Lindenwood Brand Identity Guidelines (2025)

DATES Specific dates are to be expressed with the day of the week first, followed by the month and, if applicable, the year. EXAMPLE: Monday, September 14, 2020 Always use Arabic numbers without st, nd, rd, or th. When using a day and date in a sentence, set off the date with commas. EXAMPLE: Spring break will start Monday, April 14, and end Monday, April 27. When listing only a month and year, do not abbreviate the month or set off the year with commas. EXAMPLE: January 1827 was a cold month. When a month is used with a specific date, always abbreviate per AP Stylebook—Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec. Always spell out March, April, May, June, and July, and spell out all months when used without a specific date. TITLES Capitalize formal University job titles, but only when the complete title is used. The titles of other university officials would only be capitalized following AP Stylebook rules, which calls for capitalization only when the title precedes the official’s name. EXAMPLE: Student Government President Emily Hansen called the meeting to order. Brad White, president of the Student Government, called the meeting to order. ALUMNI All alumni should be identified with class year. Include graduate designations for alumni who did not earn undergraduate degrees from Lindenwood. Examples: Susan Brewer ’94, Janet King ’14 (EdD) Appropriate variations to distinguish alumni should be used when relevant. • Alumna = one female graduate • Alumnus = one male graduate • Alumnae = two or more female graduates• • Alumni = individual non-binary graduates, groups of two or more graduates that are comprised of male, non-binary, or a variety of genders BOARD OF TRUSTEES Lindenwood University’s governing body that oversees the institution. Full name should be used on first reference, and “BOT” may be used on subsequent references. HOMECOMING & COMMENCEMENT Capitalize in all uses associated with the University’s Homecoming event held in October. Capitalize Commencement when referring to the University’s ceremonies held in May. Graduation is an acceptable alternative and preferred for social media. Lowercase graduation in general use. LINDENWOOD UNIVERSITY Lindenwood University should be used in all first references. “Lindenwood” is acceptable on second reference. Capitalize “University” when used in conjunction with Lindenwood’s name, or when referring to Lindenwood even when the name is not associated with the term. Only refer to Lindenwood as the university after it has been identified as Lindenwood University on first reference. EDITORIAL NUMBERS Ordinal numbers, first through ninth, should be spelled out. Figures 10th and above can be used when describing order or time. Numbers indicating political or geographic order should use figures in all instances. EXAMPLE: 2nd District Court, 12th Ward OXFORD COMMA Lindenwood University uses the Oxford comma in all University publications and communications. SEMESTER Lowercase when used alone (fall semester, spring semester). Capitalize when paired with a year. EXAMPLE: Fall 2022, Spring 2022 TIME When expressing time, use lowercase a.m. and p.m. , with periods. Always include a space between the time and a.m. or p.m. If it is an exact hour, :00 is not required to follow the hour. When indicating a range, it is necessary to include a.m. or p.m. after the end of the range. If the time frame spans both a.m. and p.m. hours, both should be included. EXAMPLE: 3 p.m., 11:45 a.m., The event is from 3–5 p.m. Susan’s class is from 10:30 a.m.–2 p.m. WEBSITES AND URLS When listing a website on a printed document or in a digital space, do not use http:// in front of the address. EXAMPLE: www.lindenwood.edu 65 66 LU 2025 BRAND GUIDELINES CONTENT