Visual Identity

CU Boulder’s visual identity uses specific colors, fonts, photography, icons and graphic elements to create a cohesive, distinctive and recognizable brand.

 

Colors  

Primary Palette 

The official CU Boulder colors are CU Gold, Black, CU Light Gray and CU Dark Gray. Use these on all branded materials to ensure visual consistency. 

CU Gold

CU Gold

C0 M10 Y48 K22
(PANTONE® 4525 C)
R207 G184 B124
#CFB87C

The color black

Black

C0 M0 Y0 K100
R0 G0 B0
#000000

CU Dark Gray

CU Dark Gray

C38 M28 Y21 K63
(PANTONE® 425 C )
R86 G90 B92
#565A5C

CU Light gray

CU Light Gray

C16 M11 Y11 K29
(PANTONE® 422 C)
R162 G164 B163
#A2A4A3

Secondary Palette 

The secondary colors of CU Boulder are Accessible CU Gold, CUB Sky Blue, CUB Light Gold, CUB Dark Blue and CUB Light Blue. Use secondary colors less frequently than primary colors on all branded materials.

Accessible CU Gold

Accessible CU Gold

C40, m47, y93, k18 
R141, g115, b52 
#8D7334 

CU Sky Blue

CUB Sky Blue 

C89 M54 Y7 K0
R9 G112 B174
#096FAE

CU light Gold

CUB Light Gold

C3 M3 Y7 K0
R243, G240, B233
#F3F0E9 

CU Dark Blue

CUB Dark Blue

C100 M78 Y41 K33
R11 G56 B88
#0A3758 

CU light blue

CUB Light Blue  

C5 M1 Y1 K0 
R238, G245, B247 
#EEF5F8 

Usage and Accessibility Guidelines

Accessible design is good design. When developing designs and layouts, consider that some viewers or audiences may have limited sight ability and could be using assistive devices. Therefore, all designs must have sufficient contrast when incorporating type and design elements.

  • Use primary colors, especially CU Gold, on all branded materials to ensure visual consistency.
  • CU Gold is not accessible on a white background.
  • Accessible CU Gold is for text color on white backgrounds only. Do not use it as a background color.
  • When using Accessible CU Gold for text, use Helvetica Neue 77 or thinner.
  • Use secondary colors less frequently than primary colors in any branded materials.
  • Use CUB Sky Blue for text color only. CUB Sky Blue can bring emphasis to “call to action” text on branded material.

Brand Color Accessibility 

The color combinations above meet WCAG accessibility standards for large (14pt and above)  and small text. 

CU Boulder color combinations that meet WCAG accessibility standards for large (14pt and above) and small text.

Typography 

The primary brand typeface for CU Boulder is Helvetica Neue. You can use this face in all of its weights and styles as a display face in official communications and print collateral.

Usage Guidelines

An example of typography in a branded brochure.

Primary 

Helvetica Neue Condensed and Regular are the primary CU Boulder fonts. We do not use other variations of these fonts. Both primary fonts contain many weights as shown below.

You may use the many weights of Helvetica Neue to create a strong typography hierarchy. Consider the importance of the information you are presenting and ensure priority text is clearly designated through type choice.   

  • The following text can ONLY appear in our primary fonts: Website URLs, “CU Boulder,” “University of Colorado Boulder,” “Buffs” and “Buffaloes”
  • We recommend using Helvetica Neue Condensed for headlines in either 107 or 77 weights.
  • When using accessible gold text, do not use heavier than 77 weight.
  • For body copy, Regular 45 light/55 roman is standard.

Secondary

CU Boulder also uses Noto Serif and Extended Helvetica Neue as secondary fonts. Ensure all secondary font use remains secondary. There should always be more primary font use (Helvetica Neue Condensed and Regular) in your design than Noto Serif or Helvetica Neue Extended combined.

  • All variations and weight of Noto serif are acceptable to use.
  • Long-form print pieces may use Noto Serif as body copy.
Helvetica Neue and Helvetica Neue Condensed font weights.
Options for the Noto Serif and Helvetica Neue Extended fonts

Photography

Usage Guidelines

CU Boulder branded photography must capture the spirit of CU Boulder—its collaborative energy, stunning campus and dynamic learning environments. When taking photos or videos for CU Boulder materials, focus on: 

  • Capturing peak action and emotion, like classroom “a-ha” moments.
  • Prioritizing natural light, especially from windows.
  • Using simple, bold compositions to make subjects stand out.
  • Find creative, distortion-free angles for ordinary scenes.
  • Shoot for natural personality with candid expressions and closeups.
  • Incorporate subtle branding, like CU apparel or iconic campus locations.

When including photos in branded materials:

  • Balance full-bleed imagery with ample negative space in the design.
  • Campus texture photos may also be “graphic elements.”
  • Scenics, textures, landscapes and low contrast imagery work best as graphic elements to create visual interest without distracting from adjacent content.
  • Full-color and black and white photos are both permitted.
    • Mixing use of these two photo styles on the same page or within the same material should be done sparingly and with intention.
  • Subtle grain or halftone textures can accent photos.

Authentically CU Boulder

A group of 5 students sitting on a bench talking and laughing on CU Boulder’s campus.
Students bike and relax on a sunny day. The CU Boulder campus features stone buildings, green lawns, and has mountains in the background.
Groups of students sitting in the lawn in front of Norlin Library on CU Boulder’s campus.

Candid Portraits

Group of girls posing for a selfie
Graduating students celebrating at CU Boulder’s commencement.
A crowd of CU Boulder fans screaming, celebrating, and smiling from the stands.

Dynamic Learning

Researchers wearing safety glasses work with a complex setup of wires and equipment in a high-tech lab, examining and discussing the system.
A student experimenting with a weight hanging from a mechanical device. Her professor is encouraging.
Three students crowd around a historical atlases & maps book to study the maps up close.

Campus Scenics and Textures

A full landscape of the city of Boulder that includes CU Boulder campus buildings, many layers of mountains, cloudy blue skies, and lush greenery.
Red brick arches found on CU Boulder campus.
Student walking across a snowy campus

A selection of CU Boulder photography is available for affiliate use on our Brand Toolkit page.

Icons  

Icons can be a helpful design tool for adding visual interest and emphasis to a layout, as well as providing a quick understanding of associated information. Icons should guide a user or reader to the information they are looking for. You may use icons on any branded material.

Usage Guidelines

  • Icons should never represent an individual group or department. Always use the group or department’s logo rather than an icon if needing a graphic.
  • Never use icons as logos or as part of a Type Treatment.
  • Simple, less detailed, one-line (unfilled) icons are preferred.
  • For print applications, icons should range in size (using a square for reference) from 5/16” to 3/4” (.3125in to .75in).
  • For digital applications, icons should range in size from 72px to 200px.
  • Use accessible color combinations when placing icons on all backgrounds.
  • Only use solid icons if needed over busy backgrounds for readability.
    • Avoid mixing one-line and solid icons in the same design or immediate vicinity.
  • You may use icons within CU brand kits or source relevant icons from sites like Font Awesome.
    • When sourcing stock icons, do not select icons that are too busy, overly detailed or have fine lines. These icons will pose issues for many printed materials and do not align with the CU brand kit style.
    • When pulling multiple icons into one design, especially from various sources, ensure all one-line icons maintain the same stroke/line weight for consistency. 

 

 

Examples of CU Boulder’s icon style.

 

Icons used in a branded brochure.

Graphic Elements

Usage Guidelines

CU Boulder designers and content creators should gravitate toward these kinds of graphic elements, sourced from brand kits or stock sites:

  • Paper textures including paper grain, wrinkles and rips.
    • Must be in neutral primary colors (white, off white, black or gray).
  • You may use stickers or sticker-like images as graphic elements.
  • Accent with thin, simple, hand-drawn line illustrations.
    • Lines, circles, stars, brackets or other appropriate imagery that would be doodled can add energy to a design.
  • You may use a thin horizontal line in a brand color to separate elements or add extra emphasis. This line may be hand-drawn or perfectly even, but it should always be thin (~2pt stroke or lower).
  • Solid color overlays aid with readability or unify color on a page.
    • Use overlays on photography, patterns or text to emphasize or bring visual interest to a specific element.
    • Use in primary or secondary CU brand colors.

 

Graphic elements are visual assets used on branded materials to add emphasis, texture, interest and fun.
Graphics elements used in a branded recruitment brochure.