Web Guidelines

The Web Guidelines were created to help build a cohesive digital brand for UT Dallas through logo and wordmark usage, typography, colors, and functionality. It is critical that UT Dallas’ websites meet the highest standards in terms of content, ease of use, and accessibility.

The following guidelines apply to all official pages of the University hosted at utdallas.edu. These include pages that represent major components of the University such as the home page, gateway/navigation pages, schools, academic programs, divisions, departments, administrative units, or primary constituent organizations—e.g., Student Government.

Correct use of the primary elements below is expected and will be enforced by University Web Services. Please contact us with your questions and concerns. We will be glad to assist you.

Accessibility

Web accessibility refers to the inclusive practice of removing barriers that prevent access to websites by people of diverse abilities. The University must comply with the Texas Administrative Code 206.70 Accessibility standard, and therefore all pages containing official University information that are built, updated or revised must comply with it.

Fonts

Create web content with as much machine-readable text as possible (i.e., HTML text). This will aid search engines in effectively finding and indexing pages.

The University’s preferred fonts for utdallas.edu pages are Minion Pro, DIN 2014 and Modesto. Contact University Web Services to access them as web fonts for your site.

When limited to system fonts, the preferred typefaces are Times New Roman (serif) or Arial (sans serif).

The default color for text links is UT Dallas orange (#e87500). For text links under 18pt font size (or 14pt if bold), use #c95100, a darker tint of UT Dallas orange that meets web accessibility contrast requirements for smaller text. The preferred hover color is UT Dallas green (#154734).

Clearly indicate links with multiple visual cues. Don’t rely on color alone; underline them when possible, especially links within paragraphs and blocks of text. Include some visual state change when hovering on links as well, such as changes in opacity or underline color.

Avoid generic link text such as “click here” as repeated uses work against usability. Website visitors often scan the links in a Web page before they read anything else, so aim to make the link labels descriptive and concise, conveying the purpose or destination of the link.

In most cases, links should not open a new browser tab or window. The exception to this rule is when you are linking to a page outside the UTD web environment (domains that do not end in utdallas.edu) or if you are linking to a file such as a PDF. In those cases, use of the target="_blank" attribute is recommended.

The UT Dallas logoUTD monogram or emblem must be placed on the top left corner or center of every page. Follow the logos’ guidelines for legibility, safe space and branding consistency.

Logo sizing must be large enough so that UT Dallas is the primary brand on each page. When using the UTD monogram, the University wordmark (“The University of Texas at Dallas”) must also be displayed near it.

The logo must link to the utdallas.edu homepage. Do not use the target function to open the logo’s link in a new window or tab.

Page Titles

Search engines rely on text within the <title> and <h1> tags to find pages and populate their search results. Create a descriptive, relevant title for each page to help users and search engines identify it. It helps to think carefully about which keywords you expect your visitors may type into a search engine to find your content.

Top of a browser window showing the page title in a tab.

Describe the page from specific to general within the <title> tags, starting with the page name and ending with the University wordmark. Well-crafted titles help the user find pages in their history list, browser tabs and favorites toolbar.

Examples:

  • Development and Alumni Relations – The University of Texas at Dallas
  • Professional MBA | Naveen Jindal School of Management | The University of Texas at Dallas
  • Get Involved – Student Government – The University of Texas at Dallas

Favicons

University Web Services recommends that all pages use the monogram in UT Dallas orange as a favicon (also known as a shortcut icon or bookmark icon).

Departments may either use the University’s instance of Google search or a customized version with Google Custom Search Engine (CSE).

Search usability is usually not improved by limiting results. Search results include anything from utdallas.edu that may be relevant to the user’s keyword search. University Web Services can assist departments in setting up a Google CSE instance that prioritizes departmental website results, then shows all other results from any utdallas.edu URL.

Limiting functionality in a way that excludes most of the University’s pages from search results may only be made with approval of University Web Services. To comply with UT System policy regarding use of our trademarks, keyword search results pages may not display advertisements.

Web Applications

Web applications that serve a large portion of the University community are expected to adhere to the visual identity guidelines. Correct use of UT Dallas’ identity elements and colors lends legitimacy to web applications used for official University business. Conversely, failure to adhere to the brand standards can make users feel uncomfortable using the application or even perceive it as fraudulent.

Some web applications, especially purchased ones, may present constraints that make full adherence unfeasible. In these cases, the individual sponsoring the application should contact University Web Services to determine how the application will be customized to suit the University’s requirements.

University Web Services may provide, on request, customization of visual elements of a web application, whether built by University employees or purchased from a third party. Requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.