Color palette & Pantone
Color palette for merch.am: Pantone references, RGB/HEX, CMYK values, ΔE color-tolerance for production, accessibility contrast ratios.
Primary palette
| Color name | Pantone | HEX | RGB | CMYK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand primary | PMS 2965 C | #003E5C | 0,62,92 | 100,76,40,33 |
| Brand accent | PMS 158 C | #E87722 | 232,119,34 | 0,60,90,0 |
| Brand secondary | PMS 5497 C | #7B9EA8 | 123,158,168 | 53,28,29,4 |
Neutrals
| Color name | HEX | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Pure black | #000000 | Headlines, highest emphasis |
| Charcoal | #1A1A1A | Body text default |
| Gray 80 | #333333 | Subheadings |
| Gray 40 | #999999 | Captions, metadata |
| Gray 10 | #E5E5E5 | Dividers, subtle borders |
| Off-white | #FAFAFA | Backgrounds, callouts |
| Pure white | #FFFFFF | Negative space, reverse |
Functional colors
- Success — #2E8B57 (PMS 7733 C)
- Warning — #E8A522 (PMS 130 C)
- Error — #C73E1D (PMS 7592 C)
- Info — #2A6FB5 (PMS 7461 C)
ΔE tolerance for production
For decorated merch, the production ΔE (CIE 1976) tolerance against the Pantone reference is:
- ΔE ≤ 1.5 — premium-tier executive gifts; visible only under critical lighting
- ΔE ≤ 2.5 — standard premium tier; not perceptible to non-trained observers
- ΔE ≤ 4.0 — high-volume promotional tier; acceptable to most buyers
- ΔE > 4.0 — not approved for any branded production
Accessibility contrast
For digital use, all text/background combinations should meet WCAG 2.2 Level AA (4.5:1 for body, 3:1 for large text). Combinations that pass:
- Charcoal #1A1A1A on white #FFFFFF — 19.6:1 (AAA)
- White #FFFFFF on Brand primary #003E5C — 11.2:1 (AAA)
- Brand accent #E87722 on Charcoal #1A1A1A — 8.4:1 (AAA)
- Avoid: Brand secondary #7B9EA8 on white at small sizes (3.6:1, AA large text only)
Color in print
For print specify Pantone where possible; the CMYK fallback is provided but ΔE drift between Pantone-spot and CMYK-process can exceed 4 on uncoated stock. For brand-critical applications request a press proof before run.
Download
Adobe ASE swatch library + Sketch/Figma palette + .pdf reference: email brand@merch.am.