Typography

When creating digital communications, it is acceptable to default to standard web safe font stacks for sans serif (Arial, Helvetica) and serif (Garamond, Georgia, Times New Roman). 

General Guidance

Line Length

For long passages of text, limit the column width (also known as the measure) to facilitate comfortable reading. Do not allow the line length to extend the full width of a page or a screen, particularly on larger devices, as it is hard for the eye to track back to the left margin and begin the next line, resulting in increased reading difficulty. A good goal is to aim for between 60–100 characters per line including spacing. Setting an optimal line length will break up content into easily digestible information.

Tracking

Correct letter spacing, called tracking, makes copy easier to read. In general, text should always be tracked close to the default setting, and optical kerning should be used when available.

Leading

Proper line spacing, called leading (or line height for web applications), results in professional-looking type that’s easy to read. Comfortable reading of larger passages of body copy requires more space between lines. However, larger text, such as headings, does not require as much line height as paragraphs of body text. Larger type is read as clusters of words and too much space between the lines looks disjointed and inhibits the user's ability to scan.

Text Alignment

In most cases, paragraphs should be left-aligned. Cases for centering text would be in the instance of content examples such as block quotes, call outs and short blocks of text that stand apart visually from the surrounding body text (a maximum of six lines is a good rule of thumb). If too many lines of text are centered, reading becomes difficult.

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If a paragraph is too long, or extends beyond a single paragraph, center alignment will inhibit comfortable reading. Also, avoid short lines of text or words (called widows) that stand alone on a line, causing the paragraph to appear uneven as a whole. Finally, avoid bad line breaks as much as possible.

Centered text is best suited for something like a short call out that has the purpose of drawing attention from surrounding page content.

Type Spectrum

Consider the intended audience and purpose of your communication to help determine which fonts work best. Use these grids as a guiding framework.

Font Licenses

Primary and Secondary Fonts

Limited font licenses are available for Marr Sans and Noe. Please submit a request if you have an appropriate use case and would like to request licenses for your computer. In addition, FedEx Office has a license and can create collateral using the font families.

Terms and Conditions

• Fonts are licensed for one computer only
• Do not share fonts with others or download them to your personal computer
• University fonts should be used solely for cases outlined in these guidelines — they should not be used for the creation of logos or other graphic elements