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Otis College of Art and Design Editorial Style Guide 

These editorial guidelines are meant as standards to consult when writing about/for/to Otis College in any medium and for any purpose (communications, website, etc.). All Otis publications, whether electronic, printed, signage, correspondence, etc. should be informed by these guidelines in order to display a consistent look and style whenever possible.

These guidelines recently have been updated with inclusivity in mind, to make sure that certain terms and ways of referring to various members of our community apply across identities and don’t exclude anyone. 

The guidelines have been informed by research and consultation with various members of the community, as well as style guides such as the Chicago Manual of Style and the AP Stylebook. Our hope is that the principles of inclusive writing that the Otis College guidelines espouse will be widely adopted, but acknowledge the discomfort that might accompany the newness of some of these terms, and that some people will prefer language that is different from what is presented here. 

These guidelines are used by the College in official communications and can be utilized as a guide when in doubt. However, whenever possible use the terms, pronouns, and descriptions that people share or use to describe themselves, even if that differs from these guidelines or your own ways of describing people or the world. 

We realize that these are not strict rules, but rather form a working document that will change and adapt over time. Any comments or questions about these guidelines can be addressed to communications@otis.edu.  

Institution Specific

General Usage

General Grammar Considerations

Online Resources

I. Institution-specific Usage

Name

Otis College of Art and Design is the proper name of the College. Please do not substitute a plus sign (+) or ampersand (&) for the word “and” in the proper name. For second reference, use Otis College; for third and subsequent references, use Otis or the College. In any written reference, do not use OTIS with all caps.

Campus Name And Locations

The College has one main campus: 

  • Elaine and Bram Goldsmith Campus, 9045 Lincoln Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045

Buildings on the Goldsmith campus include:

  • Kathleen Ahmanson Hall (or Ahmanson for short)
  • Anne Cole Building
  • Bronya and Andy Galef Center for Fine Art (Galef for short)
  • Mei-Lee Ney Design Studio (formerly the North Building)
  • Residence Hall

There are several other locations with proper names:

  • Bobrow Thomas Green
  • Elaine’s Dining Commons (Elaine’s for short)
  • Helen and Abraham Bolsky Gallery (Bolsky Gallery for short)
  • Millard Sheets Library
  • Frederick Monhoff Printmaking Laboratory (Print Lab for short)
  • The Rose Hills Foundation Café (Rose Hills Café for short)

There are also several spaces on campus without proper names, but they should be referred to as follows:

  • The Commons (the main outdoor area on campus)
  • The Forum (the multipurpose space inside the Anne Cole Building)
  • Laboratory Press (Lab Press for short)

Refer to these locations by their full names or shorten them as indicated above. 

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Academic Programs

The College offers Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degrees. Do not use periods in BFA or MFA. 

Use an apostrophe when referring in general to bachelor’s degree, a master’s, etc., but there is no possessive in Bachelor of Fine Arts or Master of Fine Arts.

The BFA, the professional undergraduate degree, is offered in eight majors with special areas of emphasis noted below:

  • Animation
  • Environmental Design
    • Interiors + Furniture
    • Architecture/Landscape/Interiors
  • Fashion Design
  • Fine Arts 
    • Painting
    • Photography
    • Sculpture/New Genres
  • Game & Entertainment Design
  • Graphic Design
  • Illustration
  • Product Design
  • Toy Design

An area of emphasis is a structured plan of study within a major, usually at least 10 percent of the total curriculum (12+ units, or four-five classes). It provides further depth and specialization within the major or primary field. Areas of emphasis do not require additional credits.

The BFA program also offers 13 elective minors:

  • Art and Design Education
  • Art History
  • Contemporary Clay
  • Creative Writing
  • Digital Media
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Graphic Design
  • Illustration
  • Painting
  • Photography
  • Product Design
  • Sculpture/New Genres
  • Sustainability

A minor is a structured plan outside in a field that is not within the major or primary field, usually at least 12 percent of the total curriculum (15+ units, five-six classes). Some students choose a minor that complements or is related to their major, while others prefer to focus on an area that reflects their personal interests. Depending on the major, minors may or may not require additional credits.

Both areas of emphasis and minors enable students to integrate and enhance their art and design skills and knowledge in a variety of areas, and both can advance job prospects while enriching and extending the educational experience. The Foundation program, Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS), and the Creative Action Integrated Learning (CAIL) program each offer pivotal core courses for all undergraduate students. The Artists, Community, and Teaching (ACT) program offers two minors that lead to either a teaching certification, or a background in art and design education in order to work at institutions that don’t require a credential (e.g. K-12 private school, community art centers, etc.).

Otis College also offers two MFA (graduate) degrees:

  • Fine Arts 
  • Graphic Design

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Alumnx

In an effort to be inclusive of our entire alumnx community, the Office of Alumni Relations at Otis College has introduced the use of the term “alumnx,” which is considered to be a more gender-neutral term that can be used in place of alumna, alumnus, and alumni. Otis College will use the term alumnx instead of alumna/alumnus/alumni in all written and verbal communications. 

Alumnx Designation

After referring to a graduate by name in any written materials, include in parentheses the year of their graduation (preceded by an apostrophe), their BFA or MFA degree, and their major, e.g.: Susan Smith (’96 BFA Fine Arts).

When referring to graduates in a list, drop the parentheses, e.g.: Susan Smith ’96 BFA Fine Arts, John Smith ’96 BFA Toy Design. 

If only year is available or appropriate, use parentheses and last two digits, e.g. Susan Smith (’96)

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Faculty Titles

The undergraduate and graduate programs are led by a department chair and, in some cases, an assistant chair. Other official titles for faculty members (per the Faculty handbook) are as follows: 

  • Professor
  • Associate Professor
  • Assistant Professor
  • Adjunct Professor
  • Adjunct Associate Professor 
  • Adjunct Assistant Professor
  • Senior Lecturer
  • Lecturer
  • Visiting Artist/Scholar
  • Area Head
  • Program Director

At Otis, faculty titles can be used per the guidelines below:

  • Titles are used uniformly—either faculty member or instructor, interchangeably—except for chairs, assistant chairs, and directors, where we use those specific titles. 
  • In running text, faculty member and instructor are always lowercase. 
  • For chair, assistant chair, and director, the titles are capitalized only if they come before the person’s name (e.g. Fine Arts Chair Meg Cranston), and lowercase if after (e.g. Meg Cranston, chair of the Fine Arts Program). 
  • Use of other titles (e.g. professor, associate professor) in Communications and Marketing materials requires clearance from the Provost’s Office.

Board Titles

Any mention of Board of Trustees and/or Board of Governors uses upper-case for both the organization (Board of Trustees) and individuals (e.g. Susan Crank is a Trustee or Member, Board of Trustees. Bill Chais is a Governor or Member, Board of Governors).

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II. General Usage

Abbreviations

  • Write out in full the names of organizations or titles on first use, with an introduction of its abbreviation in parentheses. For example: Association of Art Institutions (AAI). 
  • Abbreviations can be used on second and subsequent references. 
  • U.S. can be used as a noun and includes periods.

Artwork And Exhibition Titles/credit Lines

  • Artwork titles are italicized. When crediting, precede the artwork title with the artist’s name, include the work year (if applicable), and then follow in parentheses the medium, if applicable. For example: Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa (oil on poplar). 
    • If available, include dimensions in the parenthetical reference (see Dimensions section below for rules on how to write). For example: Alison Saar, Torch Song, 2020 (Wood, ceiling tin, copper, found belt, and piano keys, 72 by 24 by 24 inches)
  • Exhibition titles should be italicized. For example: Limitless Containment 

Awards

Capitalize the name of an award except for articles, conjunctions, and prepositions of fewer than four letters (Pulitzer Prize for Biography), but use lower case for descriptive words that are not part of the title (Pulitzer Prize winner). 

 

Capitalization

  • Use for proper names of programs, departments, committees, and offices (Product Design, Academic Assembly, Financial Aid). 
  • With title, use capitalization only if the title is unique to that person and when it precedes the person’s name (Fine Arts Chair Meg Cranston, but Meg Cranston, faculty).
  • Seasons are capitalized when in reference to an academic semester (Spring semester, Fall 2021 semester) but not when referred to as a season alone. 
  • Use capitalization with the terms Republic or the States, but not with the words national, federal, or in a phrase, such as state of California. 

Usage of capitalization with certain terms (Internet/internet, Web site/website, online, and email) is constantly evolving (please refer to the Chicago Manual of Style or the AP Stylebook, both of which informed these guidelines, for updates on usage; subscription may be required). 

Colons And Semicolons

  • Place outside of quotation marks when used in a sentence.
  • Use semicolons after elements in a series when the elements have commas (The list included the following: Salvador Dali, of Figueres, Spain; Frida Kahlo, of Mexico City, Mexico; and Jean-Michel Basquiet, of New York, New York.) 
  • Use semicolons between independent clauses to show they are closely related when no coordinating conjunction is present (She had an inquiring mind; she read a great deal.)
  • Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence. Do not capitalize words that follow semicolons (unless it’s a proper noun). 

Commas

  • Use the serial comma before a final and in a series (apples, oranges, and pears).
  • Use with four-digit numbers except for years (1,001 dalmations. He was born in 1985). 
  • Do not use with month and year (June 2007) but do use with month, day, and year (June 17, 2007)
  • Do not use a comma after a name and an abbreviation such as Jr., Sr., or Inc. 
  • Use a comma before and, for, but, yet, or, and so if connecting two independent clauses.
  • Do not use a comma after abbreviations in parentheses (e.g. text here).

Cultural Movements And Styles

Capitalize when derived from proper nouns or used as specific historical designations (Dali was a Surrealist), but use lower-case when used in a general sense (The painting is surrealist).

Dates

  • Do not use an apostrophe following decades and abbreviations of decades (the 1990s, not 1990’s; the ’90s, not the ’90’s). 
  • Use a comma with month, date, and year (September 17, 2007). 
  • Use ordinals for centuries (19th century).
  • Months should be written out (February, not Feb.).

Dimensions

Use numbers for dimensions (i.e. don’t write them out), but do spell out the words inches, feet, meters, etc. Do not use hash marks. Use by instead of the letter x (The poster was 5 by 7 inches). Hyphenate measurements when used as an adjective (the 20- by 30-foot room). 

Ellipsis

  • Use four periods for an ellipsis that ends a complete sentence. (I guess we’ll have to see what happens….), and three periods in the middle of a sentence or at the end of an incomplete sentence (Stay tuned…). 

Ethnicity / Nationality / Race

  • Ethnicity refers to a person’s cultural identity, which may include language, traditions, or country/ies of origin/heritage. Use the language with which a person identifies themselves, and check first and ask if you are unsure what that is. 
    • Only refer to a person’s ethnicity if it is relevant to the context of the conversation you are having with/about them, or the context of what you are writing about them. 
  • Nationality is the status of belonging to a particular country. Some people use the term interchangeably with “ethnicity” or “citizenship.” 
  • If you are referring to a particular region, try and be as specific as possible, for example, “Japanese food” instead of “Asian food.” Also try and keep in mind cultural differences that may stem from a person’s nationality, for example, customs or celebrations that may not be shared with people of different backgrounds. 
  • Race is a social construct based on physical appearance and/or perceived ancestry. While such categorizations have been used to justify discrimination, violence, and power imbalances against certain groups of people, we also acknowledge that racial identity is important to some for providing a sense of shared experience, community, and/or to protest discrimination and injustice. 
  • When referencing a racial identity, use upper case for countries or references to areas of the world (Asian, African American), as well as for the term Black (Black artists, the Black experience).  Use lower case for other descriptive words (white).
    • Only refer to a person’s race if it is relevant to the context of the conversation you are having with/about them, or the context of what you are writing about them. 
  • Some people might identify with more than one race. Use the language with which a person identifies themself, and check first and ask if you are unsure what that is. 
  • Avoid using offensive terminology or any language that uses stereotypes. 

Geographic Terms

  • Use upper case for regions when the meaning implies more than a simple geographic location (L.A.’s Westside). 
  • Use lower case for topographic terms used in plural (Sonora and Anza Borrego deserts). 
  • Use upper case for city or state nicknames (the Windy City, the Golden State). 

Headlines

Upper case the first letter of all words except articles, conjunctions, and prepositions of fewer than four letters (Otis College’s 38th Annual Exhibition Goes Online to Showcase Work of Graduating Students).  

Hyphens / Dashes

  • Do not hyphenate terms that people use to identify their backgrounds, such as African American, Asian American, African Caribbean, etc. 
  • Use en dash (–) for numeric ranges. (Keystroke is option/alt + hyphen keys)
  • Use em dash (—) for offset phrases or with epithet attributions. (Keystroke is shift + option/alt + hyphen keys)
  • Do not use spaces on either side of dashes and hyphens (e.g. 4:00–7:00 p.m., as opposed to 4:00 – 7:00 p.m.).  
  • Use dashes (not parentheses or periods) with phone numbers: 323-555-1234. 

Magazine / Newspaper Titles

Italicize and only capitalize the words the or magazine when they are part of the official title (the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Time magazine). 

Music / Poems / Plays / Movies / Books / Video Games

  • Italicize movies, long musical works, collections of poetry, or long poems, but use quotation marks for songs, short musical compositions, episode titles, and short poems (i.e. The Marriage of Figaro, When Harry Met Sally, “Hey Jude,” “The One Where Ross and Rachel Take a Break”). 
  • Italicize all play and book titles. 
  • Do not use quotation marks around software titles, apps, or around names of video games (i.e. Microsoft Word, TikTok, Call of Duty). 

Names

Whenever possible, use an individual’s preferred first and last names when communicating directly with them or about them. The name that is in Otis’s official records might not be the name a person uses to refer to themselves. When in doubt, check and ask first. 

Non-English Words

Italicize unless the non-English word appears in an English-language dictionary.  

Numbers

Write out one through nine, and use numerals for numbers greater than nine, except with measurements (5 by 7 inches). 

Periods

  • Use periods after a.m. and p.m. 
  • Use periods when abbreviating cities like Los Angeles or countries like the United Kingdom (L.A., U.K.). 
  • Don’t use periods with BFA or MFA 
  • Don’t use periods with OK. 

Plural Numbers And Letters

Add an s (1990s, ABCs), but for plural single numbers or letters add apostrophe-s (mind your p’s and q’s).

Possessives

  • For singular and plural nouns not ending in an s, add apostrophe-s (The artist’s contributions, women’s rights). 
  • For singular nouns that end in an s, add apostrophe-s (Otis’s Westside campus, Deschamps’s career). 
  • For plural nouns that end in an s, add an apostrophe, but not another s (Students’ studio spaces, artists’ materials). 

Pronouns

  • Otis College honors people’s chosen pronouns, when known, in writing and when speaking to/about them. While a majority of people go by the pronoun sets “he/him/his” or “she/her/hers,” an increasing number of people use “they/them/theirs” or other pronoun sets, such as “ze/zir/zirs” or “ey/em/eirs.” Sometimes a person doesn’t want to go by pronouns with a gender association, or they prefer pronouns that aren’t associated with one of the two most common (binary) gender identifications because they are nonbinary (for example: genderqueer, agender, bigender, fluid, third/additional gender in a cultural tradition, etc.). Some people also prefer that no pronouns be used to refer to them, in which case their proper name is used. Usually, “they/them/theirs” pronouns are acceptable to use when you don’t yet know if a person goes by another set or sets of pronouns, but it is always best to ask. When possible, strive to use a person’s chosen pronouns. 
  • The MyPronouns.org website has information on how one can share their pronoun preferences, how one can ask a person about their preferences, and what other types of pronouns can be used when referring to people. 
  • Please note that when using “they/them/theirs” pronouns to refer to one person, the verbs are conjugated the same as with the plural “they” (e.g. they are). In this singular pronoun set many people use “themself” rather than “themselves,” although both are acceptable.

Spelling

  • Refer to Merriam-Webster Dictionary (www.merriam-webster.com) for up-to-date spelling guidance.
  • Generally follow closed forms (without hyphen) for compound words, except when the root is a proper noun, the lack of the hyphen causes confusion, or the dictionary lists using or not using a hyphen (postindustrial, nonprofit, subsector). 

States

  • Write out the name of the state when it is used with a city (Los Angeles, California), but abbreviate only if space is a concern (Los Angeles, Calif.).
  • Spell out the name of a state if it is not used with a city. 
  • Use two-letter postal abbreviations only in a mailing address.

Symbols

Use the word percent in text and the % symbol in tables.

Tables

  • Use headline capitalization for table and variable names.
  • Use symbols (%) where applicable.
  • List source information below the table.

Time

  • Use numbers for all times except noon and midnight. 
  • Separate hours from minutes with a colon and use lower case a.m. and p.m. (11:00 a.m., 3:30 p.m.)

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A Few General Grammar Considerations:

Dangling Modifiers

  • A dangling modifier is a phrase or clause that, because of its position in a sentence, seems to modify a word that it does not logically modify: “Though rather cold, I expected he would take his daily swim.” (This makes it sound like he is rather cold when what really is meant is that the weather is cold.) What works better is: “Though it was really cold, I expected he would take his daily swim.” 
  • To avoid dangling modifiers, pay particular attention to any beginning phrase in a sentence and the subject that follows and make sure that they match: Incorrect: “Having recovered from his illness, his mother took him abroad.” Correct: “When he had recovered from his illness, his mother took him abroad.”

Which And That

  • Use which with a comma when the information is non-essential. (“He was greatly disturbed by the letter, which he received this morning.” This clause gives incidental information about one of several letters he may have received this morning.) 
  • If the information is essential, use that. (“He was greatly disturbed by the letter that he received this morning.” Here he received one particular letter and it disturbed him. Note that in this usage the that may be omitted: “...by the letter he received this morning.”)
  • Unless used with of, in, or that, which should always have a comma preceding it. 

Who And Whom

Who is the correct word when someone is the subject of a sentence (“The woman who rented the room left the window open.” / “Who is it?”) Whom is used when someone is the object of a verb or preposition (“The woman to whom the room was rented left the window open.” / “Whom do you wish to see?”)

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Online Resources