FAQs

This guide provides answers to common questions about the use of UW–Madison logos and trademarks, including the crest and Bucky Badger. Can’t find an answer to your question? Let us know.

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Why is this font transition necessary?

Transitioning from Verlag and Vitesse to Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text has become necessary for a few reasons:

  • Rising costs: For several years, University Marketing has been renewing an annual license for Verlag and Vitesse for campuswide web use. The cost to license these fonts has increased substantially over the years and is no longer sustainable. The current web license will expire June 30, 2023, and will not be renewed. The new brand fonts, Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text, are open source and therefore do not require paid licenses. They will be completely free to use and distribute across campus.
  • Limited licenses: For print use, due to the high cost, we could only purchase a limited number of licenses to distribute to campus on a request basis. Units with many users have had to purchase their own individual licenses. This model has likewise proven unsustainable over the years and has limited access to Verlag and Vitesse. By transitioning to free, open-source fonts (Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text), we can now ensure that every member of the campus community — from design professionals to professors and students — has access to our feature brand fonts.
  • Campuswide compliance: Given our large and highly decentralized campus, it has proven increasingly difficult and resource-intensive to manage the font licenses and ensure campuswide compliance with the licensing agreements. Moving to these open-source fonts will relieve much of the liability that comes with paid font licenses.
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Who will be able to access the new fonts?

Everyone! Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text are free, open-source fonts, which means that every member of the campus community — from design professionals to professors and students — is able to access our feature brand fonts for print and digital uses. This is in contrast to Verlag and Vitesse, which required paid licenses that limited access on campus.

Visit our Typography overview page for how to download and install the new brand fonts.

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What do I need to update?

Your website

If your website uses Verlag and Vitesse for web copy  (i.e., as HTML text within pages) as part of the campuswide web license, you will need to replace those fonts with Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text by June 30, 2023. This is when the campus license expires.

Note: You are not required to update PDFs or other downloadable files on your website that use Verlag and Vitesse, though we recommend eventually updating them for brand consistency. See more guidance on what materials you should update.

Your printed materials

If you received Verlag and Vitesse print fonts from University Marketing under its license, you should stop using these fonts in new printed materials by June 30, 2023. They should be replaced with the UW’s new feature brand fonts, Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text.

If you’re designing new printed materials, we recommend retiring Verlag and Vitesse and using Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text as of January 2023.

If you have already-printed materials with Verlag and Vitesse (such as handouts, promotional items, or a banner), you should continue to use them until they run out or you naturally retire them. However, once you need to reprint those materials, you should replace those fonts with Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text.

While you are not required to delete Verlag and Vitesse from your computer, you should not use these fonts on any new printed materials after June 30, 2023. Units that purchased their own print license for Verlag and Vitesse may continue to use them, though we recommend a full transition to the new fonts.

Your digital files

If you’ve used Verlag and Vitesse to create PDF documents, PowerPoint presentations, videos, or other digital files, you should strive to update them by June 30, 2023, though it’s not a requirement.

The UW’s PowerPoint templates have been updated, as well as all the stationery and business card templates.

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How do I update our website to use the new brand fonts?

If your website or web application uses Verlag or Vitesse web fonts, you will need to replace them with Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text by June 30, 2023, when our campuswide web font license for wisc.edu subdomains expires.

(Note: If your site includes PDFs or other digital files that use Verlag or Vitesse, these files don’t need to be replaced by that date, though we recommend doing so if possible.)

The process for migrating to the new web fonts depends on your site’s current setup. Most sites fall into one of the following three categories: WiscWeb-hosted sites, UW Theme users (not hosted on WiscWeb), and non–UW Theme users. If you are unsure which category your site falls into, or if you need help figuring out how to implement the new fonts on your site, please reach out to the University Marketing web services team.

WiscWeb-hosted sites

If your website is hosted on WiscWeb, the fonts were automatically updated for you on February 16, 2023.

UW Theme users (not hosted on WiscWeb)

If your WordPress website uses UW Theme or UW Theme Lite but is not hosted on WiscWeb, you will need to update to the new versions of the themes by June 30, 2023. If your site is currently running an outdated version of the themes, you may want to factor in some additional time for testing your site when updating the theme.

If you are using a child theme to customize the design of UW Theme or UW Theme Lite, you may need to make additional adjustments to your site’s CSS. (See below under “CSS design guidance for Red Hat fonts.”)

Non–UW Theme users

If your website or web application uses Verlag or Vitesse web fonts but does not use the UW WordPress themes, you can download the new font files below. The university’s official HTML templates have been updated and can serve as a reference for migrating to the new fonts. Overall, the steps are as follows:

  1. Replace the font files in your HTML with the new stylesheet link for Red Hat Text and Red Hat Display.
  2. Update your CSS to use the new Red Hat font-family values. Adjust your CSS font-size and font-weight properties per the CSS guidance below.

1. Replace the font files in your HTML

In most cases, your website or application is linking to a CSS file with Verlag and Vitesse font files Base64-encoded into the CSS. The directory and file name for this file was typically provided as /fonts/uw160/fonts.0.0.1.css but your site or application may use a different directory and file name. To migrate to the new Red Hat fonts:

  1. Download the Red Hat CSS font file (.zip).
  2. After opening the zip archive, move the uw-rh directory alongside the old uw160 directory in your codebase.
  3. Delete the old uw160 directory (which has the Verlag and Vitesse fonts in it).
  4. Edit your site or application templates and/or HTML to link to the new CSS font file:

Replace:
<link rel="stylesheet" href="/fonts/uw160/fonts.0.0.1.css">

With:
<link rel="stylesheet" href="/fonts/uw-rh/fonts.0.0.1.css">

Again, your href value may differ depending on how your project is organized.

Additional options:

If you prefer, you can instead link to the CSS font file in an AWS CloudFront CDN maintained by University Marketing. If you do, be sure to include the crossorigin attribute:

<link rel="stylesheet" crossorigin href="https://cdn.wisc.cloud/fonts/uw-rh/0.0.1/fonts.css">

Note: Please do not pull Red Hat fonts into your site by linking directly to Google fonts (i.e., fonts.googleapis.com). Based on recent interpretations of GDPR compliance, we recommend that campus websites self-host Google fonts files. Following the above steps for adding Red Hat fonts to your site meets those self-hosting requirements.

Performance considerations:

For campus sites or applications that want to optimize for the best possible performance, we also provide WOFF2 files of the Red Hat fonts. Linking your @font-face rules to separate WOFF2 files will give the best performance since modern web browsers will only download the specific WOFF2 files needed by a page’s content. For campus sites that are not already optimizing for performance, using the Base64-encoded CSS files above (either the self-hosted or CDN version) will be sufficient. For sites that do want to optimize performance, begin by downloading the WOFF2 files. The downloaded zip file includes eight WOFF2 files and a CSS file with @font-face rules for referencing the WOFF2 files. If you are incorporating these files into your site or applications, adjust the URL path references in the CSS file as needed.

Browser support:

Some older web browsers, notably Internet Explorer 11 and older, do not support WOFF2 font files. These browsers will render text in their system default sans serif font, typically Arial.

2. Update your CSS

In addition to replacing the font files, you will need to update any font-family values in your CSS that were referencing Verlag or Vitesse. You may also need to adjust your font-size and font-weight values to better align with the updated web style standards for campus.

Replace font-family values

In your CSS (or in your CSS preprocessor code; e.g., Sass or Less) replace font-family values for Verlag and Vitesse with Red Hat Text and/or Red Hat Display. Red Hat Text should be the default font-family value for your CSS, often set on the body selector. Red Hat Display should be used for your site title, navigation menus, h1–h6 headings, or any other short, prominent HTML text. Red Hat Text should always be used for any “reading” or body copy, because it is better suited to reading sentence and paragraph copy. The university’s official HTML templates demonstrate the proper use of Red Hat Text and Red Hat Display and can be used as guidance for adjusting CSS styles for your project. (If your site is using Vitesse, you should either switch to Red Hat Display or consider replacing it with a complementary font. We recommend using free, open-source fonts provided by a reputable source such as Google Fonts.)

CSS design guidance for Red Hat fonts

Red Hat Text and Red Hat Display are slightly larger fonts relative to Verlag. This means that you may need to adjust any custom font styling you have done on your site or application. In general, the new official HTML templates (and UW WordPress themes) scale down the font-size of the site title and major headings. The font-weight for major headings and other elements has also been scaled back from the heavier 700 and 800 values used with Verlag. The university’s official HTML Templates can be used as a reference for how to adjust styles. Web developers can access the source files for the templates (including Sass files) from UW–Madison’s GitLab server. If you have questions, please email the University Marketing web services team.

 

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When do I need to do the updates?

January 2023

February 16, 2023

  • All campus websites hosted on WiscWeb were automatically updated with the new fonts on this date.
  • New versions of the UW Theme were made available with the new fonts on this date. If your website uses the UW Theme but isn’t hosted on WiscWeb, you need to manually download the new version of the UW Theme or UW Theme Lite to refresh the fonts.

June 30, 2023

  • This is the end of the font transition. The campuswide web license for Verlag and Vitesse expires on this date.
  • All campus sites using Verlag and Vitesse for web copy must transition from those fonts by this date. (Note: PDFs and other digital files hosted on your site don’t need to be updated by this date, though it’s recommended.)
  • You should no longer use Verlag and Vitesse for new printed materials or for other uses after this date.
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How do I download and install the new fonts on my computer?

Red Hat fonts have already been installed on all DoIT/AIMS managed PCs and Macs. Note this only covers systems owned by departments that contract with DoIT/AIMS for service, which encompasses about 8,500 campus computers. Folks managed by other IT teams will need to contact their own IT support to deploy these fonts, or install them themselves (see instructions below). Note that DoIT/AIMS will also be pre-loading the Red Hat fonts on all new computers that they manage going forward.

Install the fonts manually

There are two ways to download and install the free brand fonts, Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text.

1. Visit our Typography overview page and click the “Download” button under each font/typeface. This will download a zip file to your computer. Then follow the font installation instructions for Apple Mac computers or for PC Windows computers. Repeat these steps for each font/typeface.

2. Open the BigFixSSA application on your UW–Madison work computer. While in the “Catalog” tab, look for and click the “Install new UW brand fonts (Red Hat Display & Red Hat Text)” item. Then click the “Get” button. This should only take a few minutes. You may need to restart your computer after the installation to see the fonts reflected in programs such as Microsoft Word and Adobe InDesign.

**Important change to recommended font downloads**

Our initial download links and instructions included both the static and variable versions of the Red Hat fonts. After further testing, we have found the support for variable fonts to be inconsistent, particularly for PC Windows users. For this reason, we now recommend downloading only the static versions of Red Hat Text and Red Hat Display for use in desktop applications. (The instructions above, including the BigFix offering, have been updated to include static versions only.)

If you have already downloaded the variable fonts and are not on a DoIT/AIMS-managed computer, please follow these instructions to install the static versions only:

  1. Navigate to your Font Book (if you’re on a Mac) or C:\Windows\Fonts folder (if you’re on a PC).
  2. Find the Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text fonts and delete them.
  3. Download the fonts from these zip files: Red Hat Text static and Red Hat Display static.
  4. Install those fonts following the Mac instructions here, or the PC instructions here.

Please let us know if you encounter any issues with this process by emailing us at brand@umark.wisc.edu. If you find that you need admin permissions during the installation process, please reach out to your IT staff or the DoIT Help Desk for assistance.

Note that web fonts are not impacted by this updated recommendation.

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Why did you choose Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text?

Campuswide use of Verlag and Vitesse has become unsustainable due to the high cost of the paid licenses. By contrast, the UW’s new feature brand fonts — Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text — are open source and therefore free to use and distribute.

These new fonts are covered by the Open Font License and Apache License, version 2.0, which grant irrevocable rights to use of the fonts for free in perpetuity as long as the user adheres to the terms of the license. In other words, we can distribute the fonts to everyone across campus, and there will never be any cost to use the fonts.

University Marketing selected Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text after a monthslong process to identify and test suitable replacement fonts. Considerations included: universal access (free with open-source license), wide flexibility across print and digital uses (including variable font styles and true italics), display quality (such as consistent height of numerals), and visual distinctiveness to carry the UW brand and capture its personality.

We believe these new fonts will not only suitably replace Verlag and Vitesse — and for free — but also allow for more flexible uses and expressive designs.

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What is the difference between Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text?

The Red Hat Display typeface is intended for larger-scale uses, such as headings on your website and headlines in print. Red Hat Text is designed for better legibility at a smaller scale, which makes it more effective for longer body copy.

Both are variable fonts with several preset styles (e.g., light, bold, black) as well as customization capabilities (e.g., weight, slant, width, etc.), providing great flexibility across print and digital uses and high usability for those with little or advanced design experience.

Recommendations for other supplemental fonts and specific use cases are provided on the Typography overview page.

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What are UTM tags? Why and how should I use them?

What are UTM tags?

UTM stands for Urchin Tracking Module. UTM tags are little pieces of data you can add to your URLs in order to see where different traffic comes from. They were introduced way back with an analytics tool called Urchin, the tool that was bought by Google and evolved into Google Analytics. Over time, they became the industry standard for tracking marketing campaigns across tools. Most analytics tools, marketing apps, marketing automation tools, and CRMs now look for these parameters automatically.

Here’s an example of a link with UTM parameters indicated in bold type:

https://investiture.wisc.edu/?utm_source=twitter_uwmadison&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=investiture_week

Why should I use them?

UTM tags tell Google Analytics and other platforms where your website traffic is coming from, thereby allowing you to see which marketing and communication strategies are most effective. This information can help you make important decisions about where to focus your efforts. LinkedIn Learning provides a helpful training module about how to use UTM tagging data in Google Analytics 4 to understand how traffic is coming to your website.

As a counterexample, if you link to your website from an email without using UTM tags, Google  will register this traffic as coming from a “(direct) / (none)” source. (Which is Google’s way of saying “we don’t know.”). Without this data, you have no way of measuring how successful your carefully-crafted email was at directing traffic to the content one your website.

When to use UTM tags

  • When linking from emails, social media posts, printed posters, etc. to your website.

When not to use UTM tags

  • When linking from one page within your website to another page in your website. Analytics platforms automatically track internal traffic.

How to create UTM tags

University Marketing recommends using the UW–Madison UTM Link Builder template to generate and record your UTM-tagged URLs. This template contains guidance for creating UTM tags that will provide clarity in your data and consistency across campus. Alternatively, you can use the Campaign URL builder offered by Google. 

Some email and social media platforms will automatically generate and add UTM codes to your emails and social posts, which can save you a lot of time and effort. If possible, please use the naming conventions offered in the UW–Madison UTM Link Builder template in conjunction with these automated tools.

That’s a long link. Can I shorten it?

Yes, you can either use goUW, the shortener on Google’s Campaign URL builder, or a commercially-available URL shortening service to shorten your UTM-tagged links. Shortening tagged links is primarily useful for print materials where you will be including the URL in full or displaying it as a QR code. (QR codes increase in complexity as your URL gets longer.)

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Where can I download UW–Madison’s institutional logo, the W Crest?

The W Crest logo — with several variations — is available for download on the UW brand site.

For embroidered or specialty print applications, such as on apparel, contact University Marketing for a specialized logo file (tan gradient in crest substituted for flat Pantone color 468c) or thread-color recommendations.

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May I use the W Crest logo without the “Wisconsin” wordmark?

Yes, in moderation — for example, when you are trying to use the logo at a small size that renders the wordmark unreadable. Another example would be using the standalone crest as a recurring element in a PowerPoint presentation.

In limited circumstances, with size constraints, it may also be acceptable to keep “Wisconsin” (or, for secondary logos, the department/unit name) and remove the “University of Wisconsin–Madison” line of the wordmark. For approval, contact University Marketing.

For most applications, the W Crest should be used at a minimum height of .5 inch.

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May I use the Numen Lumen seal on my materials?

No. UW–Madison’s historical seal, the Numen Lumen, is reserved for use on official administrative materials, such as certificates from the chancellor’s office.

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May I use the Terrace sunburst chair logo on my materials?

Use of the Terrace logo and other Wisconsin Union marks must be approved by the Wisconsin Union marketing director.

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May I use UW–Madison’s athletics logo (the Motion W) on my materials?

The Motion W is the official logo for UW athletics and is restricted to such use. It should never appear in nonathletics materials.

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May I use Bucky Badger on my materials?

Bucky Badger, UW–Madison’s official mascot, is represented in logos that are most often used for UW athletics. Given Bucky’s long history as a spirit symbol, some nonathletic uses are allowed (for example, on materials with a student-facing or a statewide audience). If you are considering using Bucky on your materials, contact University Marketing for approval and access to logo files.

Note that the Bucky logo may only be used as a spirit symbol on materials. It should be treated as an accent design element that evokes UW–Madison awareness and pride. It may not be used as a core part of a department’s visual identity, adopted as a substitute for a departmental logo, or appear as part of another logo.

Bucky may not be altered in any way, such as adding clothing items or symbols.

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May I use a uniquely illustrated version of Bucky Badger on my materials?

In limited cases, uniquely illustrated versions of Bucky Badger or the animal badger may be acceptable. Typically, these will only be approved for nonpermanent uses, such as a special occasion or a one-time promotional item. The illustrated Bucky or badger may not be used as a department’s logo or as a core part of its visual identity.

For approval, contact University Marketing.

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May I alter the Bucky logo or other UW–Madison logos?

No. UW logos may not be altered in any way.

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May an outside organization or business use UW–Madison logos?

UW–Madison marks may not be used by non-university entities, or in connection with non-university products or services, without institutional approval. Approval for use of university logos is required regardless of whether the entity has a formal business relationship or sponsorship agreement with UW–Madison.

For use of marks on commercial products, such as apparel, approval is granted by the Office of Trademark Licensing.

For use of marks on non-commercial but external items, such as non-university websites or publications, approval is granted by University Marketing.

For more information, visit the UW’s use of marks policy.

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My department/unit is one of several UW–Madison co-sponsors for an event. How should our logos appear on event materials?

The UW brand site provides guidance for co-branding with other units on campus or with external partners. For best results, the W Crest logo should only appear once.

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Which vendors may I work with to produce promotional goods and apparel?

All promotional goods and apparel using UW–Madison logos or trademarks must be produced and purchased through a licensed vendor.

For items intended for internal use (e.g., department T-shirts), UW–Madison departments/units are strongly encouraged to work with an internal-use licensed vendor, a subset of all licensed vendors. Working with an internal-use vendor ensures that your purchase can be approved and that your department isn’t being charged for royalties on UW–Madison trademarks. If a particular product isn’t available from any internal-use licensed vendors, contact the Office of Trademark Licensing for assistance.

A purchasing contract for internal-use promotional goods and apparel is also available, allowing UW–Madison departments/units to place orders of $5,000 or more with select vendors in the contract.

Please note, we are unable to issue a license to a new vendor simply because an individual campus unit wants to work with the vendor or has already placed an order with the vendor. The university’s licensing process is strictly controlled.

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Which UW–Madison logos and names are officially trademarked?

For a full list of UW–Madison logos and names with active trademarks — including the W Crest, Motion W, and Bucky Badger — visit the Office of Trademark Licensing website. Individuals and companies that produce promotional goods and apparel using these logos or graphically represented names must comply with trademark policies, including licensing agreements and royalty payments.

Revenue from trademark licensing and royalty agreements fund need-based scholarships for UW–Madison students called Bucky Grants.

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May UW–Madison students use university logos on business cards or other personal materials?

University students and employees should not use official university letterhead or logos to conduct personal business. There may be limited exceptions. For approval, contact University Marketing.

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May student-athletes use UW–Madison logos/trademarks to profit off their name, image, and likeness?

Use of UW–Madison trademarks by student-athletes is covered in the Temporary Name, Image, and Likeness Policy:

“Student-athletes will only be allowed to use University trademarks, logos, symbols, phrases, slogans, or any other University intellectual property to further the student-athlete’s opportunities to earn compensation for use of her or his name, image, and/or likeness, if those rights have been secured through existing channels and in connection with a valid agreement granting those specified rights. Licensing agreements pertaining to retail products may be sourced through the University’s Office of Trademark Licensing, to the extent the desired rights are available, and are appropriate in the judgment of that Office.”

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I noticed an outside organization or business using a UW–Madison logo (or an altered version of it). What should I do?

You may notify the Office of Trademark Licensing. UW–Madison takes the protection of its trademarks seriously to maintain the university’s reputation. The university works with independent licensing agencies and lawyers to ensure legal compliance with its trademarks.

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Where can I find more resources and guidance on logo usage and trademarks?

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May student organizations use UW–Madison naming conventions and logos?

Registered student organizations may not use any form of UW–Madison (UW, UW–Madison, University of Wisconsin–Madison, etc.) at the start of their names. The UW–Madison affiliation should be listed at the end of the organization name, following a comma or parenthesis. For example: Checkers Club, UW or Checkers Club (UW–Madison). All references to the organization should adhere to this guideline.

Student organizations must follow standard brand guidelines and trademark policies related to UW–Madison logos, including royalty payments on items intended for resale. For detailed guidelines, visit the Center for Leadership & Involvement website.

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Do I need to remove Verlag and Vitesse from our website?

Yes. If your website uses Verlag and Vitesse fonts for web page (HTML) copy through the campuswide license, you must phase out these fonts by June 30, 2023. This date is when our campuswide web font license expires. These fonts should be replaced with the UW’s new feature brand fonts, Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text.

If your website is hosted on WiscWeb: the font change was automatically done for you on February 16, 2023.

If your website uses the UW WordPress Theme but is not hosted on WiscWeb: you need to manually download the new version of the UW Theme or UW Theme Lite to refresh the fonts.

If your website uses UW fonts/design hierarchy but does not use the UW Theme: new HTML templates and detailed guidance on how to update the fonts on your website are available.

If you have any questions about the best way to proceed with the font update on your website, University Marketing web services can help advise you.

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Do I need to remove Verlag and Vitesse from online PDFs, images, or other files that are hosted on our website?

Not technically. The expiring campuswide web license for Verlag and Vitesse only covers web page copy (i.e., HTML text within pages), which means you are not required to update online PDFs, images, videos, or downloadable files hosted on your website. However, we recommend updating these fonts to Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text wherever they exist in digital and printed materials, as time and resources allow.

Keep in mind that PDFs should generally not be used as web content, for usability and accessibility reasons. For more information, read about usability and accessibility issues with PDFs, courtesy of the School of Medicine and Public Health.

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Do we need to update existing materials that have Verlag and Vitesse?

It depends. If you received Verlag and Vitesse print fonts from University Marketing under its license, you should phase out the use of these fonts in new printed materials by June 30, 2023. They should be replaced with the UW’s new feature brand fonts, Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text. While you are not required to delete Verlag and Vitesse from your computer, you should not use these fonts on any new printed materials after June 30, 2023.

If you have already-printed materials with Verlag and Vitesse (such as handouts, promotional items, or a banner), you may continue to use them until they run out or you naturally retire them. However, once you need to reprint those materials, you should replace those fonts with Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text.

If you’re designing new printed materials, we recommend retiring Verlag and Vitesse and using Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text starting in January 2023.

You should also update these fonts for digital uses outside of your website, such as PDF documents and PowerPoint presentations. The UW’s PowerPoint templates have been updated for you, as well as all the stationery and business card templates.

We recommend you prioritize updates in the following order:

  • High priority: Newly created materials (that is, retire Verlag and Vitesse and use Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text in anything you’re creating from January 2023 forward)
  • Medium priority: Public-facing materials that you use frequently
  • Low priority: Internal documents or infrequently used materials
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What resources has University Marketing already updated?

These resources have already been updated and are ready for use with the new brand fonts (Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text):

DoIT Digital Publishing & Printing Services has also updated stationery templates — including business cards, printed letterheads, and envelopes — with the new fonts.

Check out out our updated inspiration gallery to see the new fonts in action.

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I just purchased a sign or banner that uses Verlag or Vitesse. Do I need to replace it?

No. We expect there will be legacy materials with Verlag and Vitesse on campus for some time, just as we still see previous versions of the UW crest logo. However, when it’s time to order a new sign or banner, do so using the new fonts (Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text).

For new printed materials, you should phase out the use of Verlag and Vitesse by June 30, 2023, if you received those fonts from University Marketing under its license.

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Do I need to reorder stationery and business cards?

No. You should run through your current stock. All stationery templates at DoIT Digital Publishing & Printing (DPPS) have been updated to the new fonts (Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text). So when you’re ready to order more business cards or stationery, the work has already been done for you.

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I have a large quantity of printed materials with Verlag and Vitesse left over that I still use. Do I need to replace those?

No. You should run through your current stock. However, when it’s time to reprint them, do so using the new fonts (Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text).

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Do I need to update existing building signage?

No. When it’s time to order new signage, do so using the new fonts (Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text).

Note that campus has official policies and design guidelines for exterior graphics, wayfinding, and other signage. The Department of Campus Planning and Landscape Architecture (CPLA) manages these. CPLA will have access to these new fonts and know what updates are needed on exterior signage when it’s time for replacement.

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I just ordered promotional/giveaway items with Verlag or Vitesse. Do I need to replace those?

No. You should run through your current stock. However, when it’s time to reorder them, do so using the new fonts (Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text).

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Do I need to request a new logo for our unit?

No. Neither the UW’s primary logo nor your official departmental logo uses Verlag or Vitesse. Therefore, UW logos aren’t affected by this font transition and don’t need to be updated.

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We don’t currently use Verlag or Vitesse. Do we need to change anything?

No, but now would be a great time to start using official brand fonts (Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text). While you are not required to use the brand fonts, aligning your unit with the UW brand provides the instant recognition and credibility of a world-class institution — and still allows plenty of creative space to differentiate your campus unit. The university’s brand, from the goodwill of Bucky to the unmistakable hue of Badger red, has been carefully cultivated for 175 years across the state and world. Leverage it!

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Should I use previously recommended fonts like Lato?

No. We have retired Lato along with Verlag and Vitesse. Lato will continue to be used for departmental logos, but it is no longer recommended for any other use. (This same guidance has long held true for Friz Quadrata, which is used for the primary UW logo but is not recommended for any other use.)

Lato, as an open-source font, was previously recommended as a cost-free alternative to Verlag, which required paid licenses for campus users. The new brand fonts, Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text (as well as Crimson Pro for long texts), are all open-source fonts and available for free for all campus users. In addition, the Red Hat typeface family is extremely flexible and can handle virtually all uses — from large headlines to small body copy, and from print applications to digital ones. For these reasons, we are no longer recommending alternative fonts such as Lato.

Visit our Typography page to find the current brand fonts and usage guidance.

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I purchased a different, unique font for my unit’s campaigns. Do I need to substitute the new brand fonts for it?

No. We chose the UW’s new feature brand fonts, Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text, in part for their significant flexibility, so we believe they can stand on their own for campaigns of all kinds. However, you may use accent fonts in conjunction with them if you’d like. University Marketing can help consult on such decisions.

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Can I use these new brand fonts in programs such as Microsoft Word and PowerPoint?

Yes! One big benefit of transitioning to Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text is that they’re free, open-source fonts, which means anyone can easily download them, use them in programs such as Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, and share the files with colleagues without losing the fonts in translation (as long as they have also downloaded the fonts). No more defaulting to Arial!

In the past, we couldn’t offer PowerPoint templates with featured brand fonts because not everyone on campus could access the paid Verlag and Vitesse licenses. But now we can. The UW’s PowerPoint templates have been updated with the new brand fonts.

Visit our Typography overview page for how to download and install the new brand fonts on your computer.

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Can I use these new brand fonts in Adobe software and Canva?

Yes! Adobe software is the industry standard for graphic design and includes InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects, and more. The new fonts work seamlessly in these programs. UW–Madison has an enterprise license for Adobe Creative Cloud software, which is free to all university faculty, staff, and student workers.

UW–Madison does not have an enterprise license for Canva, but we understand that many university employees appreciate the ease of use of this product. If you use Canva Pro, you can upload the Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text fonts once they are installed on your computer. However, if you are using the free version of Canva, you can only choose from limited preselected fonts. In our Canva tip sheet, we suggest alternative fonts that you can use in the free version.

If you are familiar with Canva but prefer to use a campus-supported software with the features of a pro account, check out Adobe Creative Cloud Express, which functions similarly to Canva. It’s free and included with campus’s enterprise license for the Creative Cloud Suite. In addition, Adobe Creative Cloud Express allows for the use of our brand feature fonts. University Marketing is working to set up a shareable UW–Madison Brand within Adobe Creative Cloud Express, which will make brand fonts, colors, and elements easily accessible within the program for campus users. More information on that is to come.

Visit our Typography overview page for how to download and install the new brand fonts on your computer.

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We really love Verlag and Vitesse. May we continue to use them?

We strongly recommend that you stay aligned with the UW brand by transitioning to the new feature brand fonts (Red Hat Display and Red Hat Text). You may continue to use Verlag and Vitesse after June 30, 2023, if you wish; however, it is then your full responsibility to independently purchase and maintain the requisite licenses. And remember: visually aligning your unit with the current UW brand provides the instant recognition and credibility of a world-class institution — and still allows plenty of creative space to differentiate yourself, even with shared fonts. Contact University Marketing: we can help show you how.

If you decide to purchase a web license for Verlag and Vitesse on your own to continue using them on your website, please inform the University Marketing web services team. This will help us as we work to ensure campuswide compliance with our expiring license.

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