Hail to the Orange.

If you’ve been on campus for any length of time, you’ll know that we’ve run the gamut when it comes to the color orange. Today, we’re excited to announce we’ve landed on one single orange for the University to unite around. 

Previously, there were two orange colors in use on campus – Athletics used PMS 7417, while the majority of campus used PMS 2026. Moving forward, the entire campus will use PMS 1655. 

So, why should we have only one orange? This shouldn't come as a surprise ­– consistency is key when developing a brand. Multiple oranges are confusing to consumers, even if they don’t realize the discrepancy. Research shows color increases brand recognition up to 80%. 

Why didn’t we just adopt one of the oranges already in play? PMS 7417 poses some accessibility issues. As you know, we are committed to inclusivity and accessibility in our electronic communications and websites. PMS 7417 also tends to print red. PMS 2026 is a more muted orange and didn’t fully capture the boldness of our university. PMS 1655 is a bold, vibrant orange and provides the accessibility we need to be ADA compliant. 

Now, I know what you’re thinking… why does the orange keep changing? As a designer, I understand the task at hand to update the orange in multiple places, templates, etc. I can assure you we did not reach this decision on a whim. The reality was that neither of the oranges were serving the needs of the entire campus and were creating a fractured brand. Our new orange and blue allows us to show our school pride while ensuring our digital assets are easily accessible to everyone in our extended university community.

Let’s rally around the orange and blue and build the campus-wide brand together.