Typography

Our font selection defines the voice and personality of our brand. Here you can find out about the distinct characteristics of each font and how they contribute to crafting compelling messages.

Our brand uses two typefaces: Larken for headlines and statements and Manrope for body copy.

These fonts should be used in all official University communications such as printed and digital materials such as brochures, official reports and event banners, through to marketing campaigns, and designed resources like a PowerPoint presentation for a high-profile conference.

Larken is a modern typeface that lives in a space between sans and serif, with soft and sharp letter forms. It was designed with the very idea of quiet confidence in mind. This will only be used in headlines.

Manrope is an open-source, modern sans-serif font family. It looks to create optical balance through its use of modern typographic features. It can be downloaded for free from Google fonts. This font will be used for body copy.

To ensure that our communications are accessible, we recommend using only two weights of Larken and Manrope: Regular and Bold. It is important that we follow the guidelines for usage. You should limit the number of weights used in a design piece to create a consistent hierarchy and text style in your outputs.

The download file below includes the following formats:

• TTF

Our typeface for Arabic text is Alexandria (in Light and Medium weights), which is a freely avaiable Google font.

The download file below includes a link to a Google website to download the Alexandria font:

Our typeface for Chinese text is Noto Sans Serif (in Light and Medium weights), which is a freely avaiable Google font. Please ensure any translated copy is checked by a mandarin speaker before progressing to print or publication.

The download file below includes a link to a Google website to download the Noto Sans font:

A powerful expression of our brand philosophy is our ‘We activate’ sign-off. This is a two-sentence, open-sourced sign-off line that is used as part of the call-to-action across our communications. This CTA sign-off is compulsory when the word ‘Activate’ or any variation of it (e.g. activating) is not being used as part of a headline statement (See Example 1). There will, of course, be instances of ‘functional’ communication where the CTA is not required e.g. allergy information. Please check with the Brand Team if you are unsure.

This is a two-sentence, open-sourced sign-off line that is used as part of the call-to-action across our communications. This CTA sign-off should be used when the word ‘Activate’ or any variation of it (e.g. activating) is not being used as part of a headline statement (See Example 1).

In examples where the word ‘Activate’ or variations of it are being used as part of the headline statement, a URL-only version of the CTA has been created (see Example 2).

Both two-line and URL-only versions of the sign-off have been set up within the templates. Please only use the artwork files. Do not recreate the sign-off.

For everyday usage such as in Office 365, we use default typefaces; Times New Roman is used instead of Larken and Arial is used instead of Manrope. Both of these default typefaces come pre-installed on Mac & PC and should be selected by internal staff for everyday working. For example, our weekly University All Staff Briefing will utilise these everyday fonts.

By using the everyday typefaces, this ensures that when documents are sent externally, that they remain accessible and fonts don’t corrupt if the recipient hasn’t got Larken or Manrope on their device. This can make documents inaccessible and avoids having to create pdfs which can also present accessibility challenges.

We recommend using only two weights for both Times New Roman and Arial, Regular and Bold.

The basic rules around typesetting can be seen in the diagram below and in the ‘Typographic Principles’ section of the portal.

These everyday typefaces must not be used in design programmes where our primary typefaces are compatible, such as Adobe InDesign and Illustrator. It is vital that we maintain a consistent identity, where our primary typefaces are consistently used. When designing outward facing brand communications or high-level presentations, there is an expectation that our primary typefaces, Larken and Manrope are used. These should ideally be designed by those who have access to industry level design software and as such, should be able to run our primary typefaces on their computers.

Please contact the Brand Team for more information around access to our Primary typefaces.

To ensure a consistent punctuation style across brand communications, we have some basic rules that govern the use of full stops on headline statements.

– A short headline statement doesn’t need a full stop
– If a headline statement has punctuation then add a full stop
– Headline statements in Larken can work in both upper and lowercase
– Tracking can be opened up to 100pt on short headline statements
– Key words on a headline statement can be set in a bolder weight to draw focus
– Headlines can appear in Larken uppercase
– Short Larken headlines can appear in 100 pt or 200pt when more refinement is needed

Our brand is built on clarity and inclusivity. Maintaining proper colour contrast across all applications, paired with our brand typefaces, is fundamental to how we present ourselves and ensure our message reaches everyone.

These standards work in tandem with our approved typefaces. When combined with sufficient colour contrast, our brand is accessible to all audiences, regardless of vision ability or viewing conditions.

All brand colour combinations must meet the following contrast ratios: