A consistent color palette helps build awareness and recognition. Always use the color values in these guidelines to ensure exactly the right match.
Core Colors
Externally facing university collateral, uniforms, vehicles, signs and other key identity elements must always be produced using the core color palette. Carnegie Red should be a standout color in your designs.
Carnegie Red
Hex: #C41230
RGB: 196, 18, 48
CMYK: 0, 100, 79, 20
PMS: 187C
Black
Hex: #000000
RGB: 0, 0, 0
CMYK: 0, 0, 0, 100
PMS: Black C
Iron Gray
Hex: #6D6E71
RGB: 109, 110, 113
CMYK: 0, 0, 0, 70
PMS: Cool Gray 10 C
Steel Gray
Hex: #E0E0E0
RGB: 224, 224, 224
CMYK: 0, 0, 0, 30
PMS: Cool Gray 4 C
White
Hex: #FFFFFF
RGB: 255, 255, 255
CMYK: 0, 0, 0, 0
Secondary Colors
A secondary palette is available for communications targeted to the internal CMU community.
Tartan Palette
Inspired by the threads of the Tartan for bold communications.
Scots Rose
Hex: #EF3A47
RGB: 239, 58, 71
CMYK: 0, 90, 60, 0
PMS: Red 032 C
Gold Thread
Hex: #FDB515
RGB: 253, 181, 21
CMYK: 0, 32, 100, 0
PMS: 130 C
Green Thread
Hex: #009647
RGB: 0, 150, 71
CMYK: 93, 0, 98, 17
PMS: 348 C
Teal Thread
Hex: #008F91
RGB: 0, 143, 145
CMYK: 100, 0, 29, 24
PMS: 7713 C
Blue Thread
Hex: #043673
RGB: 4, 54, 115
CMYK: 100, 75, 6, 24
PMS: 288 C
Highlands Sky Blue
Hex: #007BC0
RGB: 0, 123, 192
CMYK: 100, 11, 3, 12
PMS: 640 C
Campus Palette
Inspired by our iconic architecture for softer communications.
Machinery Hall Tan
Hex: #BCB49E
RGB: 188, 180, 158
CMYK: 15, 15, 30, 15
PMS: 7535 C
Kittanning Brick Beige
Hex: #E4DAC4
RGB: 228, 218, 196
CMYK: 4, 4, 13, 8
PMS: 7534 C
Hornbostel Teal
Hex: #1F4C4C
RGB: 31, 76, 76
CMYK: 90, 18, 32, 54
PMS: 7476 C
Palladian Green
Hex: #719F94
RGB: 113, 159, 148
CMYK: 47, 6, 28, 18
PMS: 624 C
Weaver Blue
Hex: #182C4B
RGB: 25, 44, 75
CMYK: 100, 62, 12, 62
PMS: 7463 C
Skibo Red
Hex: #941120
RGB: 149, 17, 32
CMYK: 0, 96, 77, 42
PMS: 7623 C
Color Hierarchy
Our core colors are the foundation of our visual identity and must always be the star of the show — especially Carnegie Red. In any given design, this means a core color must dominate in either volume or attention. To dominate in volume means it takes up the largest physical area — think of a background or a main content block. To dominate in attention means it is used strategically to draw the eye to the most important elements, even if it is a smaller amount, such as for key calls-to-action, prominent headers or essential information. Never let secondary or accent colors overshadow the core palette.
The graphic below demonstrates the proportion of attention that each color should demand. Carnegie Red is the most dominant while Black, Iron Gray, Steel Gray and White are close seconds. Secondary colors are accents only.
Example of Carnegie Red dominating volume.
Example of Carnegie Red dominating attention.