Department of Information
Graphic Standards Manual

Issued by the Office of Public Awareness.
Department of Information Graphic Standards

Chromaticity, Colorways, Textures, and PatternsGraphic Standards Manual

Color

The core brand color is Department Black. When possible, it is the dominant color of any page, spread or object. Manila is its natural complement, and together they should be enough for almost all designs.

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The colors

Primary

Department Black

Hex #232323
RGB 35, 35, 35
CMYK 71, 65, 65, 72

90% 75% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10%

Secondary

Manila

Hex #FBFBF4
RGB 251, 251, 244
CMYK 1, 0, 4, 0

Tertiary

Beaurocracy Blue

Hex #0000FF
RGB 0, 0, 255
CMYK 88, 77, 0, 0

75% 50% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5%

Quaternary

Embargo Red

Hex #FF2576
RGB 255, 37, 118
CMYK 0, 94, 25, 0

75% 50% 25% 10%
Safety Yellow

Hex #FFD600
RGB 255, 214, 0
CMYK to be confirmed

75% 50% 25% 10%
Ledger Green

Hex #98F2A8
RGB 152, 242, 168
CMYK to be confirmed

75% 50% 25% 10%

When to use each

Department Black and Manila carry everything. Black is the dominant color whenever possible: on screens, on stationery, on vehicles and uniforms.

Beaurocracy Blue is introduced only in the rare case a third color is needed, for emphasis, attention or accessibility, and then in limited form. Exercise restraint to maintain the integrity of the brand.

The quaternary colors are used in an even more limited fashion. Embargo Red indicates anomalous, otherworldly and strange information. Safety Yellow and Ledger Green are signals: caution and approval. All three belong on Department Black, where they read clearly; as text or fine lines on Manila they fail contrast.

Each color can be tinted down in increments when many distinctions are needed, as in charts, graphs and asides. Tints are percentages of the full color over white.

Contrast considerations

Maximizing contrast matters for accessibility as much as for looks. Color should be complementary and non-determinant in a design: always assume the reader has a color vision deficiency. This table is a standard, not an exhaustive list.

Foreground / background a a a a a a a a a
Contrast ratio15.1:115.1:18.3:18.3:11.8:11.8:111.1:111.7:11.4:1
Pass / fail✓✓✓✓✕✕✓✓✕
Do

Pair Black with Manila, and Blue with Manila or white. Use Embargo Red text only at large, bold sizes, or use the darker red text token on Manila.

Don't

Put Blue on Black or Black on Blue (1.8:1), or Yellow or Green on Manila (1.4:1 and 1.3:1). They fail for text of any size.

Black-and-white photograph of an antique film camera on a wheeled tripod, a blurred Department seal behind it.
From the archives.Manual, p. 20

For the interface color roles built from these colors, see Pencil Box color tokens.