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visual styles

Color

Our color palette gives us a voice and personality that elicits an emotional reaction. The Smithsonian color palette evokes a vibrant, bold, approachable, and everyday sensibility. The primary blue and yellow is the foundation of the brand and represents a sun and sky. Secondary colors are designed to emphasize how wide-ranging and diverse Smithsonian’s offerings are.

Primary

The primary color palette is our resting place. It is designed to be used in situations where the brand palette is not being used. For instance, use these colors sparingly only on white, black, or non-duatoned photography.

PMS: 116 C / 109 U

HEX: #ffcd00

RGB: 255 205 0

CMYK: 0 14 100 0

PMS: 2925 C / 299 U

HEX: #009cde

RGB: 0 156 222

CMYK: 85 21 0 0

PMS: BLACK 6C

HEX: #101820

RGB: 16 24 32

CMYK: 100 79 44 93

Secondary

The secondary palette consists of six main colors. These colors complement the primary palette and are used to create emphasis and promote variety in content.

PMS: 655 C

HEX: #002554

RGB: 0 37 84

CMYK: 100 79 12 59

PMS: 7700 C

HEX: #165c7d

RGB: 22 92 125

CMYK: 84 17 0 57

PMS: 0821 C

HEX: #74d1ea

RGB: 116 209 234

CMYK: 47 0 7 0

PMS: 158 C

HEX: #e87722

RGB: 232 119 34

CMYK: 0 62 95 0

PMS: 7409 C

HEX: #f0b323

RGB: 240 179 35

CMYK: 0 31 100 0

HEX: #ffffff

RGB: 255 255 255

CMYK: 0 0 0 0

Tertiary

The tertiary palette is neutral and subtle. Its purpose is to allow flexibility when working on websites. You can use the light blue or light gray for page divides or hover states. The darker, value gray tones can be used on type to give a more approachable readability.

HEX: #333f48

RGB: 51 63 72

CMYK: 65 43 26 78

HEX: #75787b

RGB: 117 120 123

CMYK: 30 22 17 57

HEX: #efefef

RGB: 239 239 239

CMYK: 5 3 3 0

HEX: #e2e8ec

RGB: 226 232 236

CMYK: 10 5 4 0

HEX: #d0d7de

RGB: 208 215 222

CMYK: 17 10 8 0

HEX: #f0515a

RGB: 240 81 90

CMYK: 0 84 59 0