05 — Color

Color

Brown and gold are the heritage. Secondary colors break up longer stories and shift the tone. White space keeps it modern.

Click a swatch to copy the HEX. Click RGB, CMYK, or PMS to copy that value.

Primary colors

Layouts lean on yellow, gold, brown, dark brown, and white. Secondary colors join them when a scheme needs balance.

PMS —

Secondary colors

Rich supporting colors for hierarchy and a younger energy. Light gray is shown with its 50% tint in the guide. Logos do not sit on these colors.

Combinations follow the audience

Secondary color changes the tone. Prospective undergraduates can carry more of it. Formal audiences get very little. These stacks are a guide to proportion, not a closed set of recipes.

All uses

The primary palette is the common ground.

Formal and sophisticated

Brown, gold, dark brown, white. Secondary color stays quiet.

Casual and vibrant

Secondary colors come forward for a more energetic audience.

Digital color matrix

Each cell shows that text color on that background. LS passes WCAG 2.1 AA for body text and large text. L is large text only: 18 pt, or 14 pt bold. A dash fails. Size still changes real-world legibility.

Grades are calculated from the published HEX values. The printed matrix groups Yellow and Gold as “Yellow(s).” They are split here because gold fails pairs that yellow still passes, including teal and magenta at body size.

Text color down, background color across
Text	Yellow	Gold	Brown	Dark Brown	White	Light Blue	Teal	Orange	Magenta	Light Gray	Black
Yellow	—	—	LS	LS	—	—	LS	L	LS	—	LS
Gold	—	—	LS	LS	—	—	L	—	L	—	LS
Brown	LS	LS	—	—	LS	LS	—	—	—	LS	—
Dark Brown	LS	LS	—	—	LS	LS	—	L	—	LS	—
White	—	—	LS	LS	—	—	LS	L	LS	—	LS
Light Blue	—	—	LS	LS	—	—	L	—	L	—	LS
Teal	LS	L	—	—	LS	L	—	—	—	LS	—
Orange	L	—	—	L	L	—	—	—	—	—	LS
Magenta	LS	L	—	—	LS	L	—	—	—	LS	L
Light Gray	—	—	LS	LS	—	—	LS	—	LS	—	LS
Black	LS	LS	—	—	LS	LS	—	LS	L	LS	—

LS — any text size
L — large or bold text only
— — do not pair

Prestige palette

For the most formal communications, where the tone should feel elevated. Think Office of the President, or a high-dollar donor request. The brown and gold shift, especially in negative space, and secondary color pulls back to teal and light blue. If you are unsure, ask University Marketing. Use the prestige logo with this palette.