Communication Resources & Tools

Social media is where our stories come to life—and where students, staff, and the campus community connect with us in real time. This section is your launchpad for creating on-brand content that reflects the purpose and personality of Student Affairs and is aligned with UW-Madison guidance and goals for engagement.

Campus tools and resources

From branding guidelines to tone-setting docs, Canva templates to comms planning tools—everything you need to build smart, strategic content is right here.

• Campus social media guide
• Applying campus social media brand and visual identity
• Campus social media tips
• Campus tools and templates

Student Affairs tools and resources

• Student Affairs social media guidelines

Content management and engagement

Stay sharp with legal and policy reminders, tips for cross-promotion, and planning tools to keep your content fresh and focused.

• Campus policy on engagement 

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Branding is more than logos—it’s how we communicate who we are and what we stand for. This section connects you to UW–Madison and Student Affairs branding resources, including logos, photos, and guides to maintain consistency across communications.

UW-Madison brand guidelines

• Campus guidelines, tips, and policies
•  Find Student Affairs logos

Before requesting or creating a new logo: Contact your communications team

Student Affairs branding overview

• Student Affairs departmental photos

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Your website is often the first impression people have of your department. This section offers guidance on writing for the web, maintaining accessibility, and partnering with Central Communications for reviews and analytics.

Support resources (Central Comms)

Central communications will help facilitate the conversation with the Center for User Experience who will provide an overview and review for your site.

• Campus guides on accessibility

Departmental responsibilities

• Student Affairs guidance and tips on updating your website

Before you start a web page or section: Connect with the central communications team

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Visual storytelling helps bring our work to life. This section includes design request protocols, branding tools, and photography guidance to help you create compelling, inclusive visuals that reflect our values.

Design resources

Process and guidelines for new graphic image requests: go.wisc.edu/sa-comms-request

• Campus design tools and templates
• Campus Canvas design tips and guidance

Visual identity 

• Campus guide on use of logos, marks, and trademarks

If you need design help: Connect with the central communications team

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Visual storytelling helps bring our work to life. This section includes design request protocols, branding tools, and photography guidance to help you create compelling, inclusive visuals that reflect our values.

Photography

• Overview of photography resources
  • Whether you’re requesting photo coverage for an event, looking for tips to capture great shots yourself, or choosing the perfect image for a poster or Instagram post, you’ll find helpful information and guidance on all things photography.
• Student Affairs photo library

• Campus photo library

Request photography: go.wisc.edu/sa-comms-request

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Effective communication starts with intentional planning. This section helps you clarify your goals, define your audience, and build a sustainable workflow for your content. Whether you’re reaching students, alumni, or internal stakeholders, having a clear strategy ensures your message lands with impact.

Getting started 

• Clarify your why – you can come back to them to be sure you align with the original goals.
• Have a plan (what, for whom, how often, and for what purpose), including who will do what
• Audience
  • Internal
  • Students
  • Alumni/donors
  • Parents & families

Newsletters

Newsletters are a powerful tool to inform, engage, and build relationships with your audience. This section walks you through strategy, formatting, accessibility, and publishing tips to help you create newsletters that resonate.

• Effective formatting and content strategy
  • See SA branding, specifically required SA co-branding guidance
• Calls-to-action, accessibility, readability
• Eloqua – resources and training, preferred (and free) option when sending messages (supported by UW)
• Scheduling & workflow
• Sign-off process 

Before starting a newsletter: Connect with the central communications team

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Access templates, branding guides, training modules, and policies to support your communications work. These resources are designed to help you stay aligned with campus standards and streamline your workflow.

• • Campus training modules
    • Brand 101 *
    • Plain language training
  • Student Affairs guidelines: staff speaking to media

• Student Affairs onboarding guide for new departmental communications contacts (coming soon)
  • Overview of Student Affairs and resources
  • Who we are, what we do, how we do it
• Overview of photography resources (See Design and Visual Identity section above for all things photography)
  • Whether you’re requesting photo coverage for an event, looking for tips to capture great shots yourself, or choosing the perfect image for a poster or Instagram post, you’ll find helpful information and guidance on all things photography.
• Campus policy on engagement 
• Land Acknowledgment: Campus Land-acknowledgement

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