01 · Brand Philosophy
Institutional Authority, Not Corporate Gloss
Europa Nova proposes a treaty-based European research institution — an entity of the calibre of CERN, not a startup. The visual identity reflects this ambition: restrained, scholarly, and serious. Every design decision serves clarity and credibility.
The brand rests on three principles:
Restraint over decoration. No gradients, no shadows, no ornamental graphics. The absence of embellishment signals confidence. Policy papers compete on argument, not aesthetics.
European typographic tradition. Serif body text (in the lineage of Garamond), sans-serif headings (in the lineage of Swiss modernism). This combination has been the standard for serious European publishing for centuries.
Three colours, no exceptions. A near-black for text, a muted dark blue for accents, a warm grey for secondary information. These three, plus white, constitute the entire palette. Discipline in colour signals discipline in thought.
02 · Logo
The EN Monogram
The Europa Nova mark is an abstract monogram of the letters E and N, set in the primary typeface (DM Sans Bold) within a thin rectangular border. The design is deliberately restrained: no icon, no symbol, no graphic device. The letterforms themselves carry the identity.
The border echoes the thin accent lines used throughout the design system, creating a visual connection between the mark and the content it represents.
Left: Primary mark on light backgrounds. Right: Reversed mark on navy.
Minimum Size & Clear Space
Minimum display size: 32×32px (digital) or 10mm (print). Clear space around the mark equals the height of the letter “E” on all sides. Never crop, rotate, recolour, or add effects to the mark.
Wordmark
When space permits, the full wordmark “EUROPA NOVA” appears alongside the monogram, set in DM Sans Bold at 0.8rem equivalent, letter-spacing 0.15em, uppercase, in navy.
03 · Colour System
Three Colours. No Exceptions.
The entire visual identity uses exactly three chromatic values, plus white and two warm neutrals for backgrounds. This constraint is deliberate: it prevents visual clutter and ensures that accent colour carries meaning whenever it appears.
Core Palette
Background & Surface Tones
Three neutral surfaces provide depth without introducing colour. All derived from a warm off-white base.
Accent Tints (Data Visualisation)
For charts and data displays, derive tints from the accent colour using opacity. Never introduce new hues.
Navy accent at decreasing opacities. 18% is used for rules/separators. 8% and 3% for light backgrounds.
Data Series Colours
When charts require multiple series, use only these three values. Differentiate further through pattern, weight, or opacity — never through additional hues.
#2C4A6E
#8C8C7E
#1D1D1D
Navy 40%
Grey 40%
Semantic Colour Rules
Headings (H1–H4): Always #1D1D1D (text colour). Never accent.
Chapter numbers: #2C4A6E at 50% opacity. The only heading element that uses accent.
Links & interactive elements: #2C4A6E (accent). Underline with 1px offset.
Meta text & captions: #8C8C7E (secondary grey).
Separators / rules: rgba(44,74,110,0.18) (accent at 18% opacity).
Accent rules: 2px solid #2C4A6E, 50–60px wide. Used under section titles.
04 · Typography
Two Families, Strict Hierarchy
The typographic system uses exactly two families. EB Garamond (web equivalent of Georgia) carries all body text — the voice of the document. DM Sans (web equivalent of Calibri) handles all structural elements: headings, navigation, labels, buttons, and meta-data.
Never mix their roles. Body text is always serif. Headings are always sans-serif. No exceptions.
Heading H1 · DM Sans 600 · 2.4rem
Europa Nova: A Treaty-Based Framework
Heading H2 · DM Sans 600 · 1.5rem
Europe’s Strategic AI Deficit
Heading H3 · DM Sans 600 · 0.9rem
2.1 The Concentration of AGI Development
Chapter Number · EB Garamond 400 · 2.8rem · Navy 50%
5
Body Text · EB Garamond 400 · 1rem · Line-height 1.75
Europa Nova proposes a treaty-based research institution, modelled on CERN but with a commercial licensing arm, dedicated to developing safe artificial general intelligence. Established by treaty among five to eight nations.
Section Label · DM Sans 600 · 0.65rem · Tracking 0.15em · Uppercase · Grey
THE CASE FOR EUROPA NOVA
Meta / Date · DM Sans 400 · 0.7rem · Grey
Font Stack
Serif: 'EB Garamond', Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif
Sans: 'DM Sans', 'Calibri', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif
Text Alignment
All body text is left-aligned (ragged right). This is the standard for screen reading and follows European typographic convention for documents intended for digital distribution. Never justify text without a hyphenation engine.
05 · Layout & Spacing
Generous White Space, Narrow Measure
Content width is constrained to 680–720px (approximately 65–75 characters per line), the optimal measure for reading. Wider layouts (up to 960px) are used for data visualisations and multi-column content.
Section Structure
Each section follows this pattern:
SECTION LABEL
Section Title
Content follows...
Spacing Scale
Section padding: 5rem (90px) top and bottom
Between heading and content: 1.5rem
Between paragraphs: 1.25rem
Container padding (sides): 2rem (desktop), 1.25rem (mobile)
Figure margins: 2.5rem top and bottom
Separators
Two types of horizontal rules are used:
Standard rule: 1px, accent at 18% opacity. Full width. Separates sections.
Accent rule: 2px, solid navy, 50px wide. Follows section titles.
06 · UI Components
Buttons, Cards, Navigation
Buttons
Content Card
Pillar One
The Research Foundation
Nine internationally recruited scientists. One Scientific Director with technical veto authority. Compensation at €1–2M to compete with industry.
Blockquote
If we compete in yesterday’s race, we lose. If we define tomorrow’s, we lead.
Figure Container
Figure 1. Description of the figure in italic sans-serif.
07 · Data Visualisation
Monochromatic, Data-Dense, Honest
All charts and figures use the brand’s three-colour palette plus their opacity variants. No red, green, or traffic-light coding. Differentiation comes from value contrast, labels, and spatial arrangement — not from colour.
Principles
Labels over legends. Place data labels directly on or adjacent to the visual element. Avoid separate legend boxes where possible.
No decorative gridlines. Use subtle rules (accent 18%) only when they aid reading.
Source attribution. Every figure includes a source line in the caption, set in sans-serif italic.
Interactive figures. On the web, figures may include hover tooltips and subtle transitions (max 0.2s, ease). No animations on page load.
Figure Caption Format
Figure N. Description of the figure content. Source: attribution.
08 · Do’s & Don’ts
Guard Rails
✓ Do
- Use EB Garamond for all body text
- Use DM Sans for headings and meta elements only
- Keep to three colours: text, accent, secondary
- Left-align all body text (ragged right)
- Use thin lines (1–2px) in accent colour
- Centre figures with italic caption below
- Derive data-viz tints from accent opacity
- Maintain generous white space between sections
- Keep headings in text colour (#1D1D1D)
- Use the monogram at minimum 32px
✗ Don’t
- Use pure black (#000000) anywhere
- Introduce a third accent or decoration colour
- Add gradients, shadows, or 3D effects
- Use coloured backgrounds on text content
- Justify text without a hyphenation algorithm
- Mix more than two font families
- Place images or photographs on the cover
- Use thick borders, boxes, or card shadows
- Use traffic-light (red/amber/green) coding
- Animate elements on page load
09 · Web Adaptations
Print to Screen
The original Europa Nova style guide was designed for A4 print. The following translations apply for web and digital contexts:
| Print Specification | Web Equivalent |
|---|---|
| Georgia 11pt body | EB Garamond 18px (1rem) |
| Calibri Bold headings | DM Sans 600 weight |
| 155mm text width (~65–75 chars) | max-width: 680–720px |
| 25mm/30mm margins | 2rem side padding |
| Chapter on new page | border-top: 2px solid navy + 4rem top margin |
| Footnotes at page bottom | Inline parenthetical or hover tooltips |
| Dotted ToC leaders (…) | Flexbox layout with left-aligned links |
| Static figures | Interactive SVG/HTML with hover states |
© 2026 Europa Nova Initiative · Brand Guidelines v2.0