Overview

In order to avoid degradation, distortion, or improper treatment of the BU logo or seal, and to maintain a suite of social presences that are presentably cross-branded across the University without any confusion as to what’s official and what’s not, the following social media brand guidelines were established for University-wide usage. Following these guidelines will ensure you’re representing the University on third-party social media platforms appropriately.

Consider your avatars, profile, and background images to be extensions of your web presence. If you do not have a visual aesthetic to your web presence, consider social media your opportunity to give yourself a consistent, recognizable look and feel. These are your social media accounts, so please consider the social “personality” you want your aesthetic to convey. And don’t be afraid to have fun!

Here’s the approach you should take:

Graphical Representation

When adding graphics in the form of avatars or background images to these websites:

Do use an iconic and identifiable photograph as your graphical representation. Consider using a portrait or a photo of your location.

Don’t use a BU logo as your graphical representation, unless it appears in a photo.

Twitter Guidelines

Avatar

Use an iconic photograph cropped to 70 pixels x 70 pixels.

Background

Use a textural image cropped to 1600 pixels x 1200 pixels. Avoid busy, repeating backgrounds.

Name

Be as specific and descriptive as possible within the 20-character limit. Use the name of your department, school, or organization. Do
not use “Boston University” alone.

Location

If you’re near BU’s Boston campus, use Boston University as your location.

Bio

Be as specific and descriptive as possible within the 160-character limit.

Website

Link to your website on bu.edu.

Twitter URL

Matches your account name.

Facebook Guidelines

Profile Picture

Use an iconic photograph cropped to 200 pixels wide (no height constraint). Avoid using words or solid colors as they degrade when rendered by Facebook.

Vanity URL

This can never be changed, so choose carefully. Consider establishing a consistent naming convention, for example: twitter.com/bualumni, facebook.com/bualumni, and flickr.com/bualumni/.

Page name

No character limit.

Page Type

Under “Official Page,” select “Local Business” and then “Education.”

Timeline Cover Photo

The first thing visitors to your timeline see, the cover photo should be engaging, easy to read, and sized 851 x 315 pixels. Choose a pre-formatted image from our BU-themed timeline photos.

Examples

Here are a few examples of well-branded social media accounts at Boston University:

Alumni Relations: Twitter, Facebook

Boston University: Twitter, Facebook

Bostonia: Twitter, Facebook

BU Admissions: Twitter, Facebook