Color Palette

Marketing and Communications

Consistent use of color supports visual cohesion and leverages an emotional resonance with our brand. It’s a powerful way to help people get to know our unique style and increase the impact of our storytelling.

Brand Colors

One of the ways that Portland Community College creates visual continuity and impact is through consistent use of brand colors. Aside from our logo, PCC turquoise is the most identifiable element of our college. PCC’s primary colors are turquoise and navy. These two colors provide a palette that can be adapted for multiple audiences as needed. In general, turquoise should be emphasized over all other colors. If navy serves as a primary color (i.e., for a business audience), then turquoise should be utilized as an accent color.

Primary Color Palette

PCC Turquoise

The PCC turquoise was instituted as the primary color during the college’s 50th anniversary in 2011. It was updated to feel lighter and more contemporary.

TURQUOISE
PMS 3135c
CMYK 100 / 23.36 / 29.48 / 1.15
RGB 0 / 142 / 170
HEX 008EAA

PCC Navy

The PCC navy color was adjusted and is an update to the legacy color palette.

NAVY
PMS 2955c
CMYK 100 / 60 / 10 / 53
RGB 0 / 56 / 101
HEX 003865

Color Builds

When possible, projects should be printed using the Pantone Matching System values (PMS 3135c and PMS 2955c). If spot colors are not available, the CMYK values listed on this page should be used. To translate our brand thoughtfully for digital audiences, we’ve created web-specific values of our color palettes, using the HEX and RGB color builds.

Secondary and Tertiary Colors

Although our color system relies heavily on turquoise and navy, we understand the need to complement that palette with a vibrant set of additional colors. This full set of secondary and tertiary colors was developed to help elevate marketing projects and speak to a variety of audiences. Please use these colors sparingly and always with PCC’s turquoise. Also, under no circumstances should any of these colors become the predominant color for an academic program, department, or center.

Secondary Color Palette

PURPLE
PMS 669c
CMYK 87 / 97 / 8 / 49
RGB 63 / 42 / 86
HEX 3D2B57

SEAFOAM GREEN
PMS 559c
CMYK 29 / 2 / 24 / 3
RGB 173 / 202 / 184
HEX ADC8B8

LIGHT TAN
PMS 400c
CMYK 6 / 7 / 13 / 16
RGB 196 / 191 / 182
HEX C3BEB5

APPLE GREEN
PMS 383c
CMYK 29 / 1 / 100 / 18
RGB 168 / 173 / 0
HEX A8AD00

TAN
PMS 403c
CMYK 18 / 21 / 27 / 47
RGB 140 / 133 / 123
HEX 8A837A

Tertiary Color Palette

SALMON PINK
PMS 170c
CMYK 0 / 48 / 50 / 0
RGB 255 / 134 / 116
HEX FF8571

BRIGHT YELLOW
PMS 803c
CMYK 0 / 5.47 / 97.71 / 0
RGB 255 / 232 / 0
HEX FFE80A

GOLDEN YELLOW
PMS 124c
CMYK 0 / 30 / 100 / 0
RGB 234 / 170 / 0
HEX EBA904

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Brand Color Combinations

When building color combinations, be sure PCC’s turquoise is predominate (approximately 50% of the design). The secondary colors are to support the turquoise (approximately 15% of each color, or 45% of the design) and the tertiary colors are for highlights or call-outs (approximately 5% of the design).

Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon