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unicol 0.4.0

The colors of your university

Most universities use specific color combinations to express their unique brand identity. The unicol package provides the colors and color palettes of various universities for easy plotting and printing in R. We collect and provide a diverse range of color palettes for creating scientific visualizations.

Our primary goal is to make it simple to create beautiful visualizations that are in accordance with institutional regulations and style guides. Assuming that you have some R code for creating an image, unicol allows you to directly use the color palette of your institution.

Installation

The latest release of unicol is available from CRAN at https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=unicol:

install.packages('unicol')  # install from CRAN client
library('unicol')           # load the package

The current development version can be installed from its GitHub repository at https://github.com/hneth/unicol/:

# install.packages('devtools')  # install pkg
devtools::install_github('hneth/unicol')

The unicol package is based on the R package unikn and requires it for key functionality.

Usage

The unicol package provides colors and color palettes, whereas the unikn package provides color-related functions:

library(unicol)  # for color palettes
library(unikn)   # for color functions

Contents

The unicol package currently provides 273 color palettes from 116 institutions.

(See the vignette All color palettes for an overview of included color palettes and institutions.)

Examples of color palettes

Figure 1 illustrates 50 random color palettes (with 215 colors):

Figure 1: A sample of 50 unicol palettes (containing 215 colors).

Using color palettes

As the unicol palettes are provided as vectors of R colors, they can simply be used as the col argument of R graphics functions. For instance, we can use the MIT colors (of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in a bar plot (with the barplot() function of the base R graphics package) as follows:

barplot(height = 1:10,
        col = mit, 
        main = "Using the MIT colors")

To modify a color palette (e.g., by resizing the palette or adding transparency), we use the usecol() function of the unikn package:

barplot(height = 1/sqrt(1:16), 
        col = usecol(mit, n = 16), 
        main = "A color gradient of MIT colors")

Here are some some additional examples how the color palettes from unicol can be used:

# Viewing a color palette:
unikn::seecol(yale, main = "The primary colors of Yale University")
# Demo plots:
unikn::demopal(berkeley_1, type = 2, main = "The colors of Berkeley, University of California", seed = 3)
unikn::demopal(limerick_1, type = 3, main = "Using the colors of the University of Limerick", seed = 3)

Your color palettes

The current range of color palettes included in unicol is highly selective and incomplete. However, we are happy to include color palettes and institutions from all over the world.

If you are missing a color palette, you can easily create and add it. For instructions on how this can be done, please see the documentation of the newpal() function (of the unikn package). The vignette on Institutional colors provides a corresponding example.

Call for contributions: Collecting color palettes

  • Are you using the unikn functions to create your own color palettes?

If you do, please let us know (e.g., on this GitHub issue) so that we can include it in future versions of the unicol package. To enable us to verify and provide credit to your contributions, please send us the following information:

  1. your code (e.g., the newpal() command creating your color palette),
  2. your reference or source information (e.g., the names of the institution and some URL with color definitions),
  3. your name and some valid contact information (e.g., an Email address).

We’re looking forward to your inputs and contributions (at this GitHub issue)!

Resources

The following versions of unicol and corresponding resources are available:

Type:Version:URL:
A. unicol (R package):Release versionhttps://CRAN.R-project.org/package=unicol
 Development versionhttps://github.com/hneth/unicol/
B. Online documentation:Release versionhttps://hneth.github.io/unicol/
 Development versionhttps://hneth.github.io/unicol/dev/

References

The unicol package originated as a collaborative project of the following course:

License

unicol (created by Hansjörg Neth et al.) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. (Based on a work at https://github.com/hneth/unicol).

The unicol package is based on the R package unikn and loads key functionality from it.

Citation

To support our efforts, please cite the unicol package in your derivations or publications:

A BibTeX entry for LaTeX users is:

@Manual{,
  title = {unicol: The colors of your university},
  author = {Hansjoerg Neth and Constantin Basler and Paula Bauer and Kaethe Bodenstein and Franziska Drechsel and Gina-Loretta Franz and Karolin Heiss and Julia Koenig and Isabelle Krist and Larissa Schwab and Alina Sohst and Isabel Staatz and Lisa Trueb},
  year = {2025},
  organization = {Social Psychology and Decision Sciences, University of Konstanz},
  address = {Konstanz, Germany},
  note = {R package (version 0.4.0, Sep 2, 2025)},
  url = {https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=unicol},
  doi = {10.5281/zenodo.8252106},
}

The copyrights to all unicol designs remain with their original creators.

[File README.Rmd updated on 2025-09-02.]

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Version

Install

install.packages('unicol')

Monthly Downloads

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Version

0.4.0

License

CC BY-SA 4.0

Issues

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Pull Requests

0

Stars

10

Forks

12

Maintainer

Hansjoerg Neth

Last Published

September 2nd, 2025

Functions in unicol (0.4.0)

bangor_3

Tertiary colours of the University of Bangor, Wales
bangor_4

Accessible web colours of the University of Bangor, Wales
bergen_2

Additional colours of the University of Bergen, Norway
bu

Primary colors of Boston University, USA
berkeley_1

Primary colors of Berkeley, University of California, USA
berkeley_2

Secondary colors of Berkeley, University of California, USA
caltech_3

Primary and bright colors of Caltech, USA
cardiff_1

Primary colours of Cardiff University, Wales
caltech_1

Primary and neutral colors of Caltech, USA
brown_1

Primary and accent colors of Brown University, USA
birmingham

Colours of the University of Birmingham, England, UK
brown_2

Secondary colors of Brown University, USA
caltech_2

Primary and deep colors of Caltech, USA
cmu_1

Core colors of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), USA
columbia_3

The highlight colors of Columbia University, USA
columbia_1

The primary colors of Columbia University, USA
concordia_1

Primary colours of Concordia University, Canada
cmu_3

Campus colors of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), USA
cardiff_2

Secondary colour examples of Cardiff University, Wales
columbia_2

The secondary colors of Columbia University, USA
carleton

Colors of the University of Carleton, Canada
cmu_2

Secondary colors of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), USA
concordia_2

Secondary colours of Concordia University, Canada
dartmouth_2

Secondary colors of Dartmouth College, USA
dartmouth_3

Tertiary colors of Dartmouth College, USA
cornell_2

Secondary colors of Cornell University, USA
concordia_3

Background tints of Concordia University, Canada
dartmouth_1

Primary color of Dartmouth College, USA
concordia_4

Neutral colours of Concordia University, Canada
cornell_1

Primary colors of Cornell University, USA
duke_1

Primary colors of Duke University, USA
eth_3

Black and grey colors of the ETH Zurich, CH
dundee_block

Block colours of University of Dundee, Scotland
dundee_background

Background colours of University of Dundee, Scotland
example

Primary colors of the University of Example, Country
eth_1

Default colors of the ETH Zurich, CH
fu_0_2023

Primary colors of the Free University (FU) Berlin, Germany (pre 2024)
duke_2

Secondary colors of Duke University, USA
fu_4

Additional colors of the Free University (FU) Berlin, Germany
dundee_highlight

Highlight colours of University of Dundee, Scotland
eth_2

Lighter shades of the colors of the ETH Zurich, CH
cornell_3_accent

Accent colors of Cornell University, USA
fu_1_2023

Primary color gradient of the Free University (FU) Berlin, Germany (pre 2024)
dundee_core

Core colours of University of Dundee, Scotland
fu_2

Black color gradient of the Free University (FU) Berlin, Germany
fu_3_2023

Blue color gradient of the Free University (FU) Berlin, Germany (pre 2024)
galway_1

Primary colors of the University of Galway, Ireland
galway_2

Secondary colors of the University of Galway, Ireland
fu_1

Primary colors of the Free University (FU) Berlin, Germany
fu_2_2023

Secondary and grey colors of the Free University (FU) Berlin, Germany (pre 2024)
glasgow_2

Secondary colours of the University of Glasgow, Scotland
edinburgh

Primary colours of the University of Edinburgh, Scotland
fu_3

Blue color gradient of the Free University (FU) Berlin, Germany
glasgow_1

Primary colours of the University of Glasgow, Scotland
harvard_3

Web colors of Harvard University, USA
gothenburg

Signature colour of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden
helsinki_1

Main brand colors of the University of Helsinki, Finland
guelph

Colours of the University of Guelph, Canada
harvard_1

Primary colors of Harvard University, USA
groningen_2

Secondary colors of the University of Groningen, Netherlands
harvard_2

Accent colors of Harvard University, USA
jhu_2

Secondary colors of Johns Hopkins University (JHU), USA
jhu_0

Identity colors of of Johns Hopkins University (JHU), USA
groningen_1

Primary colors of the University of Groningen, Netherlands
jhu_1

Primary colors of Johns Hopkins University (JHU), USA
helsinki_3

Departmental accent colors of the University of Helsinki, Finland
hu_1_digital

Digital colors of the Humboldt University (HU) Berlin, Germany
hu_2_2022

Secondary colors of the Humboldt University (HU) Berlin, Germany, 2022
hu_3_accent

Possible accent colors of the Humboldt University (HU) Berlin, Germany
hu_2

Secondary colors of the Humboldt University (HU) Berlin, Germany
helsinki_2

Grayscale colors of the University of Helsinki, Finland
hu_1_2022

Primary colors of the Humboldt University (HU) Berlin, Germany (2022)
hu_1

Primary colors of the Humboldt University (HU) Berlin, Germany
lmu_1

Primary colors of the LMU Munich, Germany
lancaster_1

Primary colours of the Lancaster University, England, UK
ku_1

Primary colours of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark
jhu_3_accent

Accent colors of Johns Hopkins University (JHU), USA
jhu_4_gray

Grey scale colors of Johns Hopkins University (JHU), USA
limerick_2

Secondary colors of the University of Limerick, Ireland
laval

Colours of the Laval University, Canada
lancaster_2

Secondary colours of Lancaster University, England, UK
ku_2

Secondary colours of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark
limerick_1

Primary colours of the University of Limerick, Ireland
lund_3

Darker pastel colours of the University of Lund, Sweden
maynooth

Colours of Maynooth University, Ireland
lund_2

Pastel colours of the University of Lund, Sweden
manchester_uni_2

Accent colors of Manchester University, USA
manchester_uni_1

Primary colors of Manchester University, USA
lmu_3

Accent colors of the LMU Munich, Germany
manitoba_2

Extended colors of the University of Manitoba, Canada
lmu_2

Secondary colors of the LMU Munich, Germany
lund_1

Profile colours of the University of Lund, Sweden
manitoba_1

Primary colors of the University of Manitoba, Canada
mcgill_red

Primary colour of McGill University, Canada
mcmaster_heritage

Heritage colours of McMaster University, Canada
mcmaster_brighterworld

Brighter World colours of McMaster University, Canada
mcgill_muted

Muted colours of McGill University, Canada
mcgill_pastels

Pastel colours of McGill University, Canada
mcgill_brights

Bright colours of McGill University, Canada
michigan_1

Primary colors of the University of Michigan, USA
mcgill_darks

Dark colours of McGill University, Canada
michigan_2

Secondary colors of the University of Michigan, USA
mcgill_grey

Grey colour of McGill University, Canada
mun_1

Colors of the University Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada
msu

msu provides the six core colors of Michigan State University, USA.
mq_1

Primary colors of Macquarie University, Australia
monash_2

Secondary colors of Monash University, USA
minnesotatwin_1

Primary colors of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, USA
mit

Colors of the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), USA
monash_1

Primary colors of Monash University, USA
minnesotatwin_2

Secondary colors of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, USA
mq_2

Faculty colors of Macquarie University, Australia
mpg

Default colors of the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (MPG), Germany
nottingham_2

Supporting colours of the University of Nottingham, England/UK
nyu_1

Primary colors of New York University (NYU), USA
nyu_2

Secondary colors of New York University (NYU), USA
nottingham_1

Primary colours of the University of Nottingham, England/UK
northwestern_2

Secondary colors of Northwestern University, USA
northwestern_1

Primary colors of Northwestern University, USA
nottingham_3

Neutral colours of the University of Nottingham, England/UK
notredame_1

Primary colors of the University of Notre Dame, USA
notredame_2

Secondary colors of the University of Notre Dame, USA
mun_2

Secondary Colors of the University Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada
nyu_accent

Accent colors of New York University (NYU), USA
oslo

Colours of the University of Oslo, Norway
oxford_brand

Brand colours of University of Oxford, England, UK
oxford_error

Error colours of University of Oxford, England, UK
otago

Colours of the University of Otago, NZ
oxford_blog

Custom blog colours of University of Oxford, England, UK
oxford_general

General colours of University of Oxford, England, UK
nyu_neutral

Neutral colors of of New York University (NYU), USA
ohio_uni_2

Secondary colors of Ohio University, USA
ohio_uni_1

Primary colors of Ohio University, USA
princeton_2

Colors of Princeton University, USA (on black backgrounds)
princeton_0

Basic colors of Princeton University, USA
oxford_link

Link colours of University of Oxford, England, UK
queensu_1

Primary colours of Queen's University, Canada
stanford_1

Primary colors of Stanford University, USA
standrews_1

Primary colours of the University of St Andrews, Scotland
standrews_2

Secondary colours of the University of St Andrews, Scotland
pitt_2

Legacy colors of the University of Pittsburgh, USA
oxford_graduate

Graduate country page colours of University of Oxford, England, UK
oxford_shades

Shade colours of University of Oxford, England, UK
stirling_2

Secondary colours of the University of Stirling, Scotland
stockholm_2

Additional colours of the University of Stockholm, Sweden
princeton_1

Colors of Princeton University, USA (on white backgrounds)
ucd

Colours of the University College Dublin, Ireland
rptu

Colors of the RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Germany
rpi_3

Tint colors of RPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute), USA
stirling_3

Tertiary colours of the University of Stirling, Scotland
trinity_1

Primary colours of the Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
trinity_2

Secondary colours of Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
ucalgary_1

Primary colours of the University of Calgary, Canada
pitt_1

Contemporary colors of the University of Pittsburgh, USA
rpi_1

Primary colors of RPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute), USA
oxford_socialmedia

Social Media colours of University of Oxford, England, UK
stirling_1

Primary colours of the University of Stirling, Scotland
stockholm_1

Main colours of the University of Stockholm, Sweden
rpi_2

Secondary colors of RPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute), USA
queensu_2

Secondary colours of Queen's University, Canada
ucalgary_2

Secondary colours of the University of Calgary, Canada
uchicago_2

Accent colors of the University of Chicago, USA
uchicago_1

Primary colors of the University of Chicago, USA
uflorida_1

Primary colors of the University of Florida, USA
uflorida_3

Neutral colors of the University of Florida, USA
ucsd_1

Core colors of the University of California San Diego (UCSD), USA
ucc_2

Secondary colours of the University College Cork, Ireland
uflorida_2

Secondary colors of the University of Florida, USA
uni_freiburg_blue

Blue colors of the University of Freiburg, Germany (2022)
ucalgary_warmgreys

Warm grey colours of the University of Calgary, Canada
uci_1

Primary colors of the University of California, Irvine, USA
ucla_1

Primary colors of UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
ucc_1

Primary colours of the University College Cork, Ireland
uni_freiburg_1

Primary colors of the University of Freiburg, Germany
ucalgary_accent

Accent colours of the University of Calgary, Canada
stanford_3

Web colors of Stanford University, USA
ucsd_2

Accent colors of the University of California San Diego (UCSD), USA
uni_freiburg_br

Default colors of the University of Freiburg, Germany (2022)
umass_neutrals

Neutral colors of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA
ucsd_3

Neutral colors of the University of California San Diego (UCSD), USA
uni_freiburg_2

Secondary colors of the University of Freiburg, Germany
stanford_2

Accent colors of Stanford University, USA
ucla_3

Tertiary colors of UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
uni_hamburg_1

Primary colors of the University of Hamburg, Germany
uni_kiel_1

Primary color of Kiel University, Germany
uci_2

Secondary colors of the University of California, Irvine, USA
uni_goettingen_3

Departmental colors of the University of Göttingen, Germany
uni_heidelberg

Official colours of the University of Heidelberg, Germany
uni_konstanz_1

Default colors of the University of Konstanz, Germany
uni_lisbon

Colors of the University of Lisbon, Portugal
uni_hamburg_2

Secondary colors of the University of Hamburg, Germany
umass_1

Brand colors of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA
uni_halle

Primary colors of the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany
uni_freiburg_0

Basic colors of the University of Freiburg, Germany
uni_potsdam

Colors of the University of Potsdam, Germany
uni_freiburg_info

Info colors of the University of Freiburg, Germany (2022)
sfu_brand

Brand colours of Simon Fraser University, Canada
uni_mannheim_2

Primary and departmental accent colors of the University of Mannheim, Germany
uni_bonn_2

Gradient colors of the University of Bonn, Germany
uni_goettingen_1

Primary colors of the University of Göttingen, Germany
umass_2

Secondary colors of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA
uni_bonn_1

Primary colors of the University of Bonn, Germany
ucla_4

Blue brand gradient colors of UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
uni_jena_1

Primary colors of the University of Jena, Germany
uni_freiburg_grey

Grey colors of the University of Freiburg, Germany (2022)
uni_kassel

Colors of the University of Kassel, Germany
uni_ulm_1

Main colors of the University of Ulm, Germany
uwaterloo_environment

Faculty of Environment colors of the University of Waterloo, Canada
uni_jena_2

Departmental colors of the University of Jena, Germany
uni_kiel_2

Departmental colors of Kiel University, Germany
uni_goettingen_2

Secondary colors of the University of Göttingen, Germany
uni_koeln_2

Departmental colors of the University of Koeln (Cologne), Germany
uni_magdeburg_3

Medical faculty and hospital colors of the University of Magdeburg, Germany
uni_mannheim_1

Main color gradient of the University of Mannheim, Germany
uni_konstanz_2

Preferred colors of the University of Konstanz, Germany
uni_regensburg_2

Departmental colors of the University of Regensburg, Germany (for areas)
uci_4

Secondary colors of UCI Health, Irvine, USA
uppsala

Colours of Uppsala University, Sweden
uwaterloo_health

Faculty of Health colors of the University of Waterloo, Canada
uvic_2

Complementary colours of the University of Victoria, Canada
ucla_2

Secondary colors of UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
utoronto

Colors of the University of Toronto, Canada
unicol.guide

Open the unicol package guides
uwaterloo_science

Faculty of Science colors of the University of Waterloo, Canada
uni_stuttgart_print

Printing colors of the University of Stuttgart, Germany
wm_1

Primary color palette of William & Mary, USA
uni_ulm_2

Departmental colors of the University of Ulm, Germany
uni_regensburg_3

Departmental colors of the University of Regensburg, Germany (for fonts)
uni_koeln_1

Primary colors of the University of Koeln (Cologne), Germany
vanderbilt_2

Neutral colors of Vanderbilt University, USA
yorku_2

Secondary colors of the York University, Canada
vanderbilt_3

Saturated colors of the Vanderbilt University, USA
upenn_1

Logo colors of the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), USA
uwaterloo_main

Main colors of the University of Waterloo, Canada
wollongong_1

Primary colours of the University of Wollongong, Australia
uni_magdeburg_2

Faculty colors of the University of Magdeburg, Germany
ubc

Colors of the University of British Columbia, Canada
uci_3

Tertiary colors of UCI Health, Irvine, USA
yorku_1

Primary colors of the York University, Canada
wollongong_2

Secondary colours of the University of Wollongong, Australia
uni_stuttgart_1

Primary colors of the University of Stuttgart, Germany
wm_3

Tertiary color palette of William & Mary, USA
uwaterloo_arts

Faculty of Arts colors of the University of Waterloo, Canada
vanderbilt_1

Core colors of Vanderbilt University, USA
uottawa

Colors of the University of Ottawa, Canada
uni_regensburg_1

General colors of the University of Regensburg, Germany
wm_2

Secondary color palette of William & Mary, USA
unicol_data

The color palettes of the unicol package
uni_manchester

Primary colours of the University of Manchester, England, UK
willamette

The colors of Willamette University, USA
uwaterloo_math

Faculty of Math colors of the University of Waterloo, Canada
uni_magdeburg_1

Primary colors of the University of Magdeburg, Germany
upenn_2

Web colors of the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), USA
uvic_1

Core colours of the University of Victoria, Canada
western_uni

Official colours of Western University, Canada
waikato

Colours of the University of Waikato, NZ
uwaterloo_engineering

Faculty of Engineering colors of the University of Waterloo, Canada
yeshiva

Colors of Yeshiva University, USA
yale

Primary colors of Yale University, USA
asu_2

Secondary colors of the Arizona State University, USA
aalto_1

Primary brand colours of Aalto University, Finland
aarhus

The colours of Aarhus University, Denmark
asu_1

Primary colors of the Arizona State University, USA
aberystwyth_2

Secondary corporate colors of Aberystwyth University, Wales
aalto_2

Primary brand colours of Aalto University, Finland
anu_2

Font colours of Australian National University, Australia
aberystwyth_1

Primary corporate colors of Aberystwyth University, Wales
anu_1

Background colours of Australian National University, Australia
asu_3

Grayscale colors of the Arizona State University, USA
bangor_1

Primary corporate colours of the University of Bangor, Wales
auckland_1

University web colours of the University of Auckland, NZ
bergen_3

Support colours of the University of Bergen, Norway
bergen_4

Text colours of the University of Bergen, Norway
bergen_1

Main colours of the University of Bergen, Norway
bangor_2

Secondary colours of the University of Bangor, Wales
auckland_2

Faculty web colours of the University of Auckland, NZ