Iowa State University

Iowa State University

ISU Web Guide

Web fonts

While ITC Berkeley Old Style and Univers are used in ISU print publications, those fonts currently aren't very readable on the web. For Web pages, use the following font-family specifications.

  • For basic body type, specify: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif (Verdana is used for some of the headlines).
  • If you wish to use serif fonts for larger font sizes, specify "Times New Roman", Georgia, serif.

All of these fonts can be found in most computers and do not require purchase or installation.

When specifying font sizes, use ems or percentages. Don't use pixels (px) or points (pt); they prevent some users from enlarging the type size on their browsers.

Note: While ITC Berkeley Old Style and Univers are used in ISU print publications, those fonts currently aren't very readable on the web. You should limit their use to large-size copy such as titles or headlines and in such cases, use them as a graphic images.


For basic body type, specify: Arial, Heletica, sans-serif.