Web Services Blog

Web Site Design and Editorial Guidelines

Use of Wordmark in Header

The top left corner of a Web page header is the most prominent element of a page; therefore, it should carry a strong Clemson University brand identity.

The official Clemson University wordmark should be placed in the top left corner of the header unless a unit has another authorized unit or departmental wordmark, in which case that mark should be placed there. No other graphic element may be used in that location. The “alt tag” for the wordmark should include the words “Clemson University South Carolina.” Logo image files should be named “clemson-university-south-carolina-logo.png.” Creative Services is responsible for the development of all wordmarks for print and Web. More information see Brand Guidelines/Logos.

Contact the director of Creative Services at 864-656-2467 with questions about the authorization of a wordmark.

Design Tips

  • Avoid using tables and frames. These make meeting Section 508 compliance difficult and pose usability problems. Omitting tables and frames will also make for easier transition into Cascade.
  • Avoid more than two fonts on the same page. Operating systems (Unix, Mac and Windows) all work differently, and browsers display fonts differently and often are incompatible. Fonts have to be installed on your visitor’s system for your type to appear as you intend. Providing a choice of one or two fonts in your code is advisable.
  • Keep it simple. Web pages should be easy to navigate and direct the visitor to the information as clearly and quickly as possible.
  • Page titles use the SEO neutral pipe (” | ” with a space either side) as the word separator. This symbol is considered to be “or” in a regular expression string. Page titles should end with “Clemson University South Carolina.”
  • Avoid “Under Construction” pages. Technically, Web pages are always under construction. If you don’t have information available, avoid posting a link.
  • Be sure your dates make sense. For example, 01/02/01 means January 2, 2001, in the United States but February 1, 2001, in many European countries. If you write a time, indicate the time zone.
  • Include your area code on the phone number, using this format: XXX-XXX-XXXX. Specify country if appropriate.
  • Use the word “and” instead of the ampersand (&) symbol.
  • Test your pages. Check each link to be sure it goes where you planned. Check each page in the major browsers: Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Netscape and Opera.

Read more about Clemson’s Web site design guidelines.

Read more about Clemson’s Editorial guidelines.