T-Shirt Branding

Review the requirements and guidelines for Extension wearables before placing a t-shirt or merchandise order.

Branding

All Illinois Extension programs, Illinois 4-H, Master Gardener, and Master Naturalist wearables issued by teams or county or unit offices must include campus and Extension branding. Local 4-H clubs are exempt.

Sample Shirt Designs

Required Marks

• Block I (trademark version)
• Illinois Extension name

Placement

• Trademarked Block I can be included on the front with the primary design if the marks have enough clearance and are not locked up with text to resemble a wordmark.
• Trademarked Block I can also be included alone on the sleeve or the back of the neck.
• Incorporate Illinois Extension text into the front design.

This is a change from past practices when we encouraged using the full Extension wordmark for program participant shirts. Now, instead of using a large wordmark as the focal point of our design, we can use high-quality design elements that represent us in the ways we want our audiences to see us. The Extension name can be more legible. The font choices add energy to the design that the formal wordmark does not have. You can learn more on the campus brand website. There may be special occasions when the full wordmark is appropriate, for example, on Extension employee shirts. For further discussion, contact Extension Art Director Matt Wiley. 

Approved Colors

Approved merchandise colors for Illinois Extension include: white, black, greys, blues, oranges.

Because 4-H is a federally protected entity, Illinois 4-H is allowed all the above shirt colors and also green as well. The use of a green shirt color applies to Illinis-4-H only. Try to choose greens that approximate the 4-H clover color. Use the solid white trademarked Block I on green shirts.

View Branded Clothing Color Guide 

Imprint colors

Be sure to use the correct Block I color based on the color of the shirt. If imprint color is limited, you may request to use a solid white or solid black Block I. 

• Use an orange Block I outlined in white on a navy shirt.
• Use a blue Block I outlined in white on an orange shirt.
• Use an orange Block I outlined in blue on a white shirt.
• Use an orange Block I outlined in white on a dark gray shirt.
• Use an orange Block I outlined in blue on a light gray shirt.
• Use an orange Block I outlined in white on a black shirt.
• Illinois 4-H only may use a solid white Block I on a green shirt.

Design

• Use approved fonts for the message and organization names. Do not use a cursive/script font for an organization name. Approved fonts include:
  • Source Sans
  • Open Sans Condensed (for titles only)
  • Montserrat
  • Georgia
  • SuperFly ($16 per user, for Brand Power I-Words and accent words only)

Embroidery

Because of size limitations with embroidery machines, embroidered shirts should use the regular Block I instead of the trademarked version. Embroidered shirts with the 4-H clover do not require the 18USC707 notation.

• A lockup of the Block I with the Extension Name for use on the sleeve or the chest area of the garment is available upon request.