Accepted
Typography
Why the typeface looks the way it does
Museo Sans is geometric and pared back, but with soft, rounded forms. It combines precision and warmth in a way that is distinctly professional. Museo Sans signals that we know what we are doing and that we care about who we are talking to. It is the Present Expert in typographic form.
Arial is used when Museo Sans isn't available. For example in PowerPoint, Word documents, and other systems or situations where Museo Sans isn't available. Arial is neutral, clean, and accessible. It doesn't replicate the exact character of Museo Sans, but it keeps the tone and the legibility intact.
The typeface
Museo Sans — brand typeface
Museo Sans is the first choice in all Aleris communication. It has no 400 weights — never jump to 400, it doesn't exist in the typeface.
| Weight | Value | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Light | 300 | Large heading text only (40px+). Exception, not standard |
| Regular | 500 | Body text, labels, buttons. The workhorse |
| Bold | 700 | Headings, emphasis, primary actions. The second workhorse |
| Black | 900 | Almost never. Try 700 at a larger size first |
Arial — fallback typeface
Arial is the default in MS Office environments and systems where Museo Sans isn't installed.
| Weight | Value | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Regular | 400 | Body text, labels, buttons |
| Bold | 700 | Headings, emphasis |
The principle: Two working weights — regular and bold. Which font-weight values they correspond to depends on the typeface. Museo Sans: 500/700. Arial: 400/700.
Font stack
Primary: 'Museo Sans', Arial, sans-serif
Fallback: Arial, sans-serif
Hierarchy
The principle
The Aleris typographic system is built on relative sizes, not fixed pixel values. Each text level scales from a shared base size with a clear ratio between the steps. This creates flexibility across formats and devices without losing the hierarchy.
Three requirements always apply:
At least 14px (or equivalent) for all readable text. This is the accessibility floor. No type in Aleris communication is set smaller — neither digitally nor in print. The audience includes patients 40+ with reduced vision.
At least 8 points of difference between text levels. If two sizes are closer than 8pt, no clear hierarchy is created — it looks like a mistake rather than a deliberate choice. Simplify by merging them into one level.
Sentence case throughout. Capital letter only at the start of the sentence — never all caps, never a capital on every word. All caps reduces legibility — the letters become uniform and the eye loses the word outlines that help it read quickly. We don't use it.
Typographic scale — digital reference implementation
The baseline system uses a perfect-fifth scale (1.5) with 18px as the anchor. Other chapters can adapt the scale to their conditions — but the ratios and the hierarchy principle are the same.
| Step | Size | Px | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| xs | 0.78rem | 14px | Accessibility floor. Captions, fine print |
| sm | 0.89rem | 16px | Labels, interface elements |
| base | 1rem | 18px | Body text. The scale's anchor |
| md | 1.22rem | 22px | h4, subheadings |
| lg | 1.5rem | 27px | h3, intro |
| xl | 2.22rem | 40px | h2 |
| 2xl | 3.33rem | 60px | h1, large heading |
Line spacing
| Context | Value | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Large heading (60px) | 1.1 | Tight — large letters need less air |
| Headings (h1, h2) | 1.2 | 40px × 1.2 = 48px |
| Subheadings (h3, h4) | 1.33 | 27px × 1.33 = 36px |
| Body text | 1.5 | 18px × 1.5 = 27px |
The larger the text, the tighter the line spacing can be. Body text needs the most air — that's where the eye moves fastest.
Intro
The intro is set at 27px, regular (500), secondary colour. Used once per section, directly after the heading. It gives the reader a soft transition from heading to body text.
Hard rules
Never all caps. Sentence case throughout — headings, buttons, navigation, labels. All caps reduces legibility and breaks the tone. The only exception is abbreviations (AB, MRI).
Never italics for emphasis. Italics in Museo Sans have weak visual contrast against regular — they are barely noticeable, especially at smaller sizes. Use bold (700) for emphasis. Italics are not used for whole sentences, text blocks, or highlighting.
14px is the floor. No text in Aleris communication is set smaller than 14px. The audience includes patients with reduced vision, older users, and stressed readers in care situations.
Keep it simple. Don't use many sizes or weights in the same production. The scale exists to create hierarchy, not variation. Two to three sizes is usually enough. If the layout requires more, the structure should be simplified.
Sizes in rem, not px. In digital contexts, all typography is set in rem units. This respects the user's browser settings and is an accessibility requirement.
Contextual: how typography adapts
The typeface is constant — Museo Sans (or Arial as fallback). The principles are constant — hierarchy, accessibility floor, sentence case, at least 8pt difference.
The scale, the line spacing, and the weight balance are contextual. A digital product uses the perfect-fifth scale with an 18px base. A printed patient brochure may have a different base and adjusted line spacing for the paper format. An internal PowerPoint presentation uses Arial with 400/700 as the weight pair.
Same principles, different application. Baseline (digital), Communication, and Physical document the scale's specific values in their context.
Quick test
Before you make a typographic decision:
- Is it Museo Sans or Arial? If neither — don't use it. Never introduce other typefaces.
- Is the smallest text at least 14px? If not — increase it. The accessibility floor always applies.
- Is the hierarchy clearly visible? If two sizes feel alike — merge them. At least 8pt difference between levels.
Typography is the brand's voice without sound. Museo Sans — geometric, soft, precise — expresses the Present Expert in every letter. Changing the typeface, breaking the hierarchy, or ignoring the accessibility floor doesn't make the material more creative. It makes it harder to read and harder to trust.