Open Berkeley site name color changed to Berkeley Blue

January 30, 2023

In order to align with new recommendations from the Office of Communications & Public Affairs, the color of all site names on the Open Berkeley platform has changed from Medalist to Berkeley Blue. As of Version 1.5.0, the logo, site name, and parent organization on all Open Berkeley sites will look like the below example:

One-color lockup with wordmark and sitename in blue

In the above example, the Berkeley logo and the site name (“Web Platform Services”) are the same color; this configuration is referred to as a “one-color logo lockup.”

For the current Open Berkeley platform, only the Berkeley Blue on White “one-color logo lockup” illustrated above will be available. There will be additional Brand changes and options in the next generation of the platform.

More information

Here is additional information from Public Affairs about this update:

Communications & Public Affairs led a year-long process to reevaluate the brand guidelines for logo lockups — the campus standard for displaying unit names next to the Berkeley logo. This process involved engagement with key groups and individuals with an interest in this work.

There were several concerns and considerations that led to this reevaluation of the guidelines. Key among them were concerns related to accessibility. The old standard used the brand color Medalist on a white background to display the unit name. While Medalist on a white background meets WCAG Level AA requirements at large sizes, it fails at smaller sizes. The logo lockups need to be used in a variety of sizes, making it problematic that they did not meet WCAG AA requirements at all sizes.

To future-proof the new guidelines and ensure they fully meet the needs of diverse audiences, Communications & Public Affairs set a goal of having the new logo lockup guidelines meet or exceed WCAG Level AA requirements. WCAG Level AA conformance requires a contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.

The end result is a move toward one-color logo lockups in most cases. The options are Berkeley Blue on a white or light background, California Gold on a Berkeley Blue or dark background, and white on a Berkeley Blue or dark background. For applications where a two-color lockup is still preferred, the Berkeley logo can be in California Gold and the unit name in white on a Berkeley Blue or dark background. This is the only configuration where color contrast is sufficient at all sizes.

To align with these new guidelines, Open Berkeley will be updated on January 30, 2023. On this date, the unit name displayed on your website will change in color from Medalist to Berkeley Blue. This change will also coincide with the launch of the new Berkeley Brand website, which will reflect the newly-adopted changes. If you have questions about the new guidelines or want to request logo lockup files for use outside of Open Berkeley, email brand@berkeley.edu.