Logos
Primary Logo
The primary logo is the cornerstone of the brand and should appear on the majority of materials. Always reproduce it from approved master artwork — never recreate, retype, or redraw it.
To protect its legibility, give the logo room to breathe and never reproduce it below the minimum size. The clear-space and minimum-dimension rules shown here apply across both print and digital applications.
Sections, Centers, and Units
Our sections, centers, and units share one identity rather than building their own. To represent a unit, pair the approved logo with the unit name set in Adelle, following the spacing and hierarchy shown here. This keeps every group visibly connected to us while still identifying its work. Request unit lockups (logos) via email from our Office of Communications so naming and formatting stay consistent — never typeset a new one independently.
The Globe
The globe is the heart of our identity — a wave curling within a circle, drawn from the meeting of sea and sky that defines our work.
The circular icon reflects the interconnected nature of coastal and marine systems while subtly conveying the institution's growing national and global reach. Three interconnected elements symbolize coastal, estuarine and ocean environments — the diverse ecosystems that define VIMS' and the Batten School's research, education and advisory missions. The icon's central wave form provides a visual connection to previous VIMS identities, establishing continuity between the institution's history and future.
Once the full logo has established context, the globe can stand alone: as an app icon, a social avatar, a favicon, or a quiet mark on collateral. Keep it in its approved colorways and never redraw, recolor, or add effects to the wave. When it appears without the wordmark, give it the same clear space and minimum-size respect as the full logo.
Logo Don'ts
Our logo works because it's consistent. Every unapproved alteration — a shifted element, a stretched proportion, an offbrand color — chips away at the recognition we've spent decades earning, and a logo that looks slightly wrong quietly undermines the credibility of everything around it. Always reproduce the mark from approved master artwork, and never modify it in any of the ways shown below. When a layout creates a challenge these examples don't cover, reach out to our Communications team rather than improvising a fix.