BRAND BOOK Introduction to

our Brand Building brand recognition is a long-term goal that is reinforced daily with every publication, webpage, social media post and media coverage. Consistency is important not only to recognition but also to reputation. The strength and reputation of our college brand require a uniform brand identity that is consistent across all platforms, channels and audiences.

The Marketing and Communications offce’s role is to develop and ensure a consistent brand for Pellissippi State Community College through images and written communi-cations. Accuracy, consistency and clarity of purpose help us demonstrate to the public a commitment to a quality educational experience.

This Brand Book is intended to clarify and help direct all associates of Pellissippi State in using the College’s brand in appropriate and consistent ways. Through your continuing cooperation, we will all give Pellissippi State an identity that fosters familiarity and integrity and engenders quality and respect in higher education.

p e l l i s s i p p i s t a t e c o m m u n i t y c o l l e g e

1

p e l l i s s i p p i s t a t e c o m m u n i t y c o l l e g e

Our College Name The College’s offcial name is Pellissippi State Community College.

In all publications that are likely to reach an external audience, the full name of the College should be used on frst reference. Thereafter, “Pellissippi State” is an acceptable use. The name should not be shortened to “Pellissippi” or the acronym “PSCC.”

Pellissippi State has fve campuses. The offcial name of each campus should be used in publi-cations. The names of the campuses are Blount County Campus, Division Street Campus, Hardin Valley Campus, Magnolia Avenue Campus and Strawberry Plains Campus.

Offcial names of buildings:

Bagwell Center for Media and Art

Bill Haslam Center for Math and Science

Clayton Performing Arts Center

Educational Resources Center

Information Center

Lamar Alexander Arts and Sciences Building

Jenny and Randy Boyd Building

JL Goins Administration Building

Ned R. McWherter Technology Building

Physical Plant

Ruth and Steve West Workforce Development Center

Student Recreation Center

The Jenny and Randy Boyd Building is located at the Strawberry Plains Campus, and the Ruth and Steve West Workforce Development Center is currently under construction on the Blount County Campus. All other named buildings are located at the Hardin Valley Campus. In internal publications, using a single-name version of each building is acceptable: Goins 264, Alexander 101. In external references, use the full name of the building or an appropriately abbreviated version: Bagwell Center for Media and Art or Bagwell Center, Ned R. McWherter Technology Building or McWherter Building. Certain names should never be abbreviated for external publications. Always use Clayton Performing Arts Center, not CPAC. Use Physical Plant, not PP.

2

p e l l i s s i p p i s t a t e c o m m u n i t y c o l l e g e

History Pellissippi State Community College was founded in 1974 as State Technical Institute at Knoxville. In the years since its founding, the College’s name has changed twice: in 1988, to Pellissippi State Technical Community College and, in 2009, to Pellissippi State Community College.

That frst year, the College enrolled students in three associate degree programs, all engineering technology, under the direction of a handful of faculty and staff members. Since that time, Pellis-sippi State has experienced steady growth: the institution began with 45 students in one location and now enrolls more than 9,000 students across fve campuses and in online courses.

The College continues to support and develop career-path associate degrees, as well as associate degrees for transfer to four-year institutions, certifcates and continuing education opportunities for the citizens of Knox and Blount counties. Pellissippi State also offers Dual Enrollment courses to high school students for college credit.

Pellissippi State has four campuses in Knox County—Hardin Valley, Division Street, Magnolia Avenue and Strawberry Plains—and one in Blount County, the Blount County Campus. In 2020, the College employs 582 full-time faculty and staff and 173 part-time.

Pellissippi State’s economic impact on East Tennessee as measured by the value of business vol-ume, jobs and individual income was estimated at about $1.3 billion over the fve-year period from 2014 to 2019. During this period, Pellissippi State’s expenditures created and sustained an estimat-ed 43,496 jobs. The College itself employed 2,886 full-time-equivalent employees.

In the 2019-2020 academic year, Pellissippi State experienced record graduation numbers. The College awarded 1,644 associate degrees, more than any other two-year college in the state, according to the Tennessee Board of Regents.

In partnership with the community, the College makes every effort toward improving the quality of life for residents of East Tennessee.

Pellissippi State is one of 40 institutions in the Tennessee Board of Regents system. TBR is the governing board of the College System of Tennessee, offering more than 400 programs of study at the state’s 13 community colleges, 27 colleges of applied technology and the online TN eCampus.

Mission Pellissippi State Community College provides a transformative environment fostering the academic, social, economic and cultural enrichment of the individual and the community. We are committed to success in workforce training and certifcate and degree programs.

3

p e l l i s s i p p i s t a t e c o m m u n i t y c o l l e g e

Our Values Our mission is guided by our commitment to the following values:

Accountability: We are responsible for our actions and to each other. We conduct ourselves for the betterment of our students, the College and the community.

Community and Civic Engagement: We support and improve our community by educating and enriching its citizens, partnering with businesses and non-proft agencies, and providing service opportunities for our faculty, staff and students.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: We show genuine respect for each other’s differences and provide an open, accessible and equitable environment for all.

Excellence: We pursue excellence and continuously look for better ways of doing all that we do.

Integrity: We demonstrate honesty, transparency and responsi-bility in our actions and relationships.

Relationships: We promote strong connections based upon a foundation of trust among students, faculty, staff and the com-munity we serve.

Brand Driver “Success” and “Start Strong. Stay Strong. Finish Strong. #PellissippiStrong”

Neither are taglines or logos but the lens through which Pellissippi State Community College communicates its essential message to the public.

Our students are searching for academic development and competent preparation for an entry-level career. Our College offers a promise of educational excellence and student support. Our graduates have training in high-demand, high-wage felds in high-growth industries.

Our faculty is eclectic, experienced, diverse and motivated. Our staff supports our mission and does whatever is necessary to support students using best practices. Our College provides an environment that is nurturing, dynamic and transformative.

Every day, we are building an environment that fosters success for all.

Mandatory Statements The Tennessee Board of Regents, Pellissippi State’s governing body, requires that the College include a nondiscrimination statement and a publication number on all College print and web publications, including posters, brochures, booklets, magazines, catalogs and advertisements.

The College includes one of two versions of the nondiscrimination statement on most all external publications.

Short version: A TBR Institution/An AA/EEO College

Long version: Pellissippi State Community College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, ethnicity or national origin, sex, disability, age, status as a protected veteran or any other class protected by Federal or State laws and regula-tions and by Tennessee Board of Regents policies with respect to all employment, programs, and activities.

The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies:

Annazette Houston Executive Director of Equity and Compliance

ahouston1@pstcc.edu 10915 Hardin Valley Road

P.O. Box 22990 Knoxville, TN 37933-0990

865.539.7401

We also recognize the College’s SACSCOC accreditation by using the following statement in major publications:

Pellissippi State Community College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACSCOC) to award the associate de-gree. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call (404) 679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Pellissippi State Community College.

4

p e l l i s s i p p i s t a t e c o m m u n i t y c o l l e g e

Need the best quality logo fle or the perfect logo for your

email signature? Contact Mark Friebus at mafriebus@pstcc.edu

Offcial Logos Pellissippi State’s offcial logo is the primary identifer, and the most recognizable element of the College. Pellissippi State’s logos and marks are standard and unalterable.

The primary logo consists of the College’s emblematic shield arranged to the left of the College’s full name, the text of which is divided by a horizontal line. The standard, trade-marked logo is presented in Pellissippi State’s school colors, blue and yellow. The shield is blue and yellow, and the name of the College is blue.

A vertical college logo also exists to represent the institution in places where horizontal space may be constrained, and so the use of a vertical-formatted logo is preferable in these circumstances. The vertical college logo uses the same color combinations as the primary college logo.

When either the primary or vertical logo is used, no other words, designs or additional col-ors may be added. The proportions of the logo are not to be manipulated. The logo should not be recreated, redrawn or otherwise altered in any way. The name of the College is not to be used as a logo mark if it is separated from the shield. If the shield is used alone as a logo mark, it may not be reshaped, redrawn or altered in any way.

In most cases, the standard blue and yellow logo can be used. Other offcial logos are acceptable for cases in which the standard, two-color logo cannot or should not be used. A black logo, a blue logo and a white logo are the only acceptable color variations of the primary and vertical logos. A secondary offcial use is available for rare instances: the yellow and blue Pellissippi State shield with all white letters. A yellow logo or a logo that uses yellow lettering for the name of the College is prohibited.

Use of all versions of the logo is regulated through the Marketing and Communications offce. Users should contact the offce for the appropriate logo for their publications. Use of the College’s shield, separate from the offcial logo, is also regulated through the Marketing and Communications offce. Appropriate use of the shield alone is rare and requires permission. For more information, see College Logo, Trademark and Copyright Policy 08:05:04.

Marketing and Communications has created a logo perfectly formatted for use in email signatures.

Pellissippi State has additional offcial logos, some of which may not be used without the offcial College logo. Offcial College logos: The Foundation, Alumni Association, Arts Series, Student Recreation Center, Nursing, Culinary Arts and Student Engagement and Leadership.

Other logos, marks and names that are not approved by the Marketing and Communica-tions offce are not permitted.

College Logo, Trademark and Copyright Policy 08:05:04: www.pstcc.edu/policies

5

p e l l i s s i p p i s t a t e c o m m u n i t y c o l l e g e

Departmental and Campus Wordmarks Pellissippi State has adopted visual “wordmarks” to assist all campuses, academic depart-ments and other College entities visually identify themselves. The wordmark shows the name of the department, campus or entity below the primary College logo in a prescribed placement, depending on the length of the unit’s name. The length of the unit’s name determines how the placement of the name is aligned. To request a wordmark, contact the publications coordinator at jbsouthern@pstcc.edu. Examples of various types of wordmarks are listed below.

Departmental wordmark examples

Campus wordmarks

Need to get a departmental or campus wordmark? Contact Joel Southern at jbsouthern@pstcc.edu

6

p e l l i s s i p p i s t a t e c o m m u n i t y c o l l e g e

PELLI

SSIP

PISTATE COMMUNITY

CO

LLEGE

A TENNESSEE BOARD OF REGENTS INSTITUTIONEst. 1974

KN

OXV

ILLE TENN

ESSEE

Offcial Seal Pellissippi State’s offcial seal is the formal insignia of the College.

Traditionally, a seal is a distinctive, circular design meant to authenticate an offcial entity. Pellissippi State’s seal includes the College’s blue and yellow shield, laurel branches to signify education, the name of the College, and the year the College was founded, 1974. The seal is used for offcial College publications and by special request only.

The standard offcial seal uses the same blue and yellow colors found in Pellissippi State’s offcial logo, but, like the logo, other variations, including an all-blue, all-black, and grayscale seal, are available.

The seal may be published only with the approval of the Marketing and Communications offce.

For questions about the seal, visit www.pstcc.edu/mc or email marketing@pstcc.edu.

Offcial Colors Pellissippi State’s offcial school colors are blue and yellow, Pantone 288 blue and Pantone 122 yellow. The yellow symbolizes wisdom and the blue symbolizes the technology that has been at the core of Pellissippi State’s mission since the College’s foundation in 1974. The use of these shades of blue and yellow is encouraged for all Pellissippi State publications and branding efforts, from posters to websites to advertisements. These colors are iconic to Pellissippi State and represent the College’s core mission and values.

Blue and yellow should be the dominant colors in all published materials for the College.

PMS288 PMS122 7

p e l l i s s i p p i s t a t e c o m m u n i t y c o l l e g e

Academic Banners Pellissippi State has 10 academic banners, each in the shape of a shield. The academic banners car-ry the traditional colors of the various disciplines, as well as the school colors, blue and yellow. The primary banner symbolizes Pellissippi State as a whole and is blue and yellow, the school colors. This banner is incorporated into Pellissippi State’s trademarked logo, which features the shield with the College’s full name. The shield symbolizes power and strength. The yellow represents wisdom, and the blue represents technology.

Business and Community Services has at its core education’s light blue and the commerce drab of accountancy and business, a ftting combination for a school associated with bringing training to business and industry and lifelong learning to the community. Accents are technology blue and economics copper.

Business and Computer Technology brings together the skills needed in the world of commerce and industry. Technol-ogy blue is evident in the color set, as is the commerce drab of accountancy and business.

Engineering and Media Technologies Engineering is represented by the color orange. The interdisciplinary study of Media Technologies—which encompasses video production, audio production engi-neering, photography, graphic design and web design—is represented simply by the color blue. The colors are intersected by the Pellissippi State color of yellow, which represents wisdom.

English is a key liberal arts discipline and is represented frst and foremost by the traditional white. Communications crim-son is added to signify the dissemination of ideas and information.

Liberal Arts has long been associated with the color white, yet the discipline is a broad one. It encompasses communica-tions, languages, and humanities (white); philosophy (dark blue); fne arts (brown) and music (pink).

Mathematics—the study of quantity, structure, space, and change—is repre-sented by the color of science gold, which is intersected by the blue of Pellissippi State.

Natural and Behavioral Sciences combines the colors of sage green and science gold. Sage green is associated with physical education, while science gold represents both natural and behavior-al science.

Nursing is represented by apricot, a color long associated with the helping profes-sion. The color sage green represents health and rehabilitation.

Library Services—Librarianship combines the colors citron and copper. Citron, a color associated with service professions, is associated with library science. Copper represents the feld of informatics.

8

p e l l i s s i p p i s t a t e c o m m u n i t y c o l l e g e

#pellissippi strong

Instructions for ordering promotional items:

1. If you are ordering promotional items that include only a College logo, simply sub-mit a requisition and work with Purchasing to complete your order. You do not need to contact Marketing and Communications. 

2. If you wish to incorporate custom artwork for a promotional item, then all artwork and designs must be approved by or created by the Marketing and Communica-tions offce to ensure that consistent College branding is maintained.

3. To request artwork, complete the Publication Request Form and specify the details of your request. Include any ideas or requests you may have about the design for the item you are ordering, and also information about or a link to the specifc item, so that our designers can refer to the vendor’s imprint instructions, such as colors, size, fle formats, etc. 

4. Submit a Requisition through Pellibiz. Marketing and Communications will develop the requested artwork, and we will get your approval before sending press-ready artwork to the Purchasing offce or vendor.

9

p e l l i s s i p p i s t a t e c o m m u n i t y c o l l e g e

Copyrights Pellissippi State’s website, www.pstcc.edu, and all of its subpages and affliated sites, including offcial social media sites, are protected by intellectual copyright laws, as stated by the U.S. Copyright Offce and World Intellectual Property Organization.

Users of the website can access the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy online.

For more information, see College Logo, Trademark and Copyright Policy 08:05:04.

Web Guidelines The Pellissippi State website often serves as the frst introduction to the College. A great college website leaves a positive frst impression with visitors, including current and prospective students, parents, faculty and staff, institutional partners and any others seeking information.

The College’s website, www.pstcc.edu, is an offcial publication of Pellissippi State. It is managed by the Marketing and Communications offce.

Our print publications use a consistent style and feel, and our website has that same engaging, wel-coming style. To achieve continuity, the Marketing and Communications offce, working with Informa-tion Services, administers and supports a collegewide content management system.

The CMS provides the latest templates and other elements that are consistent with the College’s identity standards and branding. For more information, contact the webmaster.

Commercial advertising is not permitted within the www.pstcc.edu domain or any of its subdomains, per Information Technology Acceptable Use 08:13:01 - http://www.pstcc.edu/ppm/pdf/08-13-01.pdf All websites and webpages attached to the pstcc.edu domain must adhere to College-Related Web and Social Media Development and Use 08:13:04 - http://www.pstcc.edu/ppm/pdf/08-13-04.pdf

Web Font Family The preferred font family for navigation and body text is Lato. The preferred font for headers is Oswald.

Web Color Palette The Pellissippi State web color palette has been created to help link the College’s many webpages sty-listically into a consistent family of sites. The website uses hex codes #004b8e for blue and #ffd350 for yellow.

Web Logos The standard Pellissippi State logos have been resized and optimized for the web. Web formats of Pellissippi State’s logo, shield and other marks are not suitable for print use.

For additional information, read Web and Social Media Policy 08:13:04 and Web and Social Media Best Practices.

10

p e l l i s s i p p i s t a t e c o m m u n i t y c o l l e g e

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube

LinkedIn

Instagram

TikTok

Guidelines for Social Media Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok and others have gained popularity as a means for individuals and institutions to engage each other in more personal conversations. For Pellissippi State, social networks are another opportunity to reach out to prospective and current students, alumni, faculty and staff and other friends and supporters. Social media sites are excellent channels for building relationships, communicating and receiving information, felding ques-tions and monitoring the College’s reputation online.

Pellissippi State’s Marketing and Communications offce is responsible for the College’s offcial social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok and other social media chan-nels; however, other departments, offces, organizations and units maintain their own presence on social media sites.

By design, social media communication is intended to be fast, personal, open, casual and friendly. Administrators of social media accounts affliated with the College should be personal, open, casual and friendly as well. However, as representatives of the College, they should still comply with Pellissippi State’s privacy, confdentiality and web policies, and all federal requirements such as FERPA and HIPAA.

For more information, please see Pellissippi State’s Web and Social Media Development and Use Policy 08:13:04 and Web and Social Media Best Practices.

Images and Photography Photographs are a great way to communicate the welcoming and diverse environment of Pellissippi State. To help you create the best images for your use, follow these recommendations:

• Make sure that the main subjects of the photo are sharply in focus.

• Choose photographs that are engaging and personal and that show the diversity of our student population. When using photos of multiple students, it is best to include students of different races, ages, genders, etc. whenever possible.

• Choose photographs that are appropriate to the audience. Casual images, for example, may be more suited for social media than professional use.

• Both candid photography and posed photography are acceptable, but avoid using photographs in which the main subjects are blinking or have their eyes closed.

• When possible, avoid using photos of subjects who are wearing clothing with logos, particularly logos that depict alcohol- or drug-related messages, other schools, political messages, or offensive or objectionable statements or references.

• Refrain from using photos that are low resolution, out of focus or too darkly lighted, complicated or busy.

When shooting photos, please ask the subject’s permission, whenever possible, and explain the potential uses of the photo. Ask them to sign a photo release form, available from Marketing and Communications.

11

p e l l i s s i p p i s t a t e c o m m u n i t y c o l l e g e

Need some business cards or stationery?

Contact Joel Southern at jbsouthern@pstcc.edu

Want to place an ad on behalf of Pellissippi State?

Contact David Smith at dmsmith@pstcc.edu

Stationery and Business Cards The Marketing and Communications offce manages the College Print Shop, which prints College letterhead, envelopes and business cards, among other things.

Letterhead may be generic to the College or include departmental contact information. Please specify your preference when ordering.

Business cards can include your name, offcial title, job-related creden-tials, department, phone number and email address. Job titles printed on business cards must be offcial titles, as verifed by Human Resources.

Business cards can be ordered in boxes of 250 or 500 cards. To place an order, frst receive permission from your budgetary offcial and/or supervisor. To order stationery or any other print publication, complete the Publication Request Form, or contact the publication coordinator at jbsouthern@pstcc.edu or 865.539.7089.

Advertising All advertising must be placed by the manager of advertising. The manag-er will work with others in the College to determine the best medium and message to achieve the goals.

Any advertising, regardless of medium, that will include graphic represen-tation of Pellissippi State and/or will use Pellissippi State’s logo or name must be designed by the Marketing and Communications offce to ensure compliance with identity standards and brand messaging.

The offcial Pellissippi State logo must be used in all ads.

As a rule, the Marketing and Communications offce advertises on behalf of the College as a whole, increasing name recognition and emphasizing our brand. Individual program advertisements will be considered based on budget and named College priorities. Individual program ads purchased by a College offce, department or area must be designed by the Marketing and Communications offce.

If your offce or department is interested in paying for greater social media exposure, please reference College-Related Web and Social Media Development and Use 08:13:04 - www.pstcc.edu/policies. For more information, contact the manager of advertising at dmsmith@pstcc.edu.

A TBR Institution/An AA/EEO College 12