The University of Manchester brand guidelines
The University of Manchester provides a StaffNet-hosted brand portal featuring identity guidance, downloadable presentation decks, video assets, and typography details.
Homepage of the StaffNet University brand portal highlighting narrative, framework, and toolkit links.
Dedicated brand site search page featuring a search query field and navigation sidebar.
Our brand page detailing institutional vision, values, and narrative foundations.
Brand framework page offering downloadable identity PDF documentation and related links.
Brand toolkit library displaying downloadable slide decks, guidelines, and videos with metadata.
Visual identity directory outlining university logo, typography, colour palette, and heritage symbols.
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I spent time navigating The University of Manchester's StaffNet brand hub, and I appreciate how utilitarian and well-structured it feels. Rather than overwhelming staff with abstract philosophy, it keeps assets and guidance neatly divided across clear sections like Visual identity, Digital standards, and Written word. The Brand toolkit stood out to me right away with its resource library format, cataloguing presentation slide decks, scripts, and video files with visible file sizes and types. Seeing heritage elements like the crest and the bee given direct space alongside modern typography and colours makes the institution's identity feel cohesive.
At a glance
- Sections
- Our brand · Brand framework · Brand toolkit · Visual identity · Digital standards · Written word · Suppliers and agencies · Brand Programme
- Downloads
- Powerpoint, PDF, Word
- Tone
- A practical, informative university intranet hub designed to guide staff and partners through identity assets and standards.
What I noticed
- The Visual identity section outlines specific guidelines for the logo, typography, colour palette, crest, and the bee.12345
- Effra, Minion, and Open Sans are cited as the university fonts on the typography card.6
- The Brand toolkit organizes resources with metadata showing file format, file size, and video duration across Powerpoint, PDF, Word, and video files.78
- A dedicated search function is provided specifically for the Brand site alongside global StaffNet links.910
Numbers refer to the screenshots above.
What I could not see
- Could not inspect the full contents of the Image downloads page or individual asset download bundles.
- Could not see the specific details or rules within the Digital standards and Written word subpages.
Ideas to borrow
Quick answers
What typefaces are used by The University of Manchester?
The visual identity guidelines specify Effra, Minion, and Open Sans as the University fonts.6
Reviewed on 25 September 2026. Request a correction · I built this