How Kenvue and Monotype transformed typographic operations at scale.

From fragmented font management to a governed global system – reducing risk, improving efficiency, and strengthening brand consistency across 165+ countries.

Kenvue is one of the world’s largest pure-play consumer health companies and the name behind iconic brands such as Aveeno®, Johnson’s®, and Listerine®. Managing an extraordinary number of brand touchpoints — and by extension, a huge volume of fonts — means typography is not just a design detail. It’s infrastructure. Kenvue’s challenge was a decentralized and fragmented font ecosystem, characterized by non-standardized usage and no overarching system for tracking licensing. This created compliance risk, operational inefficiencies, and limited visibility across teams and markets, exposing the organization to potential misuse and legal issues. Partnering with Monotype, Kenvue transformed its typography governance, from a fragmented, reactive system into a centralized, scalable infrastructure that reduces risk, improves efficiency, and strengthens brand consistency globally.

Fragmented font management created risk, inefficiency, and inconsistency.

Traveling to hundreds of countries and reaching over a billion consumers each day means every touchpoint (be it digital, in-store, print, packaging, etc.) must feel consistent, recognizable, and reliable. As Kenvue’s Head of Creative Operations, Carrie Roberts, puts it: “I think that type can be a distinctive asset if it's used in the right way. It can be the connective tissue that holds the brand together across languages and markets.” At Kenvue’s scale, typography plays a critical role across the business:

Drives brand recognition across hundreds of touchpoints and markets
Supports trust and clarity in a highly regulated health environment
Ensures legibility and accessibility across languages and scripts
Creates consistency across global brands, campaigns, and products

But with scale comes complexity — and it grew organically over time. Fonts were acquired project-by-project or brand-by-brand, often by external agencies or local teams, with licensing tracked inconsistently.

Resulting challenges:

Inconsistent brand expression across markets
Inefficient workflows with duplicated effort
Increased legal and compliance risk

The first step in the transformation was gaining full visibility: what fonts were licensed, how they were used, and where gaps existed. From there, the objective became clear: replace fragmentation and risk with a centralized, transparent, and scalable system — a single source of truth for typography across the organization.

A centralized typographic system embedded in real workflows.

This transformation was enabled through Monotype’s Typography Center of Excellence – an approach that combines platform, expertise, and embedded collaboration. Monotype began by understanding how Kenvue operates in practice: auditing the existing font landscape, engaging directly with design teams, and mapping how typography functions across brands and workflows. What distinguishes this approach is its operational depth:

Audit insight: Mapped fonts, usage, and licensing gaps.
Embedded collaboration: Weekly working sessions with design teams solving day-to-day challenges. A dedicated Monotype team works in ongoing partnership with Kenvue, holding weekly working sessions with designers.
Platform integration: Centralized access, distribution, and licensing via Monotype Fonts.
Governance standards: Clear guidance for selection, usage, and expansion.

As Carrie reflects, “I think what I expected at the beginning was that it was really a licensing conversation — like when you’ve lost a library book and someone’s coming for you. But it was more thoughtful. It was a teaching moment and a building moment together.” Through Monotype Fonts and the Typography Center of Excellence, Kenvue established a centralized system for accessing, distributing, and governing fonts — fully integrated into existing workflows.

As Ashley Stevens, Head of Design at Kenvue, explains, “The typographic expertise that the Monotype team brought to the table ensured that we were working with fonts that are globally compatible. We have global brands, and it's essential that we're conveying the same tone through typography, no matter the alphabet. This is where we really leaned on the expertise of the team.”

From fragmentation to efficiency, consistency, and creative confidence.

With a structured typographic system in place, the impact extends far beyond organization. Kenvue has moved from fragmented font management to a globally governed system that:

Reduces legal and compliance risk through clear licensing oversight
Improves efficiency by eliminating duplication and streamlining access
Strengthens brand consistency across markets and touchpoints
Enables more intentional creative decision-making at scale

Workflows are smoother. Decisions are more informed. And complexity is no longer a barrier — it’s managed. Creative teams are now able to focus less on navigating systems and more on expressing ideas. Typography is no longer reactive; it’s strategic. As Carrie puts it, “I feel quite spoiled and lucky if I'm honest. […] I feel like what you guys have done really well is bringing in the right people at the right time, who really care about listening to the customer.” This partnership-driven model ensures the system remains practical, usable, and embedded in everyday work.

“ It's been a great partnership. We'll be able to operate much more efficiently now, with full understanding of the fonts that are in our system, and when we decide to grow the library – we do it with intention. ”

Ashley Stevens

Head of Design at Kenvue

Split image of facial serum being applied and a Neutrogena serum bottle with dropper.

A sustainable, long-term system.

This partnership-driven model ensures the system remains practical, usable, and embedded in everyday work — supporting both global consistency and local flexibility. Proper licensing is not just compliance; it sustains the creative ecosystem that global brands depend on. Charles Nix, Senior Creative Type Director at Monotype, reflects, “I’m looking forward to not counting fonts with you for years to come – but to working with you for years to come.”

Through Monotype’s Typography Center of Excellence, Kenvue didn’t just organize its fonts — it built a scalable system designed to support consistency, compliance, and creativity for the long term. Get in touch today to see how our team can help you do the same!