Creating unified partnerships
Cobranding applies to special cases where UW Medicine collaborates with other organizations or operates affiliated groups. These guidelines ensure balanced and professional representation.
All co-branded materials must be pre-approved by the Strategic Marketing & Communications team. Per UW Medicine policy, creating custom logos using institutional marks (e.g., the University of Washington wordmark, block W logo or UW Medicine wordmark) or sharing logos with non-UW partners and organizations are not permitted without explicit approval. Please refer to the governance page for more information.
Use these standards if your group:
- Operates independently but is UW Medicine-based
- Is cross-institutional in leadership or scope
- Cannot use the primary UW Medicine logo system
Approved Co-Brand Formats
Standard Research Wordmark Lockup
(Recommended for most research labs and centers)
While we recommend remote treatment with the primary logo, UW School of Medicine research centers may also have a unique visual identity, such as a design or icon, to distinguish their work from others in the field. (This does NOT apply to UW Medicine patient-facing clinical centers, programs or institutes.) This may include a logo lock-up with the UW Medicine wordmark.
Any use of the UW Medicine name or wordmark must be approved by UW Medicine Strategic Marketing & Communications. Please contact us at uwmmktg@uw.edu.
Strategic Marketing & Communications will provide a wordmark logo within our existing brand architecture. This may include providing a logo lock-up with the research center’s unique identity, provided it fits within UW Medicine’s brand standards. No taglines, such as a higher degree of healthcare, are allowed with these logos.
Below are examples of existing research center logos.
Design Guidelines:
- Follow UW color and spacing standards
- Use sentence case or title case; avoid all caps
- May be used in headers, web banners, reports and communications
- This is the default identity format for all research groups affiliated with UW Medicine
Dual Logo Configuration
(For multi-institution initiatives with external visibility)
Use when:
- Your program or center represents a collaboration between UW Medicine and another institution.
Specifications:
- Maintain equal visual weight and size
- Don’t modify institutional logos
- Adhere to clear space and minimum sizing rules
- Use only when both institutions are formally represented
- Must receive approval from the partner institution
For UW Medicine and Fred Hutch Cancer Center cobrand guidelines, please visit the Fred Hutch brand guidelines. Questions regarding name use can be sent to Fred Hutch Marketing at brand@fredhutch.org.
Endorsed Identity
(For semi-independent initiatives closely tied to UW Medicine)
When to Use:
- Program requires a standalone name
- Affiliation with UW Medicine should be explicit but not dominant
- Avoids cluttered dual-logo configurations while maintaining credibility
Design Rules:
- No graphic logos unless legacy use is approved
- Endorsement line must follow UW typographic and spacing guidelines
- Works well in presentations, signage, digital headers, or social
Not Allowed
- Custom logos that incorporate UW Medicine or University of Washington logos
- Unauthorized use of the block W”
- Graphic icons or symbols not approved
- Clustered “logo soup” combinations
Approval Process
All identity lockups, cobranded materials, and naming conventions must be approved by UW Medicine Strategic Marketing & Communications. Early consultation is encouraged to avoid backtracking on unapproved visual assets.