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Cornell University

Cornell University Brand Center

Colors

The Cornell University brand has color standards for print and web. Each color standard has two sets of colors: primary and secondary.

Accessibility Requirements

When designing for the web, all web content must conform to the accessibility standards set by the university in Policy 5.12: Web Accessibility Standards.

Based on Web Content Accessiblity Guidelines (WCAG 2.0), the criteria for level AA requires a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text, greater than 24px or 19px and bold. The chart below provides approved brand color combinations that meet WCAG 2.0 level AA standards.

Primary Palette

Primary colors are the officially recognized color palette for the university. These colors are critical to leverage the Cornell brand and provide clear university consistency. Logos and lockups may only be represented in Carnellian, black or white.

Color Print Web (Hex) Web accessible combinations Example uses
Carnellian
PMS 187
CMYK (0,100,79,20)
#B31B1B
  • White (#FFFFFF)
  • Light Grey (#F7F7F7)
  • Cornell seal
  • Banners and backgrounds
  • Headlines
Dark Grey
PMS COOL GREY 11
CMYK (48,36,24,66)
#222222
  • White (#FFFFFF)
  • Light Grey (#F7F7F7)
  • Cornell seal
  • Banners and backgrounds
  • Headlines and body text
White
CMYK (0,0,0,0)
#FFFFFF
  • Carnellian (#B31B1B)
  • Dark Grey (#222222)
  • Cornell seal
  • Banners and backgrounds
  • Headlines or body text on dark backgrounds
Light gray
#F7F7F7
  • Carnellian (#B31B1B)
  • Dark Grey (#222222)
  • Backgrounds
  • Secondary text on dark backgrounds

Secondary Palette

Secondary colors are used minimally as accent and utility to complement, not compete with, the primary palette. These colors may not be chosen for banners or for any place used to support the Cornell logo.

Color Print Web (Hex) Web accessible combinations Example uses
Blue / Link blue
PMS PROCESS BLUE
CMYK (100,13,1,2)
#006699
  • White (#FFFFFF)
  • Light grey (#F7F7F7)
  • Links
  • Buttons
Green
PMS 369
CMYK (67,0,98,5)
#6EB43F

Graphic elements only

Highlights important features, but is used sparingly

  • Visual style elements, such as line breaks or color blocks without text
  • Small fill areas
#4B7B2B

Any text size
  • White (#FFFFFF)
  • Light grey (#F7F7F7)
#578E32

Large text only
  • White (#FFFFFF)
Orange
PMS 144
CMYK (0,52,100,0)
#F8981D

Graphic elements only

Highlights important features, but is used sparingly

  • Visual style elements, such as line breaks or color blocks without text
  • Small fill areas
#D47500

Large text only
  • White (#FFFFFF)
  • Light grey (#F7F7F7)
Secondary Red
PMS RED 032
CMYK (0,90,60,0)
#EF4035

Graphic elements only

Highlights important features, but is used sparingly


  • Visual style elements, such as line breaks or color blocks without text
  • Small fill areas
#DF1E12

Any text size
  • White (#FFFFFF)
  • Light grey (#F7F7F7)
Navy
PMS 7463
CMYK (100,62,12,62)
#073949
  • White (#FFFFFF)
  • Light grey (#F7F7F7)
  • Neutral background areas
Dark Warm Grey
PMS 403
CMYK (14,18,22,42)
#A2998B
  • White (#FFFFFF)
  • Black (#000000)
  • Neutral background areas
Sea Grey
PMS 5635
CMYK (29,8,25,24)
#9FAD9F
  • Black (#000000)
  • Neutral background areas

For more information about using approved colors, please request a brand consultation.