Today, we are surrounded by templates in our daily lives. Create a new Google Doc and you’ll immediately see a nudge to create meeting notes or an email draft with their provided templates. Among a digital sea of template options, how can you easily make your Miami University communications clearly branded and professional? University Communications and Marketing provides a wide variety of templates for visual designs, slideshows, video, and web. Many of these tools are listed on our Brand in Use page.
Google Suite: 30+ Branded Slides, Forms, and Office Door Inserts
Here is how you access our template library in Google Drive:
- Go to Google Drive.
- Click the “New” button in the top, left-hand corner (or right-click inside a folder).
- Hover over the arrow to the right of the file type you want to create (e.g., Google Slides). From this sub-menu, select the “From a template” option.
- Select your template (“0121_MiamiUniversity_PresentationTemplate” is our presentation template for general use).
The most extensive collection of templates we have is for Google Slides. There are over 30 different Slides templates, including division-specific slide decks and large research posters. Templates may be submitted to the library, but will only be accepted if they need to be accessible across the entire university and adhere to our visual identity.
Who Can Access: Anyone with an @MiamiOH.edu email address can use the Google Suite templates.
PowerPoint: Professional Presentations the Miami Way
PowerPoint presentation templates are located in a PPT folder within the Miami University Brand Assets – Logos shared drive.
Who Can Access: Only users who have completed Brand Training can access the shared drive.
Email Signatures: Make Every Message Miami-Branded
There are various Miami University branded email signature templates that you can utilize as a member of the Miami University community. Learn more about the importance of using a branded email signature from our December 2024 “In the Loop” article.
Who Can Access: Anyone with an @MiamiOH.edu email address can access this document to change their Google Mail signature.
Canva: Branded Designs for Social Media, Posters, and More
Licensed users in our Canva Enterprise system have access to hundreds of Canva design templates, including: social media graphics, digital screen displays, print posters, and more. Here is how you access our templates within Canva:
- From the Canva homepage, locate the “Starred for team” section in the left-hand navigation. Select the “Branded Templates” folder to begin.
- Navigate to the template you want based on its intended purpose. Templates are organized into categorical folders: Digital, Print, Public Relations, Social Media, and Video. Within these folders are sub-categories for their designated output or platform. For example, if you are trying to find an Instagram post template, you would find options in Branded Templates > Social Media > Instagram > Instagram Posts.
- Select your desired template, which will bring you to a page to preview the design. Click the “Use this Brand Template” button to create a copy of the design that you own and can edit.
- In the editor, use the Brand Kit to find logos, colors, fonts, icons, and more. The PhotoShelter app for Canva can quickly add Miami University photography into your designs.
- We recommend renaming your design to something specific so it’s easy to find later. You can also organize your designs into folders.
All designs must be approved by the Brand Ambassadors of Miami (Brand@MiamiOH.edu) before they are published. Refer to the Canvas training modules to review the submission guidelines and process.
Who Can Access: Licensed users in the Canva Enterprise system who have completed both Brand Training and Canva Training. A limited number of licenses are available — contact your divisional communicator for details.
WordPress: Apply a Miami-Branded Theme to Your Site
Miami-branded WordPress themes are available to give your site a consistent, professional look.
How to apply a theme:
- Log in to https://sites.miamioh.edu/wp-admin.
- In the My Sites menu (top-left corner), hover over and select the site you want to edit.
- Go to Appearance > Themes.
- Select either Miami Block Theme or Miami Classic Theme.
- Block theme offers greater flexibility and allows for more customization of page layouts.
- Classic theme is easier to use but follows a more fixed, structured layout.
- Select your preferred Miami-branded theme and click Activate.
The Miami University Simple Theme is being phased out, so please do not use this theme.
Who Can Access: Anyone with an @MiamiOH.edu email address can Request a WordPress Site.
Have a Template Idea? Let’s Talk
Branded templates have been created over the years thanks to suggestions and requests from campus partners like you. If you have a template that you would like created, please request it as a project request through Project Intake Process.