Penn State Brand Colors
Color helps strengthen our brand. Because Penn State colors are a component of our identity, it’s important that the color is accurate. When designing promotional material for a college or University event that requires UBR approval, please make sure you are using only University-approved colors and fonts.
As of May 2023, Penn State has three new prescribed color palettes:
- Penn State Brand Palette
- Classics Accent Palette
- Vibrant Accent Palette
Download the Color Guide from the Penn State Brand Book
Penn State Brand Palette
The four colors of our Penn State Brand Palette—primary brand colors (Nittany Navy, Beaver Blue, and White Out) and the secondary brand color (Pugh Blue)—are central to the Penn State brand.
Accent Palletes
The colors in the Classics and Vibrants accent palettes should be secondary and support the Penn State brand blues. Avoid overwhelming your design with too many accent colors. Accents are most powerful when used sparingly to highlight an important element, draw attention to a call-to-action, or help add organizational structure to a design.
Classics Accent Palette
Vibrants Accent Palette
Colors Formula
A simple color “formula” has been created to better clarify and help with making on-brand and consistent color choices. The below Canvas + Focus + Accent formula illustrates a simple way of incorporating Penn State Brand Palette colors into your designs. Our primary blues (Nittany Navy and Beaver Blue) should always have a strong presence in any design—whether on a light background or used as the canvas itself.
Links
Two brand colors are now reserved for hyperlink text colors on light and dark backgrounds: PA Link and PA Link Light. Use the two PA Link variations for hyperlink text and button
backgrounds. The two PA Link colors should not be used for non-hyperlink text or as page backgrounds.
Using Brand Colors
As part of the College of the Liberal Arts rebrand, we surveyed seventy students to find out how different Penn State colors resonated with them. Based on the survey responses, we’ve come up with the following palettes. All of the palettes utilize colors from the Penn State Brand Book.
Capture Attention
According to a survey of seventy students, we found that these colors are most effective at capturing user attention. Nearly three out of four survey respondents found Bright Keystone to be among the most effective at capturing attention against a dark background. Nearly three out of four survey respondents found PA Sky to be among the most effective at capturing attention against a light background.
Inspire
According to a survey of seventy students, we found that these colors are most likely to inspire. The majority of survey respondents found PA Sky to be the most effective at inspiring users. Survey respondents found Bright Keystone to be the second most effective at inspiring users.
Spark Curiosity
According to a survey of seventy students, we found that these colors are most likely to spark curiosity.
Represent the College
According to a survey of seventy students, we found that these colors are most effective at promoting the College of the Liberal Arts. The majority of survey respondents found PA Sky to “feel the most like the College of the Liberal Arts.”
Canva
If you have access to the shared College of the Liberal Arts Canva account, these palettes are readily available for you to use. If you don’t have access, please email Kirsten Smith.