Color Palette
Our color palette is bold, distinctive, deep and flexible. We lead with our heritage colors, Monarch Blue, Silver Reign and Hudson Blue, along with generous open space. A robust set of secondary colors is available for content with deeper layers of information and design, or to infuse more energy or variety when a piece needs it. Our approach to color allows us to remain connected to our heritage and existing brand equity, while affording us sufficient flexibility for the wide variety of communications we craft.
Our primary palette consists of Monarch Blue, Silver Reign and Hudson Blue. Our external and official communications should almost always lead with (or include) one or all of these colors.
This helps ensure that people recognize them as ours, and that we continue to build brand equity through consistent repetition. If we're using only one of these colors, Monarch Blue is the preferred choice.
Because Monarch Blue and Silver Reign are on the darker side of the spectrum, they can feel visually heavy and carry an air of formality. To balance these traits, try to use ample white space alongside them.
When crafting communications that rely on full-bleed or large photographs, it's not necessary to use one or all of these colors, especially for logos or copy. In such cases, white may be more suitable for visual balance, contrast and legibility.
NOTE: While black is not formally a part of the primary palette, it can be used for text (especially body copy), as well as for contrast, for formal occasions and for other special circumstances where it's simply needed. However, efforts should be made to avoid using black prominently or in large floods.
Our secondary palette includes a mix of vibrant hues and muted colors, with a range of dark, light and middle tones available.
They work harmoniously with our primary colors and with each other, and each takes inspiration from our location and personality.
Secondary colors can be used subtly in support of our primary palette. Sometimes we use them more prominently or independently, especially for longer communications, casual internal communications, owned social media, data sets and charts and other scenarios where more variety or energy is desirable.
This group consists of blue and blue-adjacent colors. Using variations of a single hue can help our pieces feel fresh and dynamic, while not straying too far from the familiarity of Monarch Blue.
*Ultramarine Blue and Electric Teal are to be used only for digital applications. Do not print these colors using CMYK process — the proper vibrancy cannot be replicated in this manner.
This group shows the neutral hues in our secondary color palette. This group is no less important than the blues on the previous page, but we tend to use these colors slightly differently.
These neutral tones combine really well with the blues of our full palette; they can also help add some necessary lightness to layouts.
The warm tones (top row) are reminiscent of Virginia's coastal beaches and can incorporate warmth to our designs. The cool tones (bottom row) feel more formal, but offer a lighter effect than Silver Reign; they can also be used with Monarch Blue and other options as needed.
We can combine our primary and secondary colors to create a variety of palettes that are appropriate for different audiences, occasions and tactics.
The combinations shown here are just a sampling of the many that are possible. Avoid using all of the secondary colors at once; they have the most impact when they're used minimally and purposefully.
Try to limit each composition to four colors or less. Usually, you'll start with a primary color or white (and often both). This leaves room for one or two secondary colors. On occasion, you'll need to incorporate additional colors for charts and visual data.
The ratios shown here represent approximate color distributions throughout a composition - how color may be applied to text, icons, graphic elements and backgrounds. They're not meant to be interpreted as exact ratios or as the only ways in which colors can (or should) be combined and applied.
Not all colors will work well together for reasons of either accessibility or aesthetics. Depending on how they're applied, some colors may not interact directly with others. Note too that not all color combinations in our palette need to meet accessibility requirements. Accessibility guidelines (WCAG Level AA) apply only to colors for text and related backgrounds. For more guidance on this, see the next two pages.
For our communications to be effective, they must be inclusive - accessibility is important for serving everyone. Whenever possible, we want to remove barriers that prevent interaction with our messages. The open areas in the chart below represent color pairings that jeopardize legibility for typography, especially in digital media.
The color combinations shown here meet WCAG Level AA accessibility requirements for either large or small text in digital media. Large text is defined as boldface text at 14 pt. or larger, or any text at 18 pt. or larger. Some combinations may only be suitable for large text. For type size and color, always make choices that meet or exceed standards of legibility.
[LS] Large and Small: All text sizes can be used for this combination of colors.
[L] Large Only: Only use this combination for text that is 18 pt. or larger (or 14 pt. or larger if set in bold).
This chart can be used as an aid to avoid choosing color combinations that are visually unpleasant. Open areas represent combinations that are incompatible or undesirable. All other combinations are eligible for use in some, but not necessarily all, capacities.
Some of these color combinations may not meet WCAG Level AA accessibility requirements for text legibility in digital media (see previous page). Always make decisions regarding type sizes and colors that meet or exceed standards of legibility.
However, some non-text-legible combinations may still be used for graphics, patterns, textures or background colors, so long as any text placed over top of them remains accessible.
For example, in some cases, a subtle tone-on-tone effect for a background pattern can add depth and texture, without distraction or compromising text legibility. Conversely, an extremely vibrant combination of hues that seems to clash can sometimes create a sense of energy or movement, and can really attract people's attention.
