Our colours

Our core colours

Our 3 core colours are: deep violet, powder blue and midnight black. 

Deep violet is used in our logo and is the common thread across our communications.

Our colours do not have to be applied in large blocks. This can sometimes become overpowering. Using our colour palette as accents on a white or neutral base is encouraged.

Colour codes

Colour name	Pantone	RGB	Hex	CMYK
Deep violet	Pantone Violet C	68 0 153	440099	90 99 0 0
Powder blue	304 C	154 219 232	9ADBE8	34 0 6 0
Midnight black	7547 C	19 30 41	131E29	99 74 31 84

Tints

For flexibility, deep violet, powder blue and midnight black can be applied using tints.

Tinted hex colour codes

	Deep violet	Powder blue	Midnight black
100%	440099	9ADBE8	131E29
90%	5719A3	A4DFEA	2B353E
80%	6933AD	AEE2ED	424B54
70%	7C4DB8	B8E6EF	5A6269
60%	8F66C2	C2E9F1	71787F
50%	A280CC	CDEDF3	898F94
40%	B499D6	D7F1F6	A1A5A9
30%	C7B3E0	E1F4F8	B8BBBF
20%	DACCEB	EBF8FA	D0D2D4
15%		F0FAFC
10%	ECE6F5	F5FBFD	E7E9EA
5%	F6F2FA	FAFDFE	F3F4F4
3%	F9F7FC		F8F8F9

Off-white backgrounds

In digital applications, it is good practice to use an off-white background colour. This will help minimise eye strain and create a better reading experience for people with dyslexia.

Depending on the content, a 3%, 5% or 10% tint of our core colours can be used.

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Our wider colour palette

Our wider palette is made up of 12 colours, named below. These can act as a lead colour with the violet appearing as an accent colour. This helps us to create a flexible yet consistent approach. 

Colour codes

Colour name	RGB	Hex	CMYK
Teal	0 90 143	005A8F	100 19 10 30
Aqua	0 187 204	00BBCC	97 0 30 0
Sky blue	100 203 232	64CBE8	54 0 6 0
Mint green	0 206 124	00CE7C	57 0 62 0
Spearmint	59 212 174	3BD4AE	43 0 38 0
Pastel green	161 222 210	A1DED2	21 0 17 0
Mauve	102 61 179	663DB3	70 76 0 0
Purple	152 31 146	981F92	26 90 0 0
Lavender	218 168 226	DAA8E2	13 33 0 0
Coral	231 0 76	E7004C	0 97 50 0
Flamingo	255 99 113	FF6371	0 82 53 0
Peach	255 150 100	FF9664	0 47 80 0

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Accessibility

When typesetting, colour contrast must be taken into consideration. This is especially important for people with a visual impairment. 

Text should be written in violet or midnight black. 

Powder blue can be used as a text colour on a violet or midnight black background. 

Reversed white text can only be used as set out in the guidance below.

The guidance below shows what combinations meet either AA or AAA levels of accessibility according to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

Using text on a deep violet background

White text on a deep violet background passes AAA for normal size text and AAA for large text.

Powder blue text on a deep violet background passes AAA for normal size text and AAA for large text.

Using text on a powder blue background

Black text on a powder blue background passes AAA for normal size text and AAA for large text.

Deep violet text on a powder blue background passes AAA for normal size text and AAA for large text.

Using text on a midnight black background

White text on a midnight black background passes AAA for normal size text and AAA for large text.

Powder blue text on a midnight black background passes AAA for normal size text and AAA for large text.

Using text on a teal background

White text on a teal background passes AAA for normal size text and AAA for large text.

Using text on an aqua background

Black text on an aqua background passes AAA for normal size text and AAA for large text.

Deep violet text on an aqua background passes AA for normal size text and AAA for large text.

Using text on a sky blue background

Black text on a sky blue background passes AAA for normal size text and AAA for large text.

Deep violet text on a sky blue background passes AA for normal size text and AAA for large text.

Using text on a mint green background

Black text on a mint green background passes AAA for normal size text and AAA for large text.

Deep violet text on a mint green background passes AA for normal size text and AAA for large text.

Using text on a spearmint background

Black text on a spearmint background passes AAA for normal size text and AAA for large text.

Deep violet text on a spearmint background passes AA for normal size text and AAA for large text.

Using text on a pastel green background

Black text on a pastel green background passes AAA for normal size text and AAA for large text.

Deep violet text on a pastel green background passes AA for normal size text and AAA for large text.

Using text on a mauve background

White text on a mauve background passes AA for normal size text and AAA for large text.

Using text on a purple background

White text on a purple background passes AAA for normal size text and AAA for large text.

Using text on a lavender background

Black text on a lavender background passes AAA for normal size text and AAA for large text.

Deep violet text on a lavender background passes AA for normal size text and AAA for large text.

Using text on a coral background

White text on a coral background passes AA for normal size text and AAA for large text.

Using text on a flamingo background

Black text on a flamingo background passes AAA for normal size text and AAA for large text.

Using text on a peach background

Black text on a peach background passes AAA for normal size text and AAA for large text.

Deep violet text on a peach background passes AA for normal size text and AAA for large text.

Eye strain

Using pure black and white colour combinations in digital design can cause eye strain due to their high contrast. Using softer shades such as midnight black and a low percentage tint of midnight black will help to reduce eye strain. This advice is specific to digital screens and does not apply to print.

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Colour combinations

Up to three colours can be used in combination at a time. Violet can be used as an accent colour with all of the wider palette. Don’t be averse to using white space. The guidance below suggests suitable colour combinations. 

Teal combinations: deep violet, peach, sky blue

Aqua combinations: deep violet, peach, powder blue

Sky blue combinations: deep violet, flamingo, mauve

Mint green combinations: deep violet, powder blue, purple

Spearmint combinations: deep violet, flamingo, mauve

Pastel green combinations: deep violet, flamingo, mauve

Mauve combinations: deep violet, peach, lavender

Purple combinations: deep violet, peach, powder blue

Lavender combinations: deep violet, flamingo, mauve

Coral combinations: deep violet, powder blue, peach

Flamingo combinations: deep violet, sky blue, mauve

Peach combinations: deep violet, sky blue, mauve