Bold design for a bold university
An approach that expresses our personality and caliber. Every interaction audiences have with our brand is an opportunity to frame how they think of Northeastern and what makes us different.
Our design approach
Building consistency and personality
Our visual language should support the strategic foundations of our brand. To help with this, we take cues from brands that inspire us to create modern, artistic, and immersive experiences across design. These include modern art museums, luxury consumer goods, street art, fashion, and retail. These are the brands and visual cues that our audiences associate with and therefore who we aspire to align with.
Our visual language
Our Design Approach
Functional versus expressive design
Our design approach allows us to create content with a range of tones—from institutional to creative and expressive. The way we use graphic elements, the images we select, and the colors used help to differentiate functional content from expressive content.
When picking the overall design for your piece, consider the content format and audience to find the right balance of functional versus expressive. Explore the detailed design guide.
Functional
- Institutional
- Directional
- Information-heavy
- Straightforward photography
- Mostly Black/white
Mostly Functional
- Webpages
- One-pagers
- Wayfinding signage
- Presentations
Balanced
- Homepages
- Ad campaigns
- Magazines
- Flyers
- Merchandise
- Emails
Mostly Expressive
- Environmental
- Murals
- Social media posts
Expressive
- Spirit creative
- Experience-rich
- Mostly color
- Illustration
- Elevated photography
Putting our design system into practice
Use this page for everyday design decisions, alongside our logo, color, type, and brand policies. We also offer detailed design guidance on grids and using the Primary Monogram box graphic, as well as more sample executions.
Schedule a design consultation
Let’s work together to meet your design needs and find the right approach for your project.