University of Reading brand guidelines

Freedam's take

I like how pragmatic the University of Reading is with its typography. Instead of pretending every department will license and configure custom fonts, the site explicitly segments its typefaces. Everyday staff use Arial and Times, the in-house design team gets Effra, and special ceremonial documents receive bespoke fonts designed by Gerard Unger. The clear division between internal office tools and professional design services keeps everything grounded. The color rules are equally restrained, steering clear of tints and noting that no single color represents the whole institution.

At a glance

Sections

Brand · Logo · Typefaces · Colours · Accessibility · Tone of voice · Templates · Imagery · House style · Online · In print · Merchandise

Downloads

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Tone

Clear, practical, and academic, balancing everyday staff needs with institutional heritage.

What I noticed

1. The brand guidelines define distinct typeface allocations, assigning Arial and Times to staff documents, reserving Effra for design teams, and designating bespoke Gerard Unger typefaces for ceremonial use.¹²³
2. The logo section outlines three variants—White, Full colour, and Black—identifying elements like the heraldic crest, shells, and flower while detailing misuse rules and background contrast considerations.⁴⁵⁶⁷
3. The color guidance instructs that tints are avoided, colors should be natural and strong, and no single color represents the entire university.⁸
4. Staff templates are housed separately from professional design assets, directing internal teams to MS Office templates.⁹¹⁰

Numbers refer to the screenshots above.

Ideas to borrow

1. Segment font usage by user role—separating everyday office staff defaults from dedicated creative team fonts and ceremonial faces—to simplify software deployment and licensing.¹²³

Quick answers