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Color Palette and Typography

Get details on Cal State Monterey Bay’s official brand colors and typography, including guidance for print and digital applications and the design review process.

The campus mascot stands on a sandy beach with the ocean behind, highlighting the university’s coastal setting and school spirit.
Brand Guidelines

Using color and typography to express the Cal State Monterey Bay brand

Color and typography shape how the Cal State Monterey Bay brand is recognized and experienced. Consistent use of the university’s approved colors and type styles creates clear, cohesive communication across print and digital materials.

Use the guidance below to select approved colors, apply typography consistently and support accessible design.

Core and Supporting Brand Colors

Use the approved color combinations and specifications below to create consistent, accessible university communications.

These core colors should comprise about 85% of CSUMB-branded content.

Monterey Bay Blue

75 c 45 m 0 y 55 k
49 r 70 g 108 b
#31456b
Pantone Alternative: PMS 540

Monterey Bay Blue

Ocean Blue

60 c 20m 5 y 15 k
108r 147 g 183 b
#6b92b6
Pantone Alternative: PMS 542

Ocean Blue

 

This color can comprise up to 10% of content.

Valley Green

65 c 6 m 70 y 20 k
104 r 149 g 103 b
#689466
Pantone Alternative: PMS 363

Valley Green

 

Together, these colors can comprise up to 5% of branded content.

Valley Green Bright

54 c 6 m 78 y 0 k
147 r 185 g 108 b
#93b96c
Pantone Alternative: PMS 368

Valley Green Bright

Sunshine

5 c 30 m 80 y 0k
224 r 180 g 87 b
#e0b457
Pantone Alternative: PMS 7406

Sunshine

Tangerine

8 c 60 m 80 y 0 k
204 r 127 g 76 b
#cc7e4c
Pantone Alternative: PMS 158

Tangerine

 

Typography

Consistent typography strengthens the Cal State Monterey Bay brand by creating a clear, recognizable and accessible visual identity across print and digital communications.

Montserrat is the university's primary brand typeface. Chosen for its clean, open and modern qualities, it offers a wide range of font weights to create clear visual hierarchy across communications. Montserrat is a free Google Font available for download.

Use Montserrat for:

  • Headlines
  • Subheads
  • Call-to-action buttons
  • Marketing materials
  • Digital communications

Montserrat is available through Google Fonts and can be used in Google Docs, Google Slides and Google Sheets. It can also be installed for Microsoft Office applications. When Montserrat is unavailable for word processing, Tahoma is the recommended alternative.

Download Montserrat from Google Fonts

Tahoma is the university's approved secondary typeface and should be used when Montserrat is unavailable, particularly in Microsoft Office applications and other environments where custom fonts cannot be installed.

Use Tahoma for:

  • Word documents
  • PowerPoint presentations
  • Excel documents
  • Internal communications
  • Shared documents where font compatibility is important

Tahoma provides a clean, highly legible alternative while maintaining consistency across university communications.