Today we’re announcing a set of modifications to our brand architecture system.
The primary objective of having a brand architecture system is to provide clarity about the Berkeley brand and to help standardize its application. We attempted to keep the basic structure of the lockup architecture intact, and to be as least destructive as possible in the process of solving the issues at hand.
What is a logo lockup?
A lockup is a logo design that visually defines the relationship between a campus unit and the larger university brand. Some variations of the lockup feature an optional “endorser” line, which is used to identify a hierarchical relationship between an entity and its parent unit.
Goal #1: Replace Medalist due to accessibility concerns
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) provide a single shared standard for web content accessibility that meets the needs of individuals, organizations, and governments around the world. WCAG 2.0 Level AA is required by university policy and Level AAA is preferred. Medalist fails to meet WCAG Level AAA requirements and Level AA requirements at smaller sizes. In the October 2022 meeting of the Brand Advisory Committee, we recommended the removal of the color Medalist from the logo lockup architecture, to be replaced with a set of four lockup options in accessible color combinations.
Goal #2: Unify the two endorser line styles and in the process create a standard for named school lockups
There were two versions of the endorser line — one style defined in the brand book, the other added later and used exclusively for named schools.
Goal #3: Create a two-line version of the “informal” lockup for long names
Both the one-line and two-line versions of the horizontal large lockup accommodate an endorser line.
The horizontal lockup with small text (formerly known as the “formal” lockup) remains unchanged.
The vertical lockups also remain unchanged.
