BuzzFeed Brand Design Style Guide

Wordmark Usage: Do's & Don'ts

Arrow Icon Usage: Do's & Don'ts

Logo Usage: Co-Branded

We created a logotype to convey and evoke our new values and mission. An optically adjusted version for small surfaces and products can be used for specialty applications and printing at small sizes. The following pages  have more information on how to use the logo in different applications.

When it should be used: Whenever possible as the main representation of our brand.

Logo Usage: BuzzFeed Sub-Brands

When incorporating the BuzzFeed into sub brand logos:

• BuzzFeed wordmark without copyright symbol may be scaled down to 20% (or larger) of the main logo.

• The standalone BuzzFeed wordmark should be placed above or to the left of the logo. 

• When styled as “By BuzzFeed”, the wordmark may be placed below or to the right of the logo.

• The wordmark may be right, left, or center-aligned.

Color Do's & Don'ts

Typography

Our Brand Font: Proxima Nova

BuzzFeed uses Proxima Nova as its main brand font across all media. Different weights of Proxima Nova are encouraged to create hierarchy in type treatments.

Secondary Fonts (non-Webkit)

Proxima Nova should be the primary font for all BuzzFeed-branded applications. Secondary fonts are allowed to be used in conjunction with Proxima Nova to add contrast and hierarchy. Secondary fonts should not be overly similar to Proxima Nova, and reinforce the BuzzFeed brand philosophy. (No cursive, hand-drawn, or blackletter fonts.)

Below are some recommended supplementary fonts for BuzzFeed branding. Multiple weights may be used to create contrast and hierarchy.

Graphic Elements

Core Shape Language

BuzzFeed’s shape language is simple and geometric. Keeping the building blocks simple allows us more freedom to manipulate them in interesting and unexpected ways.

Shape Application: Repetition and Scale

One of BuzzFeed’s core design principles is movement. Our branding makes use of changes in repetition and scale to suggest 3D space and serve as a continuous background element in compositions.

Shape Application: Skewing & Warping

Skewing and warping of shape elements (vector assets only) is encouraged to create unique and dynamic compositions with a sense of motion.

Shape Application: Layering

Shapes can be layered over other graphic or photo elements to add movement and interest to compositions.

When layering elements, take care to preserve contrast, readability, and sufficient negative space in the composition.

Badges

BuzzFeed’s signature badges consist of all-caps Proxima Nova Extra Bold text rotated counter-clockwise at a 30 degree angle. Words should be scaled to fit within the badge boundary, leaving room on all sides. We have a preset library of core badges, with a custom badge template.

Custom Badges

Custom text badges should follow the same guidelines as our default badges:

• Proxima Nova Black (#000000) against circle (#FFEE00)

• Visually center-align (horizontally and vertically)

• Scale to fit within badge without crowding edges

• Rotated 30 degrees counterclockwise

Custom image badges must be simple and readable at 50 px by 50 px. Avoid textures or fine lines. Rotation for non-text badges is optional.

Patterns

BuzzFeed’s brand patterns are created from applications of our established graphic elements. They uphold the tenets of our design philosophy—boldness, movement, and past influences made new—and are versatile in both style and practical use.

Our brand patterns consist of the following core designs, listed below. Some patterns have variant designs.

Textural Patterns

Textural patterns are brand patterns in low-contrast color combinations that can live in the background of compositions. 

Contrasting Patterns

Contrasting patterns are brand patterns in high-contrast color combinations meant to be the focal point of a composition. Text should never be placed directly over these color combinations.

Pattern Usage: Decreasing Contrast

If a textural pattern still has too much contrast for text or other important elements to be read against, you may add a transparent color overlay in one of the pattern colors to decrease contrast.

Pattern Usage: Tiling

Brand patterns are seamless and can be tiled to cover a greater area. Patterns can also be scaled up or down to increase or decrease the density of the pattern.

Pattern Usage: Scaling and Skewing

Most brand patterns can be scaled both uniformly and non-uniformly (vector asset only). This allows for a greater range of visual designs as well as increasing or decreasing the density of patterns, as needed.

Patterns featuring the BuzzFeed arrow logo should only be scaled uniformly due to logo and badge elements contained within.

Pattern Do's and Don'ts

Contrasting patterns are high-contrast, often larger-scale designs that are meant to be the focal point of a composition.

Animated Patterns: Looping

Looping animated patterns are suitable for stream backgrounds, event screens, and video backdrops. All animations seamlessly loop. (Examples below are cut short to reduce file size.)

Animated Patterns: Transitions

Transition animated patterns are transparent quick cuts for video.

Animated Patterns: Color Options

Animated patterns are available in a variety of color combinations from the BuzzFeed brand color palette.

Animated Patterns: Sizing

All animated patterns were created at 2160 x 2160 72 DPI to enable their use with all standard digital dimensions.

Questions?

artrequests@buzzfeed.com (internal inquiries)

charlotte.gomez@buzzfeed.com (external inquiries)

Last updated: 02/03/2023