Inspiration in the color Columbia blue.

Learn the history and meaning of the color Columbia blue, a pale azure with an illustrious namesake.

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Columbia Blue

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How to use the color Columbia blue.

Columbia Blue

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Information about Columbia blue color.

The Columbia blue HEX code picker is #B9D9EB. This is a light blue with medium saturation that sits on the warm side of the blue spectrum.

Columbia blue can be achieved in a RGB space with 185 red, 217 green, and 235 blue. The color Columbia blue can be achieved in a CMYK color space with 21% cyan, 8% magenta, 0% yellow, and 8% black.

Combine Columbia blue with other colors.

The complementary color of Columbia blue is light peach. Paired together, Columbia blue cools while peach adds sweetness. The color Columbia blue looks especially striking next to dark shades of blue, or dreamy in a palette with light purples like lavender and lilac. Combined with cream, ivory, or white, Columbia blue color looks crisp and fresh.

The psychology of Columbia blue.

The color Columbia blue has gained clout outside its namesake university because of its relaxed appearance, while still leaning into the core psychology of blue. For brands like HP, Intel, and Skype, Columbia blue color and similar light blues represent dependability and confidence.

Columbia blue vs. Carolina blue.

The color Columbia blue isn’t the only blue named after a university. Carolina blue color (from University of North Carolina) has a similar history and is also light with medium saturation. Comparing the two, Columbia blue is slightly warmer and brighter.

Columbia blue color in fashion.

Other than Columbia University hoodies in the giftshop, the color Columbia blue is found elsewhere in fashion, often as an alternative to dark blue. The color is considered inviting and relaxed, making it perfect for casual wear and spring lines.

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What is the meaning of the color Columbia blue?

Columbia blue is a pale shade of azure named after one of the official colors of Columbia University. The Ivy League university in New York was established in 1754, and its official colors were decided roughly 100 years later. The color Columbia blue has since spread as a popular color reference elsewhere.

Columbia blue sits on the warm side of blue pastels. Its distinctive lightness and medium saturation make it particularly easy on the eyes.

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The history of Columbia blue color.

Before Columbia blue color got its name.

The color blue defined our world long before we gave it a name. In Ancient Egypt and Rome, Columbia blue, sky blue, and other ethereal shades were commonly used in decorations and jewelry to represent the sea and the sky. Pale blue gained special clout in art of the Rococo era, too. In the age of color dictionaries, Columbia blue is now identified by specific hex, CMYK, RGB, and Pantone codes.

The Philolexian Society of Columbia University.

Columbia University was founded in 1754 in New York, and in 1802, the first student organization was formed. The so-called Philolexian Society adopted light blue satin rosettes and silver tassels as part of their academic regalia. Their chosen shade of blue was combined with white (one of the colors of a rival student organization) and together adopted as the university’s official colors in 1852.

The official Columbia blue of the university.

What might be light blue, sky blue, or powder blue to some people is Columbia blue to others. What’s more, multiple shades of Columbia blue color are used by different departments of the university. The university lists Pantone 290 as its official school color, but the Irving Medical Center at the university uses Pantone 7686 and 3005, and the Columbia Lions use Pantone 291.

The color Columbia blue across different cultures.

Columbia blue color in other institutions.

The color Columbia blue is an attractive hue that’s been adopted by other fraternities, sororities, and higher education institutions around the U.S., too. The list is long, but groups like Delta Phi, Lambda, and Kappa Sigma, plus institutions like Johns Hopkins University, Sonoma State University, and the University of San Diego are among them.

Columbia blue color in the sports world.

University and professional sports teams have adopted the color Columbia blue, too, like the Los Angeles Clippers, Kansas City Royals, and Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters. Curiously, the Techsters basketball team uses the color Columbia blue even though the university’s official blue is Reflex blue (close to navy).

Columbia blue color in marketing.

Blue is the most popular range of color used in western marketing and multimedia design, and each shade has its place in color psychology and marketing trends. The calming and relaxed psychology of Columbia blue led to its association with the vacation industry, and a company called Columbia Blue laid claim to the color as its official business name (as well as its principal brand color).