and minds of an audience. Associating with the master brand—while allowing for personalization—not only helps with overall consistency, but also benefits your department.

  • Unique

    You are contributing to Notre Dame in your own way.

  • Targeted

    You need the right mix of field-specific and general appeal.

  • Flexible

    You have a place to shine within the brand structure.