Rice University Brand Color Palette – HEX, RGB & Design Inspiration
Color Details
HEX: #00205B
RGB: 0, 32, 91
HEX: #7C7E7F
RGB: 124, 126, 127
HEX: #ADC7DC
RGB: 173, 199, 220
HEX: #E0E2E6
RGB: 224, 226, 230
HEX: #9FDDF9
RGB: 159, 221, 249
Text on White/Black Backgrounds
Color Pair Combinations (10 total)
WCAG Contrast Standards:
- AAA (7:1): Enhanced contrast for maximum readability
- AA (4.5:1): Minimum for normal text (under 18pt)
- AA Large (3:1): Acceptable for large text (18pt+ or 14pt+ bold)
- Fail: Below WCAG standards, not recommended for text
Recommended Text Colors
Horizontal (Left to Right)
background: linear-gradient(to right, #00205B 0%, #7C7E7F 25%, #ADC7DC 50%, #E0E2E6 75%, #9FDDF9 100%);Vertical (Top to Bottom)
background: linear-gradient(to bottom, #00205B 0%, #7C7E7F 25%, #ADC7DC 50%, #E0E2E6 75%, #9FDDF9 100%);Diagonal (Top Left to Bottom Right)
background: linear-gradient(to bottom right, #00205B 0%, #7C7E7F 25%, #ADC7DC 50%, #E0E2E6 75%, #9FDDF9 100%);Usage Tips:
- Copy the CSS code and paste directly into your stylesheets
- Linear gradients work great for backgrounds and hero sections
- Radial gradients are perfect for spotlights and focus effects
- Conic gradients create eye-catching loading spinners and progress indicators
- Smooth transitions ensure seamless color blending
Normal Vision
No color vision deficiency
Color Swatches
#00205B
#7C7E7F
#ADC7DC
#E0E2E6
#9FDDF9
Full Palette View
How people with Normal Vision see it:
Overall Mood & Feel
Calm, professional, and trustworthy
Emotional Impact
Calming and contemplative, promoting feelings of trust, stability, and peace. The balanced lightness creates versatility across different contexts
Psychological Effect
This 5-color palette creates a calm, professional, and trustworthy. The combination works together to create memorable visual experiences that influence consumer perception, decision-making, and brand recall. The rich variety provides versatility while maintaining cohesive emotional messaging across touchpoints.
Brand Personality Traits
Perfect For These Industries
Target Audience
Business professionals and decision-makers seeking reliability and competence
Individual Color Psychology
#00205B
Professional and authoritative
Emotions Evoked
Personality Traits
Brand Traits
Ideal Industries
Marketing Use
Most popular color globally. Builds trust and reduces stress. Ideal for corporate brands, financial services, and healthcare. Can suppress appetite.
Cultural Meanings
Color Harmony Analysis
Palette Mood
Temperature
This palette combines dark & bold and balanced and light & airy moods with cool tones, making it versatile for various design applications.
Professional Implementation Guide
This monochromatic rice university brand palette features 5 carefully selected cool tones that create a balanced and versatile aesthetic. With high contrast levels and moderate saturation, this palette is optimized for web interfaces and mobile apps.
Web Design & Development
For web development, implement this palette with CSS variables for easy theme switching. The high contrast makes it ideal for accessible interfaces meeting WCAG AA standards.
- Apply the 60-30-10 rule for visual hierarchy
- Use accent colors for CTAs and hover states
- Maintain consistent color usage across all pages
- Test responsive behavior on multiple devices
Mobile App Interfaces
In mobile applications, these cool tones provide excellent battery efficiency on OLED screens. Use the strong color contrast to define clear touch targets.
- Design both light and dark mode variants
- Consider thumb-reach zones for color placement
- Test under direct sunlight and low light
- Use color to indicate interactive elements
Brand Identity Systems
Build a cohesive brand identity by designating specific colors for specific purposes. Establish your primary brand color from the most distinctive shade and create comprehensive brand guidelines specifying exact usage scenarios.
- Define primary, secondary, and accent colors
- Create usage rules for marketing materials
- Specify minimum sizes and clear space
- Document do's and don'ts for consistency
Frontend Development
Developers can integrate this palette efficiently using modern CSS techniques. Export as CSS variables for maximum flexibility, allowing theme switching and dynamic color updates without rewriting stylesheets.
- Use CSS custom properties for theming
- Implement semantic color naming conventions
- Create utility classes for rapid prototyping
- Consider CSS-in-JS for component-scoped colors
Print Design
For print materials, convert to CMYK using #00205B as the dominant color for headers and #9FDDF9 for accents. These colors translate well to print with minimal adjustment.
- Add to your design software color library
- Create swatches for quick color access
- Use CMYK values for print production
- Request color proofs before final print
Marketing Campaigns
Marketing materials benefit from consistent color usage that reinforces brand recognition. Apply this palette across email campaigns, landing pages, advertisements, and social media for maximum impact and memorability.
- Maintain color consistency across channels
- A/B test color variations for conversion
- Consider cultural color associations
- Align colors with campaign messaging
Strategic Color Distribution
Professional designers follow the 60-30-10 rule for balanced color distribution. Here's how to apply this principle with the Rice University Brand:
Dominant Color
#00205BUse #00205B as your primary color for backgrounds, main content areas. This blue tone should occupy about 60% of your design space.
Secondary Color
#ADC7DCApply #ADC7DC as your secondary color for supporting elements and section dividers. Allocate approximately 30% of your layout to this color.
Accent Color
#9FDDF9Reserve #9FDDF9 for accent elements like buttons, links, and important highlights. This cyan accent should be used sparingly (10% of design) to draw attention to key actions.
Professional Best Practices
✓ Smart Usage Tips
- •Add warm accent colors to create focal points and prevent designs from feeling too cold
- •Test your palette across different devices and lighting conditions before finalizing
✗ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- •Don't use all colors equally—establish clear visual hierarchy through color weight
- •Avoid low-contrast text combinations that strain readability
- •Don't rely solely on color to convey meaning (use icons, text, and patterns too)
- •Avoid inconsistent color usage across different pages or screens
- •Don't assume screen colors match print output—always request physical proofs
Palette Overview & Statistics
5
Total Colors
4
Associated Tags
6
Categories
1865
Community Likes
Color Analysis & Technical Guide
Detailed breakdown of each color's role, characteristics, and optimal applications. This monochromatic palette creates a balanced and versatile aesthetic perfect for web interfaces and mobile apps.
Individual Color Breakdown
Each color in this cool palette has been analyzed for its properties and ideal usage scenarios. The high contrast and moderate saturation ensure excellent readability and accessibility.
#00205B
BLUE
#00205B serves as the primary/dominant color in this palette. This dark blue (highly saturated) brings professionalism and depth Use it for headers, navigation bars, and brand elements.
Dark toneH: 219°S: 100%L: 18%#7C7E7F
GRAY
#7C7E7F serves as the secondary/supporting color in this palette. This medium gray (muted) brings neutrality and balance Use it for cards, borders, section dividers, and supporting UI components.
Dark toneH: 200°S: 1%L: 49%#ADC7DC
BLUE
#ADC7DC serves as the secondary/supporting color in this palette. This light blue (moderately saturated) brings trust and tranquility Use it for cards, borders, section dividers, and supporting UI components.
Light toneH: 207°S: 40%L: 77%#E0E2E6
BLUE
#E0E2E6 serves as the secondary/supporting color in this palette. This light blue (muted) brings trust and tranquility Use it for cards, borders, section dividers, and supporting UI components.
Light toneH: 220°S: 11%L: 89%#9FDDF9
CYAN
#9FDDF9 serves as the accent/highlight color in this palette. This light cyan (highly saturated) brings clarity and innovation Use it for call-to-action buttons, links, important notifications, and interactive elements.
Light toneH: 199°S: 88%L: 80%
Palette Characteristics
This palette exhibits distinct characteristics that make it particularly suitable for specific design applications and industries.
Cool tones convey professionalism, trust, and calmness. Ideal for corporate and tech applications.
High contrast ensures excellent readability and meets WCAG accessibility standards for most text combinations.
Moderate saturation balances visual interest with professional restraint.
Balanced brightness provides flexibility for both light and dark design elements.
💡 Pro Tips for This Palette
- Perfect for: web interfaces, mobile apps. The monochromatic color relationship creates natural visual flow.
- Mood & Psychology: This palette evokes a balanced and versatile feeling, making it ideal for brands seeking to convey those qualities.
- Accessibility: Excellent contrast makes this palette naturally accessible. Most color combinations will meet WCAG AA standards.
- Extensions: Create tints (add white) and shades (add black) to expand this 5-color palette into a comprehensive design system.
- Cultural Context: Cool tones are generally perceived as professional worldwide but always research cultural color meanings.
Export Formats
Explore Rice University Brand Palette
The Rice University Brand color palette is a masterful blend of calming and vibrant hues that evoke a sense of trust, wisdom, and limitless possibility. At its core, this palette is about balance and harmony, bringing together a range of blues that span from the deepest navy tones to the lightest, most ethereal sky-inspired shades. The overall effect is one of serenity and confidence, making it an ideal choice for designers seeking to create a sense of stability and sophistication in their work. The palette's dominant tone, a rich blue with the code 00205B, sets the stage for a dramatic and captivating visual narrative.
As we delve deeper into the Rice University Brand palette, it becomes clear that each color plays a unique and vital role in the overall composition. The deep blue tone, 00205B, serves as a foundation, providing a sense of gravity and importance. In contrast, the neutral gray tone, 7C7E7F, acts as a bridge, connecting the various blues and adding depth and nuance to the palette. The soft, serene blue, ADC7DC, brings a touch of elegance and refinement, while the pale, misty gray, E0E2E6, adds a sense of airiness and lightness. Finally, the vibrant, turquoise-inspired tone, 9FDDF9, injects a burst of energy and dynamism, creating a sense of tension and visual interest.
The Rice University Brand color palette is remarkably versatile, lending itself to a wide range of practical applications. Designers can leverage this palette to create stunning websites, apps, and branding materials that exude confidence and sophistication. It is particularly well-suited for educational, financial, and tech-related projects, where a sense of trust and stability is paramount. In marketing and advertising, this palette can be used to create eye-catching campaigns that convey a sense of innovation and forward thinking. Whether used in digital or print media, the Rice University Brand palette is sure to make a lasting impression on viewers.
The colors in the Rice University Brand palette have a profound impact on viewer perception and behavior. The various blues are known to evoke feelings of trust, loyalty, and wisdom, while the neutral gray tones help to balance and stabilize the composition. The turquoise-inspired tone, with its code 9FDDF9, adds a sense of excitement and creativity, encouraging viewers to engage with the content on a deeper level. By leveraging the psychological effects of these colors, designers can create visual narratives that resonate with their audience on an emotional level, driving engagement, conversion, and brand loyalty.
For designers seeking to get the most out of the Rice University Brand palette, there are several pro tips to keep in mind. To create a sense of contrast and visual interest, consider pairing the deep blue tone, 00205B, with the vibrant turquoise-inspired tone, 9FDDF9. Alternatively, use the neutral gray tone, 7C7E7F, as a background to let the other colors take center stage. When working with this palette, it is also important to consider the principles of color harmony, balancing cool tones with warm accents to create a sense of balance and cohesion. By following these best practices and experimenting with different combinations, designers can unlock the full potential of the Rice University Brand palette and create stunning visual experiences that leave a lasting impression.
Palette Image
Below is the generated palette image showing all colors in a vertical layout. Perfect for sharing on social media or using as a reference.
Categories & Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about using and implementing the rice university brand palette effectively in your projects.