Guidelines

The following is a list of general formatting guidelines for stationery items:

  • VCU and VCU Health stationery follow AP style.
  • All ampersands (&) must be spelled out (i.e, and).
  • Suffixes (Jr., III, etc.) should be formatted without commas: John F. Smith Jr., MD, MBA.
  • A listing for fax, email, parent department and building name are optional for stationery items.
  • When two departments are listed for joint appointments, they should be formatted one of two ways:
    • Department of _____ 
      and Department of _____
    • Departments of ___ and ____ [if space permits on one line]
  • All email addresses should be in lowercase.
  • Remove periods from all credentials (i.e., PhD).
  • Full name or nickname allowed but not in quotation marks or parentheses.
  • Pronouns are optional.
  • Web addresses should be formatted as vcu.edu or vcuhealth.org. Don’t include www, http:// or https:// unless the URL will not work without them.
  • Credentials are allowed on the first line (bolded line) of business cards only. 

What to avoid

The following may not be included on stationery items:

  • Abbreviations (few exceptions)
  • Additional graphics or logos
  • Parentheses
  • Resume-type references (i.e., Habla Espanol on business cards should be changed to Spanish Translator so it is a title)
  • Taglines, slogans or other marketing/promotional phrases
  • Titles before names (Dr., Mrs., Mr.) except for clergy, military and police (Rev., Sergeant)
  • VCU or VCU Health before department, division, office, program and other group names