Digital Guidelines

Websites, social media, and materials for digital applications are used more commonly now than ever. Use this list to ensure your digital projects and materials are up to brand standards.

Visit websites.ucsf.edu for further information about creating websites for UCSF. For any updates to digital standards, visit the announcements page on websites.ucsf.edu.

Almost all communications campaigns have a digital component, and often print materials need to be adopted or modified to meet the requirements of digital platforms. Remember to start every project – digital or print – with a creative brief.

When starting a digital project at UCSF, please consider the following:

  1. Always use the UCSF color palette and follow guidelines for significant text contrast. This ensures compliance with accessibility standards.
  2. The color palette was designed to pair navy as a base color with neutrals (white, blues, grays) and up to three colors from the palette. Please see the PDF brand guidelines for further details on color usage.
  3. Use larger, more impactful photography and less copy.
  4. The visual framework can be used to create simple, mobile-friendly designs.
  5. Patterns can be incorporated as images or backgrounds.
  6. Font files provided by UCSF's Office of Communications are for desktop use only. If you need fonts for your website, we recommend licensing the Helvetica Neue and Granjon brand fonts directly from myfonts.com
  7. Templates for digital signage are available for several of our poster templates. These templates are programmed using digital colors and can be placed on UCSF digital signage boards.
  8. As with print materials, you can send your digital art to [email protected] for feedback.