Fonts and typography

Elements of Thunderbird brand

Typography and our selected typefaces are core elements of the Thunderbird brand, helping create a consistent and recognizable visual voice across all communications. Our goal is to deliver a cohesive experience by aligning messaging, design, and typography in a unified system.

Only approved Thunderbird typefaces should be used. Introducing additional fonts weakens brand clarity and consistency within the Thunderbird and ASU brand framework.

Thunderbird typography is confident, modern, and purposeful. Headlines, quotes, and key messages should feel bold and clear—reflecting Thunderbird’s role in shaping global leaders who act with vision, confidence, and impact.

Primary typeface — Public Sans

Public Sans is the main font for all Thunderbird materials, including digital and print. It should be used whenever possible for:

Marketing collateral
Web and digital experiences
Presentations and reports
Social media graphics

Available weights include Light, Regular, and Bold, allowing flexibility while maintaining visual consistency.

Public Sans is chosen for its:

Clarity and readability
Modern and global character
Accessibility across digital platforms

Public Sans

Public Sans is Thunderbird’s primary typeface, used to express a distinct, modern, and globally focused identity within the ASU enterprise. While the broader ASU brand primarily uses Neue Haas Grotesk for print and Arial for web, Public Sans helps differentiate Thunderbird while remaining aligned with university standards.

Secondary typeface — Arial

Arial is used only when Public Sans is unavailable, or when a native system font is required. Typical uses include:

PowerPoint templates shared broadly
digital marketing tools with font limitations
environments where custom font installation is restricted

Arial should not replace Public Sans when the primary font is available.

Arial

Arial is a secondary typeface at Thunderbird and aligns with ASU standards. It should be used only when the primary typeface, Public Sans, is not available. Arial ensures readability and system compatibility across email, documents, presentations, and other system-based applications while maintaining visual consistency within the ASU brand framework.

Academic Typeface — ITC Giovanni Standard

ITC Giovanni Standard is reserved for academic-focused applications only. Typical uses include:

convocation and commencement materials
certificates and formal academic documents
high-level academic publications

Available styles include:

Book
Bold
Bold Italic

This typeface signals tradition, scholarship, and academic prestige, and should not be used for marketing materials.

ITC Giovanni Standard

ITC Giovanni Standard is the signature serif typeface for the Thunderbird School of Global Management. It is a classic, elegant font designed to provide high legibility and a sophisticated, academic feel to brand communications.

Diagram of ITC Giovanni Font in two weight classes, book, and bold

Usage principles

Use Public Sans as the default brand font
Reserve ITC Giovanni for academic contexts only
Use Arial only as a practical substitute when required
Avoid decorative or script fonts in official materials
Maintain consistency within documents and campaigns

Typography should always support Thunderbird’s brand personality: global, modern, professional, and human-centered.

Learn more about formatting tips here

Fonts and typography

Primary typeface — Public Sans

Quick links

Public Sans

Arial

ITC Giovanni Standard

Why Thunderbird

Worldwide Locations

Resources

Fonts and typography

On This Page:

Primary typeface — Public Sans

Quick links

Public Sans

Secondary typeface — Arial

Arial

Academic Typeface — ITC Giovanni Standard

ITC Giovanni Standard

Usage principles