A guide for licensing offices & alumni relations
Commissioning custom art for your university.
What to expect when you bring your institution's story to Artlema — process, timeline, licensing and pricing, answered plainly.
The process, end to end
Discovery & brief
1–2 weeks
We meet with your licensing office, alumni relations team or campus stakeholders to understand the buildings, traditions, anniversaries or stories you want represented. We review your brand standards, trademark guidelines and existing visual archive.
Concept & sketches
2–4 weeks
We develop two or three distinct visual directions — composition, palette, medium. You receive proofs to share internally and with your licensing office for early feedback.
Licensing & approvals
2–3 weeks
We submit final artwork through your university's official licensing channel (CLC, IMG, Learfield or in-house). All marks, wordmarks and architectural likenesses are cleared before production.
Production & finishing
3–6 weeks
Artwork is produced as small-edition prints, hand-painted ornaments, puzzles or framed pieces — each format hand-finished and quality-checked in-house.
Fulfillment
Ongoing
Editions are distributed through the Artlema shop, your campus bookstore, or as alumni gifts and donor recognition pieces. Royalty reporting is handled monthly.
Investment
What it costs.
Commission fees cover concept development, original artwork, licensing submission and production tooling. Per-unit production is billed separately and scales with edition size.
$4.5k–$8k
Ornaments, small prints, single-building studies.
$8k–$14k
Multi-edition print series, custom puzzles, mid-format paintings.
$14k–$18k+
Large originals, multi-panel architectural works, anniversary editions.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a custom university art commission cost?
Commission fees typically range from $4,500 to $18,000 depending on medium, edition size and complexity. Hand-painted ornaments and small-edition prints sit at the lower end; large original paintings or multi-panel architectural works are higher. Licensing royalties are paid separately to the institution per your standard agreement.
Do we need an existing licensing program?
No. If your institution doesn't yet have a formal licensing office, we can work directly under a trademark license agreement drafted for the project. Most R1 universities use CLC, IMG College Licensing or Learfield — we're familiar with all three workflows.
How long does the full process take?
From signed brief to first shipment, expect 10 to 16 weeks. Rush commissions (anniversaries, capital campaign launches, presidential inaugurations) can be accelerated to 6–8 weeks with a rush fee.
Who owns the artwork?
The institution owns the right to use the artwork within the scope of the licensing agreement (typically merchandise, alumni gifts, donor recognition). Artlema retains the underlying copyright and the right to produce the licensed editions. Buy-out terms are available.
What can be commissioned?
Iconic campus buildings, quads, chapels, libraries, mascots in original illustration, anniversary commemoratives, retirement and tenure gifts, donor recognition pieces, and reunion-class editions.
Is the work officially licensed?
Yes — every piece goes through your institution's official licensing channel and carries the indicia required by your trademark guidelines. We do not produce or sell anything unlicensed.
Do you handle royalty reporting?
Yes. We file monthly sales reports and remit royalties on schedule through CLC's BrandManager360, IMG/Learfield's portal, or directly to your licensing office.
Ready to start a conversation?
We take on a small number of institutional commissions each year. If your licensing office or alumni relations team is exploring a project, we'd be glad to talk.