CCM Brand Guide

CCM's Brand Guide is designed as a supplement to UC's Brand Guide, and our college follows all of the branding guidelines established by our university.

Tomorrow's arts leaders and luminaries get their start at CCM. We educate and inspire the whole artist and scholar for positions on the world stage, and our brand strategy celebrates the excellence of our students, alumni, faculty, staff, supporters and community partners.

We provide life-changing experiences within a highly creative and multidisciplinary artistic environment. We believe experience-based learning puts arts education into action. Our goal is to be unfailingly student-centric. We're not only an institution dedicated to arts education, though. We're an arts incubator. We're defining next for the performing and media arts.

We believe in collaboration — among disciplines, across borders and to solve our biggest challenges. We believe in connecting with the world, beyond our classrooms and beyond our campus. We believe in inclusion, and that true learning requires an understanding of diverse points of view.

Vision: Student-centered, uncompromising excellence.

Mission: CCM provides life-changing experiences within a highly creative and multidisciplinary artistic environment.

Objective: To educate and inspire the whole artist and scholar for positions on the world's stage.

CCM's state-of-the-art facilities—which are commonly referred to as the “CCM Village”—provide students with professional-level working and learning environments to prepare them for future careers. This allows us to push the boundaries of traditional classroom experiences by turning our performance halls, production studios and design workshops into our laboratories. Students can choose a course of study from nearly 120 possible majors and 9 different degree types that span the spectrum of the performing and media arts—from instrumental performance to theatre arts and design to media production and more.

Tomorrow’s arts luminaries work with today’s industry leaders at CCM. Our professors are Grammy, Emmy and Tony Award-winning performers and designers, ASCAP and BMI Award-winning songwriters and composers, Fulbright Scholars and more. With a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio, CCM students receive personalized mentorship from professors who guide their individual scholarly, creative, musical, performing and teaching growth.

As the largest single source of performing arts events in Ohio, CCM presents nearly 1,000 performances and public events each year. Our students are involved in each step of the process from planning to performing, both on stage and behind-the-scenes. Whether it’s gaining experience through our performing ensembles like our orchestras and chamber groups or our theatre arts productions or our film and multimedia projects, CCM students learn by doing.

Located in the heart of a public research university and surrounded by Cincinnati’s arts organizations, CCM is part of a vibrant arts community that connects students with performance opportunities, internships and professional experience. Students connect with local professional arts organizations and also join CCM’s expansive alumni network, with 97% of recent graduates currently working or continuing their education.

CCM’s current student population comes to Cincinnati from 41 different U.S. states and 41 different countries. International students represent roughly 23% of the student body. Our college is an internationally renowned institution, and we prepare our students to collaborate, create and innovate on a global scale.

Our college's name — the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music — reflects our history as one of the first music conservatories in the United States (and possibly the very first residential conservatory in the country).

"CCM" is informal shorthand for the "University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music." Our "CCM" initials are only to be used after our full name or our affiliation with the University of Cincinnati is already established. Communications materials should never rely solely upon the "CCM" initials.

Since there are numerous other organizations that also use the initials of "CCM" in one form or another, including many other performing and media arts organizations and even other performing and media arts colleges, it is vitally important to be consistent with UC's brand standards and to connect our college with the university's brand in all communications materials. While there are many instances where usage of the "CCM" abbreviation is necessary and appropriate, those instances must first show a direct connection with the University of Cincinnati's brand.

While CCM has an international reputation built on a tradition of excellence that dates back to 1867, its strength from a branding perspective comes from the college's affiliation with the University of Cincinnati brand, which helps to establish a sense of place and differentiate UC|CCM from any other organization that also uses the letters, acronym or initials of "CCM."

Cincinnati is home to this country's oldest continuous choral festival, its sixth oldest symphony orchestra and its second oldest opera company, to name just a few of the Queen City's bragging rights. The arts are a foundational part of Cincinnati's history, and CCM played a foundational role in many of our community's performing and media arts organizations.

We are Cincinnati's original arts incubator, and we have ties to the origins of many of our community's major arts organizations like Cincinnati Opera and Cincinnati Ballet. When Clara Baur founded CCM in 1867, she envisioned the conservatory as a talent magnet that would draw leading performers and pedagogues from all over the world to settle in Cincinnati. Her vision was a rousing success, and today the National Center for Arts Research's Arts Vibrancy Index Report has ranked Cincinnati in its list of top 20 vibrant arts communities in the United States, specifically citing CCM as one of the reasons why Cincinnati is one of the "hotbeds of America's arts and culture."

CCM's brand strategy celebrates our pride of place in both Cincinnati and the University of Cincinnati.

The UC|CCM logo is dynamic and unleashed. It is both forward-thinking and established as it places priority on Cincinnati, conveying pride and strength of place. Our logo must appear prominently on all communications, including videos and multimedia materials.

CCM's logo – which is technically referred to as a "lockup" connecting our college's name to the university brand – is staged on white, red or black. When placing on photography, find quiet areas within the composition that provide contrast and legibility.

The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music's primary (formal) logo includes the college's full name, and its secondary (informal) logo includes the college's abbreviated name (CCM).

The CCM Marketing + Communications office recommends using the primary (formal) logo in most external communications to identify the college's full name; do not use both the primary (formal) and the secondary (informal) logos in the same communication.

Examples of CCM's formal and informal lockup logos follow:
 

Never use CCM's lockup logos with another UC unit's lockup. If more than one unit needs to be acknowledged in the communication, use the UC logo alone. 

Lockups are not allowed on standard business communication such as letterhead, business cards and forms. Standard business communication uses the UC logo alone.

It is never wrong to use the UC logo alone, with the unit name elsewhere in the communication.

Examples of UC's standard logo follow:
 

THE DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF SEPARATE LOGOS TO REPRESENT UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI UNITS OR PROGRAMS IS PROHIBITED.

The primary logo is preferred and should be used whenever possible. It best conveys the idea of “education unleashed.”

Proper incorporation of safe space protects the integrity of the UC logo.

A clear area or “safe space” free of copy, graphic elements, inset imagery, or color must be maintained around the UC logo. No visual elements may violate the safe space. 

An area around the UC logo equal to the height of the letter “C” is the minimum required safe space.

Maintaining the integrity of our mark is critical, and it must be legible in any instance of use.

The primary logo may not be scaled below 80 px width in digital applications or .75˝ width in print. The secondary logo may not be scaled below 80 px width in digital applications or 1˝ width in print.

This sizing applies to the UC logo portion of lockups and co-brand examples.

IT IS NEVER WRONG TO USE THE UC LOGO ALONE, with the unit name elsewhere in the communication.

If more than one unit needs to be acknowledged in the communication, use the UC logo alone. Do not use two lockups in the same communication.

Lockups must follow the prescribed template for font, type size, spacing and color.

Lockups replace all typographical arrangements for college names, even those previously approved. Seek guidance from the Brand Review Committee. 

Lockups are not allowed on standard business communication such as letterhead, business cards and forms. Standard business communication uses the UC logo alone.

Lockups are not permitted on digital platforms. Do not place lockups on landing pages, in email signatures, or in social media posts. Lockups may be used in digital ads.

Lockups must follow naming policy guidelines. Seek guidance from the Office of Planning + Design + Construction. Due to production limitations, lockups cannot be replicated on embroidered merchandise.

A special embroidery template exists. Seek guidance from Trademarks and Licensing.

When used consistently, color is a powerful brand identifier. Our UC colors are bold, strong and attention-grabbing.

In addition to UC's bold primary colors, our university has introduced two secondary colors: UC Dark Red and Grey. These colors play vital roles in our brand's visual identity. UC Dark Red can be found accenting uc.edu websites, often used in subheaders or as a dynamic hover state when paired with UC Primary Red in digital formats. Grey, on the other hand, serves as a versatile background color, providing a necessary contrast to our primary red and black hues, all while maintaining our accessibility standards. These secondary colors enhance the depth and diversity of our brand's visual language.

An expanded color palette helps marry hierarchy and accessibility. Secondary colors compliment our primary colors, and bring additional flexibility into our artwork.

In particular, our secondary palette is recommended for data visualizations.

Typography extends the visual expression of our brand character and supports our tone of voice in text form.

Open Sans, Gentium Book Basic and Jost (used in headers on the web) are the preferred typefaces for the University of Cincinnati brand. They are free and web-safe and can be accessed at google.com/fonts. All campus machines should have these fonts installed.

Select official CCM promotional materials are also permitted to use Neutraface provided that a license is properly acquired for that font. In general, communications materials using Neutraface are only managed by CCM's Marketing + Communications Office and CCM's Scheduling Office.

In addition, Myriad and Minion remain acceptable for use. GT Eesti Pro Text Regular is used for lockups.

Our graphic elements and photography bring activity and dimension to our primary visual assets, further unleashing the UC brand. (Secondary assets are available for view by request.)

The monogram graphic is a highly identifiable derivative of the symbol. The monogram provides for a robust range of layering and depth.

Shapes deconstructed from the monogram become layering elements to express multidimensionality. Using the collection allows for a greater level of expression and helps convey the active and dynamic nature of the university. 

UC and CCM staff, faculty, students, alumni and volunteers are not permitted to present themselves in social media as a representative of, or spokesperson for, CCM or UC without the express written authorization of the University Communications Department. Any authorization granted for representing the University of Cincinnati or the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music on any social media site will be limited in scope, timeframe and message content.

Staff, faculty, students, alumni and volunteers may not create any UC or CCM Social Media Presence without prior written approval from the University Communications Department.

All proposals to create a University of Cincinnati Social Media Presence must be submitted in writing for evaluation and approval by University Communications.

***Please note: CCM divisions, departments, units, studios, programs, offices, ensembles and productions are not permitted to create their own YouTube channels. CCM will only maintain one college-wide YouTube channel. CCM students, faculty and staff can submit video content to our college's Marketing + Communications Team for possible inclusion on our YouTube channel.

If your academic division receives approval to have an official Social Media Presence, your official social media avatars must be created by Marketing + Communications. Marketing + Communications develops and provides these assets to the appropriate social apex user.

Approved UC social accounts on LinkedIn and Facebook should be named starting with “University of Cincinnati ____” or "UC"

Approved UC social accounts on Instagram, X and TikTok should be named starting with “@uc_” or “@uc” or “uofcincy”

For context, CCM's official social media handles are:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UCCollegeConservatoryofMusic
• X: https://x.com/uc_ccm
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uc_ccm
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/uc-ccm/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uc-ccm

Any email generated from a uc.edu address is considered official university communication, and the appearance of signature formatting should present a professional tone while remaining accessible. To achieve those goals, faculty and staff are encouraged to follow the guidelines below.

Photography demonstrates education in action. Setting, lighting and activity express the concept of “unleashed.”

• People are engaged in experiences. 
• The scene feels natural, unscripted. 
• Strong focus on the individual or on the group is evident. 
• Models rarely face the camera directly

The CCM Marketing + Communications Team maintains an extensive library of both brand photography and archival photography. For assitance, please contact our office.

Reproduction of the seal is restricted to presidential or Board-related purposes and in recognition of certain prestigious scholarly achievements such as a diploma. The seal is also appropriate for permanent markers, such as architectural elements produced in stone, metal or glass, and for regalia and class rings, subject to licensing approval. Use of the seal must be approved by the division of Governmental Relations and University Communications or by the Brand Review Committee.

The “Alternate Seal” is for use on plaques, clothing, gift items, and merchandise. Use is restricted for licensed goods. Its use is governed by the Office of Trademarks and Licensing.

Official student organizations and clubs recognized by the Office of Student Activities and Leadership Development (SALD) have access to the athletics marks, subject to approval by Trademarks and Licensing.

Working in conjunction with UC's Office of Trademark Licensing & Brand Engagement, the CCM Marketing + Communications Team is available to help faculty and staff develop and procure branded good and merchandise. Please consult with these offices before pursuing any merchandising efforts.

The university owns all trademarks, service marks, trade names, logos, seals, symbols, mascots, and slogans associated with or referring to the University of Cincinnati. UC's Office of Trademark Licensing & Brand Engagement protects and controls the use of our marks on merchandise and licensed goods, and oversees the quality and appropriateness of products, promotions, and sponsorships for which the marks are used.

All uses of UC’s name and trademarks on products require prior approval from the Office of Trademark Licensing & Brand Engagement, even if the proposed uses do not involve the sale of a product.

All products bearing UC’s trademarks must be produced from companies licensed by the University of Cincinnati through our agent, the Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC). All uses of UC trademarks on products will incorporate the appropriate trademark designation symbols (i.e., ® or ™).

Additional information is available on the Office of Trademarks and Licensing website, uc.edu/licensing.