Bringing our story to life at the intersection of place and brand.
Our campuses, offices, and event spaces offer powerful brand experiences for students, partners, and the public. While each physical context is unique, our design approaches should feel harmonious and intentional. University Marketing and Planning, Real Estate, and Facilities partner to bring this vision to life through architectural design, color, furniture, and the right balance of graphics and art.
While some environmental placements are big brand moments with high visibility among public audiences, other placements are more internal. Choosing the right approach and investment for each location is important. These approaches and executions include art, brand marks, photography, custom graphics, ready-made graphics, and signage. Use the following framework to guide your work and decision-making.
If you have questions about how to get started, please reach out to University Marketing.
Big brand moments
Think gateways, high-use community and event spaces, lobbies and atria, and exterior spaces that intersect with surrounding neighborhoods. These could also include internal spaces used frequently by external audiences.
We want people to experience our brand personality—bold, immersive, unexpected, and open—by using the right mix of architectural design, art, signage, and brand graphics.
When you have funding to design a space, work directly with PREF on determining the right approach and agency selection. University Marketing will be a key stakeholder and PREF will facilitate conversations from early in the planning through final approval.
Art in environmental designs
Public art is one of the most expressive executions of our brand, often best suited for big brand moments. University Marketing oversees the Public Art program at Northeastern. Review our Public Art guidelines for more information about when and how to propose a new artwork.
Brand marks
Brand marks can make an impactful interior graphic when designed with purpose, scale, and consideration of the context—particularly our Monogram and spirit marks. For an elevated feel, apply these tone-on-tone with different materials or use the materials and space in unexpected ways, such as wrapping a mark around a corner.
Photography
Use brand photography, including a mix of straight shots and curated imagery—with intentional crops, immersive angles, and high color saturation—to bring a space to life. You can select images from Northeastern’s Digital Image Repository and format them according to the space requirements. Executions can include a range of creative options, including simple framed series and large-format, floor-to-ceiling installations.
University Marketing must approve images before production, as well as how they will be displayed in context.
Ready-made environmental graphics
University Marketing has created and curated a selection of graphic murals and illustrations for use in spaces requiring a more expressive execution. Contact [email protected] with a description and renderings of your space, and the team can advise on whether a ready-made design could work for your space.
Custom artwork
This approach should be reserved for the largest and most visible spaces. Where the above options do not fit the needs of the space, work with PREF to design custom imagery or commission a graphic designer for your space.
Any designs must be approved by University Marketing before production. If a public art commission is deemed appropriate, you must work with the Public Art Team in University Marketing to identify an artist.
Signage
PREF manages signage executions, including design, placement, and materials; the department works with University Marketing to align with brand standards. Please reach out to PREF for information about planning a signage project.