Colours

Colour is an essential component of the Queen鈥檚 University brand. Refer to the colour guidelines for the correct colour formulas and guidance on how to properly apply colour in branded applications.

Primary Colours

Queen鈥檚 University is widely recognized for its unique Tricolour palette of blue, gold, and red. These three colours are the essence of the Queen鈥檚 brand and are designated as the primary colours.

Tricolour must be incorporated into all applications in a mindful way that allows the message and imagery to be the focus.

Queen's Blue

PMS 鈥 295
CMYK 鈥 100, 63, 0, 67
RGB 鈥 0, 36, 82
HEX 鈥 #002452

Queen's Gold

PMS 鈥 124
CMYK 鈥 0, 29, 100, 1
RGB 鈥 250, 189, 15
HEX 鈥 #fabd0f

Queen's Red

PMS 鈥 187
CMYK 鈥 0, 100, 74, 26
RGB 鈥 185, 14, 49
HEX 鈥 #b90e31

Secondary Colours

A secondary palette of neutral colours may be used with the primary palette to provide balance.

White

CMYK 鈥 0, 0, 0, 0
RGB 鈥 255, 255, 255
HEX 鈥 #ffffff

Lightest Grey

CMYK 鈥 0, 0, 0, 5
RGB 鈥 241, 242, 242
HEX 鈥 #f1f2f2

Light Grey

CMYK 鈥 0, 0, 0, 10
RGB 鈥 230, 231, 232
HEX 鈥 #e6e7e8

Grey

CMYK 鈥 0, 0, 0, 20
RGB 鈥 209, 211, 212
HEX 鈥 #d1d3d4

Medium Grey

CMYK 鈥 0, 0, 0, 40
RGB 鈥 167, 169, 172
HEX 鈥 #a7a9ac

Dark Grey

CMYK 鈥 0, 0, 0, 60
RGB 鈥 128, 130, 133
HEX 鈥 #808285

Darkest Grey

CMYK 鈥 0, 0, 0, 80
RGB 鈥 88, 89, 91
HEX 鈥 #58595b

Black

CMYK 鈥 0, 0, 0, 100
RGB 鈥 33, 33, 33
HEX 鈥 #212121

Light Limestone

PMS 鈥 401
CMYK 鈥 28, 25, 28, 3
RGB 鈥 180, 174, 168
HEX 鈥 #b3aea8

Limestone

PMS 鈥 403
CMYK 鈥 39, 36, 40, 14
RGB 鈥 144, 137, 130
HEX 鈥 #908982

Dark Limestone

PMS 鈥 405
CMYK 鈥 49, 47, 51, 32
RGB 鈥 106, 98, 92
HEX 鈥 #6a625c

PMS and CMYK: Print
PMS colours are determined by the PANTONE庐 Matching System, a tool used to consistently reproduce colours. They are utilized for jobs printed with specially matched inks. CMYK values are utilized in 4-colour process printing using cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.

RGB and HEX: On-screen
RGB values and HEX codes are used for digital or online applications including presentations, websites, social media, and digital ads.

Colour Application

Tricolour is a 鈥渃olour鈥 and a critical component of the Queen鈥檚 brand. As such, it must be incorporated into all Queen鈥檚 applications. Below are some recommended methods:

Equal small accents of tricolour can be added to an otherwise neutral application. This can be achieved by adding the tricolour bar or the tricolour tab to the edge of a layout.

Tricolour can also be applied by selecting one of the three primary colours to be dominant, with the two remaining colours as smaller accents. This can be achieved by adding the two-colour bar to a coloured background.

Colour blocking can be used to create an even tricolour effect by incorporating blue, gold, and red areas of colour and typography.

A minimal colour layout in which tricolour is brought in through the Queen鈥檚 logo alone is another acceptable design method for more simple applications.

For additional guidance on the application of tricolour, refer to the Design Style section of the Visual Identity Guide. (PDF 10.2 MB)

 

Variety of brochure covers demonstrating the application of tricolour

Accessible Colour Contrast

Colour contrast is vital to ensure readability, especially for people with visual disabilities.

These examples were tested using a and align with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) contrast ratio requirements as per the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

All other colour combinations used should be tested with a , with AAA compliance being ideal. For more information and tools, visit the Queen鈥檚 Accessibility Hub.

Level AAA

The visual presentation of text has a contrast ratio of at least 7:1, except for large-scale text which has a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1.

Level AA

The visual presentation of text has a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1, except for large-scale text which has a contrast ratio of at least 3:1.

White AAA for all text sizes

Gold AAA for large text

White AAA for large text

White AA for all text sizes

 

Black AAA for all text sizes

Blue AAA for all text sizes

Red AAA for large text

Red AA for all text sizes

Dark Limestone AAA for large text

Dark Limestone AA for all text sizes

Black AAA for all text sizes

Blue AAA for all text sizes

White AAA for all text sizes

Light Grey AAA for all text sizes

Gold AAA for all text sizes

Black AAA for all text sizes

Blue AAA for all text sizes

Red AAA for large text

Red AA for all text sizes

Dark Limestone AAA for large text

Dark Limestone AA for all text sizes

Large text is defined as 14 point bold (typically 18.66px) or larger, or 18 point regular (typically 24px) or larger.

On-Screen Colours

Pure black is not recommended for on-screen applications. Instead, use the HEX code provided in our secondary palette. Webpublish3 templates provide pre-set colours to deliver an accessible user experience on Queen鈥檚 websites.