7. Representing Our Brand

Carleton University social media channels are held to a high level of integrity. When representing our brand and determining your tone and voice, be true to our values of being a smart, caring community.

Personality

When determining how to represent your unit and Carleton university in voice and tone, you should review our content guidelines and style guide, then explore university channels such as our story websites, flagship social media and email newsletters. Ask yourself:

• What kind of stories are being told and shared?
• Who is being featured from our community?
• Which phrases, ideas, and opinions are reoccurring?

You are free to put your own spin on these common themes as you reflect on the style and language used to promote the university. Test your tone and voice to ensure it resonates with your intended audience. Accounts focused on the student experience can, and should, feel different from accounts focused on academic research or alumni outreach. Once established, be consistent.

Logo Usage and Profile Branding

All academic and service units at Carleton university are encouraged to use the official Carleton University logo as their profile image of social media. The shield logo with the white background currently represents the official flagship accounts (Fig.1), while other accounts are encouraged to use the shield logo with the red background (Fig.2).

The profile icons can be accessed here, with versions for most major platforms.

You should not use a full lock-up logo, even if created by DUC. Try to only use imagery or logos created specifically for social media. If you had a logo created for a specific purpose, reach out to DUC to understand when and where that logo should be used.

Additional background colours or other alterations are at the discretion of the Director of Marketing and Brand. Altering the logo is not permitted.

Personality based accounts and specific channels

If you are running a personality-based account (ex. @president_cu or @RodneyRaven) you are encouraged to use a profile picture that represents the individual or personality.

Some channels perform well with non-logo centric profile imagery and may be enhanced by icons focusing on the personality representing the channel content. TikTok serves as an example of this. In this case, profile imagery which matches your audience while tastefully representing the university is acceptable. When in doubt, check with the DUC and Creative Services team.

Social Media Handles

The social media handle, also referred to as a username, is the name which represents your account and is often how your audience will find you on social media.

Social Media Naming Conventions

When in doubt refer to these best practices when you need to alter or create social media handles. Please remember, not all platforms show capital letters, nor allow special characters.

• Username: @CUunitname or @CUacronym (ex. @CUhistory or CUduc)
• Display Names: Carleton University Unit Name or Acronym (ex. Carleton University Faculty of Public Affairs or Carleton University DUC)
• Bio: If the bio allows for tagging, begin with “Unit name @Carleton_U”. If not, “Carleton University” is an acceptable replacement. (ex. Department of University Communications @Carleton_U, or Department of University Communications at Carleton University).

If possible, avoid dashes, underscores, or other special characters. While you may find it makes your username easier to read, these characters can affect how you appear in account search. Exceptions can always be made, especially if your account has a long history or large following. For example, @Carleton_U has been in use since 2012 and would be negatively impacted at this point by removing the underscore. This does not alter the fact that best practice for new accounts would be to avoid special characters