NEC Color Palette
Currently, New England Conservatory employs a palette of sixteen colors to unify the appearances of printed materials and Web pages. This palette of associated colors builds on a palette of four colors created for the 2003 Jordan Hall centennial celebrations (top row of this chart). It was so successful that it has been adopted for ongoing use throughout NEC.
The sixteen colors can be identified through their Pantone Matching System (PMS) numbers. The Pantone Matching System allows designers to select specific colors for a printed piece, and then instructs printers how to mix inks of exactly the desired shade.
By limiting the number of colors used at NEC to sixteen (out of the thousands of shades available in the Pantone Matching System) we are able to maintain a consistent sense of “family” between diverse NEC publications. And with sixteen complementary colors to pick from, we hope there is something to meet all needs.
Colors from the palette are used on this Web site to differentiate sections of varying content. At any given time, colors from the palette may also be used to distinguish similar publications from different divisions within NEC (i.e.: College, Prep, and Continuing Education catalogs) or to indicate passage from one academic year to the next (i.e.: 2005 Summer School catalog vs. 2004 edition).
A word of caution: Due to the vagaries of computer monitors, and the problems of transferring colors from one medium (i.e. the printed page) to another (i.e. the Web), the colors you see here on screen may not—and most likely, DO NOT—accurately reflect the Pantone Matching System color swatches or their printed realizations. If you are interested in viewing real color samples, please call us for an appointment.
These colors are intended as a reference guide and point of departure. For more specific information about and guidance with color selection, please contact:
Rob Schmieder, Director of Communications
telephone: 617-585-1145
e-mail: rschmieder@newenglandconservatory.edu
or
Andrew Hurlbut, Creative Services Project Manager
telephone: 617-585-1146
e-mail: andrew.hurlbut@newenglandconservatory.edu
School Colors
NEC's traditional "school colors" are blue and gold. While we do not have a football team or many of the other traditional outlets for expressing school colors, you will see these colors in some ceremonial settings, such as Commencement. We also make heavy use of the dark blue of Pantone 541 (see second row of color chart) because of its traditional associations at NEC.
As noted above, color is tricky to work with in the world of computer monitors, ink and paper, fabric, and other materials. We have accepted a fairly wide leeway of "dark blue" in rendering NEC's traditional blue, based on the limitations of available materials and technology.
Please consult Andrew Hurlbut (contact information above) if you have any questions regarding the use of NEC's school colors.