UNC Colors
Color Palette
Aside from the logo, color is one of the most recognizable parts of the University brand. It helps express our personality and when used correctly, provides an easy way to create a cohesive visual identity.
The University brand uses both a primary and secondary color palette for print and digital content. Adhering to the following color reproduction guidelines will help to create a consistent image and maintain the visual impact of the identity.
For more information, please visit the University’s identity page at identity.unc.edu
Primary Palette
Carolina Blue and navy are at the core of our visual identity and should be the main colors on all University materials. Additionally, black and white are considered part of the primary palette.
Carolina Blue
PMS 542c
CMYK 60, 19, 1, 4
Hex #4B9CD3
RGB 75, 156, 211
Digital Links #007FAE
Navy
PMS 2767c
CMYK 100, 90, 10, 77
Hex #13294B
RGB 19, 41, 75
Black
PMS Black 3
CMYK 74, 52, 71, 90
Hex #151515
RGB 21, 21, 21
White
CMYK 0, 0, 0, 0
HEX #FFFFFF
RGB 255, 255, 255
Secondary Palette
More information and a secondary palette will be available at a later date.
Web Accessibility
The University is committed to making our digital footprint more accessible to those with low vision, colorblindness or other disabilities. It follows the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Level AA for all new digital materials.
When choosing colors for digital materials, be sure to maintain appropriate color contrast between text and backgrounds to ensure legibility for all readers. The WebAIM Color Contrast Checker is a free tool to test the color contrast of your chosen color combinations.
For more guidelines and resources on digital accessibility, please visit the Digital Accessibility Office.
Web Carolina Blue
Hex #4B9CD3
RGB 75, 156, 211
NOTE: Use with font sizes larger than 24 px (or 19 px and bold).
Hyperlink Blue
Hex #007FAE
RGB 0, 127, 174
NOTE: Use on a white background only.
WCAG Contrast Checker by Acart Communications This one has an interactive picker when you click the mini palette next to your hex code that lets you dial in to the exact pixel that passes the contrast test.
Lea Verou’s Contrast Ratio Pretty interface to compare foreground and background colors.
WebAIM Color Contrast Checker Lighten and darken incrementing is a great feature.
Tota11y Toolkit Chrome Extension Reviews published pages and reports errors and warnings right on the spot.
Chrome Color Contrast Analyzer Extension from NCSU Grab sections of the page with text on images and this tool scans the pixels to demonstrate if enough contrast exists (eyeball test).
Note:
The point unit is indicated in the WCAG guidelines; however, points are rarely used in web development. This can create confusion! The point is larger than the more common pixel. However, the official warning below suggests that success in this area is a joint responsibility between authors and users.
The actual size of the character that a user sees is dependent both on the author-defined size and the user’s display or user-agent settings. For many mainstream body text fonts, 14 and 18 point is roughly equivalent to 1.2 and 1.5 em or to 120% or 150% of the default size for body text (assuming that the body font is 100%), but authors need to check this for the particular fonts in use. When fonts are defined in relative units, the actual point size is calculated by the user agent for display. The point size should be obtained from the user agent, or calculated based on font metrics as the user agent does, when evaluating this success criterion. Users who have low vision would be responsible for choosing appropriate settings.