Information for student groups and organizations

Registered Student Organizations (RSOs), club sports, intramural sports, fraternities, and sororities may produce, sell, or give away merchandise bearing approved university marks by obtaining permission from the Office of Trademarks & Licensing prior to production.

The production of NAU merchandise which features any university trademark (name, logo, mascot, or verbiage) must comply with the NAU Trademark Licensing Policy and reflect positively on the university. All products are required to obtain permissions by the Office of Trademarks & Licensing before production. Organizations intending to sell this merchandise as a fundraiser for their organization are required to pay adhering royalties on products.

Steps for obtaining branded merchandise or promotional items

  1. Choose the item you’d like to purchase

Select items that add value to your program, reflect positively on the university, and—when possible—are sustainable. While some items may be “cute” or provide novelty, is it something that will inspire goodwill toward your program and NAU?

  1. Choose a licensed vendor

All NAU departments, student organizations, and affiliated entities must use a licensed vendor for products bearing NAU trademarks or trade names (e.g., “Northern Arizona University,” “NAU,” “Lumberjacks,” “Jacks,” “Kiss My Axe”).

Royalties: As of July 1, 2023, all items bearing NAU trademarks or intellectual property require royalties, with limited exemptions. For questions or clarification, contact licensing@nau.edu.

For merchandise and promotional items Accordion Open

  • The NAU Campus Bookstore has the exclusive right to sell merchandise traditionally offered in university bookstores and should be given the first opportunity to quote any promotional item orders. To request a quote, visit the NAU Bookstore Custom Order website.
  • You can also browse the list of licensed vendors for additional options.

For print materials and internal display items Accordion Closed

  • All university offices and personnel must use University Printing Services for printing jobs that exceed routine photocopying or desktop printing.
  • Waivers may be granted on a case-by-case basis by the manager of University Printing Services. Visit Printing Services for more information.
  1. Develop artwork
  • Artwork may be developed internally or in collaboration with your licensed vendor.
  • Sport clubs: All currently recognized Club Sports housed under Campus Recreation have official Sport Club logos and branding guidelines to adhere to. To access these logos, please email campusrec@nau.edu. If your sport club does not have a logo, please email licensing@nau.edu.

Student organization naming requirements Accordion Closed

 No student club or organization may imply that it is functioning on behalf of Northern Arizona University unless it has been officially sanctioned. Therefore, it is required that student organizations who wish to use their group logo or name in conjunction with any of the approved NAU marks utilize “at Northern Arizona University” when defining the relationship of their organization and NAU, e.g., “Future Teachers Club at Northern Arizona University” or “Archery Club at NAU.”

To help differentiate between being a student group and an official NAU department the following rules apply:

  1. Student organization names cannot contain “NAU” or “Northern Arizona University”
  2. “at/of Northern Arizona University” or “at/of NAU” can be included only if the name indicates that it is a student group by including word/s such as student, club, group, society, organization, association, etc.
  3. For group created logos using “at/of NAU” or “at/of Northern Arizona University”, the statement needs to be:
    • NAU True Blue or black color
    • Arial or Times New Roman font
    • Font size needs to be at least 50% smaller than the group name

Logo use Accordion Closed

  • Organizations and clubs not registered with the Office of Student Life or those not officially recognized by the university are not permitted to use any NAU logos or verbiage. Browse a full list of recognized clubs and organizations or a list of recognized sport clubs.
  • University trademarks may not be altered without the express written consent from the Office of Trademarks & Licensing.

 Approved logos

    • Institutional logo in its entirety
    • University tradenames and verbiage (Northern Arizona University, NAU, Lumberjack(s), NAU Lumberjack(s), Jacks)

Usage of NAU logos, trademarks, and associated verbiages for promotional purposes Accordion Closed

Official student organizations that wish to use NAU logos or trademarks in addition to their organizational names must restrict the uses of such marks to those approved by University Strategic Communications (listed in the section below). For more additional information, contact BrandMgmt@nau.edu.

Student organizations, their members, and all individuals in the NAU community should be aware that the use of the NAU logos and/or marks on a given piece of promotional material does not mean that NAU, as an institution, endorses the student organization’s event or initiative. The university does not—either explicitly or impliedly—endorse activities undertaken by student organizations. Use of the “A student organization at NAU” mark on student organization materials is permitted only to ensure that the university brand is presented consistently. University Strategic Communications review (when needed) is strictly limited to reviewing the logo and mark usage and does not extend to reviews and approvals of content and or perspectives expressed in student organization materials.

Approved logos, trademarks, and verbiages for student organizations to use on promotional materials  Accordion Closed

  1. The phrase of “A student organization at NAU” in the two specified formats included below are options to be used in addition to the name of the student organization. Student organization logos can be found in this Mediagraph collection.
  2. For t-shirts and any other items (pens, pennants, magnets, etc.) will be ordered through NAU licensees, a registration mark is required for NAU ligature in the options shown above.
  3. Full-body Louie graphic without any alternation, verbiage, text, or additional design elements. Graphic file can be requested per use case through BrandMgmt@nau.edu.
  4. Verbiage to use in text-only format—instead of using the student organization logo options under a) above—xxxxx (student organization name) “at Northern Arizona University” or “at NAU”
    • For social media use (in description, part of the account name, in the homepage or profile images, etc.), either of the above phrases or StOrg@NAU can be used.
    • For t-shirts and any other items (pens, pennants, magnets, etc.) will be ordered through NAU licensees, a TM mark is required for “Northern Arizona University” and a registration mark is required for “NAU” (as seen in the examples below).
  5. Verbiage associated with the university: Lumberjack(s) and Jacks. TM mark is required for these as well.

Unapproved logos or marks Accordion Closed

 Logos or marks not permitted for use by student groups include, but are not limited to:

  • Any Vault logos and/or discontinued NAU Trademarks or logos
  • Heritage logos and marks unless permission granted by University Marketing department prior to production
  • Athletics logos: Athletics logos containing the bordering axe signify our NCAA collegiate-level sports programs and are not permitted for use by any organization, department, or division other than Intercollegiate Athletics.
  • NAU’s primary axe “Lumberjacks” logo featuring True Blue and Gold.
  • NAU’s full color wordmark with Louie the Lumberjack
  • NAU’s primary logo, featuring True Blue and Gold.
  • NAU’s primary axe logo, featuring True Blue and Gold.
  1. Obtain approval from Brand Management

Submit a promotional item artwork review and approval request.

  1. Submit your order to the licensed vendor

Once approval is received from Brand Management, you may place your order directly with the vendor. Standard production turnaround is typically 4–6 weeks, depending on vendor capacity, weather, and delivery timelines. Be sure to confirm an in-hands date with your vendor, and note that expedited options may be available at an additional cost.

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