Visual Elements

Theinhardt is the signature font of UIC, evoking a strong connection to the university’s progressive, modernist roots. The typeface closely resembles the Helvetica previously used by the university, replacing it with a more individuated and distinctive font.

Theinhardt serves as the primary typeface for all visual communication, including signage, print materials, stationery, web communications and ephemera. Because it is such a broad family, it can be employed as both display and body copy.

The Theinhardt family includes eight different weights: we use the bold and black weights for most designed communications, and the medium weight for letters. Helvetica and Arial can serve as substitutes in ordinary correspondence.

Helvetica and Arial can serve as substitutes in ordinary correspondence.

To obtain university licensed copies of Theinhardt for Mac or PC, contact the Marketing and Brand Management at marketing@uic.edu.

On the following pages we provide examples for using the typeface family, demonstrating its confident voice. Use these models as inspiration, rather than restrictive templates; the exact type size and leading is up to you. Used consistently, this typographic vocabulary serves as the foundation for a successful identity system, communicating as much about the institution as the words used to describe it.

Theinhardt is a classic Grotesque typeface named after Ferdinand Theinhardt, a Berlin-based punchcutter and type designer (1820–1906), whose radical design approach helped generate the development of contemporary modern sans serifs such as Helvetica and Akzidenz Grotesk.

Type designer François Rappo based the contemporary Theinhardt on late 19th century sans serif types. The result is an optically optimized, contemporary font family organized in a wide range of weights.

Georgia can be substituted if a serif is required. Use the display version for letters larger than 36 points (about .25 inches). Other weights and display versions are available.

The uppercase display voice is used for names and prominent titles. Use the titling voice for typography larger than 36 points (about .25 inches).

Unlike the horizontal display voice, we recommend positioning vertical titles asymmetrically along a baseline, away from right, left, and top borders, and just inside the bottom border.

Use the width of the capital ‘I’ to determine the line spacing of vertical titles.