1. Boston University
College of Communication
Digital Communications Plan and Brand Guidelines
January 2017
Digital Communications Plan: Tatiana M.R. Johnson
Brand Guidelines: Lydia Morales
The following documents contain the digital communications plan for the
College of Communication along with brand guidelines for the College of
Communication.
Please contact the following with any questions:
Tatiana M.R. Johnson
Digital Communications Manager
tatianaj@bu.edu
617-358-1114
Lydia Morales
Senior Graphic Designer
lmorales@bu.edu
617-353-4514
The following documents are the property of Boston University’s College of
Communication.

2. Created
by:
Tatiana
M.R.
Johnson
January
2017
2017-­‐2018
Digital
Communications
Plan
for
the
College
of
Communication
at
Boston
University
OPPORTUNITY
The
Boston
University
College
of
Communication
is
one
of
the
few
schools
in
the
United
States
dedicated
to
the
field
of
communications.
It
is
also
the
first
school
in
the
country
to
teach
public
relations.
The
College
has
been
teaching
the
next-­‐generation
of
leaders
in
communications
for
longer
than
almost
any
other
institution.
Our
communications
strategy
can
optimize
its
opportunity
to
leverage
COM
as
one
of
the
strongest
stakeholders
in
the
education
of
communicators.
By
positioning
COM
as
an
authority
in
media
fields,
we
hope
to
attract
prospective
students
who
not
only
want
to
work
in
the
communications
industries,
but
who
want
to
make
an
invaluable
impact
in
these
fields.
This
strategy
also
aims
to
promote
COM’s
mission
of
being
a
community
that
fosters
diversity,
inclusion
and
pride
of
our
current
students,
faculty
and
alumni.
In
addition
to
putting
forth
this
image,
we
hope
to
promote
the
way
COM
has
been
influential
in
establishing
new
ideas,
research
in
the
media
landscape
and
cultivating
diverse
and
innovative
leaders.
BU
COLLEGE
OF
COMMUNICATION
MISSION
AND
GOALS
Mission:
The
Boston
University
College
of
Communication
(COM)
is
dedicated
to
the
proposition
that
the
free
flow
of
ideas
and
accurate
information
is
vital
to
the
development
and
improvement
of
democratic
societies.
The
College’s
mission
is
to
provide
an
education
center
of
excellence
focused
on
teaching,
research,
and
service
in
the
study
and
professional
practice
of
communication.
The
College
is
dedicated
to
creating
a
diverse
environment,
to
allow
its
students
to
be
exposed
to,
and
learn
from,
varied
points
of
view
and
backgrounds.
This
serves
to
provide
all
of
our
students
the
benefit
of
a

3. Created
by:
Tatiana
M.R.
Johnson
January
2017
wide-­‐range
of
experiences,
which
they
can
then
use
to
inform
others
and
elevate
dialogue
through
their
professional
careers.
To
accomplish
its
mission,
faculty
and
students
maintain
high
standards
of
scholastic
achievement,
establish
rigorous
professional
communication
skill
training
to
prepare
students
for
successful
careers
and
put
forth
a
broad-­‐
minded
attitude
towards
cultivating
an
inclusive
community
of
perceptive
and
socially
conscious
leaders.
The
College
stresses:
-­‐ A
core
liberal
arts
education
that
enables
students
to
understand
societies’
diverse
cultural
foundations
and
stimulates
a
strong
sense
of
social
responsibility
-­‐ Critical
thinking,
creativity,
and
personal
integrity
-­‐ Detailed
research,
lucid
writing,
oral
presentation
skills
and
mastery
of
various
mass
communication
media
-­‐ An
understanding
that
learning
is
a
lifelong
pursuit
Goals:
-­‐ Raise
brand
awareness
of
the
College
of
Communication’s
mission
to
be
a
leader
in
news
industries,
media,
entertainment,
strategic
communications
and
research
-­‐ Promote
COM
as
a
leader
in
practice
and
innovation
in
the
entertainment,
communications
and
media
industries
-­‐ Showcase
COM’s
community
of
students,
faculty
and
alumni
that
are
socially
conscious
and
active
in
leadership
that
promotes
inclusion
and
diversity
of
all
sorts.
Messaging:
These
four
key
messages
will
be
used
to
successfully
convey
COM’s
mission
and
goals
to
the
greater
public.
Key
Message
1:
Social
responsibility
COM
is
building
the
next
generation
of
socially
conscious
leaders
in
the
media,
communications
and
entertainment
fields.

4. Created
by:
Tatiana
M.R.
Johnson
January
2017
This
message
connects
to
the
part
of
the
COM
mission
that
talks
about
students
understanding
“societies’
diverse
cultural
foundations.”
It
also
represents
COM’s
mission
to
cultivate
a
diverse
and
inclusive
community.
This
message
conveys
that
COM
is
teaching
students
who
take
the
initiative
to
establish
new
trends,
ideas
and
processes
while
being
cognizant
of
their
responsibility
to
the
world
and
those
around
them.
Key
Message
2:
Critical
thinking,
creativity
and
personal
integrity
The
next
generation
of
impactful
creative
communication
starts
with
you.
What
will
you
create?
This
message
acknowledges
that
our
prospective
students,
current
students,
faculty
and
alumni
are
creative,
but
also
take
action
based
on
critical
thinking
and
personal
integrity.
This
message
enforces
the
part
of
the
COM
mission
that
encourages
creativity
along
with
acknowledging
that
students
bring
their
own
ideas
and
values
to
this
creativity.
Key
Message
3:
Detailed
Research
and
Mastery
of
Mass
Communication
Media
Discovery.
Truth.
Insight.
Bring
your
voice
to
COM
and
learn
how
to
make
it
heard.
COM
alumni
have
cited
that
COM
has
taught
them
how
to
be
the
best
in
their
field.
This
message
illustrates
COM’s
value
on
a
practical
and
professional
level.
This
message
highlights
the
community
of
accomplished
and
up-­‐and-­‐coming
practitioners
at
COM.
This
encourages
the
academic
expectation
that
students
are
mastering
and
discovering
how
to
be
the
best
practioners
in
their
field
while
studying
at
COM.
Key
Message
4:
Lifelong
pursuit
of
learning
Learn
from
the
ones
who
taught
the
greats.
Let
the
best
in
COM
guide
you
successfully
through
your
career.
This
message
establishes
COM
as
an
institution
that
teaches
COM
the
next
generation
of
leaders
along
with
highlighting
the
long
standing
community
of
alumni
and
faculty
who
continually
contribute
their
innovative
ideas
to
the
world
of
communication.
This
message
conveys
that
COM
is
teaching

5. Created
by:
Tatiana
M.R.
Johnson
January
2017
students
to
be
life-­‐long
learners
that
are
continually
bettering
their
communication
skills.
This
messaging
also
conveys
that
COM
students
are
a
part
of
a
legacy
that
continues
to
establish
new
trends
and
ideas
while
building
up
a
new
generation
of
leaders.
COM’S
CURRENT
DIGITAL
LANDSCAPE
We
currently
have
active
social
accounts
on
Facebook,
Twitter
and
Instagram.
We
post
on
Facebook
at
least
once
a
day,
on
Twitter
3-­‐5
times
a
day
and
Instagram
at
least
twice
a
week.
We
currently
use
Google
AdWords
with
a
company
called
Converge
Consulting.
We
use
paid
advertising
on
all
our
social
channels
primarily
with
the
goal
to
increase
followers.
STRATEGY
The
following
strategy
will
be
instated
in
an
effort
to
help
COM
achieve
its
goals
and
highlight
the
COM
mission.
BUILD
COMMUNICATIONS
CHANNELS/CONTENT
CREATION
COM
already
has
a
solid
presence
on
social
media.
We
provide
consistent
interaction
on
our
Twitter,
Facebook
and
Instagram
channels.
To
optimize
our
current
communications
channels
we
can
do
the
following:
-­‐ Increasing
social
following
by
10%+
o Institute
paid
ads
! Boosting
popular
posts
on
Facebook
! Running
ads
to
increase
brand
recognition
-­‐ Video
o Using
short
videos
to
engage
with
our
digital
audiences
o Integrating
COM
BUniverse
and
YouTube
channel
to
reflect
one
voice
o Establishing
video
placement
strategy
-­‐ Linkedin
o Create
a
digital
community
of
COM
professionals
o Keep
track
of
alumni
and
current
students
and
their
current
careers
o Use
professional
organizations
to
track
influencers
and
build
community

6. Created
by:
Tatiana
M.R.
Johnson
January
2017
-­‐ Social
media
organizing
o Maintain
a
list
of
COM
related
social
accounts
on
the
COM
website
RAISE
AWARENESS
OF
RESEARCH,
INNOVATION
AND
COM
MISSION
Our
communication
channels
do
not
heavily
focus
on
the
research
and
innovation
done
by
professors
and
students
at
COM.
The
COM
mission
is
also
not
stated
clearly
on
our
website.
We
hope
to
promote
these
things
in
the
following
ways:
-­‐
Make
COM’s
mission
visible
on
the
COM
website
-­‐ Promote
COM
research
on
website
and
communication
channels
o Post
COM
research
on
Medium
(an
online
publishing
site)
and
use
tagging
to
make
COM
research
accessible
to
the
greater
public.
o Promote
COM
research
in
web
articles
o Use
visual
tools
such
as
info
graphics
and
animated
videos
to
illustrate
COM
research
o Promote
these
videos
on
social
and
the
COM
website
-­‐ Promote
and
consistently
maintain
department
specific
communication
channels
o Highlight
these
channels
in
our
communications
(i.e.
retweeting,
reposting
content,
etc.)
o Making
sure
these
channels
are
always
up-­‐to-­‐date
and
producing
steady
content
HIGHLIGHT
LEADERSHIP
AND
PRACTITIONERS
Viewing
how
successful
COM
faculty,
students
and
alumni
are
truly
leveraging
COM
as
an
institute
that
creates
some
of
the
best
leaders.
To
further
take
advantage
of
our
successful
community
I
suggest
we
further
spotlight
members
of
the
COM
community.
We
can
do
this
in
the
following
ways:
-­‐
Showcase
COM
students
groups
on
the
website
with
a
static
webpage
-­‐ Highlighting
any
successful
COM
alumni
who
are
making
notable
strides
in
their
career

7. Created
by:
Tatiana
M.R.
Johnson
January
2017
o Spotlighting
COM
alumni
who
may
not
be
in
traditional
communications
fields,
but
have
found
a
degree
from
COM
invaluable
in
their
careers
-­‐ Making
the
value
of
attending
COM
tangible
by
showing
success
o Let
the
stories
of
those
who
got
invaluable
skills
at
COM
speak
for
themselves.
Using
video,
written
interviews,
graphics
and
other
media
to
spotlight
these
stories.
! i.e.
We
currently
do
a
weekly
#WednesdayWisdom
campaign
on
our
social
media
channels
using
the
career
path
images
from
the
COM
lobby.
These
images
consist
of
an
alumni
quote
and
a
map
of
how
they
go
to
their
current
career.
FOCUS
GROUPS
The
most
useful
way
to
gain
further
insight
on
areas
of
growth
in
communicating
with
our
audiences
is
to
gather
more
data.
Depending
on
what
audiences
we’d
like
to
amplify
we
can
gather
information
from
that
particular
audience.
I
suggest
the
following:
-­‐ Initiating
student
based
focus
groups
o Meet
with
students,
faculty
and
alumni
to
gather
information
about
what
they
perceive
about
our
current
communications
-­‐ Attach
surveys
to
applications
to
gather
information
from
prospective
students,
current
students
and
alumni.
o Using
the
application
process
to
gather
more
information
about
the
experience
of
prospective
students
communicating
and
receiving
communication
from
COM
NOTE
This
strategy
does
not
include
methods
of
communication
that
include
traditional
public
relations
and
non-­‐digital
communications.
CONCLUSION
Dividing
COM’s
messaging
into
four
key
parts
will
streamline
the
narrative
about
COM
to
its
mission
statement.
This
messaging
will
be
conveyed
by
the
strategy
above
as
a
way
to
unify
all
constituents
across
the
college
to
the
type
of
communications
COM
would
like
to
have
with
the
greater
public.

8. Created
by:
Tatiana
M.R.
Johnson
January
2017
This
communications
plan
leverages
our
current
social
presence
and
gives
it
some
direction
to
communicate
with
our
target
audiences
(prospective
students,
current
students,
academic/research
community
and
alumni).
If
successful,
this
plan
will
drive
more
applications
from
prospective
students,
retention
and
greater
alumni
engagement.
This
success
can
be
quantified
in
alumni
donations,
data
on
student
retention
and
with
data
on
the
amount
of
students
applying
to
COM.

9. COMquick glance style guide

10. 2
COM logo
Logo guidelines established by Boston
University’s Marketing & Communications
team should always be adhered to when
using and sharing logos. Whenever you place
a logo in communication materials, please
consult the BU Brand Identity Standards
(www.bu.edu/brand) or COM’s Lead Designer.
COM will follow the guidelines below for
selecting between the various sub-brand logo
formats available.
FOR INTERNAL BU AUDIENCES
The “standard” logo format should be the
primary format used unless the logo will be
placed in the bottom left of a page or in
another visual context where the stacked logo
is the more logical aesthetic choice.
Note: On single-page communications/web pages for internal
audiences, the BU master logo will rarely need to be used.
FOR EXTERNAL AUDIENCES
For external pieces, make sure the words
“Boston University” are present in the logo(s)
used. Therefore, the “stacked” logo or a
combination of the BU “master” logo and the
sub-brand “text only” logos should be used
on external communications.
Note: The selection between these two options can be based
on aesthetics, formality of communication piece, intended
relationship with BU vs. COM, etc. When in doubt, please
consult the Design Center!
SUB-BRAND “STANDARD” LOGO
BU “MASTER” LOGO
SUB-BRAND “STACKED” LOGO SUB-BRAND “TEXT ONLY” LOGO
For internal or external audiences,
if multiple sub-brand logos need to
be used on one communication, the
“text only” formats should be used
in combination with a “master” logo.
Always avoid placing multiple “stacked”
sub-brand logos on one communication.
One more thing...

11. 3
COM red
PMS 186 C
CMYK 0-100-75-4
RGB 204-0-0
HEX CC0000
COM purple
PMS 259 C
CMYK 60-100-10-0
RGB 109-32-119
HEX 6D2077
COM turquoise
PMS 306 C
CMYK 65-4-11-0
RGB 0-181-226
HEX 00B5E2
COM light green
PMS 366 C
CMYK 35-5-75-0
RGB 164-214-94
HEX A4D65E
COM yellow
PMS 123 C
CMYK 0-25-95-0
RGB 255-199-44
HEX FFC72C
COM green
PMS 360 C
CMYK 65-3-100-0
RGB 108-194-74
HEX 6CC24A
COM charcoal
PMS Cool Gray 9 C
CMYK 45-35-35-18
RGB 117-120-123
HEX 75787B
COM dark red
PMS 7622 C
CMYK 0-100-96-30
RGB 147-39-44
HEX 93272C
COM light grey
PMS 428 C
CMYK 10-4-4-14
RGB 193-198-200
HEX C1C6C8
COM lavender
PMS 2573 C
CMYK 36-60-0-0
RGB 184-132-203
HEX B884CB
COM emerald
PMS 3278 C
CMYK 98-0-59-0
RGB 0-155-119
HEX 009B77
COM orange
PMS 166C
CMYK 0-79-100-0
RGB 241-93-34
HEX F15D22
COM blue
PMS Process Blue C
CMYK 100-20-1-2
RGB 0-133-202
HEX 0085CA
PRIMARY COLOR PALETTE
SECONDARY COLOR PALETTE
TERTIARY COLOR PALETTE
COM colors
Our primary and secondary colors should
dominate the overall body of communication
materials that COM produces. Tertiary colors
can be used as accents to add energy,
enhance a message, or differentiate materials.
Never approximate our colors – use the
numerical codes to the right. If you need
additional help, check in with COM’s Design
Center.
Interesting color combinations can be created
from as few as two or three of our foundation
colors. Choose your colors with discretion and
an eye toward balance, harmony, and creating
an intentional focal point and visual hierarchy. FOUNDATIONCOLORS
Don’t be scared of white space, and don’t
scramble to fill it! White space acts as a way
for eyes and minds to rest, and intentional
white space can help draw attention to the
color, typography, or graphics you’ve chosen
to convey your message.
One more thing...

12. 4
COM typefaces
Avenir
Klinic Slab
Typeface choices can have a strong influence
on the effect of our communication materials.
When used consistently, typefaces can quickly
help develop a visual identity into brand
recognition – our typefaces will begin to be
associated with COM in our stakeholders’
minds.
We have a primary and secondary typeface
that should be used, nearly exclusively, in
most COM communications. The primary
typeface may appear without the secondary,
but the secondary should not appear without
the primary. PRIMARY TYPEFACE
SECONDARY TYPEFACE
FOUNDATIONTYPEFACES
Brandon
PRIMARY TYPEFACE
WEBTYPEFACE

13. 5
Primary typeface
Avenir
Light
LIGHT
Light Oblique
Book
Book Oblique
Roman
Oblique
Heavy
Heavy Oblique
Black
BLACK
Black Oblique
In COM materials, Avenir should always be
the primary typeface. Avenir may appear
without Ainslie/supplemental typefaces, but
Ainslie/supplemental typefaces should not
appear without Avenir.
Avenir may be used for body copy with
Ainslie or a supplemental typeface for display
copy (titles and headers); however, Avenir is
versatile and may also be used as display text.
Pairing sentence-case Avenir body copy with
all-caps or black-weight Avenir headers can
create the contrast and visual hierarchy you
need without searching beyond this font
family.
If you are creating a piece of collateral
for an internal audience and do not
have Avenir, please substitute Arial or
Helvetica. If you are creating something
for an external audience, please check-
in with the Design Center and we can
either get Avenir installed on your
computer or work with you to design
the piece.
One more thing...

14. 6
Secondary typeface
Klinic Slab
Light
Light italic
Book
Book italic
Medium
Medium italic
Bold
Bold italic
Klinic Slab is a differentiator — it offers
something unexpected and distinct, while
remaining highly legible and conveying a
sense of breath and elegance.
Klinic Slab offers a great typeface choice for
headlines and callouts that will help us stand
out from the crowd. Ainslie should not be
used as body copy.
Klinic Slab is available in different weights,
however we will primarily use the fonts in light
& medium.

15. 7
Imagery: Photos
We want our photos to show that we are a
dynamic, collaborative, hands-on college.
People should look at the photos in our
materials and be able to say, “that could be
me” or “I want to do that!”
Plan to invest time to find the right photo(s)
to help your materials attract the attention
of your audience and powerfully deliver your
message.
Our COM Marketing Team is working to develop a searchable
database of photos and to hire photographers to help build
a more robust library of shots that capture the type of energy
and interaction we are looking for. Please work directly with the
Design Center to access this database and/or select images.
Ideally, each page/main component of a COM-produced piece of collateral would
feature one great photo - a real show-stopper that takes center stage. When that’s
just not possible due to size/resolution/photo availability, the next best thing is to
create a clean “collage” of smaller photos. In a collage, each photo should have
1/8” white border around it (photos should not run directly into each other OR
have color/black borders), and some photos should overlap to add energy to the
collage.
PHOTO SELECTION
When you’re searching for that perfect photo or collection of photos, look for:
Human interaction - Look for photos that feature more than one person and show
people engaged in an activity together. Remember: Hands-on and collaborative!
Relevance - The photo should connect to and support the content/message of the
communication piece.
Energy - Do the people look happy, alert, and engaged?
Focal point - Is there a clear focal point in the photo? Bonus points if people’s
body positions and/or the direction of their faces or eyes helps guide you toward
that focal point.
Immediacy - Look for photos that are framed or cropped in such a way that you are
close to the action rather than feeling “zoomed out.”
PHOTO PLACEMENT

16. 8
Imagery: Photos
These photos meet our goals for human
interaction, relevance, energy, focal point,
and immediacy. The collage on this page
illustrates best practices for building a
collage with 1/8” borders between photos
and occasional overlap among photos.
The treatment of photos can be changed
as well. Using a monotone overlay, the use
of single color images is becoming a norm
in COM web design. Any of the colors from
the color pallet may be used as an overlay
A slight black opacity is an effect that can
also be applied to images. This enables
text to be layered overtop the image with
increased visibility.

17. 9
Imagery: Graphics/Illustration
Flat design adds a clean and fresh touch to
our communication materials. This style can
be used to allude to the creative process
in each of COM’s Fields through the use of
icons.
Consider incorporating graphics when the
subject matter would be enhanced by this
professional and crisp, or when you simply
don’t have access to photos that are relevant
to your subject matter.
Make sure your choices about imagery -
whether graphics or photography - are always
driven by the question, “will this help me
better deliver my message?”

18. 10
Resources
BOSTON UNIVERSITY BRAND GUIDELINES
(for full guidelines on use of the BU master
logo and sub-brand logos - e.g. COM, COM
department & program logos)
COM DESIGN CENTER
9 a.m-5 p.m. Monday-Friday
Lydia Morales, Lead Designer
www.bu.edu/brand
(sections 1-4)
lmorales@bu.edu
617-353-4514
If you are ready to submit a design request to the Design Center, please submit a request online at
www.bu.edu/com/design-request so that we can start work on your project.
To submit a request, please have your written content ready to go (edited); know the messaging goal(s),
tone, and audience for your project, and know what final format you’d like your project to take (i.e. is it
an 11x17 poster, an image you need to email, an image you need to post on Facebook, etc.) and how/
in what quantities it will be distributed.
If you need help thinking through any of the above elements, please contact Kim Relick,
Marketing Manager, or Laurie Herschman for consultation prior to submitting your design
request.