York’s Brand Stewardship Policy was developed to protect and uphold the image and reputation of the university by regulating the use of brand properties. For all website design, development, audit, and maintenance projects (see full list here) requiring external services from York’s approved vendor list, University Brand and Marketing (UB&M) under the Communications & Public Affairs Division is the central resource to ensure institutional compliance. Read below to learn the process for each project category and role that UB&M will play. If you are unsure of where your project fits, please contact us for more information.
Learn more about the Website Design Services and Vendor of Record list
Process for Working with UB&M and Approved Vendors
Additional Information:
- Designing New Modules – York has created a library of modules to assist in designing your website, keep brand consistency and user experience. However if there is a module (or updated design) outside of this library that Vendors, faculties, or units wish to create, it must be approved by UB&M first. Learn more about the process above.
- Plugin Request – Plugins provide additional optional functionality not available out-of-the-box from WordPress. At York, WordPress websites come with specific and approved pre-installed Plugins available for any websites to use. Any plugin not available with the York 2020 theme would need to be reviewed before approval. To request a new plugin, please reach out to cpadigit@yorku.ca and share the plugin title, link, functionality and why this is needed vs the plugins available.
- AODA Guidelines – All York public websites and web content posted after January 1, 2012, must conform with WCAG 2.0 Level AA other than than providing captions on live videos or addition descriptions for pre-recorded videos. Learn more about resources available to ensure compliance.
- Technical Resources – These resources will provide the Vendor with the institutional programs and requirements to build, analyze and optimize your website to ensure it is meeting the highest user functionality.
- Tagging and Taxonomy – As part of developing a York website you are agreeing to adhere to the SEO and Tagging and Taxonomy guidelines and structures. Please see the page to ensure you have included this detail in the brief to the agency
This process is not intended to limit any website development or undertaking but extends in so far as it is relevant and applicable to ensure that York University is properly represented within that relationship, in particular, when a brand property is used for promotion or identification.