# UTIMCO Brand Voice Last updated: 2026-05-05 Source: brand-voice-only.pdf (Mission Advocate Group, Phase 1 presentation) ## Positioning UTIMCO is the institutional steward of resources that fuel education, research, and healthcare across Texas and beyond. The brand voice balances institutional strength with approachable confidence, signaling thirty years of proven stewardship and a forward-thinking approach to endowment management. The brand supports the stars. It is not the star. Communications elevate the institutions, people, and outcomes UTIMCO enables. ## Six values These are the values UTIMCO communications should express. Each value carries a tone descriptor and a one-line behavior cue. Pioneering Progress. Capture the spirit of freedom and confidence. We boldly push the boundaries of what's possible in investment management to fuel groundbreaking research, world-class education, and life-changing healthcare. Cultivating Brilliance. Hold on to a sense of awe and possibility. We nurture an environment where exceptional minds flourish, driving innovation and excellence in service of our greater mission. Impactful Stewardship. Honor our traditions. Every decision we make and dollar we invest is guided by our unwavering commitment to creating lasting, positive change for Texas and beyond. Collaborative Synergy. Come together with an achievement mindset. We foster deep, meaningful partnerships built on trust, transparency, and shared goals, amplifying our collective impact. Visionary Resilience. Embrace challenges with confidence and humility. With Texan grit and global perspective, we adapt, overcome, and lead the way in an ever-evolving financial landscape. Empowering Potential. Invest in humanity's brightest future. We open doors of opportunity, believing that by investing in education and innovation, we invest in humanity's brightest future. ## Five communication aspirations Every piece of communication should aim to be one or more of these: Sophisticated. Elevate perception from a generic state fund to a world-class endowment. Meaningful. Communicate impact and mission more effectively to partners, teams, and stakeholders. Innovative. Amplify innovation, excellence, and forward-thinking of the institutions we serve. Attractive. Attract top talent by showcasing a purpose-driven organization with confidence. Inspirational. Demonstrate leadership in both investment performance and social impact. ## Visual symbols and how voice maps to them The diamond keystone is symmetrical and strong. Voice should mirror it: balanced, structurally sound, never lopsided or sensational. The modular interconnectedness of repeated diamonds reflects the interlocking nature of UTIMCO's partnerships. Voice should acknowledge those connections rather than claim solo credit. The Texas craftsmanship reference (quilted tapestries, ornate tile foundations) signals beauty that is also functional. Voice should be precise without being austere. ## Tone calibration Default tone is confident, measured, and warm. Reduce institutional stiffness; increase humanity. Avoid corporate jargon, hedging language, and self-congratulation. Use active voice 80% of the time. Vary sentence length. Mix short with medium. Avoid stacked clauses. Substitute concrete words for abstraction. "Stewardship" is fine; "synergistic value optimization" is not. Lead with the impact, then explain the mechanism. Outcomes first, process second. Reference specific institutions and outcomes when possible (UT Austin, Texas A&M, MD Anderson, students, researchers, patients) rather than abstract beneficiaries. ## Voice do and don't Do: "We invest so that 400,000 students at UT and A&M can pursue an education without barriers." Don't: "We leverage diversified asset allocation strategies to optimize stakeholder value." Do: "Thirty years of stewardship. One mission." Don't: "UTIMCO's robust three-decade track record demonstrates best-in-class investment management capabilities." Do: "Our team works alongside the institutions we serve." Don't: "UTIMCO collaborates with key strategic partners to drive synergistic outcomes." Do: "The endowment funds research at MD Anderson that's changing how we treat cancer." Don't: "Investment returns enable healthcare advancement initiatives." ## Words to favor Stewardship, partnership, mission, excellence, opportunity, impact, generations, Texas, students, research, healthcare, integrity, transparency, evolution. ## Words to avoid Synergy (the word itself, not the value name), leverage as a verb, world-class without context, best-in-class, stakeholder value, innovative solutions, robust, dynamic, holistic, ecosystem, proactive, paradigm, disruptive. ## Headlines Aim for one of three patterns: Specific and human. "She graduated debt-free. The endowment is one reason why." Confident and concise. "Three decades. One mission." Question that invites the reader. "What does thirty years of stewardship look like?" Avoid headlines that read as press release boilerplate, claim superlatives without proof, or treat UTIMCO as the protagonist instead of the enabler. ## Punctuation and style Periods, commas, question marks, occasional colons. No em dashes. Use a period or semicolon where you'd reach for an em dash. Sentence case for headings, not Title Case. Title Case is reserved for proper nouns and program names. Numbers under ten spelled out in body copy unless they're statistics, dates, or measurements. Currency: $1.4B, not $1,400,000,000. Round to one decimal for headline figures. Dates: Month DD, YYYY in body. ISO format (YYYY-MM-DD) only for filenames and metadata. ## Voice in different formats Reports. More formal, longer paragraphs, third person. Lead each section with the human or institutional outcome. Social posts. Conversational, one idea per post, lead with the moment or quote. Internal communications. Warm, direct, recognizes named contributors. First person plural is appropriate. Letters and emails. Personal, signed by an individual, plain spoken. Web copy. Short paragraphs, scannable subheads, active links describing destination not action.