Voice and tone

In the simplest terms, our message is what we say and our voice is how we say it. Still, it’s practically impossible to separate the two. They must always be true to one another. And it’s through our tone — informed by our brand personality traits and based on our creative platform — that the UIC voice takes shape, expressing who we are in a way that’s authentically, unapologetically ours.

Our brand narrative not only communicates what we do as a university, but does so with heart and soul. This manifesto serves as our internal rallying cry, a voice and tone thermometer, and a solid starting point for any new piece of communication. How to use the narrative: To ensure that your writing is calibrated and aligns with the UIC voice, frequently consult the messaging map on pages 16-19 and refresh your thinking with the UIC brand narrative. The brand narrative is an excellent resource for developing voiced scripts and high-personality tactics. Note that the full narrative should never be used verbatim in external communications.

Brand narrative

Everyone talks of transformation — of what education should do.

You’ve heard it before. But not like this. Not like us.

We’re not here to add to the noise. At the University of Illinois Chicago, we speak in truths — backed by lived experience and lasting impact.

Ours is a story continuously in motion, progress unfolding by the day, echoing across generations. Scholarship here doesn’t whisper — it resonates, adding to the ever-expansive volume of shared knowledge and turning the tables on narrow narratives. Our people are dialed in. When our researchers find answers, we don’t keep quiet.

We amplify. We act. We let the world know what we know.

Our institutional story? It’s deeply tied to the communities we come from — the lineages carried forth by the relentless belief that more is possible, the chapters that made our great city and continue to today. And our students? They’re writing their own stories of greatness. At UIC, excellence isn’t an ideal. It’s authored by those who know the future is ours to shape.

Your story — let it be studied, let it be celebrated. Make it undeniable. Make it invite others. Your greatness — let it be known.

MAKE IT KNOWN
University of Illinois Chicago

Creative hook

“Make It Known” is our creative hook, and it drives our brand positioning across all communications. While the phrase doesn’t need to be incorporated into every headline, its essence must be conveyed in each asset (like copy, photography and graphics) to maintain brand consistency.

It’s not a tagline. It shouldn’t appear on every communication piece verbatim. It’s our creative North Star.

Our essence: access and excellence unlocked

Our essence: access and excellence (un)locked

Once we filter this positioning through our brand personality traits, it becomes a creative hook that we can express externally — and proudly.

Make it known

Make it known

Make it:
Confident. Resilient. Resourceful. Whatever we set our sights on — from internships to research breakthroughs to economic impact — we make it happen. Just as we always have.
Known:
UIC’s mission is to provide the broadest access to the highest levels of educational, research and clinical excellence.

Headline frameworks

Headlines and subheads are more than just labels; they’re the ultimate vibe-setters for your content. They should grab attention and sustain interest, framing the story and speaking in our distinctive voice. A strong UIC headline and subhead doesn’t need to tell the whole story.

Instead, they should set the tone and showcase our unique personality. Keep them bold, keep them distinctly UIC, and let the story follow. Here are some on-brand ideas for creating lines that resonate.

Make ___ known.
Make ___(verb).

 

WHEN TO USE IT:
To build on the creative hook.

EXAMPLES:

  • Make excellence known.
  • Make your greatness known.
  • Make your discoveries known.
  • Make brilliance understood.
  • Make creativity applauded.
  • Make community celebrated.

At UIC, ________ doesn’t _______.  It ________.

 

WHEN TO USE IT:
To rewrite the narrative or take a strong position.

EXAMPLES:

  • At UIC, scholarship doesn’t whisper. It reverberates.
  • At UIC, knowledge isn’t stowed away. It gets mobilized.
  • At UIC, it’s not just talk. It’s traction.
  • At UIC, we don’t follow trends. We set trajectories.

Command, shift, act.

 

WHEN TO USE IT:
To issue a direct call to action for our audience.

EXAMPLES:

  • Invite collaborators. Deliver breakthroughs.
  • Shift the conversation. Shape the culture.
  • Hold the mirror up. Take the stage.
  • Study the world. Let the world know what you find.

City as soundtrack.

 

WHEN TO USE IT:
To transport our audience to UIC, Chicago or the surrounding landscape.

EXAMPLES:

  • Salsa rhythms echoing between buildings.
  • The rattle of the Blue Line through campus.
  • The sizzle of Italian beef on Taylor Street.
  • Lake wind cutting through Jackson Street.
  • The hum of the Eisenhower at rush hour.

How should UIC sound?

Our brand personality informs our voice and tone.

Community-centered
Civic-minded, people-focused and grounded in community.

Resilient
Strong, persevering and adaptable. Having grit.

Innovative
Forward-thinking, creative, research-driven and curious.

Welcoming
Inclusive, motivating, built for belonging and caring for all.

Purposeful
Fiercely driven, with intention behind everything. Nothing is accidental.

Bold
Not flashy, but confident in our mission and accomplishing big things.

Flexing our tone

Voice isn’t one-size-fits-all. The way you talk to a prospective student is different than the way you talk to a donor or a faculty peer — and that’s intentional. Understanding your audience shapes not just what you say, but how you say it. Here’s how to flex the UIC voice depending on who’s in the room.

Message: We have deep roots in the heart of one of the world’s greatest cities.

  • Resilient and bold

    Voiced copy: Chicago shaped us. We shaped it back.

  • Innovative and purposeful

    Voiced copy: The discoveries that will define Chicago’s next chapter are already underway — in our labs, our clinics, our communities.

  • Community-centered and welcoming

    Voiced copy: This city is family. We’ve been showing up since before the skyline looked like this.

Message: UIC produces work-ready candidates within Chicago, the state and beyond.

  • For prospective students

    Make your future feel certain. You’ll graduate from UIC ready to land the job and own the room.

  • For influencers and counselors

    Let it be known: Your student will be what the workforce is looking for. A UIC degree equips them with the skills and connections to make it happen.

  • For industry

    UIC grads aren’t here to fill a role. You’re hiring excellence, amplified. Industry acumen and work ethic all the way up.

  • For alums

    We see you. Making your career skills known and making employers take notice.

Language libraries

On this page, you’ll find curated language libraries — words and phrases built to spark headlines, sharpen copy and keep every piece of communication unmistakably UIC. The libraries are inspired by subthemes that live within the larger creative platform, “Make It Known.” Think of them as ways to stretch the UIC voice in fresh, unexpected directions, and as tools that protect the longevity of our creative hook by giving writers more to work with than a single phrase. Like UIC itself, this is a living resource. Add to it. Mix the libraries together. The more you write into the brand, the more distinctly it becomes ours.

Voice and expression

Voice and expression

Library One

  • Amplify
  • Echo
  • Heard
  • Turn it up
  • Frequency
  • Tone
  • Voice
  • Track
  • Sound
  • Output
  • Call
  • Record
  • Volume

Underlying subthemes

  • Resonate: carrying weight and impact, and echoing across communities
  • Amplify: making knowledge loud and impossible to ignore
  • Broadcast: sharing insight far and wide
  • Project: putting ideas out, confidently and clearly
  • Echo: knowledge that reverberates beyond the moment
  • Signal: communicating discovery with clarity and authority
  • Pulse: knowledge that’s alive, vibrant and moving
  • Call: a voice of knowledge, a summons to act
  • Sound: knowledge that’s foundational, credible, unmistakable
Knowledge and academia

Knowledge and academia

Library Two

  • Expertise
  • Scholarship
  • Inquiry
  • Understanding
  • Wisdom
  • Proof
  • Truth
  • Know-how
  • Evidence
  • Acumen
  • Fluency

Play with combinations:

  • Frequency and fluency
  • Sound and scholarship
  • Amplification and acumen
  • Record your expertise

EXAMPLE:
Our students are the pulse of Chicago. At UIC, inquiry and scholarship move with the city. Ideas find tone, understanding gains frequency and voices are amplified. Students leave with wisdom and impact that echoes far beyond campus.

Elevator speeches

There are moments when we don’t get a lot of time to tell our story. And in a world that throws information at you left and right, we have to say who we are — quickly, clearly, no fluff. Here is a set of elevator speeches carefully curated for exactly that. Short. Sharp. Straight to it. They don’t cover every situation, but they do provide you with a framework you can customize to your liking.

In 30 seconds
At the University of Illinois Chicago, we don’t just believe access and excellence can thrive together. We know it — and we prove it every day. For our 36,000 students — half are first-generation, and 56 percent are Pell-eligible. For our city. For our state. UIC doesn’t just educate, it powers Illinois — with doctors, nurses, pharmacists, educators and innovators. We deliver transformative education, world-class clinical care and breakthrough research valued at almost half a billion dollars. Our impact fuels Chicago and beyond. Our big ambitions say no ceilings, no limits. Our scholarship doesn’t sit quietly on a shelf. It shakes the world. At UIC, our greatness is lived. It’s amplified. We make access and excellence known. Every single day.

In 15 seconds
At the University of Illinois Chicago, we don’t just believe more is possible. We know it is, and we prove it. For our students. For our city. We deliver transformative education and world-class clinical care, breakthrough research and impact that fuel Chicago and beyond. No ceilings. No limits. We make access and excellence known — every day.

In 5 seconds
At UIC, we make access and excellence known — every day. We are shaping a future of hope and change for all.

Verbal lexicon

On language: The language used by the university to define, describe and differentiate itself is a direct reflection of the intelligence, ingenuity, progressive mindset and poetic pragmatism (quintessentially Chicago) that underlie its standing as a premiere public university.

Verbal lexicon: A lexicon is a system of language that can be mined and appropriated according to need throughout the university, across media and across publics. It is open-ended insofar as it lays the groundwork for further elaboration and “on-point” personalization by providing a common vocabulary and overall narrative framework.