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Logos, Colors, & Style Guide

  • What is the meaning behind our new brand?
    • The change in our name from Great Plains IDEA and AG IDEA to the singular and simplified name of IDEA helps current and future students, faculty, and staff better identify with the alliance. IDEA now stands for Innovative Digital Education Alliance, a slight change from what originally stood for Interactive Distance Education Alliance.
    • Our new visual brand identity will help tell IDEA’s compelling story in a modern way. The accent in our new logo, the logo mark, represents an arrow with upward trajectory and forward momentum. It represents the drive and motivation of our students who aspire to advance in their professional careers, often working in fields where they have the power to change people’s lives. It also represents the future-focused vision of IDEA “to be a leader among online, global consortia.” The accent is also a not-so-subtle nod to a computer mouse, representing the online nature of our courses and programs.
    • The new color palette is fresh and modern, using blues and greens that can be used in pairs or together. The orange color can be used as an accent and represents a through-line from our old brand to our new, as it is the same color.
  • Where can I access the new logo and style guide?

    The style guide and numerous versions of our new logo are available in our online Branding Toolkit. Member universities are encouraged to incorporate our new name and branding throughout IDEA program webpages and recruitment initiatives.

  • How do I know which version of the IDEA logo to use?
    • Our logo has two versions—one stacked and one horizontal. Each version has all-black and all-white options, as well as versions with and without our tagline, “An Online Higher Education Alliance.”
    • Members are encouraged to use the logo versions without the tagline when working within a small space where the tagline would be hard to read.
    • Members are encouraged to use their judgment on which logo is appropriate for their advertisement, website, flyer, social media post, etc. On pages 8-9 of our style guide, you’ll find recommendations for when to use each logo.
      • The stacked logo may work best for digital mediums such as social media, profile photos, and images. This logo can be applied to the top of solid shapes for a dynamic look.
      • The horizontal logo may work best on print mediums such as document headers. It can also be used online and in print for areas where the stacked logo does not fit.
  • When should I use my university brand and when should I use the alliance brand?
    • Your university's reputation is critical in recruiting prospective students to IDEA programs. If you are marketing within your state or on your campus, it’s important to have a university-first approach.
    • When recruiting or raising awareness about an IDEA program through initiatives that cross state lines or engage prospective students from numerous regions of the country, an alliance-first approach will guide them to the alliance website, where all member universities are equally represented. An alliance-first approach will focus more on the program and its curriculum. In contrast, a university-first approach may focus on the reputation of the university and/or faculty who teach in the program.
    • Recent research from Education Dynamics shows that of adult learners exploring continuing education, 42% use search engines, but 38% go directly to university websites when beginning their school selection process.
  • What should I do with items branded with the old logo and name?

    We prefer you no longer use items with our old name and/or logos. It can be disconcerting if the colors, logo, and/or name on a flyer or promo item do not match the website where users go for more information. Some of your old items may have the wrong web address, and while users will be redirected to the new site, providing prospective students with the correct URL prevents them from waiting for the redirect.

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