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Recent Brand Updates
What’s New with Sac State’s Brand Identity?
With a focus on simplifying our brand identity system and providing campus with enhanced and easier to use resources, refinements will continue to be made and tools will keep being added. The most recent updates and information will be shared on this page. All brand details and downloadable resources are always available via the online brand center at csus.edu/brand.
Recent Updates
Updated February 23, 2026
New Process for Purchase of Branded Items
The new CSUBuy Procure-to-Pay (P2P) system now automatically includes a review of branded items as part of the purchase approval workflow. This means if your item does not apply University logos, colors or fonts according to the University identity standards, it will not be approved for purchase until adjusted properly. Though advance brand reviews are not required for all items, you are welcome to connect with universitymarketing@csus.edu for consultation in advance of submitting your requisition to make sure the procurement approval process goes smoothly.
Important note: For swag, apparel, uniforms, and other branded promotional materials, review and approval from the Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC) is required in addition to the University brand review.
Approval Process for Swag, Apparel & Uniforms (PDF)
One voice, one color palette
The approach to communications in formal, standard or casual voice has been consolidated into one voice—standard. While the formal and nickname logos can be used when the situation calls for them, all materials will use the same color palette. Identity elements previously associated only with the casual voice should no longer be used. This includes the Lobster font and several colors, primarily blues and teals.
Continued use of logo lockups
Moving forward, logo lockups are the preferred logo presentation for identity extensions. They pair a primary University logo with the unit, program, department, center, initiative or project name in an approved University font. Logo lockups provide better visibility with larger font options than an integrated logo can. They can also be used for campaigns or slogans. Though not recommended, existing one-position integrated logos may still be used, if desired. Two-position integrated logos should no longer be used.
Bye-bye Garamond font
The primary University fonts (Trajan Pro, Myriad Pro and Aleo) should be used in Sacramento State communications and materials whenever possible. However, sometimes these fonts aren’t available or installed where needed. For 20 years, the default alternative font for these instances has been Garamond. It’s dated and it’s time for change. When a primary University font is not available, Georgia or Arial should now be used as an alternative.
New Tools & Resources
Updated June 20, 2025
Streamlined color palette
The three different color palettes (formal, standard and casual) have been merged into one. Sac State Green and Sac State Gold remain the primary University colors. At least 30% of a design must be the primary colors. Secondary colors, and tints of the primary and secondary colors, may be used for up to 70% of the design. The color palette and more details can be downloaded from sacstate.me/color.
Primary Colors
Primary colors must be used for 30% of your design at full (100%) strength before any secondary colors are applied.
Secondary Colors
Secondary colors can be used at 100% strength and/or as a tint. Tints of the primary colors -- Sac State Green and Sac State Gold -- can also be used as secondary colors.
Simplified Identity Style Guide
Our comprehensive “Brand Book” has been synthesized into a single, concise guide with up-to-date information about and usage guidelines for logos, fonts, colors, and graphic elements. The Identity Style Guide can be downloaded from sacstate.me/styleguide.
Brand Identity at a Glance
Created as a friendly companion to the Identity Style Guide, this one-sheet provides a quick overview of the various brand assets available. This is a great resource to keep handy at your desk! A printable copy can be downloaded from sacstate.me/glance.
Adobe Express templates
A Sacramento State “Brand” and suite of templates have been set up in Adobe Express, an easy-to-use design tool that is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud that is accessible to all Sac State faculty and staff. These are intended for anyone to be able to quickly create branded social graphics, flyers, invitations and more.
Some legacy Microsoft Word and InDesign templates are also available in our Sac State Brand Center. These templates can be downloaded from sacstate.me/templates.
Logo lockup modifiable PDFs
Logo lockups can be applied on collateral, in digital communications, on swag, and in most other instances. Logo lockup files are available as Adobe Illustrator PDFs. They can be opened in Adobe Acrobat and modified as a PDF, or opened in Illustrator and saved as text as an outline for vector files. Use logo lockups with a (TM ) for swag, apparel and uniforms. Modifiable PDFs can be downloaded from sacstate.me/logolockups and sacstate.me/logolockupsTM.
Refreshed Online Brand Center
The online brand center, your hub for brand materials and information related to our brand identity, has been updated to reflect the recent changes and include the new tools. Check it out at csus.edu/brand.
2024 Brand Updates Summary
An initial round of changes was implemented to our brand identity system in 2024:
- Retirement of the tagline “Redefine the Possible”
- Retirement of the three-color primary logo with a “white handle,” the two-color primary logos and two-position integrated logos
- Pause on the development of new one-position integrated logos (this is being extended indefinitely)
- Introduction of logo lockups as modifiable PDFs
- Retirement of the “dot swarm” and “rivers as a pattern” graphic elements
- Reduction in the number and types of items requiring brand reviews.