Colours

A stylised photo of a badminton player

Primary colour palette

An image indicates the four main colours in the primary palette.

Lancaster University’s primary brand colours are internationally recognised and inspired by our roots in the historic city of Lancaster.

Lancaster red communicates our strength and prestige as an academic institution.

The dark grey, previously known as Quaker grey, reflects the city and region’s strong association with the Quaker movement.

Black and white provide balance and simplicity and are a clean contrast for our whole colour palette.

Always lead with the red and grey before adding any secondary colours.

Lancaster red Dark grey White Black
CMYK 0,90,85,29 1,0,0,66 0,0,0,0 0,0,0,100
RGB 181,18,27 85,86,86 255,255,255 0,0,0
HSL 356.7,81.9%,39% 180,0.6%,33.5% 0,0%,100% 0,0%,0%
Hex #B5121B #555656 #FFFFFF #000000

Secondary colour palette

An image of four block colours representing the secondary colour palette

We have four secondary colours. They have been chosen to create impact and support the primary palette.

The green and blue are inspired by our countryside and coastal surroundings. Avoid using the green and blue together.

Pale grey can be used to complement any of our colours.

Orange is our accent colour. Use it to add small highlights to a page or draw attention to details.

Green Blue Pale grey Orange
CMYK 42,0,24,62 74,31,0,53 2,1,0,24 0,43,84,1
RGB 56,97,74 32,84,121 190,192,194 253,144,41
HSL 146.3,26.8%,30% 204.9,58.2%,30% 210,3.2%,75.3% 29.2,98.1%,57.6%
Hex #38614A #205479 #BEC0C2 #FD9029

Secondary tints

Tints offer flexibility – particularly for web design. They are also handy for designs featuring heavy use of infographics or illustration.

These are the only approved tints. The primary colours and orange are not available to use as tints.

A diagram showing the different tint options for the colour palette.
Colour Green Blue Pale grey
80% CMYK (26,0,15,49)
RGB (96,129,110)
HSL (145.5,14.7%,44.1%)
Hex #60816E
CMYK (48,20,0,42)
RGB (77,118,148)
HSL (205.4,31.6%,44.1%)
Hex #4D7694
CMYK (1,0,0,19)
RGB (203,205,206)
HSL (200,3%,80.2%)
Hex #CBCDCE
60% CMYK (15,0,9,37)
RGB (136,160,146)
HSL (145,11.2%,58%)
Hex #88A092
CMYK (31,13,0,31)
RGB (121,152,175)
HSL (205.6,25.2%,58%)
Hex #7998AF
CMYK (1,0,0,15)
RGB (216,217,218)
HSL (210,2.6%,85.1%)
Hex #D8D9DA
40% CMYK (9,0,5,25)
RGB (175,192,183)
HSL (148.2,11.9%,72%)
Hex #AFC0B7
CMYK (17,7,0,21)
RGB (166,187,201)
HSL (204,24.5%,72%)
Hex #A6BBC9
CMYK (1,0,0,9)
RGB (229,230,231)
HSL (210,4%,90.2%)
Hex #E5E6E7

Colour use

The quickest way to maintain a cohesive and refined visual, as well as ensuring your designs are accessible, is to restrict colour use to:

Accessible colour combinations