Waterloo is an engine for innovation, exploration and new ideas. Video is one of the most powerful forms we have to convey our story in an increasingly digital world.
By telling Waterloo stories, video communicates our brand platform and shines a light on the exciting people and ideas that make our university unique. With strong video storytelling, we can increase engagement on our digital channels, while educating, entertaining and delighting audiences.
The guidelines on this page are intended for video producers creating content to market the University. They do not apply to videos produced by faculty, staff or students as part of academic research or coursework.
Key considerations
When creating video about the University, you should use standard elements to ensure the look and feel supports the Waterloo brand. In addition to using a consistent top, tail, watermark and lower third treatment, consider these guidelines:
- Use a visual style that follows the guiding principles for Waterloo imagery.
- If you are incorporating hard-coded text overlays, use Bureau Grotesque or an approved alternative.
Top and tail
A top is the opening sequence of a video and the tail is the closing sequence. The top and tail are important video elements that distinguish Waterloo brand content, especially on paid media channels.
Top guidelines
On owned channels, the top is optional and can use the Waterloo tail. On paid media channels, you must use a top that overlays the full University of Waterloo colour or reversed logo in the upper right corner for a minimum of 15 seconds.
Example: Paid media top
The approved top for paid media applications is overlaid in the upper right corner.
Tail guidelines
The tail is mandatory on all video content, whether for owned or paid channels. The tail is made up of the colour bar, logo and an optional call to action. For the call to action font, use Typ1451 Medium 50pt or Verdana Regular 50pt.
Waterloo tail on black
This example shows the vertical University logo on a black background with the University colour bar.
Waterloo tail on white
This example shows the vertical University logo on a white background with the University colour bar.
Faculty tail
The faculty tail uses a vertical faculty logo with the faculty colour bar.
Tail with call to action
This example shows the University video tail with a call to action.
Templates
Watermark
The watermarked logo is optional in University videos. You may consider using it in long form video content, such as public lectures.
The watermark uses the University logo, or other approved logo, with transparency in the upper right corner. The watermark should be the width of x, as illustrated by the sample image below.
The approved Waterloo watermark goes in the upper right corner.
Lower thirds
A lower third is text overlaying the video in the bottom area of the screen. We use lower thirds to identify various elements of a video, including people’s names, locations and video segment titles. Typically, lower thirds have these two lines:
- Name — The top line is the person’s name. Set the name in Bureau Grotesque Condensed Bold or an approved alternative. The font size should be 75px for the brand font and 70px for alternative fonts. Use white on a black semi-transparent bar.
- Title — The second line is the person’s title. Use Typ1451 or an approved alternative. The font size should be 32px for the brand font and 30px for alternative fonts. Use white, black or gold for the text. The text bar can be a primary colour from the colour palette, provided the combination meets accessibility requirements.
Example: Lower third
Lower thirds always use the brand fonts or approved alternatives.
