Follow these guidelines to create great video content that adheres to Boise State’s brand guidelines.
Accessibility
Ensure your video content is accessible to all users by providing closed captions. Closed captions provide a text equivalent of your videos. Closed captions make your videos more accessible to non-native English speakers, deaf and hearing-impaired students.
Video and Audio Content Accessibility Resources
If you have specific questions or want to arrange a meeting to discuss web accessibility, contact the Web Accessibility Team at oitaccessibility@boisestate.edu.
Animated Signature Mark
This is an option for tagging on to the end of your video. You don’t need to have the animation run for a full 10 seconds, you can shorten it to fit the needs of your video and it’s timing. The animation does not need to be placed at the beginning of your video, only at the end.
Download animated signature mark
Audio
Try to record in a room with little to no background noise. Speak loudly, clearly, and close to the microphone so that the audio is picked up cleanly.
Background
Please do not use a virtual background if you record your video on Zoom – and remove any branded merchandise in the background, i.e. a poster that shows a big Pepsi logo, a tub of Twizzlers, a Dutch Bros coffee cup, etc. Personal items in the background are fine, but we’d like to avoid big branded logos or recognizable products.
Colors
Always be sure to use official Boise State digital colors, if they are not available within your editing platform, please contact brand@boisestate.edu for direction.
File Formats
MP4 or MOV, 1920×1080 or 1280×720 at 30 frames-per-second is preferred.
Fonts
If you are working with an editing program that allows for you to add text and graphics, use the Gotham font. If you do not already have the Gotham font license, please email brand@boisestate.edu to purchase a license for $35.
Lighting
Make sure light sources (windows, glass doors, etc.) are in front of you, not behind you.
Nameplates
When creating a nameplate for the speaker of your video, be sure to include their full name and list their title underneath. When placing the nameplate, try to have it in the bottom right or bottom left corner of the screen so that it’s clearly visible and not covering the speaker. Use Gotham font, and if you need a colored background behind the font so that it’s legible, use one of the blue or orange brand colors for the background and white text for the font.
Permission
Be certain to have permission from all video subjects and locations to use in your video.
Photo Release Form Filming On Campus Policy
Professional Equipment
If your video project is designed to have a more polished, professional flair, use video production equipment
Albertsons Library Tech Lending and the Center for Teaching and Learning offer rentals of microphones and cameras for the Boise State community to check out and use.
User-Generated Content
When a video is user-generated, we want it to look like a video you shot yourself. Use a laptop or phone camera.
- Make sure that you are at, or near, eye level with the camera on your laptop or phone.
- Look at the camera, not the screen when speaking so it will look like you are talking directly to our viewer.
If using a phone, please be aware of the platform you plan to use to share your video
It can be vertical for Instagram stories, but IGTV allows for videos to be rotated, so those should be horizontal. YouTube and Vimeo should also be posted as horizontal.
Wardrobe
Bronco gear, please. Anything you have will be fine, we just love to see you wearing blue and orange. It helps to visually reinforce our university brand.
