brand.qmd

---
title: Multiformat branding with `_brand.yml`
---

## Overview

Quarto supports [**brand.yml**](https://posit-dev.github.io/brand-yml/)---a single YAML file that can be used to customize the appearance of your documents across multiple formats. This is particularly useful for organizations that need a unified look across various formats.

{{< include _brand-example.qmd >}}

On this page:

-   Learn how to add a brand file.

-   Learn about the elements of **brand.yml** and how they are used in Quarto.

-   Learn how to access brand values outside of the brand file.

-   See a more comprehensive example.

-   Learn how to migrate projects created without `_brand.yml` to easily support `_brand.yml` features.

::: callout-warning
## Limitation

The **brand.yml** specification is an active area of work at Posit. Quarto's support for **brand.yml** is not yet complete. For now, we've highlighted places where Quarto doesn't yet support the full spec with special **Limitation** callouts, like this one.

Currently, the formats that support **brand.yml** are: `html`, `dashboard`, `revealjs` and `typst`.
:::

## Applying Brand

To specify a brand, create a `_brand.yml` file in the root directory of your project (i.e. alongside `_quarto.yml`).
Quarto will detect the presence of `_brand.yml` and automatically apply the brand to all documents of the supported formats in the project.

You can create a `_brand.yml` file outside of a Quarto project (e.g. without a `_quarto.yml`).
In this case, `_brand.yml` will automatically apply to documents in the same directory.

You can also set brand options in a document by specifying brand elements under the `brand` option:

```{.yaml filename="document.qmd"}
---
brand:
  color:
    background: "#eeeeee"
---
```

If you set `brand` in a document header, it will replace the entire brand from `_brand.yml`.

You can disable brand for a document by setting `brand` to `false`:

```{.yaml filename="document.qmd"}
---
brand: false
---
```

You can put  `_brand.yml` in a subdirectory of your project, and then use the `brand` key to specify the path to the brand file.
For example, to use the brand file at `brand/_brand.yml` for a single  document, add `brand` to the header:

```{.yaml filename="document.qmd"}
---
brand: brand/_brand.yml
---
```

To use the brand file at `brand/_brand.yml` for all documents in the project add `brand` to `_quarto.yml`:

```{.yaml filename="_quarto.yml"}
brand: brand/_brand.yml
```

Paths specified in `_brand.yml` are relative to the location of the brand file.

### Dark Brand

As with [Themes](/docs/output-formats/html-themes.qmd#dark-mode), you can specify both light and dark brands, making both a light and a dark version of your output available:

```{.yaml filename="document.qmd"}
---
brand:
  light: light-brand.yml
  dark: dark-brand.yml
---
```

This also works with brands specified directly in the document:

```{.yaml filename="document.qmd"}
---
brand:
  light:
    color:
      background: "#ffffff"
      foreground: "#333333"
  dark:
    color:
      background: "#333333"
      foreground: "#ffffff"
---
```

Light and dark brands can also be specified at the project-level:

```{.yaml filename="_quarto.yml"}
brand:
  light: light-brand.yml
  dark: dark-brand.yml
```

#### Typst

To choose a dark brand in Typst output use `brand-mode: dark`:

```{.yaml filename="document.qmd"}
---
format:
  typst:
    brand-mode: dark
---
```


## Brand Elements

The elements of **brand.yml** are specified in the documentation for the [**brand.yml** project](https://posit-dev.github.io/brand-yml/){.external}. 
In this section, learn how these elements are used in Quarto.

### Color 

[Color in the **brand.yml** docs](https://posit-dev.github.io/brand-yml/brand/color.html){.external}

Use `color` to define your brand's color palette and map your palette to the roles colors play, a.k.a semantic colors. A simple example might define the value `background` to a light blue:

``` {.yaml filename="_brand.yml"}
color:
  background: "#ddeaf1"
```

Use the `palette` key to define a set of named colors that can be referenced elsewhere in the `_brand.yml`. For example, you might define `blue` and set it as the `background`:

``` {.yaml filename="_brand.yml"}
color:
  palette:
    blue: "#ddeaf1"
  background: blue
```

The most commonly used semantic colors include `foreground`, `background` and `primary`:

``` {.yaml filename="_brand.yml"}
color:
  palette:
    dark-grey: "#222222"
    blue: "#ddeaf1"
  background: blue
  foreground: dark-grey
  primary: black
```

The colors `foreground` and `background` are used consistently across formats to set the color of the main text and color of the page it appears on.
The color `primary` sets the link color, navbar color (`html` and `dashboard`), and progress bar color (`revealjs`).

For HTML formats that use Bootstrap (`html`, `dashboard`) the remaining semantic colors are mapped directly to their Bootstrap counterparts with the same name.

::: {.callout-tip collapse="true"}

## Full list of semantic colors 

The full list of semantic colors you can set in `color` is:

+-----------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Name                  | Description                                                                                                                   |
+=======================+===============================================================================================================================+
| `foreground`          | The main text color. Typically will be close to black and must have high contrast with the background color.                  |
+-----------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| `background`          | The main background color. Tyically will be close to white and must have high contrast with the foreground color.             |
+-----------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| `primary`             | The primary accent color, used for hyperlinks, active states, and primary action buttons.                                     |
+-----------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| `secondary`           | The secondary accent color, often used for lighter text or disabled states.                                                   |
+-----------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| `tertiary`            | The tertiary accent color, used for hover states, accents, and wells.                                                         |
+-----------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| `success`             | The color used for positive or successful actions and information.                                                            |
+-----------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| `info`                | The color used for neutral or informational actions and information.                                                          |
+-----------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| `warning`             | The color used for warning or cautionary actions and information.                                                             |
+-----------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| `danger`              | The color used for errors, dangerous actions, or negative information.                                                        |
+-----------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| `light`               | A bright color, used as a high-contrast foreground color on dark elements or low-contrast background color on light elements. |
+-----------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| `dark`                | A dark color, used as a high-contrast foreground color on light elements or high-contrast background color on light elements. |
+-----------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

:::

You can access both named and semantic colors from your brand in SCSS and using the `brand` shortcode. See [Using `_brand.yml` values](#using-brand-values) for more details.

### Logo

[Logo in the **brand.yml** docs](https://posit-dev.github.io/brand-yml/brand/logo.html){.external}

Use `logo` to specify the logo for your brand:

``` {.yaml filename="_brand.yml"}
logo: 
  medium: logo.png
```

You can specify a local file path, relative to the location of `_brand.yml`, or a URL.

A single logo may not work well in all locations so **brand.yml** allows you to set three different logos: `small`, `medium` and `large`. For example:

``` {.yaml filename="_brand.yml"}
logo: 
  small: logo-small.png
  medium: logo.png
  large: logo-large.png
```

You don't need to specify all three---Quarto will use what you provide based on the following preferences:

+----------------------+----------------------------------------------+-------------------------------+
| Format               | Location                                     | Logo Preference (high to low) |
+======================+==============================================+===============================+
| `html`/`dashboard`   | Top navigation bar                           | `small`\> `medium`\>`large`   |
+----------------------+----------------------------------------------+-------------------------------+
| `html`               | Side navigation                              | `medium`\>`small`\>`large`    |
+----------------------+----------------------------------------------+-------------------------------+
| `typst`              | Top left, control with `format: typst: logo` | `medium`\>`small`\>`large`    |
+----------------------+----------------------------------------------+-------------------------------+
| `revealjs`           | Bottom right corner of slides                | `medium`\>`small`\>`large`    |
+----------------------+----------------------------------------------+-------------------------------+

You can also specify named logos under `images` which you can reference in `small`, `medium` and `large`. In particular, this allows you to set alternative text for your logos using `alt`:

``` {.yaml filename="_brand.yml"}
logo: 
  images:
    quarto-logo: 
      path: https://quarto.org/quarto.png
      alt: "Quarto icon"
  small: quarto-logo
```

::: {.callout-warning}

## Limitation

The **brand.yml** specification allows you to specify a `light` and `dark` version of your logo, but Quarto currently only uses the `light` version.

::: 

#### Document logo customization

The document `logo` option allows extra customization of the logo.

To choose a brand logo resource:
```{.yaml filename="document.qmd"}
---
logo: large
---
```

To choose a brand logo resource and change the alt text:

```{.yaml filename="document.qmd"}
---
logo:
  path: large
  alt: Alternate alternate text
---
```

::: {.callout-warning}

## Limitation

It is [not currently possible](https://github.com/quarto-dev/quarto-cli/issues/11309) to customize the logo for a specific page within a website. Only the project's `_brand.yml` is applied.

::: 

The Typst implementation allows customization of the logo position at the document level:

```{.yaml filename="document.qmd"}
---
logo:
  width: 1in
  location: right-top
  padding-right: 0.5in
  padding-top: 0.25in
  alt: Alternate alternate text
---
```

+--------------------------+------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Option                   | Description                                                                                                                                    |
+==========================+================================================================================================================================================+
| `width`                  | Width in CSS units. Default `1.5in`.                                                                                                           |    
+--------------------------+------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| `location`               | Location on the page in `X-Y`, where `X` is `left`, `center`, or `right` and Y is `top`, `middle`, or `bottom`.                                |
|                          | Applied as Typst [`align`](https://typst.app/docs/reference/layout/align/).                                                                    |
+--------------------------+------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| `padding`, `padding-top`,| Amount of padding to add to each side of the logo, using CSS [`padding`](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/padding) conventions.| 
| `padding-right`,         | Padding options are applied in alphabetical order.                                                                                             |
| `padding-bottom`,        | Applied as Typst [`block.inset`](https://typst.app/docs/reference/layout/block/#parameters-inset).                                             |
| `padding-left`           | Default `padding: 0.75in`.                                                                                                                     |
+--------------------------+------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+


### Typography

[Typography in the **brand.yml** docs](https://posit-dev.github.io/brand-yml/brand/typography.html){.external}

The `typography` element allows you to specify fonts and their style. Use `fonts` to specify a list of fonts to use for your brand:

``` {.yaml filename="_brand.yml"}
typography:
  fonts:
    - family: Jura
      source: google
```

The properties you can set for a font under `fonts` depends on the `source`. You can see the other properties available in our [Reference for Brand](/docs/reference/metadata/brand.qmd#font-resource-definitions).

You can then refer to fonts by `family` in the remaining typography options:

``` {.yaml filename="_brand.yml"}
typography:
  fonts:
    - family: Jura
      source: google
  base: Jura
  headings: Jura
```

The options `base` and `headings` set the typographic style of the main text and headings respectively. 
Use `links` to apply specific styles to links.
The option `monospace` sets the typographic style of code in general, and `monospace-inline` and `monospace-block` can be further used to style code that appears inline and in blocks respectively:

``` {.yaml filename="_brand.yml"}
typography:
  fonts:
    - family: Jura
      source: google
    - family: Space Mono
      source: google
  base: Jura
  headings: Jura
  link:
    decoration: underline
  monospace: Space Mono
  monospace-inline:
    color: "#222222"
    background-color: "#ddeaf1" # or use a named color from `color`
  monospace-block: 
    background-color: "#eef4f8"
```



The fields allowed for each element differ, expand the callout below to see what is supported in each field.

::: {.callout-tip collapse="true"}

## Full set of text elements and supported fields.

The full set of text elements that you can style with `typography` is:

+--------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+------------------------+
| Attribute          | Description                                                                                            | Supported Fields       |
+====================+========================================================================================================+========================+
| `base`             | Default text, primarily used in the document body.                                                     | -   `family`           |
|                    |                                                                                                        | -   `size`             |
|                    |                                                                                                        | -   `line-height`      |
|                    |                                                                                                        | -   `weight`           |
+--------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+------------------------+
| `headings`         | All heading levels (h1, h2, etc.).                                                                     | -   `family`           |
|                    |                                                                                                        | -   `weight`           |
|                    |                                                                                                        | -   `style`            |
|                    |                                                                                                        | -   `line-height`      |
|                    |                                                                                                        | -   `color`            |
+--------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+------------------------+
| `monospace`        | General monospaced text, typically used in code blocks and other programming-related content.          | -   `family`           |
|                    |                                                                                                        | -   `size`             |
|                    |                                                                                                        | -   `weight`           |
+--------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+------------------------+
| `monospace-inline` | Inline monospaced text, usually used for code snippets within regular text. Inherits from `monospace`. | -   `family`           |
|                    |                                                                                                        | -   `size`             |
|                    |                                                                                                        | -   `weight`           |
|                    |                                                                                                        | -   `color`            |
|                    |                                                                                                        | -   `background-color` |
+--------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+------------------------+
| `monospace-block`  | Block (multi-line) monospaced text, typically used for code blocks. Inherits from `monospace`.         | -   `family`           |
|                    |                                                                                                        | -   `size`             |
|                    |                                                                                                        | -   `weight`           |
|                    |                                                                                                        | -   `line-height`      |
|                    |                                                                                                        | -   `color`            |
|                    |                                                                                                        | -   `background-color` |
+--------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+------------------------+
| `link`             | Hyperlinks.                                                                                            | -   `weight`           |
|                    |                                                                                                        | -   `color`            |
|                    |                                                                                                        | -   `background-color` |
|                    |                                                                                                        | -   `decoration`       |
+--------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+------------------------+

The supported fields are generally described as follows:

-   `family`: The font family to be used for a typographic element. This should match a font resource declared in `typography.fonts`.

-   `size`: The font size for a typographic element. Should be specified using a CSS length unit (e.g., "14px", "1em", "0.9rem").

-   `weight`: The font weight (or boldness) of the text. Can be a numeric value between 100 and 900, or a string like "normal" or "bold".

-   `style`: The font style for the text, typically either "normal" or "italic".

-   `line-height`: The line height of the text, which refers to the vertical space between lines. Often expressed as a multiple of the font size or in fixed units.

-   `color`: The color of the text. Can be any CSS-compatible color definition or a reference to a color defined in the brand's color palette.

-   `background-color`: The background color for the text element. Can be any CSS-compatible color definition or a reference to a color defined in the brand's color palette.

-   `decoration`: The text decoration, typically used for links. Common values include "underline", "none", or "overline".

::: 

#### Typst

See [the Advanced documentation](/docs/advanced/typst/brand-yaml.qmd#typography) for more details on the Typst implementation, and troubleshooting tips for fonts.


### Defaults

[Defaults in the **brand.yml** docs](https://posit-dev.github.io/brand-yml/brand/defaults.html){.external}

The `defaults` section of **brand.yml** allows users to set options for specific tools that don't otherwise fit into the **brand.yml** schema. Quarto's implementation currently supports `defaults: bootstrap`.

#### Bootstrap

The `bootstrap` section of `defaults` follows [**brand.yml**](https://posit-dev.github.io/brand-yml/brand/defaults.html) and applies to the `html` and `dashboard` formats.
Quarto merges the options set under `defaults: bootstrap` in the appropriate layer of [Quarto's SCSS layering system](/docs/output-formats/html-themes-more.qmd).

The `defaults` option inside `bootstrap`, can take a string, or key-value pairs
corresponding to SCSS variable name-value pairs.
Building on our initial example, you could use `bootstrap: defaults` to set the SCSS variables `link-decoration` and `navbar-fg`:

``` {.yaml filename="_brand.yml"}
defaults:
  bootstrap:
    defaults: # defaults also supports a string as its value
      link-decoration: underline
      navbar-fg: "#fff"
```

The resulting HTML pages will have links that are underlined and use white for text in the navigation bar.

::::::: {.column-body-outset-right layout-ncol="2"}
::: {}
![Without `defaults: bootstrap` setting](/docs/authoring/images/brand-html-no-defaults.png){.lightbox group="brand-bootstrap-defaults" fig-alt="Screenshot of a webpage. The text is dark grey on a light blue background, using a rounded sans-serif typeface, a logo appears in the navbar."}
:::

::: {}
![With `defaults: bootstrap` setting: note the link decoration and the white color for the navbar text](/docs/authoring/images/brand-html-defaults.png){.lightbox group="brand-bootstrap-defaults" fig-alt="Screenshot of a webpage. It looks identical to the previous image, except for underlined links and white text on the navbar."}
:::
:::::::

In addition to the `defaults` option, Quarto supports `uses`, `functions`, `mixins` and `rules`, which all take a string value. 
For example, you could use `rules` to provide a CSS rule to remove the border below second-level headings:

```{.yaml filename="_brand.yml"}
defaults:
  bootstrap:
    # uses: <string>
    # functions: <string>
    # mixins: <string>
    rules: |
      h2 {
        border: none;
      }
```

### Meta

[Meta in the **brand.yml** docs](https://posit-dev.github.io/brand-yml/brand/meta.html){.external}

You can set brand metadata using the `meta` key:

``` {.yaml filename="_brand.yml"}
meta:
  name: Acme Corporation
  link: https://www.acmecorp.com
```

::: {.callout-warning}

## Limitation

Quarto does nothing with `meta` values.

::: 


## Using `_brand.yml` values {#using-brand-values}

Beyond the automatic application of your brand file, you can also directly access `_brand.yml` values in Quarto documents. In this section, you'll learn how to use the `brand` shortcode, use brand variables in SCSS files, and some format-specific ways to use access brand values.

### Shortcode - `{{{< brand >}}}`

Some values from the `_brand.yml` configuration file can be accessed via the `brand` shortcode. In particular, you can access colors and logos by name:

-   Use `{{{< brand color COLOR_NAME BRAND_MODE >}}}` to return the brand color named `COLOR_NAME` as a string. The `BRAND_MODE` is optional and defaults to `light`. To return the color from the [dark brand](#dark-brand) use `dark`.
-   Use `{{{< brand logo LOGO_NAME >}}}` to return the brand logo named `LOGO_NAME` as an image.

For example, you could use the shortcode to place a brand image you've named `icon` in a dashboard sidebar:

````{.markdown filename="dashboard.qmd" shortcodes="false"}
---
format: dashboard
---

## Inputs {.sidebar}

{{< brand logo icon >}}

````

Or, you could use the shortcode to set the background of a revealjs slide to your `primary` brand color:

````{.markdown filename="slides.qmd" shortcodes="false"}
---
format: revealjs
---

## Slide Title {background-color='{{< brand color primary >}}'}
````

::: {.callout-warning}
## Limitation

You can't currently access `typography`, `meta`, or `defaults` values using the `brand` shortcode.
:::

### In SCSS

The colors defined in `palette` are set as SCSS variables of the form `brand-COLOR_NAME`. 
For example, if `_brand.yml` defines `blue`:

```{.yaml filename="_brand.yml"}
color:
  palette:
    blue: "#ddeaf1"
```

Then the variable `$brand-blue` is will be set to `#ddeaf1` in the `defaults` layer of  [Quarto's SCSS layering system](/docs/output-formats/html-themes-more.html#bootstrap-bootswatch-layering). 
You can add a custom SCSS file, `styles.scss`, in the usual way:
```{.yaml filename="_quarto.yml"}
format:
  html:
    theme: [styles.scss]
```

Then `styles.scss` can use these brand variables to make style tweaks. 
For example, you might want all `h1` elements to be `blue`:

```{.scss filename="styles.scss"}
/*-- scss:rules --*/

h1 {
  color: $brand-blue;
}
```

When you specify SCSS files without an explicit `brand` element, it is equivalent to listing them after `brand`.
For instance, the above `theme` is equivalent to:

```{.yaml filename="_quarto.yml"}
format:
  html:
    theme: [brand, styles.scss]
```

The order of elements in `theme` controls their priority. 
For example, you could layer brand and your custom SCSS on top of a built-in theme:

```{.yaml filename="_quarto.yml"}
format:
  html:
    theme: [cosmo, brand, styles.scss]
```

You can learn more about layering themes in [More About Quarto Themes](/docs/output-formats/html-themes-more.qmd).

### Typst

In Typst documents, brand colors are set in a [dictionary](https://typst.app/docs/reference/foundations/dictionary/) called `brand-color`. 
You can access them directory in raw Typst blocks using the syntax `brand-color.COLOR_NAME`.
For example, you could make a rectangle filled with your `primary` brand color:

````{.markdown filename="document.qmd"}

```{=typst}
#rect(fill: brand-color.primary)
```
````

### Lua API

Filters and shortcodes can access brand values using the `brand` Lua module.

``` lua
local brand = require('modules/brand/brand')
local primary = brand.get_color('primary')
```

## Migrating to `_brand.yml`: use the `brand` string in `theme`

::: callout-note

The following information is only necessary if you are migrating projects created with Quarto 1.5 and earlier to use `_brand.yml`.

:::

Migrating existing projects to Quarto 1.6's `_brand.yml` support is a straightforward process.
The usual way to create themes in Quarto 1.5 and earlier is to use one of the predefined bootswatch themes.
This is often combined with an additional user-defined `.scss` file.
In Quarto 1.5, a `_quarto.yml` file usually has an entry like the following:

```yaml
# Quarto 1.5 syntax
theme:
  - cosmo       # a predefined bootswatch theme
  - tweaks.scss # a user-defined customization
```

When using this syntax with Quarto 1.6's `_brand.yml` support, keep in mind that `_brand.yml` always takes _lowest_ priority in styles.
In other words, the configuration above is equivalent to the following:

```yaml
# Quarto 1.6 syntax
theme:
  - brand        # theming derived from `_brand.yml`
  - cosmo        # a predefined bootswatch theme
  - tweaks.scss  # a user-defined customization
```

As a result, values set by `brand` here are potentially overriden by the `cosmo` theme or by `tweaks.scss`.
This is sometimes useful, but often you will want to make `brand` _more_ important than the theme.
For these situations, use the following:

```yaml
# Quarto 1.6 syntax
theme:
  - cosmo        # a predefined bootswatch theme
  - brand        # theming derived from `_brand.yml`
  - tweaks.scss  # a user-defined customization
```

The analogous syntax also works for combining light and dark brands with light and dark themes:

```yaml
# Quarto 1.7 syntax
theme:
  light:
    - cosmo
    - brand
  dark:
    - slate
    - brand
```

Learn more about how Quarto generates styles in [More About Quarto Themes](/docs/output-formats/html-themes-more.qmd).