Brand Identity

We live our brand.

A brand is the total of all the experiences anyone has with Hope College. It is different for each person, whether they are a student, alum, faculty, staff or donor.

Key Messaging

Brand messages are the most important talking points or copy points when communicating with the Hope community. In choosing messages, we must keep in mind the audience and what they value. Think about Hope from their perspective.

Promises & Attributes

Hope’s brand promise is: “Hope College inspires students to be fully alive in mind, body and spirit through an exceptional liberal arts education and a community grounded in a vibrant Christian faith.” Brand attributes are key words and phrases that describe Hope College as it is and aspires to be.

Logos

The primary logo for Hope College consists of two parts: the name of the college, or logotype, and the anchor icon.

Color Palette

The Hope College color palette is made up of primary and secondary colors and tints. Hope Orange (PMS 166) and Hope Blue (PMS 289) are our primary brand colors. The secondary color palette is based on colors in the rose window of Dimnent Chapel and also reference elements unique to the Hope experience.

Fonts & Typography

The primary typeface for headline and subheads/callouts is Verlag. The primary typeface for body copy and text on letterhead is Baskerville. The primary display typeface is Clarendon BT.

Examples & Showcase

Find common examples and view a creative showcase of the Hope College brand application in print, digital and other media.

Quick Info

BRAND MESSAGING

Brand messages, which are based on our brand attributes, are the most important talking points or copy points when communicating with the Hope community. In choosing messages, we must keep in mind the audience and what they value. Think about Hope from their perspective.

Key messaging

Brand promise and attributes

Brand Promise

Hope College inspires students to be fully alive in mind, body and spirit through an exceptional liberal arts education and a community grounded in a vibrant Christian faith.

LOGOS

The primary logo for Hope College consists of two parts: the name of the college, or logotype, and the anchor icon. There are two configurations, horizontal and vertical. Horizontal is the preferred orientation for college communications. The vertical configuration may be used when space does not allow for the horizontal configuration.

vertical hope college logo

See all logos and logo guidelines

COLOR PALETTE

The Hope College color palette is made up of primary and secondary colors and tints.

Primary Colors

Hope Orange (PMS 166) and Hope Blue (PMS 289) are our primary brand colors. Hope Orange or Hope Blue must be present in every layout with the exception of black and white media. These colors can be used in a variety of elements, including but not limited to type, photography, texture, graphics and the logo.

Secondary Colors

The secondary color palette is based on colors in the rose window of Dimnent Chapel and also reference elements unique to the Hope experience. Secondary colors are an expansion of the color palette and should never be used without the presence of the primary brand colors.

Tints

Each color has a range of tints that may be used. The range was chosen based on several criteria: whether the tints hold true to the original color, whether the color is too light for use in print, and its overall aesthetic. Hope Orange is the only color that may not be used as a tint.

FONTS & TYPOGRAPHY

The primary typeface for headline and subheads/callouts is Verlag
The primary typeface for body copy and text on letterhead is Baskerville
The primary display typeface is Clarendon BT

Request brand fonts for your college-owned computer

GUIDELINES

See all guidelines

BRAND FOUNDATIONS

Consciously developing a brand identity is a powerful way to build and strengthen connections with everyone on campus. By becoming more thoughtful and consistent about what is more important and relevant about Hope College, we can all pull together. We speak with a stronger voice and make the most of our resources.

The process of branding asks questions, such as:

How is Hope distinctive?
How does Hope’s mission and vision guide our brand?
What about Hope is most important and compelling to those we serve — students, parents, alumni, friends of the college our community?
What about Hope is most important and compelling to those who provide service — faculty, staff, administrators?

A successful brand must honestly reflect who we really are as a college. It should communicate what matters most, powerfully and persuasively.

An authentic brand flows from the mission, vision and lived experience of the college

The mission of Hope College is to educate students for lives of leadership and service in a global society through academic and co-curricular programs of recognized excellence in the liberal arts and in the context of the historic christian faith.

View our mission statement, vision statements, core values, virtues of public discourse and more about the college.

WE LIVE OUR BRAND

Because a brand is made up of all the experiences someone has with Hope College, everyone who represents Hope also represents the college’s reputation and how others experience it. The success of our brand is up to us.

While marketing and advertising are the most prominent representations of the brand, the visitors we talk with, the students we assist, the phone calls we answer, are equally important.

Hope is a welcoming place because we make it so — saying hello as we walk the campus, opening doors for others, offering a warm drink to visitors coming in from the cold, helping and caring for one another.

In short, our words and deeds continue to bring the Hope brand to life. This brand platform gives us all communication tools, empowering us to express the Hope brand in our words and actions.