Red #A6192E
Use for
• Primary Macquarie University brand colour
• Primary buttons and links
Colour
Colour plays an important role in our lives. Our minds are programmed to respond to colour. We stop our cars for red lights and go on green. We see colour before we see form.
Improving your product’s accessibility enhances the usability for all users, including those with low vision, blindness, hearing impairments, cognitive impairments, motor impairments or situational disabilities (such as a broken arm).
The Macquarie University have committed to comply with WCAG2 AA standards. Certain colours used in palette have to be accessible. It’s both a social responsibility. All the elements in the GEM have been rigorously tested for accessibility. The GEM colour section contains a basic guide to accessibility for each brand, however, we still encourage designers to check colour accessibility during the design phase. The Colour Contrast Analyser is a useful tool for this purpose.
Primary Colour Palette
The colour system works by assigning a palette of 10 core colours. Each colour in the palette has a purpose or function. For example the primary colour is intended for text links and primary buttons as a result, it has to be accessible and legible.
The border colour (as the name suggests) is used on elements that require a border for example form input fields. It’s not necessary for this colour to be accessible.
Primary
Charcoal #373A36
Use for
• Primary Macquarie University brand colour
• Primary buttons and links
Sand light #EDEBE5
Use for
• Primary Macquarie University brand colour
• Primary buttons and links
Purple #80225F
Use for
• Primary Macquarie University brand colour
• Primary buttons and links
Deep red #76232F
Use for
• Primary Macquarie University brand colour
• Primary buttons and links
Bright red #D6001C
Use for
• Primary Macquarie University brand colour
• Primary buttons and links
Magenta #C6007E
Use for
• Primary Macquarie University brand colour
• Primary buttons and links
Secondary Colour Palette
The colour system works by assigning a palette of 10 core colours. Each colour in the palette has a purpose or function. For example the primary colour is intended for text links and primary buttons as a result, it has to be accessible and legible.
The border colour (as the name suggests) is used on elements that require a border for example form input fields. It’s not necessary for this colour to be accessible.
Secondary
Success #009174
Use for
• Primary Macquarie University brand colour
• Primary buttons and links
Alert #BC4700
Use for
• Primary Macquarie University brand colour
• Primary buttons and links
Information #415364
Use for
• Primary Macquarie University brand colour
• Primary buttons and links
Sand #D6D2C4
Use for
• Primary Macquarie University brand colour
• Primary buttons and links
Dark Purple #6F1D46
Use for
• Primary Macquarie University brand colour
• Primary buttons and links
Examples
Text elements
Do
Create contrast by using a range of light and dark values.
Don't
Don’t use general verbs that are ambigious and lack specificity.
Colours
Do
Use only the primary colours on buttons and links.
Don't
Don’t use highlight colours for button for links.
Do
Only use MQ Black for type on light backgrounds, and MQ White for type on dark backgrounds.
Don't
Don’t use different colours for typography.