Columbia blue

Columbia blue is a light blue color named after Columbia University. The color itself derives from the official hue of the Philolexian Society, the university's oldest student organization. Although Columbia blue is often identified with Pantone 292, the Philolexian Society first used it in the early 19th century, before the standardization of colors. Pantone 290, a slightly lighter shade of blue, has also been specified by some Columbia University offices, and is the current official color listed by the Columbia University visual communications office. Several other shades are also used by parts of the university in an official capacity.

Columbia Blue
 
About these coordinates     Color coordinates
Hex triplet#B9D9EB
sRGBB (r, g, b)(185, 217, 235)
HSV (h, s, v)(202°, 21%, 92%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)(85, 25, 226°)
SourceColumbia University[1]
ISCC–NBS descriptorVery light greenish blue
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

The color has been adopted by several fraternities and sororities across the United States as well as by numerous secondary schools and other colleges and universities including Johns Hopkins University. It has also been used as the official color of a number of sports teams, including the Houston Oilers, the Buffalo Braves, and the Tampa Bay Rays.

History
Poster depicting the archetypal Columbia University man, by John Emmet Sheridan, 1902.

Columbia blue derives from the official colors of the Philolexian Society, which was founded at Columbia in 1802. Members of the society have been reported to have worn blue satin rosettes and silver tassels as part of their academic regalia, while members of the rival Peithologian Society would wear white rosettes and gold tassels.[2] The color was first combined with white to represent the university in 1852, during a joint event between the two societies. Both parties wishing to be represented in the promotion of the event, and having decided that using all four colors would be excessive, they picked the color scheme of blue and white, the former borrowed from the Philolexian Society, and the latter from the Peithologian. The two colors were quickly adopted by students to represent the College.[3] According to John Howard Van Amringe, the color first entered official use during a boat race in 1873.[4]

Tones

In a 2009 publication, the university officially lists Columbia blue as Pantone 290, though a darker shade, such as Pantone 292, may still be called Columbia blue when used on a light background.[5] "Secondary Blues" used by the university include Pantone 284, 285, 286, and 280, while the Columbia University Irving Medical Center uses Pantone 7686 and 3005.[6] In one of the first attempts at standardization, the university's athletics department declared Columbia blue to be Pantone 292 in 1999,[7] though, as of 2016, the Columbia Lions actually use Pantone 291;[8] however, Pantone 292 still remains a popular byword for Columbia blue and the university as a whole.[9][10]

Shades of Columbia blue
Pantone 290 Pantone 292 Pantone 284 Pantone 285
 

#B9D9EB

 

#69B3E7

 

#6CACE4

 

#0072CE

Usage
Postcard representing Columbia featuring a woman dressed in Columbia blue, by F. Earl Christy, 1907.

Fraternities and sororities

Organizations, fraternities and sororities that use Columbia blue for their colors:

Colleges and universities

Secondary schools

Columbia blue is used as one of the two or three color symbols for the following colleges, universities and high schools:

Sports
The uniforms for the Houston Oilers, in use from 1987 to 1996

See also

References
  1. "Colors | Identity Guidelines". Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  2. "Rho Deuteron". The Shield. 1 (2): 249. 1890.
  3. "College Colors". Columbia Daily Spectator. February 10, 1880. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  4. "The Colors of Columbia". Columbia Alumni News. 6 (16): 248–249. January 5, 1915.
  5. "blue290: A Practical Guide to Columbia's Standards of Visual Identity" (PDF). www.columbia.edu. May 2009. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  6. "Columbia Blue". visualidentity.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  7. Mamtani, Liza (November 11, 1999). "The Lion Enters Slick New Era". Columbia Daily Spectator. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  8. Chapman, Ross (September 7, 2016). "Nobody Knows What Columbia Blue Is". bwog.com. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  9. Valentini, James J. (2016-06-27). "The Value of Beginner's Mind". Columbia College Today. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  10. Bonkowsky, Charlie (April 28, 2022). "What If We Had All The Colors Of The Rainbow?". bwog.com. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  11. "Northwest Athletic Conference". Northwest Athletic Conference. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  12. "Delaware State University Colors". US Team Colors. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  13. Schatzman, Stephen (2011-03-15). Johns Hopkins University 2012. College Prowler. ISBN 978-1-4274-9855-7.
  14. The Blue Book of College Athletics. Rohrich Corporation. 1986.
  15. "Livingstone College" (PDF). livingstone.edu. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  16. "Western State Conference". Western State Conference. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  17. "Stockton Athletics Unveils New Identity". Stockton University Athletics. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  18. "SU Visual Identity Guide" (PDF). subr.edu. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  19. "Sonoma State University Colors". US Team Colors. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  20. "Spelman At a Glance". www.spelman.edu. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  21. "General Information". Stockton University. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  22. "UD teases Thursday announcement about possible throwback jerseys". dayton-daily-news. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  23. "University of San Diego Football Media Guide 1991" (PDF). Fall 1991. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  24. "Quick Facts". Warner Pacific University. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  25. "How the Clippers' logo evolved, from Buffalo to San Diego to Los Angeles". www.sportingnews.com. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  26. "Carolina? Columbia? They're still colorful". The Denver Post. 2009-04-25. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  27. Russell, Daniel (2016-01-28). "Rays unveil new Spring Training jersey featuring sunburst logo". DRaysBay. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  28. "The Gridiron Uniform Database: A Head to Head History: The Tennessee Titans and the Houston Texans".
  29. "Titans Feel Good When They Look Good". The Washington Post.
  30. Butler, Ric (2023-01-15). "Lady Vols Basketball Debuts Summitt Blue Uniforms Against Georgia". Rocky Top Insider. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
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