Colors and Fonts

Primary Color Palette

The colors designated to represent St. Mary's University are blue and gold. In every possible instance, the logo should be printed in Pantone Matching System (PMS) 2955 blue. Gold can be printed in PMS 141 or PMS 871 (metallic). These primary colors must be used in pieces that:

• Promote the University
• Are used to target prospective students
• Reach a general external audience

Fonts

The choice of fonts can have a major impact on the overall professionalism a publication conveys. Using too many font faces is visually confusing to the reader. Consider using only one to two font families in your publication; one for the headlines and subheads, one for the body text.

Research shows that serif fonts, especially small ones, are easier to read than san-serif fonts (serifs are the little tick marks at the end of lines in the letters). The eye tracks across the serifs of the letters making reading easier.

San-Serif Font
Serif Font

ALL CAPS ARE DIFFICULT TO READ. If you want to emphasize a word consider using bold versions of that font as an alternative. Stretching/compressing fonts look awkward. Consider the extended or condensed version of that font or even another font family.