Marca UC – Branding Colour Plan
The colour issue: How can colour design reflect both prestige and progress in a university brand?
Colour Design | Branding Design | Colour & Identity | Strategic Colour
In 2012, the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile—one of the most prestigious and traditional universities in the country—set out to renew its corporate image. The objective was to modernise the visual identity while maintaining the institution’s historic values, its strong ties to the Catholic Church, and its reputation for academic excellence.
As Colour Designer and Consultant, I was responsible for defining the new chromatic identity. The challenge was to strike the right balance between contemporary visual language and institutional legacy, transforming a complex multicoloured palette into something cleaner, more coherent, and better suited to modern applications.
The process began with an in-depth benchmarking study of peer institutions worldwide, analysing how other high-ranking universities use colour to convey heritage, prestige, and clarity. From there, I developed and tested several chromatic scenarios to explore the impact of simplifying the existing palette. Working in close collaboration with the client, the final proposal featured a refined colour system based on four clean, symbolic hues: a dignified Vatican yellow, two shades of light blue, and white. These colours could be used flexibly, either together or independently, to maintain consistency while adapting to a wide range of contexts.
The new palette helped project a modern, elegant identity that honours the university’s roots while enhancing its visual clarity and relevance for future generations. The project was developed alongside the design studio AGR Diseño, which led the overall brand redesign and produced the visual standards manual.
Year: 2012
Client: Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile.
