Identity Guidelines

Web and Multimedia

Background

The UTSA Internet presence was established in 1995 in an effort to provide online resources for the university's diverse populations. Initially created as an information distribution resource, the UTSA Internet has grown into an interactive tool serving the overall mission of the university.

Requirements

It should be noted that all materials created by UTSA for the Internet regardless of department, school, college, individuals or service center represent the university to both internal and external constituencies. As such, it is essential that all materials created and displayed via the utsa.edu domain be consistent, credible and current; maintain compliance with all state and federal mandated guidelines; and provide a unified image for this institution.

Regulations

Federal government

Section 508

Guidelines have been set forth by the federal government in regard to accessibility of Internet sites to persons with disabilities. These guidelines are based on recommendations set forth by the Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium.

The intent of these guidelines is to ensure access for individuals with vision impairments who rely on various assistive technologies to access computer/electronic-based information. These guidelines do not prohibit the use of graphics, images or animations on a Web site, but act to ensure the site is available in an accessible format.

Accessible sites offer the advantage of providing all users with faster download times due to the structured nature of accessible html. This type of technology can facilitate better transmission of Internet-based data to personal digital assistants (PDA) and cellular telephone technologies. Visit the Section 508 Web site of the federal government for more information.

State of Texas

Department of Information Resources (DIR)

As the chief information office of the state of Texas, the mission of the Department of Information Resources is to ensure the effective and efficient use of public funds by promoting opportunity and economic prosperity for the state's citizens through the successful application of statewide services and technologies that are beneficial, secure and accessible, and that utilize a standard infrastructure.

Texas Administrative Code

The university must comply with DIR's requirements for Web publications as outlined in Title 1 (Administration), Part 10 (Department of Information Resources), Chapter 206 (State Web Sites) of the Texas Administrative Code.

UTSA

Handbook of Operating Procedures (HOP)

The university has created policies and guidelines on the organization and appropriate use of the Internet at UTSA. Found in the UTSA Handbook of Operating Procedures, Section 8.13, "It is the intent of these policies to provide information about the structure of the main home page and linked web sites and to designate a system for the oversight of web sites and for the production and maintenance of web sites containing official University information that represent the University to its public via the Internet."

Identity Guidelines

The Identity Guidelines are to be referred to for specific information about usage of technology and visual elements related to UTSA. The Identity Guidelines site provides information about logo usage, multimedia productions, appropriate print productions and Web development.