Icons

Use the NC State set of on-brand icons to add visual interest and illustrate important facts and figures within your web and print content.

Icons can be changed to any color in NC State’s color palette. Either place a white icon on a field of color, or convert an icon’s color for use on a white background. Only use one color per icon. Icons should not be altered or combined.

The EPS, PNG and SVG files are available for download below. For print projects, use the EPS files to ensure that icons print clearly at any size. PNG files should only be used in PowerPoint and Microsoft Office. SVG files are for web purposes.

Typography

Typography plays an important role in establishing and reinforcing our brand. Our typographic identity reflects NC State’s place as a bold, forward-thinking institution.

Univers Lt Std — Primary Typeface

NC State’s primary typeface is Univers. Univers is a broad family, and University Communications has obtained site licenses for many of the faces within the font family. Please contact CALS Communications if you are interested in a font license.

Glypha — Secondary Typeface

NC State’s secondary typeface is Glypha. University Communications has obtained site licenses for several of the faces within the font family. Glypha should be used sparingly and purposefully. It gives emphasis and personality to text, setting pull quotes, captions and Web modules apart from body copy. When it appears too frequently, it loses impact. licenses for many of the faces within the font family. Please contact CALS Communications if you are interested in a font license.

Roboto — Web Fonts

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTOVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789

While Univers is the university’s official font family for print mediums, Roboto is approved and recommended for all digital usecases. Roboto is a free font family available from Google Fonts. It offers close matches to our other on-brand typefaces — Roboto Light for Univers Light, Roboto Regular for Univers Roman, Roboto Condensed for Univers Condensed, and Roboto Slab for Glypha. Because of its digital-first nature, it is currently being used on several of NC State’s top-tier web properties.

Font Licensing

A limited number of licenses for Univers are available, free of charge, to professional communicators across campus who agree to use them within brand parameters. If you’re interested in receiving a license, contact CALS Communications.

Type Guidelines

> Use no more than two or three type styles and a limited number of type sizes.

> For body text in print, use light weights (8.5 pt+ font size and a 130% or 160% leading proportion). For body text on the Web, use roman weights (14 px+ font size and a 130% or 160% line-height proportion).

9 Do keep copy blocks left- or right-aligned.

x Don’t force-justify copy blocks.

x Don’t set body copy in all uppercase letters.

Substitute Font

Our primary substitute typeface is Arial. Arial is acceptable for use in presentations, HTML emails, native apps and in Word documents that cannot be distributed as PDFs.

Type Over Images

Only use type over an image if it is completely legible without altering the type or the image.

9 Do make sure type on the photo is legible without altering either of the elements.

x Don’t put light type on a light photo. It is not easily legible.

x Don’t use embellishments such as drop shadows and selective photo darkening.

Imagery

In content and style, NC State imagery is big, bold and impactful. Our photography and video reflect momentum, optimism, and the gravity and world-changing potential of our work.

Content

We always give thought to what we purposefully feature in our images. This means both the main subject matter and the other elements in the foreground, middle and background.

What We Shoot

Our images are bold, clear and singular.

When applicable, we emphasize the real-world impacts of NC State’s work, rather than the process behind it.

Reduce Visual Clutter

Extraneous objects and visual textures can confuse viewers and detract from the story your photo is telling.

9 Do favor clean, uncluttered compositions. x Don’t let the subject get lost against a busy background.

9 Instead, crop images to focus on the subject without losing a sense of context.

Use a Singular Image

Make your image’s purpose clear: Use a single image (rather than an image collection) and focus on a specific subject (avoid group portraits).

9 Do choose an image with a dominant subject that communicates a single story.

Style

x Don’t use photo compilations, montages and collages.

In the image-making process, we pay close attention to lighting and vantage point. When appropriate, we also use specific special effects.

x Avoid the use of formal group portraits wherever possible.

Check out our full collection of on-brand photos HERE.

Light leaks and motion convey a sense of movement toward the future.

Bright lighting inspires optimism.