Color Palette
Status: Established. Colors are drawn from the CUA institutional identity but belong to the Oranburg Style system. Variable names use neutral, semantic labels — not institutional names.
Primary Colors
| Role | Hex | Suggested Variable | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deep Blue | #0A3255 | --blue-deep |
CUA primary blue |
| Cardinal Red | #B21F2C | --red-deep |
CUA primary red |
Secondary Colors
| Role | Hex | Suggested Variable | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bright Red | #E82F35 | --red-bright |
CUA secondary |
| Bright Blue | #2459A9 | --blue-bright |
CUA secondary |
| Light Red | #E96955 | --red-light |
CUA secondary |
| Light Blue | #6DACDE | --blue-light |
CUA secondary |
Tertiary / Accent Colors
| Role | Hex | Suggested Variable | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow | #FFD65C | --yellow |
CUA tertiary |
| Light Blue-Green | #B5E1E1 | --teal |
CUA tertiary |
Functional Assignments (Web)
These assignments are established across oranburg.law and sub-sites.
| Function | Color | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Navigation bar (global) | --red-deep |
Red bar, white text, yellow hover underline |
| Navigation bar (local/anchor) | --blue-deep |
Blue bar for on-page section nav |
| Section headings | --blue-deep |
H2 text color on light backgrounds |
| Sub-headings | --blue-bright |
H3 text color |
| Accent headings (H4) | --red-deep |
Used sparingly for fourth-level structure |
| Heading underlines | --red-deep |
3px bottom border on H2 |
| Links (body text) | --blue-bright |
Standard inline link color |
| Link hover / active state | --red-deep or --yellow |
Context-dependent |
| Tags / badges | --teal bg, --blue-deep text |
Light, low-emphasis labeling |
| CTA buttons | --blue-deep to --blue-bright gradient |
Primary action |
| Submit / destructive buttons | --red-deep to --red-bright gradient |
Form submission, alerts |
| Card borders | --blue-light |
Subtle framing on white cards |
| Left-border callouts | --red-deep or --blue-bright |
Accent stripe on inset boxes |
| Footer background | --blue-deep |
Full-width footer |
Dark Mode Palette (D-017)
Dark mode uses pure black (#000000) background with pure white (#FFFFFF) text. This is intentional for OLED displays, where true black means pixels are fully off — a distinctive, high-impact look. The deep blue (#0A3255) moves up to serve as the panel/card background, providing color and identity against the black canvas.
| Function | Light Mode | Dark Mode | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Background | #FFFFFF | #000000 | Pure white / pure black |
| Panel / card bg | #F8F9FA | #0A3255 | Deep blue panels on black |
| Panel soft | #E9ECEF | #0D3D68 | Slightly lighter blue |
| Panel border | #D0D8E4 | #1E5080 | Blue-shifted border |
| Body text | #000000 | #FFFFFF | Pure black / pure white |
| Muted text | #555555 | #9CA3AF | Secondary content |
| Accent (primary) | --blue-bright |
--blue-light |
Brighter in dark mode for contrast |
| Accent (secondary) | --teal |
--teal |
Works in both modes |
Naming Convention
Color variables must use neutral, semantic names — not institutional labels. The colors originate from CUA’s identity system but serve a personal style system that may outlast any single institutional affiliation.
Do: --blue-deep, --red-bright, --yellow
Do not: --catholic-blue, --catholic-red, --cua-primary
Print / Document Colors
For print documents (Word, PDF), color usage is minimal:
- Headings:
--blue-deep(#0A3255) where color headings are appropriate (CVs, pamphlets, slides) - Accent rules/lines:
--red-deep(#B21F2C) - Body text: Black (#000000) — never colored
- Law review submissions: No color. Black text throughout per journal convention.