Font/Typography

Fonts/typography, when used consistently, unifies messaging and creates familiarity. The following guidelines will help ensure maximum legibility and reinforcement of the UCSF brand.

Helvetica Neue is our primary typeface, chosen to reflect the boldness and impact of UCSF. Granjon is our secondary typeface, chosen to reflect the humanity and inclusiveness of UCSF. When used together, Helvetica Neue and Granjon help communicate UCSF's core principles.

helvetica type

Helvetica Neue

Helvetica Neue is our primary typeface. Title and sentence case are preferred. Only use all caps in small instances such as charts, labels and UI navigation. The default weight to use is Helvetica Neue Light. In cases where legibility is an issue, use Helvetica Neue Roman.

In cases where Helvetica Neue is not available, use Arial Regular as a substitute.

granjon

Granjon

Granjon is our secondary typeface and is primarily used in large headlines and titles. The default weight to use is Granjon Roman. The supporting weights of Granjon may also be used, but usually for emphasis in smaller applications such as subheads, captions, tables, charts and folios.

In cases where Granjon is not available, use Garamond Regular as a substitute.

Font Licenses

UCSF's Office of Communications has purchased a limited number of brand font licenses for UCSF employees who are directly involved in the creation of marketing and communication materials. To request a license, please submit a brand font request form.

For all other users, including external designers, these font licenses are available for purchase online: Helvetica Neue and Granjon.

For webfonts, we recommend licensing the Helvetica Neue and Granjon brand fonts directly from myfonts.com. They have a range of options that should work for you based on your site design and traffic needs. Contact [email protected] for guidance.

 

Type Hierarchy

Consistent application of typography allows our audiences to recognize materials from UCSF. Large headlines should use Granjon Roman or Helvetica Neue Light set in title case (upper and lowercase). Subheads may use Helvetica Neue Light or Roman title case, depending on scale relationships. Large blocks of copy should use Helvetica Neue Light sentence case.

Any primary headline 20 point sizes or over can be in Granjon Roman. Use Helvetica Neue Light if the headline size is under 20 point.

Primary headlines 20 point sizes or over can also be in Helvetica Neue Light.

 

Incorrect Usage Examples

Do not set all body copy in bold.

Do not make headings without sufficient contrast with body copy.

Do not set both headline and body copy in Granjon.

Do not apply extra letter spacing (tracking).

Do not apply more than the recommended amount of leading.

Do not set body copy in all caps.