In 2018, we named the umbrella organization, which had existed for years but never been named, and united the entities under it. At the time, the entities included were Tech Licensing (est. 1985 and formerly known as UF Office of Technology License or UF OTL), Sid Martin Biotech (est. 1995), The Hub (est. 2011), and Ventures (which was planned but not established until 2019, when Ventures Director Jackson Streeter joined our team).

The rebranding coalesced with the opening of Phase II of The Hub. You can read the details here.

In 2021, Pathways joined the UF Innovate family, and — under the direction of Karl LaPan — the two business incubators united under their sub-umbrella, Accelerate. At that time, we changed the four divisions appearing in the official logo to show Tech Licensing, Ventures, Accelerate, and Pathways.

As we anticipated the name changes in 2018 (which coincided with the open house celebration of the second phase of The Hub), we worked with UF Research — and then UF Strategic Communications and Marketing — to develop our brand and branding guidelines, which included a departure from the official UF logo, business card template, and letterhead, as well as our shade of orange and blue. 

At the time, this privilege was called a “significant exception,” one not permitted with any other unit, but because we sought input and approval from UF, we were allowed to move forward with the brand. However, we must adhere to the strict guidelines of the brand to retain this privilege, hence these guidelines.

Because UF leadership and communications staff change from time to time and newcomers don’t know our history, our UF Innovate brand often gets a second look because it is different. Therefore, we develop our marketing and communications materials with strict adherence to our guidelines and UF’s guidelines wherever applicable. Deviation from the standard could cause us to lose our privilege. Thank you for protecting the brand.

UF Innovate: UF Innovate is the official name and must be used on the first reference in the text. Mentions of UF Innovate in the text should indicate that overarching entity, the “umbrella” organization under which the four divisions reside, as pictured above. You may refer to it as Innovate on second and subsequent references if it is clear from the text that you mean UF Innovate.

UF Innovate | Accelerate: UF Innovate | Accelerate is the official name and must be used on the first reference in the text. Like UF Innovate, references to Accelerate in the text should indicate that overarching entity, meaning it is the overall program, not an individual place, such as The Hub or Sid Martin Biotech. If you mean a specific location or incubator, use the full name (listed below) on the first reference, etc.

Note the name of each entity in the chart below:

We are UF Innovate, the umbrella organization over divisions: Tech Licensing, Ventures, Accelerate, and Pathways. The proper name of each makes use of a vertical line between the family name of UF Innovate and the entity’s name.

The key is located just above the Enter key (Return key on Macs) with the backslash; on older PC keyboards, the vertical line symbol on the key looks like a colon with lines instead of dots. Newer models show a line. Simply type SHIFT and the backslash key, and you’ve got it. For example:

UF Innovate | Tech Licensing

(notice the space before and after the vertical line; we like to breathe).

Before you use our logo on a new project, please ensure you have the approval of Sara Dagen, our grammar and brand police at UF Innovate. She can provide you with a high-resolution logo. (Please don’t scrape one from our website; it will not provide the quality you need.)

For digital and web uses, the .png file format works well. Printers prefer .eps files for brochures or similar uses.

When using one of our logos, please ensure it has a minimum of clear space around all sides of it. Use the height of the F in UF as your guide. (See below.) The clear space ensures the logo is not visually dominated by other elements and protects its integrity.

The practical requirement of any logo is that it can be seen. All parts of the logo — the main UF Innovate name as well as the divisions — must be readable and accessible to all. Size accordingly.

(When changing the logo size in most programs and applications, adjust from a corner only. Adjusted from the side will distort the shape of the logo.

UF Innovate:

First, UF Innovate, the entity, has two official primary logos, one with only UF Innovate, the other with UF Innovate and all four divisions. (We also have one with UF Innovate and our web address, which we use primarily on swag and our tablecloth.)

The official UF Innovate logo is the orange and blue single-line logo. This should be used in most instances.

The secondary UF Innovate logo is also orange & blue but lists the four divisions under it. However, it should not be used unless it can be large enough to easily read the names of the four divisions, 5 inches (or 350 px) wide or larger.

The social media logo:

UF Innovate | Accelerate:

Use the Accelerate logo when you mean the program rather than an individual place, such as The Hub or Sid Martin Biotech. 

UF Innovate | Accelerate @ The Hub: Use when you mean the specific location in the Gainesville Innovation District.

UF Innovate | Accelerate @ Sid Martin Biotech: Use when you mean the specific location in Alachua.

In 2022, the Sid Martin and The Hub social media accounts merged to become UF Innovate | Accelerate. Therefore, only one social media profile logo exists for the program.

Tech Licensing, Ventures, and Pathways each stand on its own under the UF Innovate umbrella, no extra logos necessary (except in different colors, of course).

The delta in our name

Our delta symbol is fraught with meaning — mostly to indicate we are changing the world for the better. When it stands alone or in place of the name UF Innovate, it represents UF Innovate.

The symbol should not be used as a bullet point or decoration. Overuse dilutes the potency and recognition of the brand.

The delta is reserved for use as the letter A in the words Innovate or InnOvation (in the Standing InnOvation logo) or for times when it stands alone as a symbol for UF Innovate, the organization.

For instance, the delta before the name The Hub, as it appears in signage on the building, is appropriate. It replaces UF Innovate and clearly connects The Hub to its umbrella organization.

The delta lapel pin represents UF Innovate.

The UF and the delta symbol in our name are the only part of our logo that can be orange.

Our orange is #f37021 (Pantone 158 C // PMS solid coated);
our blue is #005496 (Pantone 301 C // PMS solid coated).

Our fonts include the Gentona, Obviously, Billion Dreams, and Newsreader families. Please review the guidelines and directions for font typography before downloading. You’ll need to log in with your GatorLink ID to download.

Customized, branded PowerPoint templates have been built for our use by UF Innovate Marketing & Communications and are available on request from Sara Dagen. 

To create your new email signature, use the small version of our logo, available on request. Put the information in this order:

Name
Title
Department/College
Phone contact (cell phone is optional)
Email
Appropriate UF Innovate logo (as a PNG)
Optional message, such as, “Visit our website: innovate.research.ufl.edu.”

Email signatures must use our official colors or black. The typeface should be set to Gentona, Arial, or sans-serif default font.

For technical tips on how to build an email signature in Outlook, visit Microsoft Support.

If you require paper business cards, please use this order form.

Tech Licensing has letterhead paper and large envelopes available in the copy room. All units can request a Word document with the appropriate logo/return address header embedded. Send your request to marketing@research.ufl.edu.