GW Monogram

Office of Communications and Marketing

 

Graphic Elements

Overview

Collage of GW brand including GW logos, campus and D.C. photography, chevron, flag and tempietto graphic elements, and the colors GW Blue, GW Buff, Navy Yard, Patina and Blossom. Brand messages read: Where innovation is always in reach and Raise High Revs.


Graphic elements help stitch together the visual fabric of our compositions. Their development and use are guided by the tenets of our strategy. 

Making Connections: Whether it’s the step accents or the chevron pattern, our graphic elements help make visual connections with content. 

Elevating the Experience and Momentum: In using these elements, we embrace a visual rhythm that guides the viewer’s eye across the composition, or reflects upward motion from one component to the next. 

Details: Our focus and our pursuit of what’s next are fueled by our community’s ability to take in and observe the finer points. Visually, we incorporate details from our environment, our architecture and our city, celebrating the craftsmanship and care found in the embellishments, ironwork, stone etchings and more. 

Harnessing Our Collective Intellect: The chevron and waving flag motifs come to life by bringing individual elements together to create impact, motion and dynamic cadence. The strong contrast between solid and open containers reflects our openness and confidence.

Chevron

 

chevron chips in GW Buff, Potomac, and GW Blue

Chevron Chips

chevron ribbons in GW Buff, Potomac, and GW Blue

Chevron Ribbons

chevron background

Background

With the chevron pattern, we signal forward motion and progress. Placing chevrons in layouts can also help guide the visual flow and lead the eye to key information or calls to action.

In our toolkit, we use this pattern in three ways: for chevron ribbons and chevron chips, and as a full-bleed background texture. The chevron ribbon is a thin rectangle that contains the pattern; it pairs well with our step accents to draw the eye across the layout. The chevron chip uses the same pattern in a square format; we use it more to anchor content on the page. When the chevron is used as a background element, the pattern fills the entire layout, with text and photography placed over it. Do not combine the chevron background with chevron chips.

BEST PRACTICES

  • Chevrons should always point to the right, reinforcing the idea of forward motion.

  • The pattern may appear with a one-color fill, in two colors, with tone-on-tone fills, or with a fading gradient. Tone-on-tone applications are great for backgrounds behind text.

  • Use this element sparingly. To avoid visual overload, limit chevrons to no more than three colors within a single layout.

  • Limit chevron ribbons to less than 50% total width for websites.

  • When using chevrons, use only the approved color combinations shown here. These represent our core color palette and maintain a consistent look in our layouts. 
     

examples of approved chevron colors: GW Buff, GW Blue, Navy Yard

 

Download Chevron Elements
 

Step Accents

 

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Solid Steps

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Steps + Chevron

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Steps as Dividers

Visual step accents are an extension of the chevron texture, adding rhythm and direction across the layout, guiding the eye while supporting copy and visuals.

There are three approved styles for this element: solid steps, the steps + chevron pattern fill, and solid steps as dividers. The first two help guide the flow of content, while the last helps break up the composition and move from one section to another with a hard edge.

BEST PRACTICES

  • Choose one approach per piece so that the design stays cohesive. Mixing too many styles makes the layout busy and hard to follow.

  • Step accents look cleanest in layouts when they align edge to edge with each other, though overlapping steps is possible.

  • Step accents should always reinforce the composition’s needs and never become the dominant visual.

  • When possible steps move upward and toward the right corner to indicate rising.

  • When vertical space is limited, the step accents look best when most of them touch edge to edge. When you have room to expand vertically, it can help to add vertical space so that the steps float a bit more.

Download Steps Example
 

Waving Flag

 

GW flag pattern in GW Blue

 

GW flag pattern in GW Buff

 

GW flag pattern in Patina

 

This design element recalls the rippling stripes on the American flag. As a graphic element, it reinforces our connection to Washington, D.C., and our proximity to the nation’s symbols of democracy and leadership. It also evokes pride and purpose, aligning the university’s image with the values of service, community and engagement.

BEST PRACTICES

  • Similar to the chevron pattern, which moves in a right facing direction, the Waving Flag element should also be placed so that it appears to be waving to the right, with the stripes rising toward the upper-right corner.

  • This element is best used as a textural component within a layout, set as a full-bleed background.

  • Select color combinations (GW Blue, GW Buff and Patina) are approved for the Waving Flag. Do not create further color combinations without the approval of the Office of Communications and Marketing.

Download Waving Flag Element
 

Tempietto Badge
GW Tempietto and 1821 badge

The Tempietto Badge is a purpose-built icon that recognizes our history and place, turning a key campus landmark into a symbol of George Washington, as well as the university and D.C. It’s intended for specific placements in layouts to complement type or photography, grounding content and moving the eye across the page.

BEST PRACTICES

  • All applications of the Tempietto Badge must be used in visual proximity to the primary logo.

  • The Tempietto Badge should always appear as shown here, with both the silhouette and the founding date.

  • Do not separate the silhouette and the founding date. Do not change the proportions of these two elements.

  • The Tempietto Badge looks best when it’s set in our brand core colors (GW Blue and GW Buff) or our blue accents.

Download Tempietto Badge
 

Additional Elements

 

photo highlighting the inset circular pattern on GW's Professor's Gate and an example of the circle pattern as as graphic design element

Gate Crossbar

Photo of George Washington's battle flag and an example of the six-pointed stars graphic design element

Six-Pointed Star

photo of the Washington D.C. flag and an example of three stars as a graphic design element

Five-Pointed Star

Our visual toolkit includes two patterns inspired by core GW sources. The Gate Crossbar is modeled after an interlocking motif at the top of the Professor’s Gate on our Foggy Bottom campus. The Six-Pointed Star pattern recalls the design of George Washington’s battle flag. These patterns work best as backgrounds that bleed off the edge of the page; we tend to keep them near text to help anchor their use in layouts.

We can also use five-pointed stars in layouts. This element directly reflects the stars seen on the D.C. flag.

BEST PRACTICES

  • Always set patterns in a single color. Do not use more than one pattern per layout.

  • Apply patterns only where they won’t dominate the layout; avoid using them on content-heavy pages.

  • Both five- and six-pointed stars should always sit vertically, as shown here, with one tip pointing directly upward.

  • Do not use five-pointed stars to create a pattern. Do not isolate the six-pointed star for use as a badge.

  • Gate crossbar pattern should be used in a single line, not in a pattern. It is best used as a divider between sections of text.

Download Additional Elements
 

 

 

 

 

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