Campus Signage

The College of Charleston’s location in the heart of downtown Charleston makes signage essential to distinguishing our campus from the surrounding area. Standardized, recognizable signage:

  • builds awareness of our campus among passersby (both tourists and area residents),
  • greatly facilitates navigation for visitors and members of the College community, and
  • ensures compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements.

Coordination and approval of signage is the shared responsibility of the Office of University Marketing, Facilities Planning and the Facilities Management. All requests for new signage, donor signage and requests to replace existing signage must be directed to the Facilities Management's designated engineer associate. The engineer associate will notify the Office of University Marketing's director of advertising and brand management and the vice president of facilities planning when exterior signage or non-standardized signs are being requested.

All interior and exterior building signage must adhere to the style and logo guidelines outlined in this manual.

Interior Signage

Interior signage includes office signs, nameplates, restroom signs, room signs, directional signs, directories, etc. The following processes below should be followed.

New Buildings

The Facilities Management's architect/design engineer will coordinate signage needs with the building's occupants, the director of advertising and brand management, the project architect and the sign manufacturer. Sign costs should be included in the project budget.

Existing Buildings

Any department wishing to replace their current signage should contact the Facilities Management's architect/design engineer who will coordinate with the director of advertising and brand management. The requesting department is responsible for funding.

Renovated Buildings

New signs are created at the discretion of Facilities Management, if the budget permits. Facilities Management will coordinate changes with occupants of the renovated areas and the director of advertising and brand management.

Exterior Signage

Exterior signage includes the building identification, school or department name, historic markers, street numbering, etc. The following processes should be followed.

New Buildings

The Facilities Management architect/design engineer will work with the vice president for facilities planning, the director of advertising and brand management, and the project architect to develop signage.  Facilities Management will work with the occupant to verify the correct name to be posted on the building. The project architect submits the proposed design to the city's Board of Architectural Review (BAR) for approval.

Existing Buildings

The Facilities Management architect/design engineer will work with the vice president for facilities planning, the director of advertising and brand management, and the requesting party to develop the proper signage. The city's BAR must then approve the proposed signage.

Additional Signage

Additional signage not specifically covered in these guidelines should adhere to the same style and logo guidelines outlined in this manual in Chapter 5 and should be approved through the Office of University Marketing. This includes vehicle signs, parking signs, lecterns, banners and displays within campus venues (auditoriums, classrooms used for public events, halls and theaters), kiosks, etc. This does not apply to temporary signs (i.e., fliers) directing people to rooms for events, meetings, etc.

To request signage creation or review from the Office of University Marketing, please fill out the online Project Request Form.