Colors

One Maize. One Blue. One Brand.

Maize and blue play a vital role in establishing a clear and powerful image and in defining the University of Michigan Brand, but there’s so much more to consider when establishing our identity.

Accessibility Requirements

When designing for the web, all content must conform to the accessibility standards set by the university’s ITS accessibility team.

Based on Web Content Accessibility 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 larger text, greater than 24px or 19px and bold. The chart below provides approved brand color combinations that meet WCAG 2.0 level AA standards.

This quick-reference chart shows which colors provide enough contrast to be used as text against a light background, and which colors don’t have enough contrast to be readable as text but could be used as a background.

Primary Palette — Signature Colors

Our signature color palette of Michigan Maize and Blue creates a powerful differentiator for our brand. Using this palette appropriately and consistently provides an additional layer of distinction.

Signature colors may be used extensively both for large areas of color and as accent colors.

ColorPrintWebWeb Accessible Combination
Maize

PMS: 7406
CMYK: C0, M18, Y100, K0

#FFCB05

Aa
Aa

Blue (#00274C)

Blue

PMS: 282
CMYK: C100, M60, Y0, K60

#00274C

Aa
Aa

Maize (#FFCB05)

Aa
Aa

White (#FFFFFF)

Secondary Palette — supporting colors

The colors in our supporting palette were chosen to complement our primary palette of maize and blue, providing additional range to the brand experience. They work well as accent colors or as backgrounds behind typography or graphics, but should never replace the primary palette as the main color(s) of a design. NOTE: While these colors are recommended rather than mandated, we strongly encourage you to use them.

Painting your office? Download a PDF of Sherwin-Williams paint colors corresponding to the U-M color palette.

Color Print Web Web Accessible Combination
Tappan Red

PMS: 484
CMYK: C8, M92, Y100, K33

#9A3324

Aa
Aa

White (#FFFFFF)

Ross Orange

PMS: 1595
CMYK: C0, M71, Y100, K3

#D86018

Aa

Black (#000000)

Rackham Green

PMS: 5565
CMYK: C44, M12, Y34, K24

#75988d

Aa
Aa

Black (#000000)


Blue (#00274C)

Wave Field Green

PMS: 398
CMYK: C14, M6, Y100, K24

#A5A508

Aa
Aa

Black (#000000)


Blue (#00274C)

Taubman Teal

PMS: 326
CMYK: C81, M0, Y39, K0

#00B2A9

Aa
Aa

Black (#000000)


Blue (#00274C)

Arboretum Blue

PMS: 660
CMYK: C88, M50, Y0, K0

#2F65A7

Aa

White (#FFFFFF)

Aa
A2 Amethyst

PMS: 2603
CMYK: C72, M99, Y0, K3

#702082

Aa
Aa

Maize (#FFCB05)


White (#FFFFFF)

Matthaei Violet

PMS: 668
CMYK: C70, M77, Y7, K23

#575294

Aa
Aa

Maize (#FFCB05)


White (#FFFFFF)

UMMA Tan

PMS: 7502
CMYK: C6, M14, Y39, K8

#CFC096

Aa
Aa

Black (#000000)


Blue (#00274C)

Burton Tower Beige

PMS: 451
CMYK: C21, M15, Y54, K31

#9B9A6D

Aa
Aa

Black (#000000)


Blue (#00274C)

Angell Hall Ash

PMS: PANTONE Warm Gray 6
CMYK: C14, M19, Y21, K39

#989C97

Aa
Aa

Black (#000000)


Blue (#00274C)

Law Quad Stone

PMS: PANTONE Warm Gray 11
CMYK: C26, M36, Y38, K68

#655A52

Aa
Aa

White (#FFFFFF)

Diag M Metalllic

PMS: 872

   
Puma Black

PMS: PANTONE Black 6
CMYK: C100, M79, Y44, K93

#131516

Aa
Aa

Maize (#FFCB05)


White (#FFFFFF)