Color

In addition to representing the university, our colors were chosen with accessibility and differentiation in mind.

Looking for Web Color?

Primary Colors

Illini orange and Illini blue are central to our brand identity and should be the dominant colors used in university designs. Research shows orange is the color most identified with our brand.
We encourage orange being incorporated as much as blue.

Secondary Colors

Our secondary colors provide additional, neutral color options to supplement Illini orange and Illini blue on a limited basis. With the exception of white, these should only be used minimally as necessary or in applications where it’s not possible to use only Illini orange or Illini blue. The use of additional neutral colors is not permitted. 

Supporting Colors

Some specialized designs require additional colors for functional use. Our supporting colors complement our primary and secondary colors, but should not compete with them. They should be used only when necessary and should never be used in place of Illini orange or Illini blue.

Only use supporting colors to enhance icons and make charts, infographics and graphs more readable. They should never be used for large floods of background colors.

Using Color

All university designs must use Illini orange and Illini blue as the dominant colors in the available design space. They are our primary colors and should be used boldly. Designers should not feel compelled to use the entire palette and instead should aim to use the fewest number of secondary and supporting colors possible. Only introduce secondary and supporting colors when necessary.

Tints

In very rare cases, you may need a tint of a supporting color to display complex information. You can use 80%, 60%, 40% and 20% versions of the supporting colors if needed. You should never use a tint of a color if you don’t use the 100% version.

Accessibility

No matter what form design work takes, it is critical to prioritize accessibility. In both digital and print design, color plays a large role in whether content is accessible or not. Ensure there’s enough color contrast between text and background elements for users to easily view and engage with the content. For more information on how the university brand colors can be used together in an accessible way, please reference the example images and guidance on the Web Color page.