Color Palette
Color Overview
Our color palette is inspired by our heritage and our location. Our core colors, GW Blue and GW Buff, were influenced by the Continental Army uniform worn by George Washington. Other colors range from bold hues to neutral accents, all of which evoke our surroundings in D.C. — like the waters of the Potomac, the cherry blossoms along the Tidal Basin and on our campus, and the patina of GW’s Tempietto. These secondary colors support the visual brand and add depth to our palette.
When using color builds, always use the values listed below. They have been adjusted for the best reproduction on screen and in print, and may not match Pantone Color Bridge breakdowns. In general, the color codes originate from official Pantone Color Bridge swatch books.
Primary Colors & Blue Accents | Secondary Accents | Color Spectrums | Accessibility
Primary Colors and Blue Accents
GW Blue
Hex #033C5A
CMYK 100 / 48 / 12 / 58 RGB 0 / 59 / 92
PANTONE 302
GW Buff
Hex #D6BF91
CMYK 13 / 20 / 45 / 3
RGB 214 / 191 / 145
PANTONE 7502
GW Buff 80%
Hex #DAC8A3
GW Buff 50%
Hex #E8DDC6
GW Buff 20%
Hex #F6F1E8
Potomac
Hex #0075C8
CMYK 100 / 46 / 0 / 2
RGB 0 / 118 / 187
PANTONE 3005
Potomac 80%
Hex #3391D3
Potomac 50%
Hex #7FBAE3
Potomac 20%
Hex #CCE3F4
Secondary Accents
Row House
Hex #EF4343
CMYK 0 / 89 / 76 / 0
RGB 239 / 67 / 67
PANTONE 2034
Blossom
Hex #D1A0B9
CMYK 16 / 41 / 10 / 0
RGB 209 / 160 / 186
PANTONE 686
Parchment
Hex #FFEFAE
CMYK 0 / 4 / 38 / 0
RGB 255 / 239 / 174
PANTONE 7401
Blue Fog
Hex #52C9E8
CMYK 58 / 0 / 6 / 0
RGB 84 / 200 / 231
PANTONE 305
Patina
Hex #ADCAB8
CMYK 33 / 10 / 30 / 0
RGB 173 / 200 / 184
PANTONE 559
Color Spectrums
These color spectrums demonstrate how to balance the primary and secondary palettes to strike the appropriate tone in your design projects.
When designing materials that introduce the GW brand, like banners on campus or airport advertising or national print ads, we use colors from our controlled spectrum. We always want these tactics to lead with the core colors of GW Blue and GW Buff, supported by Potomac and Navy Yard at a high level.
For more lively communications, where we want to reflect GW’s energy and spirit, we pull in more of the extended secondary palette, as seen in the expressive spectrum. Typically, these secondary hues should act only as accents to the core colors; they should never dominate the layout.
The ratios shown below represent approximate color distributions throughout a composition, encompassing how color might be applied to text, graphic elements and backgrounds.
Tips
Use a higher ratio of white in more formal communications for a clean, elevated look.
Most projects should lean on the controlled spectrum; shift to the expressive spectrum only if the project calls for it.
The secondary palette should be used only as an accent color, and at a lower ratio than the blues, buff, and white, which should always be used to establish a strong and consistent GW brand presence.
General Uses
Controlled
Expressive
Accessibility
All GW digital materials must adhere to WCAG AA color contrast guidelines. Please refer to the following information when designing anything that will be distributed digitally, such as websites, social media content, or digital video graphics. Should you have questions about accessibility and the GW color palette, contact visualidentity
gwu [dot] edu (visualidentity[at]gwu[dot]edu).
NOTE: Combinations marked as "Large Text Only" may only be used for regular text at 18pt or larger, or bold text at 14pt or larger.
Accessible Color Combinations
- GW Blue
All Text Sizes
GW BuffGW Buff 80%GW Buff 50%GW Buff 20%Potomac 50%Potomac 20%BlossomBlue FogParchmentPatinaWhiteLarge Text Only
Potomac 80%Row HouseNot Accessible
PotomacNavy YardBlack- GW Buff
All Text Sizes
GW BlueNavy YardBlackLarge Text Only
No Large Text Only color combinations.
Not Accessible
GW Buff 80%GW Buff 50%GW Buff 20%PotomacPotomac 80%Potomac 50%Potomac 20%BlossomBlue FogParchmentPatinaRow HouseWhite- GW Buff 80%
All Text Sizes
GW BlueNavy YardBlackLarge Text Only
No Large Text Only color combinations.
Not Accessible
GW BuffGW Buff 50%GW Buff 20%PotomacPotomac 80%Potomac 50%Potomac 20%BlossomBlue FogParchmentPatinaRow HouseWhite- GW Buff 50%
All Text Sizes
GW BlueNavy YardBlackLarge Text Only
Row HouseNot Accessible
GW BuffGW Buff 80%GW Buff 20%PotomacPotomac 80%Potomac 50%Potomac 20%BlossomBlue FogParchmentPatinaWhite- GW Buff 20%
All Text Sizes
GW BlueNavy YardBlackLarge Text Only
PotomacPotomac 80%Row HouseNot Accessible
GW BuffGW Buff 80%GW Buff 50%Potomac 50%Potomac 20%BlossomBlue FogParchmentPatinaWhite- Potomac
All Text Sizes
WhiteLarge Text Only
GW Buff 20%Potomac 20%ParchmentNavy YardBlackNot Accessible
GW BlueGW BuffGW Buff 80%GW Buff 50%Potomac 80%Potomac 50%BlossomBlue FogPatinaRow House- Potomac 80%
All Text Sizes
BlackLarge Text Only
GW BlueNavy YardWhiteNot Accessible
GW BuffGW Buff 80%GW Buff 50%GW Buff 20%PotomacPotomac 50%Potomac 20%BlossomBlue FogParchmentPatinaRow House- Potomac 50%
All Text Sizes
GW BlueNavy YardBlackLarge Text Only
No Large Text Only color combinations.
Not Accessible
GW BuffGW Buff 80%GW Buff 50%GW Buff 20%PotomacPotomac 80%Potomac 20%BlossomBlue FogParchmentPatinaRow HouseWhite- Potomac 20%
All Text Sizes
GW BlueNavy YardBlackLarge Text Only
PotomacNot Accessible
GW BuffGW Buff 80%GW Buff 50%GW Buff 20%Potomac 80%Potomac 50%BlossomBlue FogParchmentPatinaRow HouseWhite- Navy Yard
All Text Sizes
GW BuffGW Buff 80%GW Buff 50%GW Buff 20%Potomac 80%Potomac 50%Potomac 20%BlossomBlue FogPatinaParchmentWhiteLarge Text Only
PotomacRow HouseNot Accessible
GW BlueBlack- Row House
All Text Sizes
BlackLarge Text Only
GW BlueGW Buff 50%GW Buff 20%Navy YardParchmentWhiteNot Accessible
GW BuffGW Buff 80%PotomacPotomac 80%Potomac 50%Potomac 20%BlossomBlue FogPatina- Blossom
All Text Sizes
GW BlueNavy YardBlackLarge Text Only
No Large Text Only combinations.
Not Accessible
GW BuffGW Buff 80%GW Buff 50%GW Buff 20%PotomacPotomac 80%Potomac 50%Potomac 20%Blue FogPatinaPotomacParchmentWhite- Parchment
All Text Sizes
GW BlueNavy YardBlackLarge Text Only
PotomacRow HouseNot Accessible
GW BuffGW Buff 80%GW Buff 50%GW Buff 20%Potomac 80%Potomac 50%Potomac 20%BlossomBlue FogPatinaWhite- Blue Fog
All Text Sizes
GW BlueNavy YardBlackLarge Text Only
No Large Text Only color combinations.
Not Accessible
GW BuffGW Buff 80%GW Buff 50%GW Buff 20%PotomacPotomac 80%Potomac 50%Potomac 20%BlossomPatinaParchmentRow HouseWhite- Patina
All Text Sizes
GW BlueNavy YardBlackLarge Text Only
No Large Text Only color combinations.
Not Accessible
GW BuffGW Buff 80%GW Buff 50%GW Buff 20%PotomacPotomac 80%Potomac 50%Potomac 20%BlossomBlue FogParchmentRow HouseWhite- White
All Text Sizes
GW BlueNavy YardPotomacBlackLarge Text Only
Potomac 80%Row HouseNot Accessible
GW BuffGW Buff 80%GW Buff 50%GW Buff 20%Potomac 50%Potomac 20%BlossomBlue FogParchmentPatina- Black
All Text Sizes
GW BuffGW Buff 80%GW Buff 50%GW Buff 20%Potomac 80%Potomac 50%Potomac 20%BlossomBlue FogParchmentPatinaRow HouseWhiteLarge Text Only
PotomacNot Accessible
GW BlueNavy Yard