Purpose of This Guide
The MU Data Visualization Brand Guidelines define the visual identity and design standards for creating clear, consistent, and accessible data visualizations across the university.
These guidelines ensure that charts, dashboards, and reports:
- Communicate insights clearly
- Reflect MU’s visual identity
- Meet accessibility requirements
- Use color and scale appropriately
- Maintain a consistent look and feel across units
Our purpose is to support transparency, trust, and data fluency across the campus community.
Visual Identity Principles
- Clarity First: Visuals should make insight obvious, reduce cognitive load, and avoid unnecessary decoration.
- Consistent & Recognizable: MU visualizations use a shared color system, typography, and layout conventions to reinforce a unified brand identity.
- Accessible by Default: Colors, text, and chart elements must be legible for all viewers, including those with color-vision deficiencies.
- Meaningful Color Usage: Color is used to enhance understanding, not for decoration. Every color communicates a purpose.
MU Data Color System
Primary Palette
The primary colors for data visualizations at Mizzou are black and gold. These should always be the dominant colors.
HEX: #000000
RGB: 0, 0, 0
CMYK: 0, 0, 0, 100
HEX: #FDB719
RGB: 253, 183, 25
CMYK: 0, 28, 90, 1
Secondary Palette
Secondary colors are useful when more colors are needed for data visualizations. Color should be used sparingly and always with a purpose.
HEX: #D4D4D4
RGB: 212, 212, 212
CMYK: 0, 0, 0, 17
HEX: #99CECF
RGB: 153, 206, 207
CMYK: 26, 0, 0, 19
HEX: #4A596E
RGB: 74, 89, 110
CMYK: 33, 19, 0, 57
HEX: #370013
RGB: 55, 0, 19
CMYK: 0, 100, 65, 78
HEX: #004243
RGB: 0, 66, 67
CMYK: 100, 1, 0, 74
HEX: #993429
RGB: 153, 52, 41
CMYK: 0, 66, 73, 40
Neutrals & Background Colors
When using color as a background:
- Use black text on light backgrounds (white, light gray)
- Use white text on dark backgrounds (black, dark slate)
A simple rule applies:
Choose the text color with the highest contrast ratio.
Use with: Black text
HEX: #FFFFFF
RGB: 255, 255, 255
CMYK: 0, 0, 0, 0
Use with: White text
HEX: #000000
RGB: 0, 0, 0
CMYK: 0, 0, 0, 100
Use with: Black text
HEX: #D4D4D4
RGB: 212, 212, 212
CMYK: 0, 0, 0, 17
Color Accessibility Standards
Use this section to ensure your visualizations are legible, inclusive, and compliant with accessibility standards such as WCAG AA.
Color-Blind Safe Usage
MU’s palette is designed to remain distinguishable under:
- protanopia
- deuteranopia
- tritanopia
Simulated previews of each palette should be used to verify distinguishability.
Color Compatibility Matrix
Use this Color Compatibility Matrix to determine which colors can appear together in the same chart. SAFE pairings provide enough contrast and hue separation for viewers to distinguish categories clearly. POOR pairings are too similar and should be avoided when color is used as the primary identifier. Cells marked N/A reflect that a single color cannot represent multiple categories. Choosing compatible colors improves clarity, supports accessibility, and ensures your visualizations can be understood at a glance.
- Avoid pairing MU Gold (
#FDB719) with MU Red (#993429) in categorical charts - Avoid using two similar-luminance tones (e.g.,
#99CECF+#D4D4D4) - Use high-contrast pairings for small marks or thin lines
The first five colors are safe to use together because they stay visually distinct, even for people with protanopia, deuteranopia, or tritanopia. You can combine them freely in charts without creating confusion between categories.
| Color Compatibility Matrix |
#FDB719 | #000000 | #D4D4D4 | #99CECF | #4A596E | #370013 | #004243 | #993429 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #FDB719 | N/A | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | POOR |
| #000000 | SAFE | N/A | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | POOR | SAFE | SAFE |
| #D4D4D4 | SAFE | SAFE | N/A | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE |
| #99CECF | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | N/A | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE |
| #4A596E | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | N/A | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE |
| #370013 | SAFE | POOR | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | N/A | POOR | SAFE |
| #004243 | SAFE | POOR | SAFE | SAFE | POOR | SAFE | N/A | SAFE |
| #993429 | POOR | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | N/A |
Power BI Accessibility Guidance (Microsoft Learn)
If you design reports using Power BI, Microsoft publishes detailed guidance on accessibility — including keyboard navigation, screen-reader support, tab order, alt text, color contrast, and more.
Contrast Requirements
All text and key visual elements must meet WCAG AA contrast ratios:
- Normal text: 4.5:1
- Large text: 3:1
- Non-text graphics: must be distinguishable from the background
Alt Text & Screen Reader Support
Every visualization must include descriptive alt text or a textual summary to ensure accessibility for assistive technologies.
Color Scale System
Color scales communicate meaning. MU uses three standardized scale types.
Categorical Scale
Categorical color palettes are used to distinguish non-numeric categories in a visualization. Each color represents a distinct group, so the colors must be clearly different from one another. The palette above is designed to remain visually distinct across common types of color-vision deficiency, making it reliable for charts that compare discrete categories.
Sequential Scale
Sequential color palettes represent data that moves from low to high. Colors progress smoothly from light to dark to reinforce numeric order and intensity. The palette above is built around the MU Gold brand color and maintains a clear progression even under color-blind viewing, ensuring that patterns and gradients remain easy to interpret.
Diverging Scale
Diverging color palettes highlight differences around a meaningful midpoint. Two contrasting color ranges move outward from a neutral center, making them ideal for values above and below a baseline. The palette above uses distinct cool and warm tones from the MU palette that remain interpretable under color-blind simulation.
Choosing the Right Scale
Different types of data require different types of color scales. Use the table below to identify which scale (categorical, sequential, or diverging) is appropriate for your measurement type.
| Scale Type | Categorical Scale | Sequential Scale | Diverging Scale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Categorical |
Very Low Low Med High Very High |
Cat Dog Bird Fish Snail |
Cat Dog Bird Fish Snail |
| Ordinal |
Very Low Low Med High Very High |
Very Low Low Neutral High Very High |
Very Low Low Neutral High Very High |
| Interval |
Very Low Low Med High Very High |
11–20 21–30 31–40 41–50 51+ |
11–20 21–30 31–40 41–50 51+ |
| Ratio |
Very Low Low Med High Very High |
-20 to -10 -10 to 0 0 to 10 10 to 20 20 to 30 |
-20 to -10 -10 to 0 0 to 10 10 to 20 20 to 30 |
Assets & Downloads
Use these downloadable assets to apply MU’s approved colors, styles, and layout standards directly in your analytics tools and design software.
- Theme & Wireframe Application Instructions for Power BI:
- Power BI Theme (.json): Automatically applies MU colors, fonts, and visual formatting.
- Color Palette Files (.ase, .png, .svg)
- Wireframes: Branded layouts that support consistent dashboard design or report templates.
- MU Stacked Logo: Approved version for use within dashboards and reports.