Photography and Visual Elements
Photos and other visual elements can immediately set the mood when you tell a story about Saint Louis University. Below, you can find our guidelines for using imagery effectively.
Photography
SLU's photographic style mirrors the University's openness, understanding and sense of inclusion. It embodies the brand and who SLU is. The palette is bright. The subjects should be candid, emanating a welcoming impression as if the viewer is either a part of or being invited into the scene itself.
The angles, content and cropping should be engaging and interesting. Textures from University buildings and surrounding environments on campus can help create intrigue and incorporate our history into printed and online materials.
Elements from the foreground can be utilized to give a sense of depth or to serve as an enticement. When capturing people and our community, cropping and limited eye contact should provide the sense of a candid shot.
Iconography and Illustration
Iconography and illustrations are integral elements of SLU's brand identity system.
Both function as graphic aids in communications and provide a common visual language.
They have the ability to engage people, create hierarchy, direct the viewer to important
points, enhance understanding and simplify information. Iconography and illustrations
are subtle yet powerful and versatile tools. They should be instantly recognizable
regardless of what they are depicting. 
Both icons and illustrations reflect the graphic style of SLU's mark and utilize simple,
clean, bold lines. When creating icons or illustrations, please keep the following
in mind:
- Imagery should be simple.
- Detail in elements should be minimal.
- Corners should use a miter joint.
- Create the icon in a 0.5" square using a 3 pt stroke.
- Imagery should be depicted flat or straight on.
Patterns
Patterns are yet another way that people can engage with a brand.
Simple patterns of repeated motifs of the logo or the logo itself can also be useful when branding materials, such as stationery, wallpaper or even textiles like carpets or upholstery.
These patterns utilize the SLU logo's style of bold and clean lines. They range from simple elements such as waves and stripes to even the logo and a section of the logo. They are used primarily in print pieces. For more information on using patterns developed for SLU's brand, contact Matt Krob, director of design services, at matt.krob@slu.edu.
