Student Organizations

This page provides guidance for UNI student organizations about representing their organizations and promoting their activities in alignment with university policies. Please direct questions to the contact info as listed in each section below.

Brand

Student Organization Logos

Use of University of Northern Iowa logos and other trademarks in conjunction with a student organization name or logo implies an association with the university. Only those student organizations and groups officially recognized by a department and/or Student Government are permitted to use university trademarks in conjunction with their name or logo.

All student organizations will fall under one of two categories: Unique Student Organizations and Branded House Student Organizations. 

Unique Student Organizations ‌

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Most registered student organizations can create their own unique logo, as long as the following guidelines are met. Please contact brand@uni.edu with questions.

  1. Can key/typeset "University of Northern Iowa" as long as the text is uniform in font, size, weight, color, etc. A small registration (®️) mark should be added at the end of the university name when doing so.
  2. Can key/typeset "UNI" as long as it’s part of a name/phrase (ex. UNI Filmmakers Club) and the text is uniform in font, size, weight, color, etc. (I.e. "UNI" should look the same as the rest of the text). 
  3. "University of Northern Iowa" and "UNI" (as part of a name/phrase) must be in purple, gold, white or black. Avoid black/gold and red/gold color combos in particular.
  4. Cannot key/typeset or use “UNI" as a standalone monogram. (I.e. should only be used in a logo if part of the club name as noted in #2 above.)
  5. Student orgs/clubs that could be confused for a university department/organization/team should add "club" to their name (ex. Men's Soccer Club or Accounting Club).
  6. The institutional logo cannot be used in a student organization logo, with the exception of branded house student orgs (see next section). Use of the athletics logo is limited and approved on case-by-case basis, primarily in conjunction with sports-related organizations. Vintage university logos are not permitted.

Branded House Student Organizations

A small number of student organizations that exist primarily to assist UNI in advancing the mission of the institution — and whose main audience is prospective, incoming or new students — lock up under the institutional logo. One example of this “branded house” logo approach is Panther Ambassadors, a student organization established by the Admissions office to help recruit new students.

Panther Ambassadors horizontal lockup
Panther Ambassadors vertical lockup

Branded house student organizations are generally identified by the department they are associated with as needing an institutional lockup logo. 

Print Projects

Student organizations are encouraged to design their own marketing and communications materials. In addition to the information presented below, you may find helpful info throughout the Visual Identity section of UNI’s brand guidelines site. Feel free to contact University Relations via brand@uni.edu with questions. 

Printing Process ‌

UNI has a contract with Copyworks that provides significantly reduced rates for jobs submitted using proper procedures. In order for student organizations to take advantage of the discount, jobs must be submitted online using the Copyworks Request Form and approved by the university prior to printing. Contact the Office of Student Involvement at involvement@uni.edu or 273-2683 with questions. 

Important Notes: ‌

  1. It is your responsibility to plan ahead. Requests are processed Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Plan to allow for at least a 24- to 48-hour turnaround on printing submissions.
  2. Any orders from student organizations that are taken directly to Copyworks will be redirected to follow the approval process above if you wish to receive the discount.
  3. Any orders placed outside this approval process will not receive the discount.
  4. Any orders that use UNI marks, words or phrases must be approved by the university prior to printing. 

Spread the Word

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Need help spreading the word about an upcoming event, new project, amazing accomplishment or some of the outstanding students in your organization? 

More Ways to Spread the Word:

  • Post your event on the UNI Calendar: calendar.uni.edu/node/add/event.
  • Email your event to courtney.wilson@uni.edu for consideration to be included in the weekly Panther Experience newsletter that goes to all students.
  • Submit an announcement to Inside UNI.
  • Request a computer lab screen saver or a digital slide for TV monitors across campus.
    • Files should be set up at 1920 x 1080.
    • Files must include a reference to the sponsoring organization.
    • All files should be set up as jpg only.
    • Screensavers and digital slides can be scheduled to run for up to a two-week time period.
    • Submit files and requested dates to ur@uni.edu or contact University Relations at 319-273-2761 for more info. 

Social Media

When creating a new social media account, ensure you have researched and confirmed that there is not an existing account that can meet your needs. This helps to not have an excess of abandoned accounts. If there is an existing account, but you are locked out of it, attempt to find who may be logged in to it. If that is unsuccessful, you can try to recover the account. University Relations can assist with account recovery if issues arise.

When possible, tie all accounts to a general organization UNI email, not an individual student, staff, faculty or advisor university or personal email. This will ensure that you do not get locked out of an account when someone graduates or leaves the organization. When you update or create an account, you must inform ur@uni.edu of the username, platform and contact person(s).

Creating and posting social media content that is accessible to all increases its potential for reach and engagement. Content posted on university social media accounts should align with UNI’s policy of campus accessibility & accommodations of disabilities (13.15). Additional resources for accessibility can be found at social.uni.edu. 

When promoting a giveaway on social media, be sure to specify that your giveaway is not sponsored by Facebook. This will ensure that your post does not get taken down or flagged. Sample: This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered by, or associated with Instagram or Facebook.

Ordering Apparel & Giveaways

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If your student organization wants to order apparel or promotional/giveaway items (including but not limited to shirts, pens, hats, cups, etc.), you must work with a licensed, authorized vendor. A list of approved vendors can be found by searching “University of Northern Iowa” on the Affinity Licensing Products page.

Note: when used on apparel and promotional/giveaway items, any reference to “University of Northern Iowa,” “UNI” or “Northern Iowa” will require a small registration mark (®) immediately behind the name.

Professional Headshots

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Career Readiness Days hosted in the fall and spring semesters by the Rod Library and Career Services provide students with the opportunity for professional headshots. Please coordinate with your student organization members to have individual photos taken during this time if interested. Details regarding Career Readiness Days are publicized via Panther Experience and InsideUNI. 

Student Event Photography

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Student organizations are encouraged to take photos and/or make their own arrangements for photography needs at student-led events.