Brand Style and Expression

The Power of a Strong Brand

Whether you spend your time in the classroom, on the basketball court, in an office or on the road, you are the Saint Joseph's University brand. The world is watching how you flap your wings.

When we come together and represent a consistent brand, we build trust and confidence. We are respected and relied on to deliver on our promise. This gives us a strategic advantage in a competitive marketplace.

Brand Personality

How our brand expresses our unique character.

Our brand personality is:

  • Active and confident
  • Energetic and focused
  • Sassy and direct
  • Open minded and forward looking
  • Curious and optimistic
  • Informed and authentic

Tone & Voice

Tone is mood.

How we sound — constructed from the elements of vocabulary, rhythm, mood and structure. Just as our tone changes based on circumstance and environment, your tone might shift a little to suit the content you’re creating.

Our tone is:

  • Personal and direct
  • Strong, purposeful and passionate
  • Challenging but supportive
  • Vividly inspirational — not sappy

Voice is character.

How Saint Joseph’s feels, acts and most important, how we relate to our audience. Voice is consistent across the platforms. It’s who we are. We find our voice at the intersection of youth, passion and wisdom.

Our voice is:

  • Confident and optimistic, yet pragmatic
  • Energetic but focused
  • Perceptive and empathetic
  • Forward looking, open minded and inclusive

Brand Pillars

Our messaging architecture is built on three interrelated brand pillars. Each of these pillars define an aspect of our brand that, added together, define Saint Joseph's as:

  • the University that prepares students for the future of everything,
  • an immersive city and suburban experience,
  • the place that pushes students to maximize potential – in their careers, their lives and society.

Explore our brand pillars here:

    • We define success not only by title or salary or first job, but also by finding personal fulfillment in career and life beyond work.
    • We give students a competitive edge by providing the soft and hard skills, intellectual rigor and emotional intelligence necessary to stand out from peers and thrive confidently and happily in an unpredictable, constantly changing future.
    • We urge our students and graduates to follow their own paths, not someone else’s, and find success on their own terms. A lifelong pursuit of learning to become the greatest version of themselves.
    • Success is greatest when shared. Our students stand out by aligning their unique talents with the world’s greatest needs.
    • We are part of the Jesuits’ 500-year track record of educating problem solvers, disruptors and leaders.
    • We are the only Philadelphia university that is both urban and suburban, offering students a beautiful residential campus environment with proximity to a thriving city.
    • We are located in America’s birthplace, a vibrant global starter city that creates an immersive hub of innovation and urban problem-solving for our students and faculty.
    • We embrace academic exploration across all of our schools and believe that switching majors is a sign that something has gone right.
    • We push students beyond their comfort zones, while providing support and mentorship needed to grow, learn and take chances.
    • We create opportunities for students and faculty to research and advance some of society’s most important issues – from autism to addiction – that require new discovery.

Message Guidance for Various Audiences

The key to writing powerful and relevant messages is to know your audience. Use these guidelines to communicate with your audience in our brand voice.

    • Connect with the current priorities and future goals of this generation.
    • Combat the idea of fear as a motivator for short-term achievement.

     

    Sample copy: At Saint Joseph's, we provide a challenging and immersive liberal arts education. Plus, real life work experience that sets you apart -- and looks really good on your resume, by the way. Lots of fun with your friends on campus. And time to figure out the unique way you're going to step out into the world.

    • Appeal to career changers/veerers, preparing them for rewarding careers and fulfilling lives in an ever-changing future.

     

    Sample copy: Secure your future with a degree from Saint Joseph's University. Earn your M.S. in Cybersecurity in just 16 months. Or start with our 15-credit certificate. Gain in-demand skills for a successful career in a booming industry. 100% online. Saint Joseph's prepares you for a future of unlimited success.

    • Speak to their desire and pride in a Saint Joseph’s education to influence and shape their industry, career path and personal success.

     

    Sample copy: Rise to the Challenge. As Hawks, we don’t just challenge ourselves; we challenge each other. Challenges are a big part of the fun on our day of giving – and can lead to big impact for the program you really care about.

    • Reflect our ethos to be brave, bold and constantly curious and adaptable.

     

    Sample copy: A new semester brings new opportunities. Chances to innovate. To inspire. To engage. To connect our talents and our purpose to serve our students. 

     

    • Align with our brand language directionally but convey more gravitas as appropriate.

     

    Sample copy: An education at Saint Joseph's, grounded in the liberal arts and the Jesuit tradition of holistic preparation, gives graduates the tools to thrive in their early jobs and the foundation to build new skills as the market changes around them. Saint Joseph's has taken several steps in the last year that will allow the University to offer its powerful education to students across an even wider range of interests and passions.

Brand Standards

See the full standards