Color Palettes

Color is an essential part of ensuring an iconic visual identity, and consistency of color usage across all mediums ensures a recognizable brand for the University of Pittsburgh.

Pitt relies on our historical Royal and Gold as our primary and most-used colors. Six secondary colors support Royal and Gold and allow for greater flexibility. Accent colors are used for emphasis or other informational needs such as icons, graphs and data visualizations.

Colors must be used consistently. Referring to these CMYK, RGB, HEX and Pantone (PMS) values will eliminate guesswork. CMYK and PMS are used exclusively for print, while RGB and HEX values are used for digital applications.

Primary Colors

These are the core colors that define the brand and should dominate most designs. They are used for large elements, such as backgrounds, banners and major sections, to ensure brand recognition.

Pitt Royal Blue

Pantone: 661C
CMYK: 100 75 0 6
RGB: 0 53 148
HEX: #003594

Pitt Gold

Pantone: 1235C
CMYK: 0 31 98 0
RGB: 255 184 28
HEX: #FFB81C

Secondary Colors

These colors support the primary palette. Use secondary colors for subheadings and other complementary elements that add depth without overwhelming the design.

New Sky

RGB: 219 / 238 / 255
HEX: #DBEEFF
CMYK: 12 / 2 / 0 / 0

Gray

RGB: 200 / 201 / 199
HEX: #C8C9C7
CMYK: 21 / 16 / 18 / 0

White

RGB: 255 / 255 / 255
HEX: #FFFFFF
CMYK: 0 / 0 / 0 / 0

Medium Blue

RGB: 0 / 32 / 91
HEX: #00205B
CMYK: 100 / 85 / 5 / 36

Bronze

RGB: 184 / 115 / 51
HEX: #B87333
CMYK: 16 / 63 / 100 / 3

Black

RGB: 0 / 0 / 0
HEX: #000000
CMYK: 0 / 0 / 0 / 100

Accent Colors

Accent colors are used sparingly to draw attention to specific elements, like buttons, icons or infographics. No more than four accent colors should be used at once except for data visualizations.