Find Your Energy

We are excited to launch CSU's new Find Your Energy brand! We appreciate your patience as we update this style guide to reflect the new brand.

What is our brand?

Our brand is not our logo, advertising campaign, identity system, or set of talking points. Our brand is the stories, experiences, and attributes that define Colorado State University. It is the sum of all the interactions our audience – students, alumni, fans, community members – has with CSU. It is the feeling we leave them with. It is what they say about us to their friends. It is why they choose us.

It's what we do

Because it is the culmination of the CSU experience, each of us is key in shaping our brand. We influence the brand when we select our areas of inquiry, talk about our research, or help a lost student.

A poor or inconsistent experience does more to shape perceptions than any advertising or public relations campaign. We must act with intention to create an experience that reflects our community and its values.

It's what we say

When writing or talking about Colorado State, we have an important opportunity to express the University’s brand. Of course, brand-building is not simply telling people to love Colorado State or listing our many achievements. We further the University brand by telling stories that reveal the values and purpose we share with our audience. It’s about people loving Colorado State University because of who we are, their experience with us, and what we stand for.

It's how we look

Over time, our University’s visual symbols and aesthetics become symbolic of our brand. While they are not our brand, they serve as a shorthand, evoking memories of our audiences’ emotional bonds with us. For this reason, graphic standards ensure that we deliver consistent messages about ourselves.

It's our shared identity

CSU is a universe of colleges, departments, divisions, and centers that encompasses a variety of individual and group missions. Yet, each of these many and varied parts share in the combined strength of our reputation for excellence and credibility that comes with being part of the Colorado State University brand. It’s a reminder that we’re better together.