General Licensing Information

General Licensing Information

Any person, business, or organization interested in using the Yale name or trademarks, for any purpose, must secure prior approval from the University’s Department of Marketing and Trademark Licensing. Yale reserves the right to approve or to reject any proposed use. Products that will not be approved include:

  • Alcohol products
  • Tobacco and other smoking-related products
  • Drug paraphernalia
  • Food and beverage items
  • Products related to gambling or lotteries
  • Infant amenities such as feeding bottles, teething rings, pacifiers, and rattles
  • Lighters
  • Underwear or other sexually suggestive items
  • Weapons
  • Skateboards, scooters and other high-risk leisure items

Yale University does not endorse products or services. Therefore, permission will not be granted for use of the Yale name or trademarks in a manner that may be misunderstood as an endorsement.

Below are standard guidelines for the use of Yale’s trademarks on merchandise. 

Usage Guidelines for Yale Trademarks

  • Third parties are not permitted to make or alter Yale marks.
  • While Yale marks may be uniformly scaled to fit the application, they may not be distorted, stretched, or condensed.
  • Marks may not be bifurcated by zippers (e.g., on sweatshirt or pockets).
  • “Faded” or “distressed” marks will not be approved; “light distressed” will be considered.
  • Marks may not be covered by other marks (Yale or otherwise).
  • Marks may not appear on the seat of sweatpants or shorts, or on the bottom of flip flops, sneakers, or shoes.
  • The athletic mark may be used only in conjunction with the slab serif font.
  • “Est. 1701” or “Founded 1701” may not be used with the athletic mark or the words “Yale Bulldogs” because the date refers to the founding of the University itself and not to the athletic program.
  • Use of the Yale shield is discouraged for any athletic, youth, or “leisure” items (apparel and non-apparel). Approval of its use on other items is granted on a case-by-case basis.
  • The word “university” must appear in its entirety.  Abbreviations such as “Yale U or “Yale Univ.” will not be approved.
  • The “Yale” and “Yale University” word marks may not be used in conjunction with marks that already include the word Yale (i.e., the traditional Yale bulldog or the Yale Emblems).
  • When using embroidery, it may be necessary to slightly increase the letter spacing in Yale marks.   Letter forms should not overlap. Please submit samples for approval. Please note that the Yale Logo rendered in embroidery cannot be smaller than 1.5 inches wide.
  • A reasonable approximation of Yale Blue is a color that falls halfway between PMS 288 and 289.  For an exact color match, please contact the Licensing Office to request a swatch book.
  • In certain instances, marks may be outlined.  Artwork must be reviewed for approval.

The Yale Wordmark

  • The Yale wordmark should be shown in Yale Blue or white. Other colors will generally not be permitted; however, the logo may appear as white against backgrounds of another color pending approval from the Licensing Office.
  • The Yale wordmark rendered in embroidery cannot be smaller than 1.5 inches wide

Yale’s trademarks may not be used in any way that discriminates or implies discrimination against any persons or groups based on age, ancestry, belief, color, creed, disability, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or veteran status, or in any other way that would be a violation of Yale’s anti-discrimination policies or practices.

Yale trademarks may not be used in any manner that suggests or implies Yale’s endorsement of other organizations, companies, products, services, political parties or views, or religious organizations or beliefs.

Yale trademarks may not be used in conjunction with the name or trademark(s) of any other entity without the prior written permission of that entity. If permission is granted by the Yale University Licensing Program to use both the Yale trademark and another party’s trademark in a design, the trademarks must be distinct and separate from each other, and Yale’s trademarks must not be overshadowed or diminished in any way in comparison to the other entity’s trademark. Approval of any such dual use of Yale trademarks will be limited to instances where there is a compelling institutional priority in allowing such a use.

Color Guidelines

Yale trademarks such as the Y, the Yale shield, and the Yale bulldog must appear in Yale Blue:  alternatively, they may appear in white on blue items. A reasonable approximation of Yale Blue is a color that falls halfway between PMS 288 and 289.  For an exact color match, please contact the Licensing Office to request a swatch book.

Word marks—Yale, Yale University, and Yale Bulldogs—enhanced with certain fashion colors on certain fashion-colored products are allowed. However, colors that clearly identify another college—e.g., light blue (Columbia), orange (Princeton) or crimson (Harvard)—may not be used on merchandise with the Yale marks. All designs and products must be submitted for final approval before going to production. An official swatch book for ink formulation and color matching will be provided to licensees upon request.

Typographic Guidelines

  • Fonts may not be modified in any way without prior approval from Yale.
  • If additional wording is needed in the Yale font, please submit a sketch to the Licensing Office.  We will set the type for you.
  • We strongly urge you to use the artwork provided on this site. If your application requires a different design, please submit a drawing. If it is approved, we will provide you with the correct typography, which you must use as provided.