Typography

Portland State University uses one font family in its visual communications—Acumin. It is a versatile, unfussy san serif with a variety of weights and styles that lends to a rich typographic approach within the brand. The individual typefaces used within Acumin are Acumin Pro Extra Condensed, Acumin Pro, and Acumin Pro Wide

Acumin Font

Example of Acumin Pro Extra Condensed font

Acumin Overview

Portland State University uses one font family in its visual communications—Acumin. It is a versatile, unfussy san serif with a variety of weights and styles that lends to a rich typographic approach within the brand. The individual typefaces used within Acumin are Acumin Pro Extra Condensed, Acumin Pro, and Acumin Pro Wide.

Acumin Pro Extra Condensed: Primarily used for most headlines
Acumin Pro: Provides accessible styles to round out type hierarchy
Acumin Pro Wide: A stylized weight for special instances

How to get Acumin Fonts

The easiest and most economical way to acquire Acumin is to purchase an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription through Portland State’s Office of Information Technology (OIT).
Once you’ve purchased your license and installed your apps, activate the Acumin fonts through your Adobe Creative Cloud account.

NOTE: You must purchase an Adobe Creative Cloud user subscription license, not a shared device license, to have access the full Adobe Fonts library.

Alternative font options

The following Archivo and Oswald fonts are approved alternatives available for free from Google Fonts. We recommend using these fonts for digital purposes such as Google Slides, but may also be used as a last resort for small run printed projects. You will need to install these fonts on your computer once downloaded.

Archivo Narrow - Used for headlines.
A rchivo - Used for body copy.
Archivo Black - Used in limited instances.
Oswald - Used instead of Archivo for number callouts, bullets, etc.

An image comparing Acumin and Archivo fonts

Type Applications

HEADLINE: Standard

A standard headline rendered in Acumin Pro Extra Condensed, formatted in all caps with medium-to-heavy weights, italicized, and tight tracking and leading. This headline style is strong and declarative. Headlines should employ weights within the range of Medium to Black and be styled in italics to give a sense of prominence and momentum. The extra condensed style coupled with tight tracking and leading lends a feeling of urgency that is a backbone of the PSU Brand.

Example of a standard headline design using a single Acumin font

HEADLINE: Standard Variations

Because the letterforms of Acumin Pro Extra Condensed are simple, sharp, and graphic, headlines don't need to be overly stylized to stand out in visual communications. In fact, the "less is more" treatment reinforces a tone of voice that is strong and confident and lets the power of each message take center stage. Variations in alignment, composition, weight, and scale will provide you with a range of possibilities.

Examples of headline design variations using a single Acumin font

HEADLINE: Combination

A combination headline style brings together multiple fonts within the Acumin family. This headline approach is built using varying weights, scales, and styles to form an arrangement that feels unique and creative. Arrangements are most successful when they contrast the letterform height and weights of Acumin Pro and Acumin Pro Extra Condensed.

Example of a headline design using a combination of Acumin fonts

HEADLINE: Combination Variations

Combination headlines can be left- or right-aligned, centered, or staggered, whatever works best with the message, type combinations, and overall design. However, to avoid feeling cluttered or overwhelming, limit your combination of type styles to two or three variations, and use a font or scale strategically to emphasize important words or sections of a headline.

Variations of headline designs using a combination of Acumin fonts

Paragraph Structure

Size contrast is important in relation to subheadlines and body copy. When subheadlines are present, there should be a clear hierarchy with Acumin Pro Black in all caps text, contrasted against body copy using Acumin Pro Regular.

Example:

WHEN IT COMES TO POSITIVE IMPACT,
IT'S TIME TO THINK BIGGER AND BOLDER.
THIS IS OUR CRUCIAL CALL TO ACTION.

Portland State University is more than this city’s public research
university. It’s the testing ground for ideas and projects that show
the world how different is done. Our innovative approach infuses
education with creative problem-solving and interdisciplinary
collaboration. Choose from 200+ degree programs in Oregon’s
most innovative, diverse and affordable research university.