By downloading any of these protected marks, or receiving them from NMSU Marketing and Communications, you are agreeing to follow NMSU's branding guidance.

Guidelines for Use of the NMSU Institutional Mark and other Protected Trademarks

NMSU encourages its departments, laboratories and other units to use the NMSU institutional mark for identification and promotion purposes on educational materials (posters, presentation and conference items, for example) and other items. Please adhere to the following guidelines when using the official NMSU logo.

Departmental Use of NMSU Marks for Merchandise

The NMSU logo works hard. Not only does it connect a diverse array of academic departments, units and campuses across the state, but the NMSU logo also conveys the tradition, national respect, and credibility that our institution has earned since 1888.

Let the NMSU logo work for you.

Please apply the NMSU marks below for official use on merchandise.

NMSU logo setups: (from left to right) NM State logo and the NM State mark as part of a logo setup (both with TM)

NM State athletics marks: Official marks of Pistol Pete, the NMSU mascot, and an Aggies wordmark, all with TM.

What items are appropriate for “official use” of NMSU marks?

• Shirts or uniforms for staff
• Giveaway items for promotions or recruiting — T-shirts, caps, pens, totes, etc. are examples of these items
• Items sold for fundraising

Important guidelines to remember when using the NMSU marks.

• The official NMSU marks — described here as the institutional mark and athletics marks — never should be altered.
  • This includes drop shadows, outlines, stretching, unauthorized colors and patterns, the addition of text and graphics, typeface, modification of the elements within the mark, enclose within another shape or combine with another mark or design.
  • Use the official NMSU colors: Crimson (PMS 208), White and Pantone Cool Gray 7c and fonts: Gotham or Open Sans.
  • The TM symbol is required for merchandise orders, download the marks with the TM: NMSU logos. You can also request a unit set up with the TM.
• Use of protected NMSU marks must be reviewed and approved by NMSU Marketing and Communications.
• We highly recommend using a CLC-licensed vendor.
  • Licensed vendors have established a reputation of accurately reproducing NMSU’s marks.
  • The licensees are held to CLC's code of ethics, which covers manufacturing, environmental and worker’s rights standards.
  • Merchandise sold for internal campus purposes is not subject to royalties.
  • The NMSU Marketing and Communications office review and approval process are built-in to the process of ordering items from licensed vendors.

Guidelines for NMSU student organizations

• Recognized student organizations at NMSU may use the university name (New Mexico State University or NMSU etc.) or related department name within the organization's official title, but the student organization must also differentiate itself from the related department.
• Recognized organizations also can use three trademarks: the institutional logo, Aggies wordmark and Pistol Pete face above NM State type.

If you have questions regarding these or other policies related to recognized student organizations, contact NMSU Student Involvement and Leadership Programs at studentlife.nmsu.edu.

Still have questions? Please contact NMSU Marketing Services at 575-646-7557 or mktgserv@nmsu.edu.

Merchandise examples

These are examples of giveaway items. Giveaway items can be designed with some creative license but must use an NMSU mark (the NM State logo on the sleeve and the Pistol Pete logo on the shirt are the marks used on these examples).

These are examples of uniforms given to NMSU employees. Uniforms, or any branded items meant to be worn or used in official NMSU duties, must adhere strictly to the brand guidelines and don't allow for the creativity that the above giveaway items do.

Full color or one color?

Most of the NMSU marks can be displayed as full color or one-color prints. When choosing the proper NMSU mark to use for an item you’re ordering, it’s important to consider whether you need a full-color or one-color NMSU mark and what the item’s background color is. The table below serves as a quick guide.

How to Reproduce the NMSU institutional mark

The official NMSU mark, described here as the NMSU institutional mark, should appear prominently on all communications representing the university.

Digital

• Use the official NMSU page header that contains the institutional mark.
• The NMSU institutional mark should link to the NMSU Home Page at http://nmsu.edu.
• Aside from the page header, the NMSU logo should appear rarely, if at all, on your NMSU website.

The standard header on official NMSU websites.

Print

• Mark must be at least a half-inch high.
• The color of the background you are placing the mark on should
  determine whether you use a crimson, black or white mark. Make your
  decision based on what will give the logo the greatest visibility.
• Use the mark with the tagline and mark setup if your design permits.

Avoiding alterations

Improper use of the mark, either in print or on the Web, damages its ability to clearly and consistently represent the university. Do not use mark inside of other images to create new artwork.

NMSU Tagline (BE BOLD. Shape the Future®)

Our tagline quickly communicates to all audiences our proud tradition of advancing academic, personal and professional success. The tagline always should accompany the logo. As of late 2021, the tagline is a federally registered trademark and as such always should carry the ® designation, as shown below. 

You can download a standard NMSU logo setup, which includes the trademarked tagline. If you would like to a customized unit setup for your department, you can contact NMSU Marketing and Communications 575-646-3221 or mktgserv@nmsu.edu.

About Unit Setups (college, department or program name)

The NMSU institutional mark represents all members of the university family. All departments and offices should use the NMSU institutional mark along with the unit name; by proudly utilizing it, each department, office, and unit is represented as an integral piece within the university. These are known as unit setups or logo setups.

We would be happy to produce an NMSU logo setup for your unit, please contact us at 575-646-7557 or mktgserv@nmsu.edu. Below are guidelines for and examples of NMSU unit setups in both horizontal and vertical formats.

Digital

• The logo setup is incorporated into the official NMSU page header.
• Aside from the page header, the NMSU logo setup should appear rarely, if at all, on your NMSU website.

Print

• Use the Gotham typeface or one of the recommended substitutes.
• The “BE BOLD. Shape the Future.®” tagline and university name same point size.
  • The tagline is a federally registered trademark of NMSU and as such always should carry the ® designation.
  • The tagline should not be isolated from the NMSU institutional mark.
• Font Weights to use:
  • Use Gotham Black weight for BE BOLD.
  • Use Gotham Medium weight for Shape the Future.
  • Use Gotham Black weight for College, Department, or Program Name
  • Leading is set on Auto.
• Do not use acronyms.

These are just examples of what the unit setups should look like. To get your unit
setup you can contact NMSU Marketing and Communications 575-646-3221 or
mktgserv@nmsu.edu.

In select cases, we also can create custom, co-branded graphics for units that are funded mostly through external sources.

• To be eligible for custom graphics, a unit should be funded at least 60% through external sources.
• Custom graphics will be used alongside the NMSU logo, a co-branded setup that visually represents the nature of the partnership.
• The NMSU logo can not be altered or blended with the custom graphic
• If you design a custom graphic, it must be submitted to Marketing and Communications for review.

For more information, please contact us at 575-646-7557 or mktgserv@nmsu.edu.