Type Treatments

Type treatments provide a way to create a consistent and repeatable look and feel for an event or unit using core brand elements. All type treatments are created with versions of Helvetica Neue condensed or regular, and a combination of CU Boulder’s branded colors.Note that gold type on white is not permitted. Type treatments must be paired with a universal or department-specific CU Boulder lockup. Type treatments are to be used on applications like merchandise, print collateral and certain paid advertising. Type treatments are not accessible within Web Express applications or in social media and should not be used. Refer to social avatars for social media branding guidance.

On this page:

Type Treatment Guidelines
  • Must use primary CU Boulder colors; however, no gold type on white due to ADA accessibility. Use only black text on a white background or create a version contained in a black box.
  • Use Helvetica Neue condensed or regular only; no other fonts can be used for type treatments.
  • Can use any form of capitalization.
  • No extraneous elements to symbolize type treatment (like a logomark).
    • Cannot have an icon/image/graphic element next to the text.
  • Can add simple shapes into or around the text.
    • Lines, squares, rectangles, circles, ovals, dots
  • No extraneous elements like icons can be used
  • Must be used in conjunction with a CU Boulder lockup, but with ample space
    • Using a CU Boulder lockup with a type treatment is important because it leverages CU Boulder’s overall brand recognition, reputation and credibility.
    • Also can use the CU Boulder shortened logo if the unit-specific logo doesn’t work.
    • In some cases with constrained space (with certain merchandise), add text “CU Boulder”.
  • Must be used at the top/middle of the design.
  • Cannot be used at the bottom of the layout in place of the lockup.
  • Should not be used next to a lockup; allow enough space to separate the two.
  • Should not include the words “CU Boulder” unless on a space-constrained merch application.
  • Ensure that there is enough clear space around the type treatment in all design layouts.
  • Multiple orientations
    • Vertical and horizontal options can be useful if it needs to appear in many different sized assets.

Current Type Treatments

The following examples show type treatment designs within guidelines.

A sample of example type treatments using branded fonts and colors

Accessibility

There are some accessibility restrictions around the use of CU gold in type treatments. CU gold used against a white background does not have sufficient contrast to be accessible to all readers. For white and light color backgrounds, type treatments should appear in black or gray. CU gold can only be used in type treatments when it is on a black background or a dark color background with sufficient contrast. Elements like boxes and lines that are a part of a type treatment can appear in CU gold, but any type contained within those elements should appear in black so they are accessible, as in the CMCI Go type treatment. White type in a CU gold box is not accessible.

Visual Examples to Demonstrate Guidelines for Type Treatments

The following type treatments do not follow guidelines. They do not follow guidelines for these reasons:

  • The first example uses CU Gold on a white background. This does not meet accessibility standards.
  • The second example uses an extraneous element (icon) as part of the image.
  • The third example uses a typeface other than Helvetica Neue.
Examples type treatments that will not be accepted; inaccessible gold, icon usage, and secondary font

Type Treatments & Lockup

Type treatments must be used in conjunction with a CU Boulder lockup.

  • Use a department-specific CU Boulder lockup or the universal “University of babyֱapp Boulder” lockup.
  • It is recommended that a type treatment be used as a headline, and a lockup as a sign-off in many layouts (see below).
Type treatments in use with Research and Creative Work Magazine, CWA 2022 poster, MLK social post, and CU Night social post.

The CMCI examples below demonstrate correct and incorrect placements of type treatments paired with correct and incorrect placements of CU Boulder lockups.

Type treatments with lockups on magazines.

Merchandise Considerations

  • All merchandise that features a type treatment must also have an accompanying department-specific CU Boulder lockup or the universal “University of babyֱapp Boulder” lockup.
  • Branded merchandise must be ordered through a licensed vendor.
  • Chip and Ralphie can't be used on branded merchandise unless approved by the Visual Identity Manger. Ralphie and Chip guidelines can be found here.
    • Branded merchandise takes 1–2 weeks to go through the approval process, so please plan accordingly.
Front of mug using "Center for the Arts & the Humanities" type treatment with a lock up
Front and back of a mug that has "Center for Humanities and the Arts" type treatment on one side and one line CU Boulder lock up on the other

Merchandising Exceptions

In some cases, a branded promotional item might not have enough room for a type treatment and a full CU Boulder lockup placed together. In these cases, the type treatment can be used as primary art as long as the CU Boulder shortened lockup is included. The CU Boulder shortened lockup can be used only in places where a full CU Boulder lockup or unit-specific lockup cannot fit or wouldn’t be legible..

A hat featuring the CMCI type treatment on the front and the shortened CU lockup on the back.

Type Treatment Considerations

When creating type treatments, consider:

  • All of the different assets in which it will be displayed. Are the assets mostly vertically oriented (social videos and posts) or more horizontally oriented, or a mixture of both? It can be helpful to design a type treatment in two orientations so that it has the best chance of working across multiple assets.
  • Accessibility in terms of color, type weight, and overall scale.