About Web design standards
Using standardized web headers across the Illinois.edu domain help root all websites – and visitors to those sites – in the U of I brand. As with every part of our brand identity, consistency and clarity are key to creating the best experience for our audiences as we strengthen the U of I brand.
Resources and Guidelines
Consistency
Visitors to the university website – particularly those who are just beginning to explore the U of I – tend to think of Illinois.edu as a single website, not a conglomeration of many sites. That’s why it’s especially important for every page connected to our domain to adhere to consistent website header standards.
Elements
The key elements of the header include the orange bar, the words University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and the unit name and department name (if called for, in the hierarchy demonstrated above). At this time, units are given the freedom to handle site navigation and search elements on the right side of the header as they see fit.
The only requirement for website footers, at this time, is the inclusion of the new logo and University of Illinois wordmark. (The unit name should be included in text with the address and other contact information, not as part of the wordmark). All other aspects of the footer content and design may vary according to the needs of each unit.
A pre-fab web header solution is on the way. In the meantime, developers who want to implement the new header now are welcome to use this mockup as a guide. If you’re working on a web project and would like additional design ideas and direction for site navigation and web footers, feel free to contact us.
