Color Palette

Chosen by the university’s founders, the University of San Diego’s official primary colors are at the heart of its brand.

The colors blue and white were chosen because of their connection to the Virgin Mary, a statue of whom sits atop the dome of The Immaculata, which also is adorned in blue. The blue dome is one of the first things people notice on the campus and one of the most recognized landmarks in the region.

In addition to using primary colors consistently in printed and electronic materials, they should also be used intentionally at USD events in the decor, in the signage and related collateral and even in the apparel worn by staff and volunteers. This helps reinforce the brand, promotes school spirit and lends itself to photography that will look cohesive in future promotional materials.

While blue and white are the university's primary colors and an integral part of our brand, an accent color palette is meant to provide versatility and variety when developing communications materials for the university. Accent colors help to draw the eye from one graphic element to another, providing movement on the page.

The accent palette is used for items such as infographics, sidebars, charts, graphs and tables. The accent palette is to be used judiciously, and not as the main graphic element on any promotional materials.

Primary Colors

  • Founders Blue
    PMS 281
    C90 / M58 / Y0 / K46
    R0 / G59 / B112
    #003b70
  • Immaculata Blue
    PMS 300
    C100 / M50 / Y0 / K0
    R0 / G116 / B200
    #0074c8
  • Torero Blue
    PMS 292
    C50 / M10 / Y0 / K0
    R117 / G190 / B233
    #75bee9
  • Alcala White
    C0 / M0 / Y0 / K0
    R255 / G255 / B255
    #ffffff

Accent Colors

  • PMS 7680
    C78 / M99 / Y0 / K8
    R90 / G43 / B129
    #5a2b81
  • PMS 7711
    C100 / M0 / Y20 / K20
    R0 / G164 / B153
    #00a499
  • PMS 4725
    C13 / M38 / Y43 / K31
    R161 / G122 / B104
    #a17a68
  • PMS Cool Gray 8
    C5 / M0 / Y0 / K60
    R100 / G100 / B105
    #646469
  • PMS 202
    C0 / M100 / Y59 / K46
    R146 / G0 / B45
    #92002d
  • PMS 167
    C5 / M70 / Y100 / K5
    R194 / G82 / B25
    #c25219
  • PMS 2007
    C0 / M33 / Y92 / K5
    R238 / G170 / B43
    #eeaa2b
  • PMS 2306
    C35 / M0 / Y100 / K40
    R114 / G140 / B31
    #728c1f

Proper Use of Accent Colors

The accent palette was carefully selected to complement USD's primary colors. The use of white space, as well as professional photography and limited use of colors from the accent color palette creates the right environment for USD's primary colors to stand out on their own merits.

Improper Use of Accent Colors

While accent colors can work well to help support and enhance USD's primary colors, improper use of them dilutes the brand of the university. They should not dominate the look of a piece, be used in large blocks behind text or make up more than 20 percent of an individual print spread or website.