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