Primary Palette
When it comes to color, proportion and application are key. The maroon, gold and ivory serve as the 3 primary colors of our palette. Layouts should prominently feature at least 1 of these colors.
The light blue — inspired by the blue reflections in the buildings of the Minneapolis skyline and Minnesota Carlson — brings lightness and contrast to the palette. The light blue should be used sparingly to add emphasis, highlight key elements or create visual interest. It is primarily reserved for Undergraduate communications and general schoolwide graphics, such as physical signage.
Neutrals
Black is only used for type and illustrations, while white is used for type, line elements, illustrations and backgrounds. A grayscale palette is provided for flexibility. These colors should only be used for subtle elements, never for key pieces in the design like backgrounds or headline type.
Brand Color Hierarchy
The image shows how much each palette color should appear on a page: maroon, gold and ivory are the primary brand colors, light blue and soft black provide vivid accents, and dark, mid and light gray act as neutral supports while white space ensures visual balance.
Differentiation
The Minnesota Carlson visual system was designed to have flexible elements to accommodate the 2 subsets of our audience. All expressions of the brand should feel a part of the same family, but with slight nuances to reflect the difference in target demographic.
By Audience
We separate various visual elements by 2 audiences, ranging from undergraduates to graduates. However, this spectrum should be used more as a guide than a strict rulebook.
All elements of the brand can be shared across audiences, but with careful consideration of context. For example, candid imagery can still be used for Audience 2, but it will need to be paired with elements from Audience 2 (for example, in a clean, simple layout) to best align with that audience.
Audience 1
Audience 1 (Younger Audience)
In Audience 1, we address a younger audience with elements that present a bit more bold and energetic.
- Prospective Undergrad Students
- Current Undergrad Students
- Recent Undergrad Alumni
Audience 2 (Graduate Audience)
In Audience 2, we address a graduate audience with a design language that feels slightly more refined, minimal and confident.
- Prospective Graduate Students
- Current Graduate Students
- Alumni, Faculty, Staff & Other Audiences
Accessibility
When designing marketing and communications materials, be sure to follow color contrast and accessibility guidelines. This ensures proper contrast before the foreground and the background so text is legible.
Approved color combinations
The following table indicates which color combinations from our palette meet the W3C WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility criteria that the University requires. According to this standard, text that is at least 16px with regular weight or heavier must have a contrast ratio of 4.5:1 or higher. Larger text that is at least 18.66px and bold or 24px in size must have a contrast ratio of 3:1 or higher.
| Text | Background Color | Contrast Ratio |
|---|---|---|
White (FFFFFF) Text | 
Maroon (7A0019) Background | 11.4:1 |
Soft Black (1A1A1A) Text | 
Gold (FFCC33) Background | 11.55:1 |
|
Soft Black (1A1A1A) Text | 
Ivory (E6E0D2) Background | 13.22:1 |
|
Soft Black (1A1A1A) Text | 
Light Blue (89BDC1) Background | 8.38:1 |
|
White (FFFFFF) Text |
Soft Black (1A1A1A) Background | 17.4:1 |
|
Maroon (7A0019) Text |
White (FFFFFF) Background | 11.4:1 |
|
Soft Black (1A1A1A) Text |
White (FFFFFF) Background | 13.19:1 |
Dark Gray (303030) Text |
White (FFFFFF) Background | 17.4:1 |
Mid Gray (575757) Text |
White (FFFFFF) Background | 7.22:1 |