Consistency matters

Skidmore’s name, wordmark, seal, logos, colors, typography, and related visual elements help audiences recognize official College communications. Consistent use of these elements protects Skidmore’s identity, strengthens the College’s reputation, and helps people understand when a message, event, program, product, or resource is officially connected to Skidmore.

The Office of Communications and Marketing oversees Skidmore’s brand identity and reviews use of official Skidmore marks, including logos, wordmarks, department lockups, design elements, merchandise, promotional products, and other branded materials.

Use official Skidmore marks

Use only official Skidmore logos, wordmarks, lockups, and other brand elements provided or approved by OCM. Do not copy logos from the website, social media, screenshots, PDFs, or previously produced materials.

College offices, departments, programs, and groups that need a branded identifier should contact OCM. In most cases, OCM can provide an approved lockup that pairs the Skidmore wordmark with the name of the office, department, or program.

Do not alter or create logos

Please do not create new Skidmore logos, marks, icons, taglines, sub-brands, or graphic treatments. Skidmore’s official marks may not be altered, redrawn, stretched, recolored, rearranged, combined with other graphics, placed on distracting backgrounds, or used as the basis for a new logo.

If you believe your office, program, event, or initiative needs a distinct visual treatment, contact OCM before creating or using one.

College seal

The Skidmore College seal is reserved for formal and ceremonial uses, including communications from the Office of the President and the Board of Trustees. It may be used for other purposes only with OCM approval.

The seal should not be used as a general logo, decorative graphic, social media icon, merchandise mark, or substitute for the Skidmore wordmark.

Athletics marks

Skidmore Athletics marks, including Thoroughbred-related marks, are part of the College’s broader brand system but are intended primarily for varsity athletics. Athletics marks should not be used in place of the Skidmore wordmark for academic, administrative, or general College communications.

Requests to use athletics marks for club sports, intramural programs, merchandise, or special-event purposes will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Merchandise, vendors, and third-party uses

Skidmore’s official marks may not be used on merchandise, apparel, promotional items, commercial products, sponsorship materials, or third-party communications without OCM approval.

Do not order, print, embroider, engrave, or produce any item using a Skidmore logo, wordmark, seal, athletics mark, or other official College mark without contacting OCM first. All merchandise and promotional items that use Skidmore marks must be reviewed by OCM and sourced in coordination with the Skidmore Shop.

OCM and the Skidmore Shop will help confirm that the design, product, and vendor are appropriate before anything is produced. This includes apparel, giveaways, event items, department merchandise, club or organization items, and materials created with outside partners or sponsors.

Any use of Skidmore marks alongside another organization’s logo, sponsor mark, vendor name, or trademark must be reviewed by OCM before production.

Skids, the Thoroughbred mascot 

Skids, Skidmore’s Thoroughbred mascot, is an official representative of the College and an important part of Skidmore’s visual identity and school spirit. The mascot’s name, image, likeness, costume, and related visual representations are part of the College brand and are subject to the same brand governance outlined in these guidelines.

Use of the mascot is co-managed by OCM and Skidmore Athletics.

Requests for Skids to appear at an event should be made in advance by contacting skids@skidmore.edu. All requests are reviewed based on the nature of the event, location, audience, staffing, schedule, and appropriateness of the appearance.

The mascot costume may only be worn by approved actors. The costume may not be borrowed, rented, used for personal purposes, or worn by anyone who has not been approved by OCM and Athletics.

Skids should not appear off campus, around alcohol, at private parties, or in connection with another brand, organization, sponsor, product, political activity, or commercial promotion without prior permission.

OCM and Athletics reserve the right to decline, cancel, or modify mascot appearances that are not appropriate for Skidmore’s brand, values, safety standards, or event guidelines.

Restricted uses

Skidmore’s official marks may not be used in ways that could imply College endorsement of an outside product, service, organization, political position, or commercial activity without approval.

Skidmore marks may not be used in connection with alcohol, tobacco or tobacco-related products, drugs, firearms or weapons, gambling-related products, sexually suggestive materials, profanity, hate speech, obscene or disparaging content, or materials that demean individuals or groups.

Questions or requests

Contact OCM before beginning production if you need a logo, department lockup, brand review, merchandise review, vendor guidance, or help with a branded project.

Early review helps avoid delays, reprinting costs, vendor issues, and use of materials that do not meet Skidmore’s brand standards.