Branding & Graphic Design
The Office of Communications manages and oversees the branding and visual identity for the Yale School of Medicine, Yale Medicine, and the Yale School of Public Health, both in print and online. In this section, we provide information about brand guidelines as well as logos, templates, and stationery.
In October 2008, Yale University introduced a new logo for use on letterhead and business cards, in official Yale publications and websites, and in other instances where it is appropriate to communicate a strong connection to the university. The logo is the word “Yale” set in a modified version of the Yale typeface, as shown below:
The medical school has a common interest in reinforcing Yale’s reputation for institutional excellence, to which all parts of the university contribute and from which we all benefit. We have a shared investment in looking “like Yale.”
Along with the new Yale logo, an extension system was developed for use by the professional schools and other academic and administrative units within the university. The medical school’s Office of Institutional Planning and Communications has worked with the Office of the University Printer and with Yale Printing & Publishing Services (YPPS) to create a graphic system that should meet the needs of everyone within the school. Yale School of Medicine’s new wordmark is:
This wordmark—the Yale logo, followed by the words SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, typeset as shown above—will replace previous iterations of the medical school’s graphic identity and should be used on all print and electronic materials that we create.
To recognize the importance of our heritage as a school, we are retaining the School of Medicine shield for use in print and Web publications, set apart from the new wordmark. The shield should be rendered in full color whenever possible. To defray the additional cost of color printing, the Dean's Office has paid for letterhead, business cards, and envelopes to be preprinted with the full-color medical school shield and made available to departments, from YPPS, at no cost.
There are some noted exceptions between the University’s visual identity and the School of Medicine’s system (click here for details on those exceptions).
Thank you for your adoption of the new wordmark and participation in this important branding initiative.
For Yale Medicine branding guidelines, visit the Yale Medicine Clinical Care Resources.
Download the YSM wordmark and shield as print or web appropriate files below. Requests for other file formats or colors may be directed to Jennifer Stockwell, graphic designer, Yale School of Medicine, at jennifer.stockwell@yale.edu. Review the policy for use of the YSM shield here.
JPEG Files:
EPS Files:
- YSM Wordmark
- YSM Shield
- YSM Wordmark (White with transparent background)
- YSM Shield (White with transparent background)
Multimedia Files:
All PowerPoint presentations produced by YSM entities will have a consistent look, including the YSM wordmark. The PowerPoint template, available for general YSM community use, comes in two aspect ratios: Standard (4:3) and Widescreen (16:9). Please direct any questions to laura.maturo@yale.edu.
In 2020, the template was refreshed with an expanded color palate. You may continue to use the pre-2020 template, or update your presentations to the 2020 version based on your preference.
Click the links below to download.
Blue/Grey Template (Pre-2020)
Updated Template (2020)
To comply with Yale School of Medicine branding, please read the guidelines below regarding email signatures. It is important to remember that with digital communications such as email, we have little control over how it appears on the other end of the line. For that reason we ask that email signatures stay as simple as possible, following the guidelines:
- Different email clients and platforms will substitute fonts if it’s not widely accessible, so it’s better to select a font that you know most people will have. We do ask that people stick to one font.
- Your email signature should be black type (for accessibility/legibility), and preferably in one type size. If you want to enlarge one item, but more than two type sizes begins to look messy.
- We strongly recommend that people not include logos in email signatures for several reasons:
- Email clients will display them very differently, which is near impossible to control from your end.
- Logos almost always come across as attachments—which for those who often sort mail by attachments can add time to a task.
- Even if you format it properly on your end to not come through as an attachment, as soon as someone replies or forwards your email it will become an attachment.
A properly formatted Yale School of Medicine email signature should look like this:
| Basic email signature sample: | Example if multiple positions crossing institutions: | Example with name more prominent: |
|---|---|---|
| Firstname I. Lastname, MD
Primary Title Secondary Title Yale School of Medicine Department Name Street Address New Haven, CT 06511 Phone 203 785-XXXX Fax 203 785-XXXX Cell 203 785-XXXX medicine.yale.edu/department |
Firstname I. Lastname, MD
Title(s) at YSM Yale School of Medicine Department Name Street Address New Haven, CT 06511 Title at one Institution Institution Name Street Address New Haven, CT 06511 Title at one Institution Institution Name Street Address New Haven, CT 06511 Phone 203 785-XXXX Fax 203 785-XXXX Cell 203 785-XXXX medicine.yale.edu/department |
Firstname I. Lastname, MD
Primary Title Secondary Title Yale School of Medicine Department Name Street Address New Haven, CT 06511 Phone 203 785-XXXX Fax 203 785-XXXX Cell 203 785-XXXX medicine.yale.edu/department |
Printed materials produced by the units that make up the School of Medicine should include the school’s wordmark. These identifiers communicate the association of the parts with the whole, linking the departments, programs, centers, and administrative offices with the school and the university.
Placement of the wordmark is flexible; the inside or back cover of a multipage publication are suggested locations. Please visit the Office of the University Printer’s website to see detailed examples of logo usage and placement -- which is also applicable for individual school’s wordmarks.
Questions on placement may be directed to Jennifer Stockwell, graphic designer, Yale School of Medicine, at jennifer.stockwell@yale.edu.
All Yale business cards are printed on official, white, Yale card stock, which is available exclusively through Yale Printing & Publishing Services.
The business cards for Yale School of Medicine are preprinted with the school’s shield, in its proper colors, in the top left corner on the back of the card. You may opt to have the card printed on blank card stock, with no shield on the reverse.
For more information or to order envelopes, letterhead or business cards, visit https://ypps.yale.edu/ for contact information or to submit an on-line order.
Standard business card
You may move department/section affiliation to your title(s) to allow more room for additional titles or other information, as shown in this example:
Preprinted shell with the school shield on the back of the card.
You may choose to have your business card printed on blank stock, with no shield.
Paper and Shield/Mark Usage
All Yale letterhead is printed on official, white, watermarked Yale stationery which is available exclusively through Yale Printing & Publishing Services.
The letterhead for Yale School of Medicine is preprinted with the school’s shield, in its proper colors, in the bottom right corner. It is preferred that the shield appear in full color, though you may opt to have it printed in Yale blue, or omitted altogether. For the current academic year (2010–2011) you also may choose to replace the shield with the Bicentennial mark.
For more information or to order envelopes, letterhead or business cards, visit https://ypps.yale.edu/.
Letterhead with full color shield. Preferred Option.
These letterheads (from top to bottom) show three alternatives: School shield in Yale blue, Bicentennial mark in Yale blue, and no shield or mark.
Learn More
Yale University Visual Identity
While the professional schools at Yale, including Yale School of Medicine, have proudly worked to build distinct branded visual identities, Yale University has overarching guidelines pertaining to the University visual identity as a whole.