Choosing the CDS Color Set

But we need more than four colors to provide options for the range of print and web content produced by the City. To explain how we settled on the final CDS color set, we’ll first examine the Oglivy and USWDS options, then walk through how we combined them. Oglivy’s goal: to develop a narrow and consistent brand identity for the City of Chicago that unifies digital assets. We needed to pare down the broad USWDS color selection to ensure a unified identity. Goal: to ensure accessibility (USWDS) while providing a unique and clear municipal identify (Oglivy). Primary colors are those that define the new Chicago identity: flag blue, star red, black, and white.

The secondary colors are supporting shades of blue and gray that help round out the design of web and print assets. Background colors are borrowed from USWDS and are meant to provide a wider range of neutrals, including both warm and cool grays.