Overview
Expressing Our Common Bond
Creating consistency while maintaining flexibility.
The Web Theme was developed with the following questions in mind:
- As a user navigates our network of websites, how consistent is the experience?
- Would a prospective student or faculty member see organizational silos, or a unified Notre Dame family?
Our website network includes a variety of digital expressions; unfortunately, this variety has come at the expense of our branded unity and reputation. The Web Theme was created to address this issue. From www.nd.edu down to our simplest blog, the Notre Dame Web Theme provides a baseline for consistency, without expecting every website to look exactly the same. It gives our users a cohesive sense of place as well as repeatable patterns of wayfinding.
Consistency
Building a Stronger Brand
Foundational Principles
Guided by a few core principles, the Notre Dame theme was developed to highlight messaging and content in a way that is both consistent and accessible.
Common Components
Each site using the Web Theme will share the same global header and footer, colors, typography, cards, buttons, and image styles, strengthening brand recognition.
Unity without Uniformity
The Notre Dame theme creates a standard of branded consistency, but each website can still be tailored for its specific audience. Designers are encouraged to include Notre Dame’s secondary and tertiary colors, as well as patterns and backgrounds, that communicate the vibrancy and depth of the Notre Dame experience.
Documentation
Get Started
In order to ensure branding consistency across all sites, designers and developers should use the University-provided theme files when creating a new website. Don’t start from scratch! These shared files are the foundation for the Web Theme.
Visit the Documentation section for the downloads, code examples, and reference material you’ll need to get started.