Preview image. Unlock full-res
Dark charcoal cover with a three-line title set in mixed serif and sans, anchored top-left over deep negative space.
Summary
The title slide: a near-black field with a three-line title locked to the upper-left, the first two lines in a high-contrast serif and the third in a grotesque sans, with credits along the footer.
Visual description
Full charcoal (#231F20) background. The title sits top-left in cream: "DETROIT INSTITUTE OF ARTS" set in an all-caps Cormorant-style serif across two lines, then "BRAND GUIDELINES" in an all-caps Neue Haas grotesque sans on the third line, deliberately mixing the two type families. The lower two-thirds is empty negative space. A hairline rule runs near the bottom with a footer: "1" and "BRAND GUIDELINES" at left, and the designer credit "BY THOMAS MCELMEEL, ELIZABETH NUTTING, & LASEAN MARIE..." at right.
Key takeaway
Introducing the brand's dual-typeface system on the cover itself by setting one title in serif and the next line in sans, so the core idea is stated before the reader turns a page. Pinning everything to the top-left and letting the rest breathe reads confident and gallery-like.
Reuse notes
A clean opener for any guideline or report built on a two-typeface pairing. The mixed serif-sans title only works if the two faces are genuinely distinct; on a single family it loses the point. Carries a lot of empty space, so it depends on a dark, calm field to feel intentional.
From this deck: DIA brand guidelines cover
View deck
