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Typography


Typography is an important element in our overall brand identity system. The Helvetica Neue Condensed family of fonts has been selected to represent our innovative spirit with its modern and confident expression. Do not confuse Helvetica Neue Condensed with Helvetica Condensed or Helvetica. Be sure your suppliers use this version.

Only 3M employees working on high-quality, customer-facing communications should download the Helvetica Neue Condensed fonts. Internal communication pieces are created using Arial Narrow. Use only the four Helvetica Neue Condensed fonts identified below. (Go to the FAQ section of this site for more font information.)

To order Helvetica Neue Condensed fonts, click on the appropriate link. Look in your "font" folder to check the download success.

  • U.S. 3M employees
  • International 3M employees 
  • Creative suppliers can order the four-font package by calling 1-800-424-8973, Ext. 6026.
  • International creative suppliers can order the four-font package by calling 1-781-970-6020, Ext. 6026.

Standards

Use the following standards to understand some basic applications of typography.

Primary Font: Helvetica Neue

Primary Font

Use in all applications as the primary font. The use of Helvetica Neue Condensed sets the visual tone for the 3M identity system. See specific applications for proper usage (size, weight, spacing, etc.). Do not italicize when used as part of a montage.
Secondary Font: Times

Secondary Font

Times retains its heritage with 3M. Use only as specified for each application, generally for long blocks of body copy in print applications. Times Roman and Times New Roman are both acceptable variations.
Internal Applications: Arial Narrow

Internal Applications

Use for internal applications such as Microsoft® Word or PowerPoint®.
Web and Online Applications: Verdana

Web and Online Applications

Use for body copy (textone & texttwo only) on 3M Web sites. All text must be rendered in one of the styles included in the 3M.com Corporate CSS. Corporate CSS styles may not be overridden. Note: Web page titles are still Times Bold.
Trademark and Registration Symbols

Trademark and Registration Symbols

Always set trademark and registration symbols in Helvetica Neue 47 Light Condensed.
Upper and Lower Case

Upper and Lower Case

Use upper and lower case for titles and other treatments. Do not use all caps. Do not italicize.
Tight Tracking

Tight Tracking

Typography in the 3M identity system uses tight tracking ranging from at least (-10) to (-30) in Adobe® InDesign® and should never be at (0). Do not use open tracking.