Women dancing in a colorful traditional dress

Colors

Aggie Blue and Aggie Gold

These are our primary university colors. They should be used emphatically in our communications. They do not necessarily have to be the dominant colors in every piece, but they should be used in such a way that they stand out. They can be dominant in a layout or they can be repeated more consistently than secondary colors when they are not dominant.

Please note that Aggie Blue is a custom color. It was created by Pantone to match our CMYK build as closely as possible. Aggie Blue Pantone Chips can only be acquired at Strategic Communications in 334 Mrak Hall, 530-752-1930, and at Repro Graphics. If you order print or manufactured product that requires a spot color (not a CMYK build) and the vendor is not Repro Graphics, you must provide that vendor with an official Aggie Blue color chip.

  • Aggie Blue

    Custom chips must be acquired from Strategic Communications. See above.

    CMYK: 100/56/0/34

  • Aggie Gold

    PMS 110 C

    CMYK: 0/19/100/15

A note about PMS vs. CMYK

Never convert PMS color to CMYK using your software. The results will be different than shown here. If using CMYK, always refer to the CMYK color builds indicated on this page.

Digital branding colors

  • Aggie Blue

    HTML: #022851

    RGB: 2/40/81

    hsla(211, 95%, 16%, 1)

  • Aggie Gold

    HTML: #FFBF00

    RGB: 255/191/0

    hsla(45, 100%, 50%, 1)

Other materials and processes

Vinyl banners, large format wraps and licensed products

Licensees producing product on behalf of UC Davis (see Trademark Licensing) must follow the official UC Davis Art Sheet.

For most products, use the CMYK colors and Pantone references above. Vinyl or cloth banners and other items will require proofing and color adjustment to match. If possible provide the Aggie Blue color chip (see "Aggie Blue and Aggie Gold" at top of page) for information about obtaining these.

When possible work with your vendor to match the official PMS colors, above. The more permanent the item (as with a wall wrap or similar installation) the more critical it is to get it right. For swag items such as lanyards, logo imprinted pens and the like, we accept that there will be variance. 

Always review all press and production samples on the intended substrate and under the intended conditions. Outdoor banners, for example, will appear very different in sunlight than they will indoors; and colors will only be accurate when applied to the material chosen for the final items.

Apparel

Use the following colors colors/color formulations for applications on textiles, particularly apparel:

Instead of Aggie Blue, choose Blue PANTONE 295 C (or Navy)

  • CMYK: 100, 69, 8, 54
  • MADEIRA Rayon: 1242
  • MADEIRA Poly: 1742

Instead of Aggie Gold PMS 110) use Gold PANTONE 117 C

  • CMYK: 6, 27, 100, 12
  • MADEIRA Rayon: 1225
  • MADEIRA Poly: 1792

UC Davis Blue

Custom mix. Straight tints of the blue will not work; please use only the color values below.

  • 100%

    HTML: #022851

    RGB: 2/40/81

    hsla(210, 100%, 16%, 1)

  • 90%

    HTML: #033266

    RGB: 3/50/102

    hsla(212, 94%, 21%, 1)

  • 80%

    HTML: #1D4776

    RGB: 29/71/118

    hsla(212, 61%, 29%, 1)

  • 70%

    HTML: #355B85

    RGB: 53/91/133

    hsla(212, 43%, 36%, 1)

  • 60%

    HTML: #4F7094

    RGB: 79/112/148

    hsla(211, 30%, 45%, 1)

  • 50%

    HTML: #6884A3

    RGB: 104/132/163

    hsla(212, 24%, 52%, 1)

  • 40%

    HTML: #8198B2

    RGB: 129/152/178

    hsla(212, 24%, 60%, 1)

  • 30%

    HTML: #9AADC2

    RGB: 154/173/194

    hsla(211, 25%, 68%, 1)

  • 20%

    HTML: #B3C1D1

    RGB: 179/193/209

    hsla(212, 25%, 76%, 1)

  • 10%

    HTML: #CDD6E0

    RGB: 205/214/224

    hsla(212, 23%, 84%, 1)

UC Davis Gold

  • 100%

    HTML: #FFBF00

    RGB: 255/191/0

    hsla(45, 100%, 50%, 1)

  • 90%

    HTML: #FFC519

    RGB: 255/197/25

    hsla(45, 100%, 50%, 1)

  • 80%

    HTML: #FFCC33

    RGB: 255/204/51

    hsla(45, 100%, 50%, 1)

  • 70%

    HTML: #FFD24C

    RGB: 255/210/76

    hsla(45, 100%, 50%, 1)

  • 60%

    HTML: #FFD966

    RGB: 255/217/102

    hsla(45, 100%, 50%, 1)

  • 50%

    HTML: #FFDF80

    RGB: 255/223/128

    hsla(45, 100%, 50%, 1)

  • 40%

    HTML: #FFE599

    RGB: 255/229/153

    hsla(45, 100%, 50%, 1)

  • 30%

    HTML: #FFECB2

    RGB: 255/236/178

    hsla(45, 100%, 50%, 1)

  • 20%

    HTML: #FFF2CC

    RGB: 255/242/204

    hsla(45, 100%, 50%, 1)

  • 10%

    HTML: #FFF9E5

    RGB: 255/249/229

    hsla(45, 100%, 50%, 1)

Black

  • 100%

    HTML: #000000

    RGB: 0/0/0

    hsla(0, 0%, 0%, 1)

  • 90%

    HTML: #191919

    RGB: 25/25/25

    hsla(0, 0%, 10%, 1)

  • 80%

    HTML: #333333

    RGB: 51/51/51

    hsla(0, 0%, 20%, 1)

  • 70%

    HTML: #4C4C4C

    RGB: 76/76/76

    hsla(0, 0%, 30%, 1)

  • 60%

    HTML: #666666

    RGB: 102/102/102

    hsla(0, 0%, 40%, 1)

  • 50%

    HTML: #7F7F7F

    RGB: 127/127/127

    hsla(0, 0%, 50%, 1)

  • 40%

    HTML: #999999

    RGB: 153/153/153

    hsla(0, 0%, 60%, 1)

  • 30%

    HTML: #B2B2B2

    RGB: 178/178/178

    hsla(0, 0%, 70%, 1)

  • 20%

    HTML: #CCCCCC

    RGB: 204/204/204

    hsla(0, 0%, 80%, 1)

  • 10%

    HTML: #E5E5E5

    RGB: 229/229/229

    hsla(0, 0%, 90%, 1)

Secondary colors

For best results in multicolored publications, restrict secondary color choices to a maximum of two or three beyond UC Davis gold or blue. In fact, UC Davis blue, UC Davis gold and black for text are sufficient for effective publication design that unmistakably communicates UC Davis’ identity.

The colors below offer great secondary color flexibility while providing a reasonably limited palette. Please do not introduce other secondary colors into UC Davis publications.

Use secondary colors only as accents, never as dominant colors or backgrounds.

  • Rec Pool

    PMS Blue 0821 C

    CMYK: 48/0/9/0

    HTML: #6FCFEB

    RGB: 111/207/235

    hsla(194, 76%, 68%, 1)

  • Tahoe

    PMS 306 C

    CMYK: 75/0/5/0

    HTML: #00B2E3

    RGB: 0/178/227

    hsla(193, 100%, 45%, 1)

  • Gunrock

    PMS 2728 C

    CMYK: 99/50/0/0

    HTML: #0047BA

    RGB: 0/71/186

    hsla(217, 100%, 36%, 1)

  • Bodega

    PMS 302 C

    CMYK: 100/48/12/58

    HTML: #003A5D

    RGB: 0/58/93

    hsla(203, 100%, 18%, 1)

  • Rain

    PMS 3242 C

    CMYK: 44/0/20/0

    HTML: #03F9E6

    RGB: 3/249/230

    hsla(175, 98%, 49%, 1)

  • Arboretum

    PMS 3265 C

    CMYK: 75/0/43/0

    HTML: #00C4B3

    RGB: 0/196/179

    hsla(175, 100%, 38%, 1)

  • Putah Creek

    PMS 3135 C

    CMYK: 100/0/20/0

    HTML: #008EAA

    RGB: 0/142/170

    hsla(190, 100%, 33%, 1)

  • Delta

    PMS 330 C

    CMYK: 93/14/53/57

    HTML: #00524C

    RGB: 0/82/76

    hsla(176, 100%, 16%, 1)

  • Farmer’s Market

    PMS 358 C

    CMYK: 32/0/51/0

    HTML: #AADA91

    RGB: 170/218/145

    hsla(99, 50%, 71%, 1)

  • Sage

    PMS 346 C

    CMYK: 52/0/50/0

    HTML: #6CCA98

    RGB: 108/202/152

    hsla(148, 47%, 61%, 1)

  • Quad

    PMS 361 C

    CMYK: 68/0/100/0

    HTML: #3DAE2B

    RGB: 61/174/43

    hsla(112, 60%, 43%, 1)

  • Redwood

    PMS 7734 C

    CMYK: 77/0/82/65

    HTML: #266041

    RGB: 38/96/65

    hsla(148, 43%, 26%, 1)

  • Golden State

    PMS 100 C

    CMYK: 0/0/70/0

    HTML: #FFFF3B

    RGB: 255/255/59

    hsla(60, 100%, 62%, 1)

  • Sunflower

    PMS 1235 C

    CMYK: 0/14/100/0

    HTML: #FFDC00

    RGB: 255/220/0

    hsla(52, 100%, 50%, 1)

  • Poppy

    PMS 144 C

    CMYK: 0/50/100/0

    HTML: #F18A00

    RGB: 241/138/0

    hsla(34, 100%, 47%, 1)

  • California

    PMS 7567 C

    CMYK: 10/66/98/57

    HTML: #8A532F

    RGB: 138/83/47

    hsla(24, 49%, 36%, 1)

  • Rose

    PMS 177 C

    CMYK: 0/54/38/0

    HTML: #FF8189

    RGB: 255/129/137

    hsla(356, 100%, 75%, 1)

  • Strawberry

    PMS 1787 C

    CMYK: 0/89/66/0

    HTML: #F93549

    RGB: 249/53/73

    hsla(354, 94%, 59%, 1)

  • Double Decker

    PMS 200 C

    CMYK: 3/100/70/12

    HTML: #C10230

    RGB: 193/2/48

    hsla(346, 98%, 38%, 1)

  • Merlot

    PMS 188 C

    CMYK: 16/100/65/58

    HTML: #79242F

    RGB: 121/36/47

    hsla(352, 54%, 31%, 1)

  • Thiebaud Icing

    PMS 223 C

    CMYK: 0/50/0/0

    HTML: #F095CD

    RGB: 240/149/205

    hsla(323, 75%, 76%, 1)

  • Redbud

    PMS 225 C

    CMYK: 0/100/2/0

    HTML: #C6007E

    RGB: 198/0/126

    hsla(322, 100%, 39%, 1)

  • Pinot

    PMS 255 C

    CMYK: 53/96/10/24

    HTML: #76236C

    RGB: 118/35/108

    hsla(307, 54%, 30%, 1)

  • Cabernet

    PMS 2627 C

    CMYK: 80/100/6/38

    HTML: #481268

    RGB: 72/18/104

    hsla(278, 70%, 24%, 1)

About colors and accessibility

To best serve all visitors to your sites, including those with visual disabilities, there must be adequate contrast between text and its background color (per WCAG 2 requirements). A good start is to place white text over dark backgrounds and black or dark blue text over light backgrounds. However, some text and background color combinations can be a challenge, and the size and weight of the text is also a factor. Please refer to the Accessible Color Combinations Guide for additional guidance on selecting text and background color combinations.

Please see Web Accessibility Requirements and Best Practices for more information about web accessibility.

Accessible Color Combinations Guide