Get in UMW style

Brooke Kingsley and other committee members worked on the style guide for more than a year.

University unveils style and graphic standards manuals

When you tell people where you work, what image comes to their minds when they hear “University of Mary Washington?”

Fred Worthington of BMWW design firm wants everyone to get on board in creating that immediate mental picture of the University. In other words, he wants you to help make Mary Washington a strong brand in the world of higher education – and he hopes the newly released Graphic Standards Manual will help.

BMWW – the Baltimore firm that designed the new logo, mascot and seal – worked with a University committee to come up with the manual, which, along with the Correspondence Style Guide, was released at a Jan. 31 luncheon in Great Hall.

Consistent use of logos and graphics helps convey core messages about the institution, Worthington said – messages about the history of the state school, its liberal arts and sciences programs, its location, the quality of its faculty and more.

“Branding can reach students and parents, but it also can reach faculty, donors and state legislators,” Worthington said. And those are the people who have the power to shape the future of the University.

Another way to convey the essence of Mary Washington is through consistent use of written style. The newly released Correspondence Style Guide is the go-to guide for questions about letters, grammar, punctuation, spelling and even appropriate monikers for social groups.

A 12-member committee, chaired by Margaret Mock and Ranny Corbin, worked for more than a year on the 75-page publication. They started with a style guide that Mock wrote five years ago for University Relations, and the committee expanded it to include correspondence guidelines and more.

The work that went into both manuals was so extensive – and their arrival so awaited – that the Administrative Roundtable celebrated their release with the January luncheon. About 175 people showed up in Great Hall to get a first glimpse of the booklets, recognize those who crafted them and hear from the key players in the process.

Fred Worthington uses a childhood favorite to illustrate the power of branding.