Logos

"Brand House" instead of "House of Brands"

Pepperdine takes the "brand house" approach where one parent brand logo—the Pepperdine word mark—forms the basis for the development of all constituent components. All other entities under the Pepperdine brand "roof" are considered sub-brands and are visually represented using a standardized lock-up with the Pepperdine wordmark.

The obligation to create and maintain all enterprise-wide brand visuals rests with Integrated Marketing Communications. No other person or department acting as an official representative of the University is allowed to create or develop a unique brand mark for their own purpose. This is especially important for any communication or marketing materials that reach an audience outside the local campus environment, since an overabundance of unique identities dilutes the strength of the brand identity of the University as an enterprise.

Unique visual identities that ARE allowed:

events and other short-lived initiatives (Pepperdine Associates Dinner, NSO)
flagship publications (President's Report, Pepperdine Magazine)
revenue-generating enterprises (athletics, Center for the Arts)
some grandfathered entities developed before the current brand policy
student-run projects (on-campus only)

Unique visual identities that are NOT allowed:

schools
academic centers
academic programs
institutes
divisions
administrative departments

Brand Identity Definitions

Pepperdine speaks of the different visual indentities using terms like "wordmark," "logo," "emblem," "letterform," "graphic icon," and "signature." These visual elements are not the brand, but instead point to the brand and represent it in visual communication. The following definitions will help distinguish their usage:

Wordmark or Logo

A wordmark/logo is a unique identity consisting of a stylized* word, name, or lettering. A prime example of this is the official Pepperdine wordmark.

Emblem

An emblem is a unique identity which may consist of a logo combined with a graphic element. Ex: the official Athletics mark:

Letterform

A letterform is created using a single letter to represent the larger brand. Ex: Pepperdine University and Pepperdine Athletics avatars:

Graphics, Pictorial Marks, or Icons

A stylized icon representing a real-world object that is related to the brand. Ex: the Pepperdine Athletics wave mark:
pep athletics wave

Lock-ups (sometimes called signatures)

A lock-up is any combination of a wordmark and typeset words. Ex: the University wordmark combined with a school name:

The links below contain specific information for use of Pepperdine University's official brand identity marks. To request any of our branding assets, or should a question arise concerning appropriate use of any of these marks, please contact Integrated Marketing Communications at x6281.

*Stylization implies moving the words beyond the orignal typeface to more of a graphical representation.