Color palettes

Primary palette

Crimson and blue have long been KU’s identifying colors. The Towering Toward the Blue brand platform retains those traditional colors and adds an extended palette of complementary and secondary colors. The extended palette options range from cool-hued prestigious designs to multicolored celebrations.

Kansas Blue

  • HEX #0051ba
  • RGB 0, 81, 186
  • CMYK 100, 55, 0, 5
  • PMS 293

Crimson

  • HEX #e8000d
  • RGB 232, 0, 13
  • CMYK 0, 100, 80, 5
  • PMS 186

Secondary palette

When pulling in colors from the secondary palettes to enhance the KU crimson and blue, use your best judgment in terms of color amounts.

Night

  • HEX #003459
  • RGB 0, 52, 89
  • CMYK 100, 56, 0, 67
  • PMS 655 C

Lake

  • HEX #2767ff
  • RGB 39, 103, 255
  • CMYK 99, 50, 0, 0
  • PMS 285 C

Sky

  • HEX #73cbf2
  • RGB 115, 203, 242
  • CMYK 52, 0, 1, 0
  • PMS 297 C

Fog

  • HEX #8e9fbc
  • RGB 142, 159, 188
  • CMYK 47, 22, 6, 7
  • PMS 535 C

Steam

  • HEX #dde5ed
  • RGB 221, 229, 237
  • CMYK 10, 2, 0, 0
  • PMS 656 C

Fire

  • HEX #ff3042
  • RGB 255, 48, 66
  • CMYK 0, 90, 84, 0
  • PMS 185 C

Brick

  • HEX #971b2f
  • RGB 151, 27, 47
  • CMYK 8, 100, 70, 33
  • PMS 7427 C

Wheat

  • HEX #f2a900
  • RGB 242, 169, 0
  • CMYK 0, 32, 100, 0
  • PMS 130 C

Terra Cotta

  • HEX #c66e4e
  • RGB 198, 110, 78
  • CMYK 12, 63, 72, 0
  • PMS 7618 C

Tallgrass

  • HEX #be9a79
  • RGB 190, 154, 121
  • CMYK 0, 19, 36, 25
  • PMS 2316 C

Limestone

  • HEX #d7d2cb
  • RGB 215, 210, 203
  • CMYK 6, 7, 10, 11
  • PMS Warm Gray 1 C

Supporting colors

These colors play crucial roles in branded materials, specifically the KU Signature and the Jayhawk mark.

Jayhawk Yellow

  • HEX #ffc82d
  • RGB 255, 200, 45
  • CMYK 0, 15, 100, 0
  • PMS PMS 116

Signature Gray

  • HEX #85898a
  • RGB 133, 137, 138
  • CMYK 5, 0, 0, 45
  • PMS PMS 430

Tints and shades

The tints and shades palette includes variations of our primary and secondary palettes. This palette was created to support digital designs. These colors should be used only when designing for screens and other places where the primary and secondary palettes are not good fits.

Kansas Blue

Step 1

  • HEX #1479FB
  • RGB 20, 121, 251

Kansas Blue

Step 2

  • HEX #0170FF
  • RGB 1, 112, 255

Kansas Blue

Step 3

  • HEX #004091
  • RGB 0, 64, 145

Kansas Blue

Step 4

  • HEX #003171
  • RGB 0, 49, 113

Crimson

Step 1

  • HEX #FB5A62
  • RGB 251, 90, 98

Crimson

Step 2

  • HEX #FB2F39
  • RGB 251, 47, 57

Crimson

Step 3

  • HEX #B90009
  • RGB 185, 0, 9

Crimson

Step 4

  • HEX #900007
  • RGB 144, 0, 7

Steam

Step 1

  • HEX #E7ECF2
  • RGB 231, 236, 242

Steam

Step 2

  • HEX #F2F5F8
  • RGB 242, 245, 248

Limestone

Step 1

  • HEX #DFDBD5
  • RGB 223, 219, 213

Limestone

Step 2

  • HEX #F5F4F2
  • RGB 245, 244, 242

Fog

Step 1

  • HEX #A5B2C9
  • RGB 165, 178, 201

Fog

Step 2

  • HEX #E3E7EE
  • RGB 227, 231, 238

Sky

Step 1

  • HEX #B6E2F5
  • RGB 182, 226, 245

Sky

Step 2

  • HEX #DCF2FC
  • RGB 220, 242, 252

Gray

Step 1

  • HEX #f1f1f1
  • RGB 241, 241, 241

Gray

Step 2

  • HEX #d9d9d9
  • RGB 217, 217, 217

Gray

Step 3

  • HEX #aaaaaa
  • RGB 170, 170, 170

Gray

Step 4

  • HEX #7e7e7e
  • RGB 126, 126, 126

Gray

Text

  • HEX #333333
  • RGB 51, 51, 51

Color accessibility

Colors and color combinations in your designs must meet accessibility standards. 

First, be sure to communicate meaning with more than just color. Consider people with colorblindness when choosing images and colors on your website, and avoid statements such as “choose the green button to go to the next page.”

Second, be sure that your colors meet contrast standards in accordance with WCAG 2.0 guideline 1.4. This allows individuals with low vision to properly distinguish foreground and background colors, especially in text and graphic elements. It is best to check your color choices using a color contrast checker such as the WebAIM Color Contrast Checker.

Here are a few color combinations from our palette that meet accessibility standards. 

Rock Chalk, Jayhawk.

Text Gray on Steam

Accessible ✓

Rock Chalk, Jayhawk.

Night on Sky

Accessible ✓

Rock Chalk, Jayhawk.

White on Kansas Blue

Accessible ✓

Rock Chalk, Jayhawk.

White on Brick

Accessible ✓

The examples below do not meet accessibility standards. 

Rock Chalk, Jayhawk.

Text Gray on Crimson

Inaccessible ✗

Rock Chalk, Jayhawk.

Night on Lake

Inaccessible ✗

Rock Chalk, Jayhawk.

White on Signature Gray

Inaccessible ✗

Rock Chalk, Jayhawk.

White on Sky

Inaccessible ✗

KU Blue PANTONE

The official University of Kansas blue is referred to as KU Blue PANTONE (PMS) 293. The gray used in the logotype is PANTONE (PMS) 430. You may substitute a 45% black screen for PMS 430 Signature Gray. Whenever possible, print PMS 293 as a spot or fifth color to ensure color accuracy.

The colors shown in this guide are for color reference only. Match to PANTONE® color standards for accuracy. PANTONE® is the property of Pantone, Inc.

Colors to avoid

Avoid using colors that could appear to represent other Midwestern institutions, especially members of our athletic conference. Colors and color combinations to avoid: 

  • Maroon and gray
  • Green and yellow
  • Yellow and black
  • Purple
  • Gold and black
  • Red and black
  • Maroon and white
  • Orange
  • Burnt orange