Governance & Policies

Brand-Governance Statement

University Marketing and University Communications (MarComm) serve as the stewards, keepers and enforcers of William & Mary’s brand identity. As such, MarComm holds the following responsibilities:

1. Brand Stewardship: MarComm is charged with safeguarding the University’s name, marks, messaging pillars, visual identity and tone in all external and internal-facing communications. It develops, maintains and publishes the official Brand Guidelines and related assets.
2. Brand Custodianship: MarComm acts as the primary custodian of the University’s trademarks, logos, signatures, wordmarks and any derivative identities, ensuring they are used appropriately, consistently and in alignment with institutional values and brand strategy.
3. Brand Enforcement: MarComm enforces the Brand Guidelines across all academic units, administrative departments, affinity groups, student organizations and external partners. When a deviation, misuse or unauthorized adaptation of the brand is identified, MarComm works with the responsible unit to remediate the issue. Expenditures for materials produced without brand compliance may be subject to review or reassessment. This ensures that the University will not underwrite unauthorized brand treatments.
4. Approval Authority and Delegation: Responsibility for the University’s brand identity is delegated to MarComm by the President. All units must coordinate with, obtain approval from or otherwise operate under the oversight of MarComm when creating new sub-brands, co-brands, stationery, promotional materials, digital assets or third-party licenses using the William & Mary name or marks.
5. Support & Collaboration: While MarComm holds final authority for brand matters, it operates as a service partner. It provides tools, templates, training, review processes and consultation to academic and administrative colleagues. Units are encouraged to collaborate early in the planning of communications and promotional initiatives to ensure brand alignment from the start.
6. Continuous Monitoring & Evolution: The brand governance framework is dynamic. MarComm monitors market, digital and institutional trends, solicits stakeholder input and periodically updates brand standards, usage guidelines and approval workflows. All units must adopt the current version of the Brand Guidelines in their communications.

Implementation Expectations

1. All University materials — print, digital, social, event-based and merchandise — must reflect the approved Brand Guidelines.
2. Unauthorized or incorrect use of the University marks or messaging may result in corrective action, including redesign, reprinting or re-issuance at the responsible unit’s cost.
3. Each unit must identify a liaison to MarComm for brand matters and coordinate at key stages of materials development.
4. Co-branded or partner-branded assets (affinity organizations, centers, research institutes, external vendors) must be reviewed and approved by MarComm before deployment.
5. MarComm maintains a brand-compliance review process, audits usage periodically and provides a dashboard of brand-health metrics (usage consistency, stakeholder feedback, corrective actions).

Rationale

A clearly defined brand governance framework ensures that William & Mary presents a consistent, authentic and distinctive identity. It protects the brand’s equity, enhances recognition in an increasingly crowded higher-education marketplace and safeguards the value of our reputation.