Signage Writing Style Guide
Interior signage
Directional signs
Use the full name of the building, school, office, department or division.
- Professional Studies Building
- Van Hoesen Hall
- School of Arts and Sciences
- Human Resources Office
- Political Science Department
- Division of Institutional Advancement
Include the word “Room” with numbers.
- Room 307
- Room 1116C
Overhead signs
Use shortened version of names, omitting words such as “building,” “hall,” “school,” “office,” “department” or “division.”
- Professional Studies
- Van Hoesen
- Arts and Sciences
- Human Resources
- Political Science
- Institutional Advancement
List numbers without the word “Room.”
- 307
- 1116C
Faculty and staff names and titles
Use an individual’s official title from the SUNY Cortland Online Directory.
SUNY Cortland class years may follow a person’s name.
- Edward Jackson ’08, M ’10
Do not use courtesy titles such as Dr., Mr., Mrs. or Ms.
Suffixes such as Ph.D., M.D., M.F.A., etc. may be included.
- Shanelle Jones, Ph.D.
Punctuation
Avoid ampersands (&); instead, write out the word “and.”
- Foundations and Social Advocacy Department
- Registrar's Office
Spaces are not necessary on either side of a slash.
- Childhood/Early Childhood Education Department
- Sociology/Anthropology Department
Curve apostrophes and quotation marks.
- Incorrect: Men's Restroom, Women's Restroom
- Correct: Men’s Restroom, Women’s Restroom
Apostrophes with class years should curve away from the number.
- Incorrect: Sharon Connor ‘01
- Correct: Sharon Connor ’01
When using post-nominal credentials, include a comma after the name and abbreviate suffixes with periods.
- Jason Nguyen, Ph.D.
- Laurel Staiger, M.D.
- Jerome Szabo, M.B.A.
Exterior signage
To enable quick reading comprehension for visitors driving by, use a shortened version of building names when possible, omitting words such as “building” or “hall.”
- Brockway
- Old Main
- Professional Studies