University Relations and Marketing
Missouri Southern State University is a comprehensive and dynamic public university.
While the unique personalities of each school, department and unit are important elements of the University’s overall identity, our audiences must see that we are a part of the same institution – that we bear a family resemblance. Our communications are much more powerful and effective when we clearly and consistently represent that we are interconnected.
That’s what the use of the University’s Trademarks, Logos, Colors, and Seal policy and the graphic standards are designed to help us do—to leverage the strength of this institution’s identity and advance our mission.
It is our responsibility.
Sincerely,
JoAnn Graffam
Vice President for Development &
Executive Director of the Missouri Southern Foundation
The purpose of this guide is to help create a standard for all Missouri Southern publications. These guidelines will ensure visual and editorial consistency.
Publications that comply with visual and editorial standards are more credible than those with a variety of formats: These standards help readers and other users see the relationship between various publications from the University.
The Missouri Southern State University News Bureau publishes hundreds of news releases a year. Individual schools, departments and offices publish even more material. With the proliferation of materials published via desktop publishing and of Web pages, the need for consistency in style and usage is even more important than ever.
Please refer to the information in the following pages when preparing text for publication, either in print or on the Web, to ensure you are following the official style of Missouri Southern State University. This guide is a work in progress and will be updated regularly as the need arises. Please feel free to call the University News Bureau at 417.625-9506 with any questions you may have concerning University style..
In text: The preference is to use words instead of an abbreviation. For example, “Jane Doe earned a bachelor’s degree in botany in 1995,” not “Jane Doe earned a BS in 1995.”
Correct punctuation and use:
bachelor’s degree (but no apostrophe for Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science; both are also proper nouns so are capitalized)
master’s degree
“doctoral” as an adjective and “doctorate” as a noun: “They all earned doctoral degrees.” “They all earned doctorates.” The University breaks with Associated Press style to give the courtesy title “Dr.” to academic professionals with doctoral degrees. Give this title on first reference only (Dr. Jane Smith, then Smith on second reference).
In lists: Use abbreviations only when the need to identify many individuals by degree on first reference would make the preferred form cumbersome (i.e., long lists of faculty or Class Notes in Crossroads magazine). When you do use a degree abbreviation, do not set it off with periods:
BA, BS
BFA
MA
MBA
PhD
Plurals of all of the above take an “s” but no apostrophe: MAs, PhDs
When a name is followed by a degree abbreviation, set the abbreviation off with comma: John Smith, PhD
Here is the preferred style for a list of staff or faculty when you want to name their degree and credentials, certifications and/or other associations:
Name (no courtesy title even if PhD because that will be listed after and a double listing would be redundant)
Highest degree a person has received
Certifications following a name should be avoided if they are vague to the general public. However, if they are to be listed they should go in order received. No periods.
Licensing/memberships/associations should be avoided if they are vague to the general public. However, if they are to be listed they should go in alphabetical order. No periods.
For example:
Betsy Ross, PhD, CPA, AICPA
George Washington, MBA, CFP
Use United States Postal Service style for addresses, which means abbreviation of directional (N. instead of North) and street (Ave. instead of Avenue). Use the postal-code abbreviation for states in an address (MO instead of Mo. or Missouri).
Correct: Missouri Southern State University, 3950 E. Newman Road, Joplin, MO 64801-1595
Use only when part of a formal name or other proper noun (i.e., Smith & Smith Law Firm) or in a list when space is at a premium (though this usage is discouraged). Do not use to substitute for the word “and” in text.
On first reference, use “Missouri Southern State University Alumni Association.” On
second and subsequent references, “Alumni Association” is acceptable.
Correct: Homecoming is sponsored by the Missouri Southern State Alumni Association.
Incorrect: Homecoming is sponsored by Alumni Services.
alumnus - a male graduate
alumna - a female graduate
alumni - plural form for a group of male and female graduates, or a group of male graduates
alumnae - plural form for a group of female graduates
Use to show possession and omitted figures. Do not use with plurals of numbers or multiple-letter combinations (CDs, not CD’s). Do not use with decades on second reference (i.e., 1980s becomes ‘80s, not 80’s).
Missouri Southern State University is under the general control and management of a eight-member Board of Governors. Capitalize Board of Governors on first reference. Further references may be to “the Board,” also capitalized.
When abbreviating years to two digits, put an apostrophe (’) in front of the years of classes.
John Smith, ’09
When referring to a class, use all four digits.
Class of 2009
Numbers – Use a comma with figures higher than 999. Don’t use commas in street address numbers, broadcast frequencies, room numbers, serial numbers, telephone numbers, years and temperatures.
Series/serial comma – Do not use a serial comma, which is a comma before “and” or “or” in a series. Example: apples, oranges and pears NOT apples, oranges, and pears
Name abbreviations – Do not use commas before or after these: Jr.; Sr.; Inc. or II, III, etc. (Example: Bill Johnson Sr. NOT Bill Johnson, Sr.).
Spell out all months when they stand alone without a date: August 2009. Use abbreviation for January, February, August, September, October, November and December when they are used with a date: Aug. 29, 2009. Never abbreviate March, April, May, June, July. Do not use commas to set off the year when the month but not the day is used (September 2009 NOT September, 2009).
In time references, use figures with a.m. and p.m. consistently throughout (“9 a.m.,” not “nine a.m.” or “9 AM”).
Days of the week are capitalized and not abbreviated (unless used in tabular form).
The official name of the foundation is Missouri Southern Foundation
and should be used on first reference. The words “State” and “University” are not part of this title.
“Foundation” is acceptable on second and subsequent references.
First reference in text should read “grade point average,” no hyphen and lowercase. Second reference can be GPA, no periods. Use figures to express GPAs to one decimal place. Add extra decimal places when accuracy is essential. Examples: 3.8 GPA; GPA of 3.45.
Hyphenate the following when used as compound modifiers:
Full-time
Part-time
On-campus
Off-campus
Pre-Engineering
Pre-Law
Pre-Medicine
Pre-Dental
Pre-Professional
Pre-Veterinary
Pre-Optometry
Pre-Physical Therapy
The official name of the institution is Missouri Southern State University. First reference of the University’s name should be “Missouri Southern State University” in all external communications or “Missouri Southern” for internal communications. Subsequent references may be “Southern,” “the University,” “the institution” or “MSSU.”
Naming the University’s president and first lady
Missouri Southern State University President Bruce W. Speck OR Dr. Bruce W. Speck, president of Missouri
Southern State University
First Lady Carmen Speck OR Carmen Speck, first lady of Missouri Southern State University
Spell out numbers from zero to nine. Use figures for numbers 10 or higher, including ordinal numbers, unless referring to age, for which figures are used. Correct: He was 5 years old.
The word “percent” should be spelled out in text (reserve the percent symbol, %, for use in graphics or statistics material). Use figures for decimal fractions and percentages. Example: 5 percent, not five percent or 5%; 3.5 percent, not 3 1/2 percent.
academic degrees – Capitalize when part of a proper noun, lowercase when not. Examples: Bachelor of Arts in English, Master of Business Administration, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree
advisor – Not “adviser”
ages – Ages are numerals (25 years old, not twenty-five). Use “younger than” and “older than” instead of terms such as “over” (i.e., “students older than 18 may apply” not “students over 18 may apply”).
campus – The word “campus” is always lowercase.
centers – Names of University institutes are uppercase. Example: Institute of International Studies
departments – Names of University departments are lowercase. Example: biology department
dorm versus residence hall – Our preferred term is “residence hall.” May use “hall” on second reference. Avoid use of “dorm.”
email – Lowercase “e” and never use a hyphen.
ensure, insure – Use ensure to mean guarantee and insure for references to insurance.
headings and subheadings – Capitalize first word and proper nouns in headings and subheadings. Examples: Congress votes to go with the plan; Board of Governors to meet with president
homecoming – Capitalize Missouri Southern Homecoming. Lowercase homecoming in general use.
impact – Use this word as a noun only (i.e., “had an impact on”) not a verb (i.e., “this will impact students”). Impact as a verb is not a synonym for “affect” or “influence” — it means to strike forcefully (think meteor hitting Earth). Variations of the verb form, including “impactful,” are not recognized by most dictionaries and therefore should not be used.
International Mission – Should always be capitalized when referring to the MSSU program.
Internet – Capitalized.
Lion’s Den – Use apostrophe s (‘s) not s apostrophe (s’)
noncredit, not non-credit. Most “non” words are one word, no hyphen. If in doubt, check Webster’s Dictionary.
online, not “on line” or “on-line”
over or more than? – “Over” refers to a spatial relationship (“the light is over the table”). “More than” is a quantity (“more than 40 students came to class,” not “over 40 students”).
schools – Names of University schools are capitalized. Example: School of Arts and Science
season/semester – The names of the seasons and semesters are not capitalized (i.e., fall semester)
“state of Missouri” – Lowercase “state.”
student classification – Do not capitalize the words freshman, sophomore, junior, senior or graduate when referring to the classification of a student or to the year in which a course is taken.
themed semester – Capitalize names of the themed semester: Brazil Semester, Egypt Semester.
theatre – Use this British spelling when referring to a proper name that uses this form. Otherwise, use “theater.” The two spellings mean the same thing.
Theatre and Music Department
Bud Walton Black Box Theatre
titles of people – Capitalize titles that appear before a name and lowercase titles that appear after a name. Examples: Missouri Southern State University President Bruce W. Speck; Dr. Bruce W. Speck, president of Missouri Southern State University. The only time President is capitalized is when it stands alone as a reference to the President of the United States.
titles of publications – books, journals, newspapers, websites and magazines should be treated in italic fonts (Gone With the Wind, Wall Street Journal)
titles of minor works – essays, songs, articles within periodicals – are to be set off in quotation marks (“Singing in the Rain”)
Top - Top should be capitalized and there should be a line break between a sentence or word(s) and the anchor word "Top" when used on a Web page.
Under, fewer than or less than? – “Under” refers to spatial relationships (“the dog is under the table”). “Fewer than” and “less than” are used with numbers and amounts. Use “fewer than” with things you can count (books, students, computers, etc.) and “less than” with mass nouns — things you cannot count individually (clutter, furniture, honesty, wisdom, etc.). If you cannot make the word plural (as in, “I have many honesties,”), it’s a mass noun.
University – In first reference, always use Missouri Southern State University. Subsequent references may be Missouri Southern, University (uppercase) or MSSU.
website – One word, lowercase
Use only one space between sentences and after a colon.
Names of states in text without reference to a town are spelled out (“We went to Tennessee,” not “We went to Tenn.”). When a town is included, use Associated Press Stylebook abbreviations, not two-digit postal abbreviations (Smithville, Tenn. NOT Smithville, Tennessee or Smithville, TN).
Ala. Kan. Nev. S.C.
Ariz. Ky. N.H. S.D.
Ark. La. N.J. Tenn.
Calif. Md. N.M. Vt.
Colo. Mass. N.Y. Va.
Conn. Mich. N.C. Wash.
Del. Minn. N.D. W.Va.
Fla. Miss. Okla. Wis.
Ga. Mo. Ore. Wyo.
Ill. Mont. Pa.
Ind. Neb. R.I.
The following states are never abbreviated in running text: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Texas and Utah.
email (lowercase and never use a hyphen)
online (one word in all references)
urls - Urls should consistently include “www” to accurately reflect the name of the server
on which a page resides. Urls should never be shortened to drop the name of the server
Correct: www.mssu.edu
Incorrect: mssu.edu
Top - Top should be capitalized and there should be a line break between a sentence or word(s) and the anchor word "Top" when used on a Web page.
Web should be capitalized in all references.
website – is one word and should be lowercased in all references
Titles of people – Capitalize titles that appear before a name and lowercase titles that appear after a name.
Missouri Southern State University President Bruce W. Speck
Bruce W. Speck, president of Missouri Southern State University
Titles of publications – books, journals, newspapers, websites and magazines should be treated in italic fonts (Gone With the Wind, Wall Street Journal)
Titles of minor works – essays, songs, articles within periodicals, podcasts – are to be set off in quotation marks (“Singing in the Rain”)
Each recruitment publication should feature the following on the cover:
Missouri Southern State University wordmark, to address trademark requirements
Title of publication: Department name (school name if applicable)
Recruitment publications can be in various sizes and formats. A number of options are listed below. The size and format of the publication will depend on amount of content supplied by the client and budget available.
Recommended brochure/booklet sizes to ensure they fit in the standard-sized envelopes:
4” x 9” (designed to fit in standard #10 Official envelope)
5.75” x 8.5” (designed to fit in standard #6 1/2 Booklet envelope)
6” x 9” (designed to fit in standard #6 3/4 Booklet envelope)
Note: See recommended postcard sizes if the brochure or booklet is a self-mailer.
Postcards, oversized postcards also may be developed for small publication needs.
Standard postcard sizes which can be mailed within the postal rate for postcards:
5” x 3.5” (minimum postcard size)
6” x 4.25” (maximum postcard size)
Oversized postcards that still meet the USPS “Letter-size Mail Standards” which can be mailed with an increased postage rate:
Anything larger than 6” x 4.25” (minimum postcard size)
6 1/8” x 11.5” (maximum oversized postcard size)
Reference the Letter-Size Mail Dimensional Standards Template for the correct size ratios and to ensure adequate space is allotted for the OCR read area.
Note: Letter-size mail is the USPS term for any mail piece that is larger than the maximum postcard size, 6” x 4.25”.
A direct-mail piece is any type of printed publication that can be mailed without the use of envelope. A direct-mail piece is often considered as an effective communication tool because the absence of envelope means that the piece has higher chance of being read by the recipient.
A direct-mail piece can be a postcard or an oversized postcard. It can also be in the form of a fold-out brochure/booklet as long as the finished folded size follows the USPS Letter-Size Mail Dimensional Standards.
Common sizes for posters include:
11” x 17”
18” x 24”
22” x 28”
24” x 36”
Margins and gutters
For 8.5” x 11” and 9” x 12” documents, the margins should be 0.625” on all sides. Gutters for these larger documents should be 0.25 inch.
For 4” x 6” and 6” x 9” documents, the margins are 0.5 inch on all sides. Two-column documents follow the same margins, but with a 0.125 inch gutter.
Smaller publications such as 4” x 9” documents will primarily use one column of text per panel.
Larger publications should use a two- or three-column grid structure.
This section outlines the specifications of text, including font selection, leading, tracking, justification and hyphenation.
Section headings introduce new topic matter, which includes headlines and body copy.
The typeface for section headings will vary in size according to the dimensions of the publication.
The first word of a heading, as well as proper nouns, should be capitalized. All lowercase is not permitted.
As a general rule, ALL CAPS should be used sparingly in any recruitment publication.
Never hyphenate a header.
Subheadings act to separate sections of body copy.
The first word of a subheading, as well as proper nouns, should be capitalized. All lowercase is not permitted.
A hard return is used after the body copy and before the next subheading.
As a general rule, ALL CAPS should be used sparingly in any recruitment publication.
Never hyphenate a subheading.
Avoid overly long line lengths because if a line is too long, readers have trouble finding the beginning of the next line. If a line is too short, it breaks up the phrases the readers recognize. Rule of thumb, an ideal line length is 6-10 words per line or no more than 65 characters per line.
All paragraphs are justified left with no indentation. Do not force justify any body copy.
Use a hard return to separate paragraphs.
Try to avoid any hyphenation. Avoid too many hyphenations in any paragraph.
When directing the reader to a Web site or email address, the address should be set in italic or bold text or use a different color.
Use italic and bold sparingly. For instance, do not highlight the name of the department/program by using bold type in every occurrence.
Never use two hyphens instead of an em dash (long dash).
Use hyphen ( - ) for hyphenating words or line breaks.
Use en dash ( – ) for indicating a duration such as hourly time or months or years. Use it where you might otherwise use the word “to.”
Use em dash ( — ) for indicating an abrupt change in thought. Use it in a manner similar to a colon or parentheses, where a period is too strong and a comma is too weak.
Use quotation marks and inch marks appropriately.
Avoid bad line breaks. (Pay special attention to a person’s name, phone numbers, email addresses, web addresses.)
Use one space in between sentences. Break the habit of traditional typewriter rules of using two spaces after the period.
Drop caps are reserved for special featured articles within the publications, they should be used sparingly.
The official colors for the University are Green and Gold.
The number code for the Green is Pantone Matching System (PMS) is 349.
The number code for the Gold is Pantone Matching System (PMS) is 129.
The four-color process equivalent of Pantone 349 is C=100, M=0, Y=91, K=42 and is used for four-color offset and digital printing.
The four-color process equivalent of Pantone 129 is C=0, M=16, Y=77, K=0 and is used for four-color offset and digital printing.
A selection of fall and spring campus scenes may be found in the Photographic Services Gallery.
During photo shoots, ensure photo release forms are signed and on file with the Office of University Relations and Marketing.
Photos must be at least 300 dots per inch (DPI) at the size they are to be reproduced to ensure print quality. Images used online at 72 DPI will not reproduce clearly in print.
Use the University’s branding message whenever possible: Join the Pride
Use the University’s marketing messages whenever possible:
Distinctive Mission, Remarkable Education
Affordable Choice, Unbeatable Value
Memorable Experiences, Lifetime Success
Each publication should have a list of contact information, which may include one or more of the following:
Phone number: Use 417. as the prefix, as well as 800. for toll-free numbers. Use dots instead of dashes in the phone numbers. (Example: 417.818.6778)
email address: Include current department address
Web address: Use simplified Web addresses for departments and programs. If a redirect address is needed to represent www.mssu.edu/nameofprogram.
Each publication must include the University’s EO/AA statement. There are a number of statement options from which to choose in the Equal Opportunity Publication Policy.
If you have a learning or physical disability, please call 417.659.3725, and make an appointment to meet with the Disability Services Coordinator, Lori Musser. Accommodations, such as extended time on tests, sign language interpreters, etc., are based upon documented disabilities. The documentation gives you rights; it’s your responsibility to contact us. Remember, you are not alone. Please contact us.
Postal regulations change periodically, which may cause increased postal charges for a publication in violation. Most publications may be preapproved by the U.S. Postal Services mailpiece design analyst, 816-374-9486.
For self-mailing publications of 200 pieces or more, the nonprofit organization U.S. postage paid indicia (Permit No. 66) should be included on the upper right corner of the mailer. This will assist with the bulk-mail process. The indicia must be at minimum 5/8 inch square in size to meet postal regulations.
Only the bulk-mailed publications can have indicia; hand-distributed publications cannot — it can be covered with a white label or crossed out with a marker. Therefore, it is recommended to split the print quantity so that a certain amount of brochures have indicia and certain amount do not.
Envelopes are constructed in a number of standard sizes and closures.
Common envelope sizes for brochures/booklets:
#10 Official/Commercial envelope (enclosure: 4” x 9”)
#6 1/2 Booklet envelope (enclosure: 5.75” x 8.5”)
#6 3/4 Booklet or #1 3/4 Catalog envelope (enclosure: 6” x 9”)
Note: Booklet envelope has opening on the long end and Catalog envelope has opening on the short end.
Common envelope sizes for note cards or invitations:
A2 envelope (enclosure: 4.125” x 5.5”)
A6 envelope (enclosure: 4.625” x 6.25”)
Postal regulations require that postcard and reply card meet minimum paper weight, which is 10pt. Some brands of 80 lb. cover weight paper may be borderline when used for a reply card or postcard.
Most folded brochures or booklets meet the postal regulations due to the added thickness when folded; however, if a tear-off reply card is part of the brochure, that tear-off card must meet minimum paper weight per postal regulations.
Folded brochures or multiple-page booklets will have to be tabbed for mailing.
For a postcard, it is recommended to use C1S Cornwall cover paper. C1S stands for Coated on 1 Side; therefore, the front of the postcard will be coated, while the uncoated back (mailing) side will prevent the sprayed-on address from getting smeared. If a label address is being used, then the postcard can be coated on both sides (C2S).
If a publication is going to have an overall aqueous coating, choose the dull aqueous instead of matte aqueous coating. The sprayed-on address will not dry on the matte coating, causing it to smear.
Official University stationery—business cards, letterhead, and envelopes—is an important part of projecting a unified institutional identity and legitimizes the message or content. The elements that ensure consistency include the wordmark, typeface, type specifications, ink color, and paper.
Official stationery must be used for all official University business. Separately incorporated, University-affiliated foundations and alumni associations may use official stationery, but are not required to. Official stationery may not be used for personal business, by students, or by anyone not employed by the University. Registered student organizations may not use official stationery.
Official letterhead may not be personalized. Printing letterhead with department-wide or unit-wide information ensures that it can be used by everyone in that unit. Individualized information can be conveyed with business cards.
Official letterhead, envelopes, and business cards must be ordered through University Relations and Marketing.
Submit the products and quantity you need and the information you want printed to:
University Relations and Marketing
email : fort-e@mssu.edu
Phone: 417.625.9399
3950 Newman Road
Joplin, MO 64801-1595
(417) 625-9300
Copyright © 2013 MSSU
