Colors

Color is a distinguishing feature of our brand. Our colors were inspired by the nature, architecture, culture, and people of Central Texas.

Together, our colors represent our community.

Primary

Texas State Maroon and Gold, our school colors, are the foundation of our color palette.

Communications should be anchored by these colors, especially maroon.

Texas State Maroon

Maroon stairs in Old Main against stripe of maroon brand color

Print

PMS: 504
CMYK: 65, 100, 100, 35

Digital

Hex: #501214
RGB: 80, 18, 20

Texas State Gold

Gold cymbals in marching band with stripe of gold color

Print

PMS: 872 M
CMYK: 20, 30, 70, 20

Digital

Hex: #6A5638
RGB: 172, 145, 85

Secondary

These bright, vibrant colors add energy to our work while remaining rooted in school spirit.

Use these colors to build upon our primary palette.

Theatre Rojo

Gallardia flower with stripe of red color

Print

CMYK: 0, 97, 75, 0

Digital

Hex: #CA2A2D
RGB: 235, 46, 71

Strahan Center Court

Basketball coach stands in front of yellow cour and seats with stripe of yellow color

Print

CMYK: 2, 24, 100, 7

Digital

Hex: #EBBA45
RGB: 234, 185, 66

Tertiary

Our tertiary colors add balance and flexibility to our communications.

They should be used to support and complement our primary and secondary colors.

Blind Salamander

San Marcos blind salamander with stripe of light pink color

Print

CMYK: 0, 14, 5, 1

Digital

Hex: None
RGB: 249, 221, 221

Eat 'Em Up, Peach

Rounded edge of our Theatre Building with stripe of peach color

Print

CMYK: 0, 69, 65, 0

Digital

Hex: #DB6450
RGB: 243, 114, 90

Green Hills

Aerial view of campus Cypress trees with stripe of deep green color

Print

CMYK: 71, 8, 100, 50

Digital

Hex: None
RGB: 41, 104, 53

Wild Rice Green

Underwater view of Wild Rice with stripe of soft green color

Print

CMYK: 68, 0, 71, 18

Digital

Hex: None
RGB: 58, 159, 104

Glass-Bottom Boat

Geometrically-patterned tiles with stripe of teal color

Print

CMYK: 48, 8, 34, 20

Digital

Hex: #6EA095
RGB: 110, 160, 150

River Jump

Graduate jumping in the crystal-clear San Marcos river with stripe of light blue color

Print

CMYK: 48, 0, 10, 0

Digital

Hex: #BFF3FD
RGB: 146, 215, 232

Spring Lake Blue

Scuba divers in Spring Lake with stripe of blue color

Print

CMYK: 100, 47, 26, 4

Digital

Hex: #007096
RGB: 0, 111, 152

Choosing Colors

Use the Visual Color Chart to guide your color choices.

Consider your audience and your goals.

Do you want your piece to feel:

  • casual or formal?
  • energetic or calm?

Use maroon and gold as a foundation

Maroon and gold, our primary colors, should anchor your communications.

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Color and Accessibility

Using color correctly in digital content is vital to make your content accessible to users with low vision or color blindness.

Text and background color combinations must:

  • meet the AA standard contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for small text
  • meet the AA standard contrast ratio of 3:1 for large text (14 point and bold or larger, or 18 point or larger)

You must check color contrast when combining colors.

About Color Formulas

HEX codes are used to create online colors. This ensures consistent color representation across mobile and desktop applications.

RGB is an abbreviation for red, green, and blue. It is a three-color formula used in digital displays such as televisions, computers, video projectors, and multicolor LED displays.

CMYK is an abbreviation for cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. It is a four-color process used in digital, laser, and offset printing methods.

PMS stands for “Pantone Matching System.” PMS colors should only be used in offset printing. A printer will refer to the Pantone swatches a designer has chosen to ensure an exact color match.

Adobe Swatch Exchange (ASE) files

You can download Adobe swatch files in HEX, CMYK, and RGB to use in Adobe programs. Load these color files to your program to easily access the Texas State color palette.

Download Adobe Swatch Files

Import instructions for Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign:

  1. Download the ASE file
  2. Open your swatches palette by clicking Window > Swatches or Window > Color > Swatches
  3. Click the flyout menu and choose “Load swatches” or “Open Swatch Library/Other Library”
  4. Navigate to the ASE file
  5. Your swatches will open up in a new swatch palette