Texas A&M Maritime Academy
Brand Guide    

Texas A&M University at Galveston

Also referred to as the Galveston Campus of Texas A&M University

Second reference: Galveston Campus or Galveston Campus of Texas A&M

Should never be abbreviated as TAMUG

Texas A&M Maritime Academy

The full name should used where possible.

Where applicable, second reference for print: Texas A&M Maritime

Capitalize academy when used as the short form of the name (internal communications only) 

Should never be abbreviated at TMA or TAMMA 

Texas A&M Maritime Academy Corps of Cadets

Second Reference: Texas A&M Maritime Corps (externally) or Corps (internally)

Corps always has an “s” at the end

Should never be shown on two lines when designing

Never referenced as the Texas A&M University at Galveston Corps of Cadets or Galveston Campus Corps of Cadets

Office of the Superintendent

Second reference: the Superintendent

Always capitalized except when following AP style

Office of the Commandant

Second Reference: the Commandant

Always capitalized except when following AP style

Cadets

Only capitalized at the beginning of a sentence or when used in specific reference to a cadet, ex: Cadet Jones

Commissioning

Only capitalized at the beginning of a sentence. Includes noun (event) and verb (act) forms

Company

Capitalized only at the beginning of a sentence unless when used in specific reference to a company, ex: Echo Company.

Spell out company names using the phonetic alphabet, ex: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Victor

The company number should be used in numerical form; ex. Echo 1 Company

Corps Staff Ranks: Corps Commander, Deputy Corps Commander, etc.

Always capitalized except when following AP style

Drill & Ceremony Cadets

Always capitalized

Often referred to as D&C

Final Review

Only capitalized when referring to the actual event

March-In

Capitalize in headlines only

Hyphenate when referred to an event; do not hyphenate when used as a verb

Military Titles

Reference AP Stylebook

Maritime Academy Hall

Second reference: Maritime Hall

Besides consistent use of logos, another unifying visual component is the consistent use of color. All colors shown are within the Galveston Campus brand guide. Only Brand Colors should be used for Texas A&M Maritime Academy and Corps materials. Company insignias are the lone exception to this rule.

Administration of the Texas A&M Maritime Academy is under the prevue of Texas A&M University at Galveston and falls under the brand guides established by the Galveston Campus and Texas A&M University. The only logo associated with the Galveston Campus is the block TAM which should not be used outside of the established brand guidelines without the written permission of the Division of Marketing & Communications.

SEAL

The Texas A&M Maritime Academy seal is restricted to usage by the Office of the Superintendent and should not be used by any entity, internal or external, outside of the Office of the Superintendent.

Usage is restricted to correspondence, official documents, certificates, awards, plaques, medallions, invitations, official documents and reports and other commemorative items authorized by the Office of the Superintendent and Division of Marketing & Communications. The seal is only used in select official permanent installations on campus as approved by the Division of Marketing & Communications.

Occasionally, special occasions warrant the use of the Texas A&M Maritime Academy seal beyond those outlined above. Permission to use the seal may be requested by emailing marcom@tamug.edu with the following information:

• Purpose
• Audience
• Benefit to the Academy
• Medium (print/digital)
• Quantity

The seal should not be used without written approval from the Division of Marketing & Communications which retains all rights to deny requests.

MARKS

Consistency establishes trust. It is vital that the Texas A&M Maritime Academy Shield be used in a consistent manner by all. Our marks must not be altered in any way. The Texas A&M Maritime Academy Shield represents both the Academy and the Corps of Cadets.

SYMBOLISM

The Shield signifies through design elements who we are, what we do and what we stand for as the Texas A&M Maritime Academy and Texas A&M Maritime Academy Corps of Cadets.

• A and M represent the connection to Texas A&M University
• The six stars represent our guiding Aggie Core Values
• The horizon and horizontal lines represent maritime and the ocean
• The anchor conveys stability, security and steadfastness of the academy
• Texas is conveyed using the beveled lone star from the Texas seal
• The shield shape conveys protection and strength.

LOGO GUIDELINES

Only use the approved logo artwork provided by the Division of Marketing & Communications.

Do not distort, modify, remove or add elements to the Shield provided by the Division of Marketing & Communications beyond those outlined in this guide.

Always scale proportionately.

Minimum sizes should never be under 1.5” w X 1.75” h.

The Shield should never be shown smaller than additional logos on branded materials, including print and digital.

Text may be added around the Shield but is limited to the following list and must be in Tungsten Light, Moriston Light, Minion Pro Regular, Minion Pro Semibold, Open Sans Regular or Open Sans Semibold:

• Texas A&M Maritime Academy
• Established 1962
• Galveston Campus
• Texas A&M Maritime Academy Corps of Cadets
• Galveston, Texas

The Shield is single color. All Aggie Colors are appropriate for use.

A three-color option is available with permission from the Division of Marketing & Communication.

Employees of the Texas A&M Maritime Academy may join their unit identity with the Corps of Cadet Shield provided the lockup meets the above-stated requirements.

SPECIAL UNIT LOGOS & COMPANY INSIGNIAS

SPECIAL UNIT LOGOS

The Texas A&M Maritime Academy Corps of Cadets has two special units: Drill & Ceremony and NROTC. Any marks associated with these units should never be used on their own for promotional products without the Texas A&M Maritime Academy Corps of Cadets typed adjacent to the special unit logo or the Shield proportional to the special unit logo. Any change to special unit logos must be approved by the Division of Marketing & Communications and the Commandant.

The Texas A&M Maritime Academy & Texas A&M Maritime Academy Corps of Cadets has several companies with long-standing insignias. These insignias should never be used on their own for promotional products without Texas A&M Maritime Academy typed adjacent to the unit logo or the Academy Shield proportional to the special unit logo. Any changes to company insignias must be approved by the Division of Marketing & Communications.

COMPANY INSIGNIAS

1. Company insignias should be developed in consultation with the Texas A&M Maritime Academy brand guide.
2. Company insignias are approved first by the Division of Marketing & Communications and then by the Commandant.
3. Final versions of all company insignias will be stored by the Division of Marketing & Communications. Any newly created logo must be sent in an .eps file format.

Guidelines

If your company(s) is hosting an event on or off Academy/campus grounds, you must include the Shield with your logo.

The Galveston Campus uses four primary typefaces for the Texas A&M University brand and are available for the Texas A&M Maritime Academy and Corps. We recommend using Tungsten and Open San where possible. All Aggie fonts are permitted for use.

Fonts can be downloaded in the Galveston Campus Brand Guide.

Social media is a valuable and powerful tool in communicating the Texas A&M Maritime Academy and Texas A&M Maritime Academy Corps of Cadets brand. All social media channels representing any entity of the Galveston Campus are required to adhere to the social media policies outlined in the Galveston Campus Brand Guide.

The Texas A&M Maritime Academy social media channels are managed by the Division of Marketing & Communications and supported by Corps of Cadets. (@texasmaritime)

Additional social media channels are not permitted to represent the Academy or Corps unless approved by the Division of Marketing & Communications and Office of the Commandant.

Approved Hashtags

#texasmaritime

#tamug

#gigem

#btho

#seaaggies

#aggiesbythesea

Some hashtags are used per social media campaign:

#sst[year]

Best Practices for Social

• Don’t use personal pronouns
• Tag other campus groups
• Follow accessibility best practices for social media: include an alternate photo description (Alt Text) which needs to clearly describe the photo and subjects in the photo. Capitalize each word of a hashtag. When linking to another website use a descriptive tiny URL and clearly state where the link is taking them.
• Post on all social channels with timely content.
• When creating a post, include a photo or video clip when possible.
• When reviewing comments and messages do not engage, hide or delete. If it needs to be addressed, please alert the Division of Marketing & Communications.

The Texas A&M Maritime Academy and Corps should follow campus guidelines for stationary. The Galveston Campus logo, Texas A&M Maritime Academy and Corps marks may not be printed on personal stationery. Stationery items must be ordered online through the Galveston Campus Bookstore. The bookstore will provide the approved marks and template options based on campus affiliation. 

Powerpoint Presentations have a set cover and background, all approved by the Superintendent. These should be used for every Texas A&M Maritime Academy/Corps presentation. No changes should be made to these presentation templates. Only the approved Aggie fonts should be used. Visuals needed can be found in our Flickr account.

Additional templates are available in the Galveston Campus Brand Guide Toolbox.

VIDEOGRAPHY & PHOTOGRAPHY

Following best practices for creating photo and video content and familiarizing yourself with Academy branded assets will help to elevate the quality of your work and ensure it aligns with Galveston Campus and Texas A&M Maritime Academy branding.

All official photos & videos taken of Texas A&M Maritime Academy personnel, the Corps of Cadets and their special units are captured, edited and stored by the Division of Marketing & Communications or their authorized representative. They are property of the Texas A&M Maritime Academy, the Office of the Superintendent and the Office of the Commandant.

Any third-party filming or shooting requests must be routed to the Division of Marketing & Communications for approval. Any party that does not have the Division of Marketing & Communication and Office of the Commandant approval will be asked to stop the project.  

All official photos are stored and available for public access on Flickr. To use photos in an official capacity please email marcom@tamug.edu with an explanation of use and direct link to the photo you are requesting. Permissions to use are subject to approval by the Division of Marketing & Communications.

Media Release Form for Academy Staff & Cadets

Cadets are required to sign a media release form at the start of every academic year. The form states that the Galveston Campus and Texas A&M Maritime Academy or their authorized representative have the ability to capture cadets during official events, and to use their image, voice and likeness to promote the Academy/Corps. Any third-party filming may require an additional media release. Access the media release form here.

Photography

Any additional editing to official Texas A&M Maritime Academy or Corps photos is prohibited to include any social media filters, additional Lightroom presets, etc. The Division of Marketing & Communications edits photos with consistency and overall brand awareness in mind.

When taking photos on behalf of the Texas A&M Maritime Academy and/or Corps, the overall look and feel should be good lighting, higher contrast, warm to neutral in tone and vibrant color.

Whenever possible, show the subject in action and interacting with relevant props. The action should feel spontaneous and realistic. Each photo should feel like a glimpse into the real world of both the Galveston Campus and Texas A&M Maritime Academy.

The final photo should not appear over-edited and stay true to the original image.

Pay attention to your surroundings, backgrounds, uniform protocols, safety protocols, etc.

Photos taken should properly represent the Galveston Campus, Texas A&M Maritime Academy and Corps in a positive manner.

Videography 

Video is a critical asset of brand management and must meet standards outlined in the Galveston Campus Brand Guide. Videos representing the Texas A&M Maritime Academy and Corps of Cadets are produced exclusively by the Division of Marketing & Communication or an authorized representative of the Division. Video content created by the Corps must have written approval of both the Division of Marketing & Communications and the Commandant. 

In compliance with the law, all videos produced by the Galveston Campus, Texas A&M Maritime Academy, Corps or their approved representative must be captioned for the hearing impaired.

Videography

The Division of Marketing and Communications hosts all Texas A&M Maritime Academy and Corps videos on the Galveston Campus’s YouTube Channel with a dedicated playlist for Academy- and Corps-specific content. Videos representing the Texas A&M Maritime Academy and Corps of Cadets are produced exclusively by the Division of Marketing & Communication or an authorized representative of the division.

When shooting video content for the Corps on your cell phone, turn your phone horizontal.

Pay attention to your surroundings, background, and audio (background noise and what others are saying).

Final video clips should not be overly edited and should stay true to the original version.

All clips posted on approved social media pages should be no longer than 60 seconds.