Promotional Material & Apparel

Promotional items are tangible, branded products that act as silent representatives for your department/program, extending its reach and communicating its message to a wider audience in their daily lives. When people carry or use your branded pens, apparel, notepads, water bottles or stickers, they are passively promoting the Elon brand values. They become walking advertisements that build awareness and foster loyalty.

When Elon’s identity is used on apparel, merchandise or other promotional materials, some adjustments to the logo may be necessary to ensure it reproduces correctly. Factors like size restrictions, application methods (such as embroidery or embossing), material texture and available colors can affect how the logo appears. In these cases, University Communications may provide alternate artwork or modified logo files designed specifically for those production techniques. These adjustments ensure the final product looks polished and remains true to Elon’s brand standards.

To avoid using the wrong mark or having to change/reorder a collateral material, please submit your item for brand review before going into production. The Office of University Communications can evaluate and supply the proper artwork for reproduction and, if needed, suggest an approved vendor to ensure your items adhere to brand standards.
Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Promotional materials intended for external audiences — such as alumni, parents, prospective students or community partners — or that can be used externally (e.g., T-shirts, bags, mugs, hats) must include an official Elon University mark.
• Graphics developed by university offices or departments may appear on their own only when the item is intended exclusively for internal use.
• Design decisions for promotional items are based on intended use. University Communications has developed a suite of approved setups for items where our full official signatures and wordmarks may not reproduce well. These setups are for specific promotional items only and may not be substituted for official marks in other types of communication.

When you combine a consistent, well-executed brand with thoughtful, high-quality swag, you create lasting impressions that resonate with your audience.

About Canva Files

Canva is a useful tool for simple digital and print projects, but it has important limitations for promotional items and apparel. Canva exports files in RGB color and does not generate true vector PDFs. Because of this, artwork from Canva often cannot be scaled properly for production, and design elements may drop out when resized.

For promotional items such as T-shirts, mugs or other merchandise, vendors typically require vector files (EPS or AI) and may request Pantone (PMS) colors for accurate reproduction. If an SVG file is available, many vendors prefer to work from that file and convert it to PMS colors during production, though in some cases they may still need to recreate artwork in Adobe Illustrator for an additional fee.

Canva files are best reserved for digital use (social media, web graphics) or basic printed materials on a digital press (e.g., flyers, handouts) when exported as PDF Print with printer’s marks.