Expressing Bowers' vision through voice, design, and visuals.
Our brand guide provides a strategic framework that focuses our actions and our communications. It ensures that we tell a consistent story that reflects our tech-driven culture of collaboration and purposeful progress.
Our brand story.
The Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science started as a bold experiment that united the creation of new technology with a deeper understanding of the interplay of technology with humanity. We recognized that the Information Age was transforming society and saw the potential to guide and amplify that change. Our revolutionary approach still propels us today.
Through Computer Science, Information Science, and Statistics and Data Science, Cornell Bowers is a global force for collaboration across disciplines—creatively and thoughtfully exploring technology’s potential to advance our world. Bowers is the new frontier of tech—moving technology, humanity, and society forward as one.
We pioneer emerging fields, develop the algorithms that power the Information Age, put a human lens on technology, and find new ways in which data can unlock powerful insights. Together we are drivers of positive change.
Visual Identity
The Cornell Bowers College of Computing and Information Science logo was designed to embody the college's vision of uniting technology, humanity, and society to drive meaningful progress.
By definition, a brand’s lockup is a combination of design elements that are to be displayed together. They are “locked in,” never to be separated.
A stacked secondary logo is available for applications with limited width, ensuring optimal legibility and brand recognition in compact spaces.
View all logos
Using the Bowers logo
The primary Cornell Bowers lockup comes in two variations — horizontal or stacked — each comprising different elements. For the horizontal lockup: the Cornell University seal, the separating vertical line, and the Cornell Bowers wordmark. For the stacked lockup: the Cornell University seal, and the Cornell Bowers wordmark.
Online, the seal must always be represented at a minimum height of 120 pixels. In print, the height of the seal must be greater than 3/4″; for print purposes, please contact the Cornell Bowers communications team.
comm-office [at] bowers.cornell.edu (Request Bowers Downloads)
The lockup should only appear as two colors (black and red; white and red), or one color (black or white). The all black and all white option should only be used in single color applications. Please ensure sufficient contrast with the background color when using the one color option.
The bold print seal should be used when applied greater than 3/4" tall. The simple web seal should be used when applied between 73 pixels and 120 pixels. Online, the seal must always be represented at a minimum height of 120 pixels.
To preserve the integrity of the lockup, always maintain clear space around it — at least half the size of the seal.
Alternatively, the wordmark and seal may be placed near each other, maintaining equal prominence and balanced proportions to allow for a responsive and flexible relationship with one another in various applications.
Written Identity
These nomenclature standards ensure that our college is represented in a clear, consistent way. We are following the Cornell University naming system and nomenclature guidelines, which allows for flexibility, portability, and clarity in both written and verbal forms and provides formal, standard, and shorthand iterations.
Formal
A “formal” written identity is a name used in business and legal documents, titles, headers and first impressions.
"Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science"
Standard
A “standard” written identity is a slightly shorter name used in the first iteration of copy and as the default name in most instances.
"Cornell Bowers College of Computing and Information Science"
Shorthand
A “shorthand” written identity is the minimum standard for the name in headlines, second and other iterations in copy and less formal uses.
"Cornell Bowers
"Bowers"
Note: (Note: Bowers should only be used internally or when space makes it a necessity.)
Not approved
"Cornell Bowers CIS"
"CIS"
Preferred Phrasing
Included here are some additional rules and direction that are specific to Cornell Bowers and how we treat certain words, phrases, abbreviations, etc.
Our grammar, terminology, and nomenclature follow the Cornell University guidelines. Please reference those guidelines for instances not covered here, such as treatment of degree and program names. (hyperlink to brand.cornell.edu)
DO
- Write out the department names:
- Computer Science
- Information Science
- Statistics and Data Science
- Display the department names in alphabetical order.
DON’T
- Use the CIS acronym (i.e.) Cornell Bowers CIS, Bowers CIS
- As a college we are no longer using the CIS acronym. In the past it was valuable to define our offerings — however as we have grown and evolved it has become limiting. It no longer fully reflects our diverse, collaborative work and impact. It is important that we consistently emphasize Bowers moving forward to build and strengthen our distinct identity.
- “Bowers” is unique to our college and therefore stronger for creating and differentiating our brand.
Verbal Identity
Standard
A “standard” verbal identity is a name spoken in the first iteration and as the default name in most instances.
"Cornell Bowers College of Computing and Information Science"
Shorthand
A “shorthand” verbal identity is the minimum standard for the name spoken in second and other iterations and less formal uses.
"Cornell Bowers"
"Bowers"
Not approved
"Cornell Bowers CIS"
"CIS"
Email Signature
Email signatures are to be text-only, with no image files, including the Cornell Bowers lockup or the Cornell seal. A good example of an informative, web-accessible email signature:
Firstname Lastname (Pronouns[optional])
Position Working Title
Cornell Bowers
Department or Unit Name
Office Address [optional]
O: (607) 255-2000 [optional]
Your email address @cornell.edu [optional]
C: (716) 555-5555 [optional]
MTRF on campus | W remote [optional]
Website or Appointment Scheduler [optional]
Web accessibility – and not design nor Cornell Bowers brand guidelines – is the reasoning for text-only email signatures. While we recommend Arial typeface, the choice is yours. Let simplicity and legibility be the ultimate guides here. Use your best judgement on font size and color while being mindful that some lighter colors can present contrast issues against white backgrounds. When in doubt, reference WebAIM’s Contrast Checker to see if your desired font color passes web accessibility standards.