Colour
See which colours you should use in digital and print work to reflect the Sussex brand.
Our colour palettes
We have brand colours for both digital and print purposes.
Print colours are supplied with CMYK and Pantone® values.
Our digital colours, displayed with Hex values, differ slightly to comply with WCAG AA accessibility guidelines. Read our guidelines for accessibility.
If you are editing our website, you must use our standard page components. Do not change colours or edit components.
Primary palette
Our primary palette contains bright and confident colours.
Sussex flint is our core colour and should be used distinctly in applications that require more of a corporate or academic tone.
Sussex flint
#003b49
rgb(0, 59, 73)
Cobalt blue
#1d4289
rgb(29, 66, 137)
Mid grey
#94a596
rgb(148, 165, 150)
Fuchsia pink
#e56db1
rgb(229, 109, 177)
Coral red*
#d3273e
rgb(211, 39, 62)
Turquoise
#00bfb2
rgb(0, 191, 178)
Warm grey
#d6d2c4
rgb(214, 210, 196)
Sunshine yellow
#ffc845
rgb(255, 200, 69)
Burnt orange
#dc582a
rgb(220, 88, 42)
Sky blue
#41b6e6
rgb(65, 182, 230)
*Amended for accessibility as required.
Secondary palette
Our secondary palette is more refined than the primary palette and can be used to create a more subtle or elegant feel.
Navy blue
#1b365d
rgb(27, 54, 93)
China rose
#be84a3
rgb(190, 132, 163)
Grape
#5d3754
rgb(93, 55, 84)
Powder blue
#7da1c4
rgb(125, 161, 196)
Corn yellow
#f2c75c
rgb(242, 199, 92)
Cool grey
#d0d3d4
rgb(208, 211, 212)
Deep aquamarine*
#007a78
rgb(0, 122, 120)
*Amended for accessibility as required.
Colours and accessibility
The text blocks below show examples of using brand colour backgrounds with text over. The colour contrast needs to be compliant with the WCAG AA standard.
This also applies for text over a white or light background colour and for text over images or photographs.
These colours have been tested using the WebAIM colour contrast checker.
Large text is defined as 14 point (typically 18.66px) and bold or larger, or 18 point (typically 24px) or larger.
These examples only use white and black text. Other combinations can be used if they pass the WebAIM colour contrast checker.
AAA standard colours
Large text
Normal text
Sussex flint
#003b49
rgb(0, 59, 73)
Large text
Normal text
Cobalt blue
#1d4289
rgb(29, 66, 137)
Large text only
Coral red
#d3273e
rgb(211, 39, 62)
Large text
Normal text
Navy blue
#1b365d
rgb(27, 54, 93)
Large text
Normal text
Grape
#5d3754
rgb(93, 55, 84)
Large text only
Deep aquamarine
#005c5a
rgb(0, 122, 120)
Large text
Normal text
Turquoise
#00bfb2
rgb(0, 191, 178)
Large text
Normal text
Warm grey
#d6d2c4
rgb(214, 210, 196)
Large text
Normal text
Sunshine yellow
#ffc845
rgb(255, 200, 69)
Large text
Normal text
Sky blue
#41b6e6
rgb(65, 182, 230)
Large text
Normal text
Powder blue
#7da1c4
rgb(125, 161, 196)
Large text
Normal text
Cool grey
#d0d3d4
rgb(208, 211, 212)
AA standard colours
Large text
Normal text
Coral red
#d3273e
rgb(211, 39, 62)
Large text
Normal text
Deep aquamarine
#005c5a
rgb(0, 122, 120)
Large text only
Burnt orange
#dc582a
rgb(220, 88, 42)
These three palettes – primary, secondary and highlight – can be used together or on their own.
The colours you select will help you achieve the desired look and feel in your communication.
You can use our primary or secondary palette colours at 100% opacity, or as tints to differentiate information on charts and graphics. Lighter tints can be used as background colours.
Make sure legibility is maintained when using tints for text. Maintain good contrast between tints to ensure they are distinguishable.
Colour modes
For our primary and secondary palettes, colours should be reproduced in CMYK.
If you’re using lithographic printing (such as for brochures over 1,000 copies) or silk screen printing (for example, T-shirts) you can choose to use a Pantone® spot colour. Pantones can be expensive.
Our highlight palette can only be used for lithographic and screen printing because neon colours cannot be produced in CMYK.
Merchandise
If you are a member of Sussex staff ordering merchandise such as clothing or pens, choose the closest colour.
Primary palette
Our primary palette contains bright and confident colours.
Sussex Flint is our core colour and should be used distinctly in applications that require more of a corporate or academic tone.
Sussex flint
Pantone® 309 C
C95 M57 Y56 K64
Cobalt blue
Pantone® 7687 C
C100 M78 Y0 K18
Mid grey
Pantone® 5635 C
C46 M24 Y41 K6
Fuchsia pink
Pantone® 218 C
C6 M70 Y0 K0
Coral red
Pantone® 198 C
C6 M84 Y53 K1
Turquoise
Pantone® 3262 C
C82 M0 Y41 K0
Warm grey
Pantone® 7527 C
C19 M15 Y24 K1
Sunshine yellow
Pantone® 1225 C
C0 M32 Y89 K0
Burnt orange
Pantone® 7579 C
C8 M76 Y90 K1
Sky blue
Pantone® 298 C
C67 M8 Y2 K0
Secondary palette
Our secondary palette is more refined than the primary palette and can be used to create a more subtle or elegant feel.
Navy blue
Pantone® 534 C
C99 M80 Y36 K28
China rose
Pantone® 687 C
C26 M56 Y17 K1
Grape
Pantone ® 7659 C
C62 M80 Y38 K35
Powder blue
Pantone ® 645 C
C56 M29 Y12 K1
Corn yellow
Pantone® 141 C
C6 M22 Y72 K0
Cool grey
Pantone® 427 C
C22 M14 Y15 K0
Deep aquamarine
Pantone® 7475 C
C72 M33 Y45 K18
Highlight palette
Colours from our highlight palette can be used as an accent or detail alongside colours from the primary or secondary palette.
They should not be used over large areas of colour or to colour the logo. They should be used sparingly as they can easily become overpowering.
Refer to a Pantone® swatch book when selecting a neon colour as they do not reproduce accurately on screen.
Neon blue
Pantone® 801 C
Neon bright orange
Pantone® bright orange C
Neon green
Pantone® 802 C
Neon light orange
Pantone® 804 C
Neon yellow
Pantone® 803 C
Neon salmon
Pantone® 805 C
Neon pink
Pantone® 806 C