PROXIMA NOVA ON THE WEB
Proxima Nova, the primary official san-serif font for UC Davis, is available by default to ucdavis.edu sites managed in SiteFarm, the Drupal-based campus CMS.
Sites that are not using SiteFarm, but that are within the ucdavis.edu domain, can use Proxima Nova. Please contact the Strategic Communications web unit for more information.
Fonts for print
The official UC Davis fonts — Proxima Nova, Ryman Eco and Freight Text — are for use in any branded UC Davis print publication. This does not necessarily include internal business communications written in formats such as MS Word or e-mail, in which case, it is permissible (and typical) to use standard computer fonts such as Arial or Helvetica.
Fonts for digital documents
Digital document files intended for presentation or distribution in electronic form (such as PowerPoint) present another challenge. If such documents are opened on computers that do not already have official UC Davis campus fonts installed, they are likely to appear poorly formatted, and may result in words missing or running off the page.
When sharing digital files with users who may not have our campus fonts, we recommend using the Arial font family, which is one of the most ubiquitous, cross-platform options available.
Commonly shared digital file types include, but are not limited to:
- MS Word documents
- Excel spreadsheets
- PowerPoint presentations
This concern does not apply to PDF (Portable Document Format) files because the fonts are embedded in the document.
On Canva — Proxima Nova only
Canva‘s proprietary font management system makes the use of non-Canva fonts impractical. However we were able to provide a selection of Proxima Nova weights and styles. Please use Proxima Nova when designing on Canva.
Acquiring the fonts
Proxima Nova: UC Davis faculty and staff can obtain Proxima Nova at the UC Davis software site. Log in, click “Office and Productivity” on the left-hand menu, and follow the download and installation instructions. Choose the standard set, not condensed, for most purposes.
Ryman Eco: Download Ryman Eco here for campus use.
Freight Text: This font can be purchased through Adobe and is included for no additional charge if you have the Adobe Creative Cloud software subscription.
External vendors working with UC Davis should download Ryman Eco for free, purchase Freight Text from Adobe and Proxima Nova from FontSpring. Please be aware that your project may not call for all weights and styles.
Futura, our legacy sans-serif: Futura continues to be used in permanent building and wayfinding signage and in Unit Logo Signatures for academic and administrative units only. Centers and institutes with signatures containing Futura must switch to the current Center Institute convention by January 2025. Please immediately discontinue use of Futura on all campus publications.
Berkeley, our legacy serifed font is no longer part of the UC Davis brand.