Color is an important tool for creating visual brand consistency, especially at an institution where members of the of the community proudly proclaim to “bleed purple”! Primary, secondary and accent palettes have been identified for use in every application—from publications and websites to campus signage and the lighting of buildings. The consistent use of these colors will infuse the community with a stronger sense of the James Madison University’s brand identity.

RGB and CMYK Colors

Color is an important tool for creating visual brand consistency.  Please make sure you are using the correct color mode for your communication channel. 

  • RGB Colors: for anything to appear on a screen (web, email, social media, etc).
  • CMYK Colors: for print applications.

Learn more about the importance of using the correct color mode.

RGB Colors

(for web, video, social media, etc)
Primary Colors

JMU PURPLE
69R 0G 132B
#450084

JMU GOLD
203R 182G 119B
#CBB677

Secondary Colors

MEDIUM PURPLE
181R 153G 206B
#B599CE

LIGHT PURPLE
218R 204G 230B
#DACCE6

DARK GOLD
173R 156G 101B
#AD9C65

LIGHT GOLD
244R 239G 225B
#F4EFE1

SLATE GRAY
51R 51G 51B
#333333

DARK GRAY
89R 89G 89B
#595959


MEDIUM GRAY
178R 178G 178B
#B2B2B2

LIGHT GRAY
214R 214G 214B
#D6D6D6

Web Accent Colors
Web Color Rules
  • We are no longer using the color Marigold, except for HTML buttons (examples below)
  • Red is only used for inline icons, warnings, link hover, etc.
  • Blue and Green may be used as background color border banner

Web Color Balance
The overall ratio of color on a page should be about:

  • 60% White space and grey
  • 30% Brand Colors
  • 10% Secondary Colors
  • 5% Accent Colors

CMYK Colors

(for print)
Primary Colors

JMU PURPLE
92
98M 0Y 0K
PMS 2685

JMU GOLD
09M 50Y 24K
PMS 4515

Secondary Colors

MEDIUM PURPLE
58C 62M 0Y 0K
PMS 265

LIGHT PURPLE
20C 23M 0Y 0K
PMS 263

DARK GOLD
26C 31M 62Y 10K
PMS 4515

LIGHT GOLD
6C 10M 36Y 0K
PMS 7499

SLATE GRAY
57C 50M 60Y 69K
PMS Black 2

DARK GRAY
52C 40M 36Y 21K
PMS Cool Gray 9 

MEDIUM GRAY
24C 18M 16Y 3K
PMS Cool Gray 5

LIGHT GRAY
22C 15M 16Y 0K
PMS Cool Gray 2 

PMS Metallic Colors

(for print only)

METALLIC PURPLE
PMS 8802

METALLIC GOLD
PMS 8383

Print Color Rules

PMS Colors:

When spot colors are requested or required, the Pantone Matching System (PMS) colors are to be used.

CMYK Colors:

Process colors (CMYK) can reproduce the Pantone colors closely, although not identically, by specifying the percentages of the four separations that make up the color.

Keeping color accurate (ASE files)

If you use Adobe products, the easy way to have all the exact colors at your fingertips is to import one of JMU’s ASE files. ASE stands for Adobe Swatch Exchange, and that is just what we are doing - handing you the JMU color builds as already saved Swatches.

  1. Download the JMU ASE files. There are two: one for CMYK (print) and one for RGB (screens).
  2. Go to the Swatches panel in your Adobe software product.
  3. Use the flyout menu on the Swatches panel to select Open Swatch Library > Other Library... and navigate to your .ase file. In some products you may see Import Swatches... or Load Swatches... 
  4. Make sure you choose the .ase file that is appropriate for the item that you will be creating -- CMYK for anything that will be printed, or RGB for anything viewed on a screen. Several of JMU’s colors are not simply straight conversions from one to the other so this is important.
Accessible text and background color combinations for web

The combinations below are approved for use. Do not use combinations that are not shown here because of contrast issues and legibility. 

Use the drop-down menu to choose between HEX and RGB values for the colors below.

Background colors to use with text color
Black: HEX: #000000

HEX: #AD9C65

HEX: #CBB677

HEX: #F4EFE1

HEX: #B2B2B2

HEX: #D6D6D6

HEX: #B599CE

HEX: #DACCE6

HEX: #ADCC23

HEX: #DEEBA7

HEX: #D2EBF5

Background colors to use with text color
Slate: HEX: #333333

HEX: #AD9C65

HEX: #CBB677

HEX: #F4EFE1

HEX: #B2B2B2

HEX: #D6D6D6

HEX: #B599CE

HEX: #DACCE6

HEX: #ADCC23

HEX: #DEEBA7

HEX: #D2EBF5

Background colors to use with text color
JMU Purple: HEX: #450084

HEX: #AD9C65

HEX: #CBB677

HEX: #DFD2AA

HEX: #EAE1C6

HEX: #F4EFE1

HEX: #DACCE6

HEX: #D6D6D6

Background colors to use with text color
White: HEX: #FFFFFF

HEX: #450084

HEX: #333333

HEX: #595959

HEX: #3C738B

HEX: #5F791C

Background color to use with text color
Gold: HEX: #CBB677

HEX: #333333

Background colors to use with text color
Dark Gray: HEX: #595959

HEX: #DACCE6

HEX: #F4EFE1

HEX: #D6D6D6

Text colors to use with background color
White: HEX: #FFFFFF

HEX: #450084

HEX: #333333

HEX: #595959

HEX: #3C738B

HEX: #5F791C

Web button and background color combinations

Purple buttons can be used with light purples, gray and gold background colors; yellow buttons work with light purple backgrounds, gray and gold, and the lightest secondary shades. Do not put the buttons on any other background color than these:

Light Blue

button

Light Grey

button

Light Gold

button

Light Purple

button

Light Green

button

Light Grey

button

Light Gold

button

Light Purple

button

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