Cornell Atkinson Brand & Messaging Guidelines
From Our Director
After a collaborative process involving many stakeholders, we are proud to share our refreshed identity. We’ve arrived at a simplified way to present our collective mission that captures our aspirations and core philosophy.
At Cornell Atkinson, we catalyze extraordinary change. We do it by making vital connections among diverse collaborators. We foster creative collisions that provoke large-scale, long-term change by teaming Cornell researchers, faculty, and students with government agencies, for-profit businesses, nonprofits, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). We believe that our multidisciplinary consortium model makes us singularly well-positioned to address the integrated systems—including food, water, health, economics, and energy—that unite us all.
We look forward to sharing our new look and feel with you over the coming months and working together to transform sustainability public opinion, products, practices, and policies.
Together, we will build a resilient tomorrow.
David M. Lodge
The Francis J. DiSalvo Director
Acknowledgment Language
All individuals and teams receiving funding from the center are required to acknowledge Cornell Atkinson’s support in published materials, posters, talks, and presentations related to the funded project. If approached by media for a quote or story, please mention your Cornell Atkinson affiliation to help build awareness.
Where to acknowledge Cornell Atkinson:
- Academic Publications: Acknowledgement language
- Print Materials: Logo, web address, acknowledgment language
- PowerPoint Presentations: Center-branded PowerPoint slides
- Web Sites: Logo, web address
- Email Signature: Full signature or one-line addition
- Posters: Especially for jointly funded programming
For publications, print materials, and more, the following short acknowledgment declaration can be used:
This work was supported [optional: in part] by the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability.
Brand Narrative
At Cornell Atkinson, we forge new and unexpected connections that catalyze extraordinary change. Because the time has come for bold thinking and powerful new models that will ensure that people and the planet not only survive but thrive.
With Cornell’s rich and broad knowledge base as our foundation, we bring together passionate experts and innovators, theorists and practitioners, business leaders, and community members to deliver large-scale, long-term sustainability solutions.
Our resources—which span the environmental, agricultural, economic, and social sciences—allow us to pioneer transformative research and address the most complex problems we face as a planet. Our approach is holistic, exploring individual systems and how they interact with one another and impact the larger world. By serving as the hub for diverse and even unlikely connections, we accelerate the transition from visionary thinking to real-world impact.
It’s through these vital connections that we’re shaping a future able to withstand even the most persistent and volatile challenges.
Together, we’re building a resilient tomorrow.
Brand Platform
Our Purpose: Vital Connections
Our promise: We forge new and unexpected connections that catalyze extraordinary change.
Our Mission: Cornell Atkinson is the hub of collaborative sustainability research at Cornell University, forging vital connections among researchers, students, staff, and external partners. The center’s funding and programming accelerate groundbreaking research within and across all of Cornell’s colleges and schools. In turn, the center is the university’s home to bold ideas and powerful new models that ensure people and the planet not only survive but thrive.
Our Values:
1. We are committed to integrity.
2. We are innovative, cultivating diverse perspectives, creativity, and risk-taking.
3. We value collaborations to catalyze visionary thinking.
4. We are results-driven, striving for real-world impact.
5. We celebrate success.
Editorial Style
House style
Cornell Atkinson follows the Associated Press Stylebook to maintain consistency with other university publications with certain exceptions, as noted below.
We use the Oxford, or serial, comma to provide clarity. In other words, we use a comma before the conjunction in any series of three or more items.
We use the New York Times up-style headline in the newsletter and other instances for ease of readability. Capitalize the first letter in the first and last words in a title. In addition, capitalize all words except articles, conjunctions, and prepositions shorter than four letters.
Identifying the center
Our official name is the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability. Use the official name, preceded by the, on the first reference. As appropriate, you may use “Cornell Atkinson” or “the center” on subsequent contact. For example: “The center is closed for the holidays.”
Person
Where possible, we prefer to use the first person (e.g., we, our) to emphasize the importance
of collaboration to our mission and to recognize readers as potential partners. However,
there will be times when the third person is preferable for the sake of clarity.
Partnership language
We use “external partners” on the first reference, with subsequent use of “for-profit businesses, nonprofits, government agencies, peer institutions, think tanks, donors, investors, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)” if greater detail is warranted.
Voice identity
Our voice is bold, inspiring, inviting, and agile. In brief, it celebrates our achievements but never boasts about them. It illuminates possibilities, providing readers with the insight to understand the seriousness and complexity of our work while encouraging them to ask questions and take action. It engages our readers with approachable language that is appropriate but not unnecessarily academic.
Messaging Pillars:
- Unexpected connections
- Transformative research
- Holistic thinking
Logos
The web versions (.png) of all the logos/seals are “transparent,” so they will display appropriately on various backgrounds.
- Cornell Atkinson Horizontal
Web Print Black Cornell Atkinson Logo RGB CMYK White Cornell Atkinson Logo RGB CMYK - Cornell Seal
When using the Cornell Seal in conjunction with the Atkinson Center logo, make sure there is enough visual white space between the two. This will prevent any visual competition between the two marks. For more information on using the university brand and seal, visit the Cornell University Brand Center and refer to the official policy for the use of Cornell’s Name, Logos, Trademarks, and Insignias.Web Print Red Cornell Logo RGB CMYK White Cornell Logo RGB CMYK
