Academic Seal

The academic seal is a formal institutional mark reserved for approved academic, ceremonial, and official university uses.

It is not a general brand element and should not be used as a substitute for the WGU logo. It is treated with a high degree of respect.

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In every case, uses of the academic seal must be reviewed and approved by Brand Governance before production or publication. Approval depends on the use case, audience, placement, size, material, color, production method, and whether the seal can be reproduced with appropriate fidelity.

The academic seal must be used only as supplied by Brand Governance. Do not recreate, redraw, recolor, simplify, or crop the seal. Do not extract elements from or use portions of the seal independently.

For questions about seal usage, contact Brand Governance at brand@groups.wgu.edu. All requests for exceptions must be submitted in writing by a director or above.

Clear Space and Minimum Size

The seal must remain clear, legible, and faithful to the approved artwork at final size. Minimum size may vary by application and production method. If the details of the seal cannot be preserved, the use will not be approved.

To protect the integrity and readability of the seal, leave the required minimum clear space on all four sides. Minimum clear space is equal to twice the height of the numerals in “1997” in the academic seal. There are no exceptions to this requirement.

Physical applications may require additional review because materials and methods such as embroidery, engraving, embossing, metal, fabric, vinyl, acrylic, foil stamping, and dimensional signage can affect seal quality. Brand Governance may require vendor proofs, samples, or alternate production recommendations before approving use. View the Merchandise Brand Guidelines.

With explicit sign-off from Brand Governance, the academic seal may appear as a watermark only on official or semi-official documents where it supports authenticity, formality, or institutional identity. Watermarks must be subtle and single-instance rather than tiled. They must not obstruct text or other marks.

When used as a watermark, the seal should use only a Brand-approved file intended for watermark applications and should appear only on white backgrounds to provide enough contrast. The seal should be set to 15% opacity to ensure overlapping text remains legible.

The seal should never be used as a decorative texture or pattern.

Improper Seal Treatment

If you see a version of the seal that falls outside these guidelines, it is likely outdated, unauthorized, or no longer approved for use. For questions about seal usage, contact Brand Governance at brand@groups.wgu.edu.