Our typography is built around the Encode Sans and Open Sans font families, which are fonts used by the University of Washington. This shared foundation strengthens our connection as the University of Washington’s health system and helps make the UW Medicine brand instantly recognizable.
Primary font
The primary font should be the header and title font used in most materials.
Encode Sans
Encode Sans is our primary font and the first choice for all branded communications. It is a bold yet versatile typeface, preferred for headlines and titles. Note that it is not recommended for large bodies of text.
Secondary font
The secondary font plays a supporting role and is used for body copy and longer passages of text where readability matters.
Open Sans
Open Sans is our secondary font, used to complement Encode Sans. It is a friendly and accessible typeface, ideal for sub-headers and large bodies of text, both in print and on the web.
Microsoft Office Fonts
When working within Microsoft Office programs, including Word and PowerPoint, we recommend using Calibri or Aptos in place of our primary fonts for presentations, agendas and email signatures. This is important because if you use a non-standard font, recipients of your document will only see it correctly if they have that font installed on their device.
Downloading Our Fonts
To maintain consistency, please download UW Medicine’s official fonts from the UW brand site. Fonts obtained from external sources, such as Google Fonts, may vary and could result in unintended deviations from our typography guidelines.
For assistance installing fonts on your computer, please reach out to your local IT support team.