Web Requirements
- Domains
- Online advertising
- Personal web pages
- Social networking
- Sponsorships or collaborations
- Use of third party logos and content
- Web template header and footer
Domains
All official University electronic communications and publications must be on the umn.edu domain. University units that are engaged in a sponsorship or collaboration may use a .com, .net, or .org site if required by a written agreement with the other party and approved by the Office of the General Counsel. Contact University Relations for permission and usage standards for the wordmark on sites outside the umn.edu domain.
The following should be observed for all University websites:
- Any University unit operating on a domain other than umn.edu may not use the University’s marks or web headers and footers.
- Units that set up sites on a .org, .com, or .net domain may not forward their umn.edu address to the outside domain.
- Units that purchase a .org, .com, or .net vanity URL for marketing purposes must forward that URL to their site on the umn.edu domain.
Online advertising
The sale of online advertising space on University websites to non-University entities implies an endorsement of a service or product. To preserve its academic independence and integrity, the University of Minnesota expressly chooses not to allow advertising on University websites, in email, on digital signage, and in other electronic publications. Advertising in any form, including banner advertising, in University of Minnesota electronic communications is prohibited.
Personal web pages
The official University of Minnesota home page and official campus home pages will not link directly to personal pages housed on the umn.edu domain. Units may, if they choose, link to faculty, staff, or student personal pages.
The University web header and footer cannot be used on personal websites.
Social networking
To indicate University affiliation, units should use the University of Minnesota name in text. For example, the name of a unit’s Facebook page should be “Unit Name at the University of Minnesota” or “University of Minnesota Unit Name.”
To show University of Minnesota affiliation by using graphics, the block M should be used on social networking pages created by units for University communications. The wordmark must never be used on a social networking or third-party site.
To add a link from the U's main social networking page to your unit’s social networking page(s), contact University Relations at brand@umn.edu.
For more information about social networking, see the Social Networking requirements and guidelines and download profile graphics and icons in the Logo and Template Downloads section.
Sponsorships or collaborations
Websites that have outside entities as sponsors or collaborators should be set up on the umn.edu domain if the University is the lead in the collaboration. Sites cannot be hosted on the umn.edu domain unless they use the University’s web header and footer. If this is unacceptable to other entities in the collaboration, the website should be hosted elsewhere.
Sites created outside the umn.edu domain in sponsorship or collaboration with entities outside the University must not use the web template header and footer. University units engaged in a collaboration or sponsorship may use the wordmark to show the U’s affiliation if required by the written agreement with the other party. Contact University Relations for guidelines in using the wordmark on collaborative sites.
Use of third party logos and content
Third party logos used in conjunction with University marks must be approved by the Office of University Relations. No third-party logos should be included in any official University electronic communication without a signed agreement between the University and the outside vendor or company. Whenever possible, sponsors or collaborators should be indicated in text, not with a logo.
Acceptable example:
- Images of products, not the logos of the companies that make the products, like those used on the Bookstore website to illustrate our product sales agreements with various companies.
Unacceptable examples:
- Embedded video on a umn.edu website from YouTube that places the YouTube logo on the video. University video should be embedded from Media Mill.
- A feed from Twitter embedded on a umn.edu website.
Web template header and footer
The University's Brand Policy: Trademarks, Logos, Colors, and Seal states that:
- All umn.edu Web sites must use an official Web template header and footer.
The official Web template headers and footers can be downloaded from this site.
- Use of University Trademarks in printed and electronic materials must conform to the brand requirements available at www.umn.edu/brand/.
Specific communications requirements can be found in the Requirements and Guidelines section of this site. If you have questions, contact University Relations.