Our colour palette is iconic. Along with our logo, it’s our most identifiable asset, visible on our campuses as you walk through the city, prospectuses landing on doormats, and across digital communications.

Our brand colours aren’t common in the education sector. This allows us to stand out in the marketplace.

Primary colours

Our core colours are Hallam Maroon, Collegiate Crimson, Hallam Pink, Peaks Pink.

Secondary colours

You should always lead with core brand colours. But to help support those colours we also have a set of secondary colours.

Sub-brand colours

We’re all part of the same Sheffield Hallam family, but identified sub-brands are important in their specialist markets. Current sub-brand colours are available in the sub-brand section.

Sub-brands use primary colours. The Sheffield Hallam primary colours palette provides the accent colours. This enables us to create a flexible yet consistent approach.

Please don’t create your own sub-brand or sub-brand palette. If you believe there is a requirement for a sub-brand, please email Marketingenquiries@shu.ac.uk for an initial discussion. 

Accessibility

When typesetting, colour contrast must be taken into consideration. This is especially important for people with a visual impairment. The contrast between font colours and background colours, both on the web and in print, can impact on legibility, especially for those with a visual impairment.  

When designing your materials, make sure that text is legible against the background, with a high enough contrast between the two to easily differentiate. Black or white text is preferable, depending on legibility. 

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

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) explains how to make web content more accessible to people with disabilities. WCAG covers web sites, applications, and other digital content. It is developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). WCAG is an international standard.

There are three levels of conformance:
Level A is the minimum level.
Level AA includes all Level A and AA requirements. Many organisations strive to meet Level AA.
Level AAA includes all Level A, AA, and AAA requirements.