BC Sans Typeface

In 2018, the B.C. government began updating its typography to better serve the public across digital platforms. While Adobe Myriad Pro had supported government branding for years, it was not ideal for websites and did not correctly display all of the characters in the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit languages. 

The government looked for an open-source font that could support hundreds of languages, enhanced readability on-screen, and match the province’s visual identity. Several typefaces were examined that matched the criteria and a handful of these were tested. Noto Sans stood out, and under an open license, it was customized. With expertise from a typographic Indigenous language expert, and from FirstVoices (an initiative of the First Peoples’ Cultural Council), additional characters, diacritics, and syllabic glyphs were added to support Indigenous languages in B.C. This new typeface was named BC Sans and first launched in 2019.

BC Sans (2.0) was updated in 2023 to include requested revisions from FirstVoices (character and syllabic revisions) and the B.C. Government (unicode changes and font style additions). This typeface version includes light, regular and bold characters with matching italics. It compliments our visual identity and has become synonymous with our digital services. BC Sans has become the standard font for gov.bc.ca and other digital government services.

“FPCC was pleased to contribute expertise to the development of BC Sans 2.0, an important technology tool for First Nations in B.C. This free, open-source font makes it possible for community members and the general public to digitally render all characters used in the 34 First Nations languages of this land. The investment by the Government of B.C. to develop and adopt this font is an important step towards reconciliation.”

- FirstVoices Development Manager, an initiative of the First Peoples' Cultural Council (FPCC).

“BC Sans is a gesture towards bringing reconciliation to life.”

- Andrew Pratt, Former GCPE Graphic Communications Director and one of the initial founders of the BC Sans typeface

Special thanks to FirstVoices (an initiative of the First Peoples' Cultural Council) for their contributors in bringing the BC Sans typeface to life.

Disclaimer: The BC Government is not, in any way, demonstrating ownership. This font has been developed with the intention of supporting Indigenous-based Languages in B.C.

BC Sans was created to meet the unique needs of First Voices and B.C. government communications. It supports screen readability, aligns with the province’s visual identity, and includes stylistic adjustments to respectfully represent Indigenous language characters.

By using BC Sans, organizations contribute to more accessible, inclusive, and culturally responsive public services — and help align with broader government commitments like the Declaration Act and Action 3.15.

BC Sans is an open-source font, which means anyone can use it — not just B.C. government staff. It is available on B.C. Government workstations and under its open-font license, it can be freely shared, downloaded, and installed on any computer.

It is required for use on all new and current government webpages on gov.bc.ca, as well as government services hosted outside of gov.bc.ca. 

The Province is taking steps to include First Nations, Métis, and Inuit languages in official government records and services. This work is part of Action 3.15 of the Declaration Act Action Plan, which supports the respectful and accurate use of Indigenous languages across government.

 BC Sans helps supports this commitment by including the characters and diacritics needed to represent Indigenous languages accurately. However, simply installing a font with Indigenous characters does not guarantee that your systems will display or process Indigenous text correctly.

Before using fonts with Indigenous characters, for Indigenous language content, it's important to assess whether your systems can support non-Roman/Latin characters. Taking time to assess your technical readiness will help ensure the font displays correctly and supports meaningful, respectful representation of Indigenous languages in your services and communications.

To start your assessment, visit the Indigenous Languages Technology Standard (ILTS) which outlines the technical requirements for systems to read, write, store, process, and display Indigenous languages.

Note: BC Sans works well in common applications like Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. However, some business systems and government applications may not fully support Indigenous language characters. If you're planning to use BC Sans in business applications, check with your IT team to ensure compatibility.

• BC Sans Font Set for PRINT (ZIP, 3.7 MB)
• BC Sans Font Set for WEB (ZIP, 7.1 MB)

• BC Sans Glyph Set (PDF, 301 KB)
• Character Encodings of BC Sans Glyphs (Github)
• Indigenous Languages Technology Standard (ILTS)

• NPM Packages
• Font Support for Developers/Programmers (Github)
• Unicode Programming Support for Developers/Programmers (Github)
• Techniques for supporting Indigenous language characters in B.C. government systems (DevHub)

• Using FirstVoices Keyboards (Installation, Guides and Support)
• BC Sans Basic Keyboard Layout (PDF, 225 KB)

BC Sans is available on B.C. Government workstations. However, if it needs to be installed on a computer that doesn’t already have it, use the instructions below.

1. Download the BC Sans font files. 

2. Un-ZIP the downloaded files.

3. Install the font

• Windows: Right-click each font file and select “Install”
• macOS: Double-click each file, then click “Install Font” in Font Book

You may need to restart applications before the new font appears.

FirstVoices (an initiative of First Peoples’ Cultural Council) has identified that this typeface supports 34 main BC-based Indigenous Languages (maps.fpcc.ca).

Below lists the 34 main BC-based Indigenous languages* that BC Sans 2.0 supports:

• Nłeʔkepmxcín
• Sgüüx̣s
• Danezāgé’
• Éy7á7juuthem
• diitiidʔaatx̣
• Gitsenimx̱
• St ̓ át ̓ imcets
• Dane-Ẕaa (ᑕᓀ ᖚ)
• Hul’q’umi’num’
• Halq’eméylem/ hən ̓ q ̓ əmin ̓ əm ̓
• Háiɫzaqvḷa
• Nisg ̱ a’a
• Sk̲wx̱wú7mesh sníchim
• Nsyilxcən
• Dakelh (ᑕᗸᒡ)
• Kwak ̓ wala
• Dene K’e
• Anishinaabemowin
• SENĆOŦEN / Malchosen/ Lekwungen / Semiahmoo/ T’Sou-ke
• Nedut’en / Witsuwit’en
• X ̄ enaksialak ̓ ala / X ̄ a’islak ̓ ala
• Tāłtān
• X̱ aad Kil / X̱ aayda Kil
• Tsilhqot’in
• ’Wuik ̓ ala
• She shashishalhem
• Southern Tutchone
• Sm’algya̱ x
• Ktunaxa
• Secwepemctsín
• Lingít
• nuučaan ̓ uɫ
• ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐍᐏᐣ (Nēhiyawēwin)
• Nuxalk
• Tse’khene

*The above languages are documented in the First Peoples’ Cultural Council Language Status report (2022).  https://tinyurl.com/e44zjue6

BC Sans is easy to read, with a tall x-height and generous space within and between the letter-forms. Characters for over 800 languages are included with correct accents and special characters. There is no license to pay for the font files and they can be shared or redistributed. Improving the accessibility and inclusiveness of government communications is a benefit for government and the public. On gov.bc.ca, the use of BC Sans allows the font files to be served domestically, with the rest of the website files. BC Sans is compatible with Windows and Mac operating systems and is also encoded in the Unicode standard.

The authors of open-source software allow use without charge, and permit the software to be freely distributed and modified under a free license. It cannot be sold. BC Sans fonts are made available under an open-font license, free to use so long as it remains under the Open Font License and its terms, and there is no charge for its use. The name, BC Sans, and the modified font files are copyright of the Province of B.C.

No, content on gov.bc.ca will automatically be updated with the font. However, heading sizes have also changed to support the new font size. Please check your content to make sure it looks okay.

No, crown corporations and public bodies are not required to use BC Sans, but they are free to use the font if they would like to.

Yes, the font is free for anyone to download and distribute as long as they follow the open-font license conditions. It cannot be sold.

BC Sans is one of the three BC identity corporate typefaces (along with Adobe Garamond Pro and Myriad Pro). All three of these fonts can be used for print materials (choose the font that best serves the topic and the audience).

You are welcome to use BC Sans for print materials, especially if the print materials contain Indigenous characters. 

An acceptable alternative font to use in place of BC Sans is Noto Sans as it provides advanced typographic features if needed. 

However, only BC Sans should be used for extended web content such as websites, or other material which is primarily consumed on-screen. 

To use the font on your computer you can install the .ttf or .otf file.

Yes, BC Sans must be used for all digital websites and stand alone sites that are outside of the  gov.bc.ca CMS Lite platform.

Updating your font should be done at a time when you are doing maintenance or updating the application or currently developing the service. Transitioning to this font will be a phased approach.

Currently, we are noticing that the Microsoft 365 apps (Teams, SharePoint, Outlook, etc.) do not work seamlessly with fonts that are not part of their default library. At this time, we do not have a solution.

To use BC Sans by default in apps like Microsoft Word, you’ll need to change your settings manually.

• In Word, open a document, choose BC Sans under the font menu (click the tiny arrow in the bottom right corner of the Font section to open the full settings), then click "Set as Default"
• Choose “All documents based on the Normal template” to apply it moving forward

Screen readers are based on the language specified for the web page and aren’t dependent on the font that is used. Current support for screen readers with Indigenous languages is limited.

Characters used in Indigenous languages are accessed differently based on the computer program you are using. They can usually be found in a glyph or character palette. For typing in these languages you must install a keyboard specific to the language. Keyboards are what allow you to type characters, and fonts give those characters their look and feel. The font will ensure characters are rendered accurately, but in order to type the characters in the first place you need a keyboard. The keyboards that are included on that BC Sans website will tell your computer what characters to type.

BC Sans is considered a “living” typeface and has been slowly updated over time due to various needs that may surface  ̶  with a phased approach. 

BC Sans 1.0  ̵  Released September 2019.

BC Sans 2.0  ̵  Released June 2023.

The BC Sans typeface is a customized version of the Noto Sans typeface. Noto Sans is considered an excellent and highly accessible font, designed by Google for enhanced readability with a clean, open look, distinct characters (like '1', 'i', 'L'), broad language support (800+), and multiple weights, making it a strong choice for digital inclusivity, though light/thin weights and overly stylized versions should be used cautiously for maximum accessibility. 

Noto Sans must not be used for websites. However, for all other platforms, Noto Sans is acceptable as it provides advanced typographic features if needed. Currently, BC Sans is available in Light, light italic, regular, regular italic, bold, and bold italic. With time, as the BC Sans typeface evolves and improves, there will be less need for  Noto Sans.

Before installing the most current version of BC Sans, we first recommend that all older versions of BC Sans be uninstalled. Then once you have restarted your computer, the newer BC Sans can then be installed.

Please note that by default many B.C. Government PC computers have their file extensions turned off. You will need to turn them on (in your computer file settings) to be able to see the font extensions.

We always encourage there be a designed proofreader lined up (with experience in the language being typeset), to review and sign off on the various characters and diacritics being used. This can avoid circumstances where an incorrect character might have been accidentally used.

https://fpcc.ca/stories/updated-bc-sans-font-now-available/

There is an excellent webinar, available through FirstVoices, that explains details surrounding supporting Indigenous names and alphabets with technology (1hr learning video, time: 1:12:24) .