Finally! The Cambridge Colour Palette is here

I owe Cambridge an apology.

The beginnings of this Colour Palette go all the way back to 2025, when Crown Paints hosted a workshop in the city with a group of creative designers and architects.

They talked colour, explored ideas and materials, ripped up bits of coloured paper and created moodboards.

It got me thinking seriously about the colours of Cambridge and I came away with a mass of ideas.

And then I took ages to actually get the finished thing online. Sorry.

But The Cambridge Colour Palette is finally here.

Cambridge in six colours

There were plenty of contenders, but I’ve settled on six:

Punting Navy, for Cambridge’s most famous form of transport along the River Cam.

Cambridge Blue, the university colour that’s been part of Cambridge sporting life since the 19th century.

Newton White, for Isaac Newton’s experiments at Trinity College demonstrating that white light contains a spectrum of colours. I couldn’t really leave that one out of a Colour Palette.

Corpus Gold, inspired by the remarkable Corpus Clock and its Chronophage, forever munching its way through time.

Eagle Amber, for the historic Eagle pub, where James Watson and Francis Crick announced their discovery of the structure of DNA in 1953.

And Jesus Green, for one of Cambridge’s best-loved green spaces beside the River Cam.

Punts, sport, science, invention, pubs and a big patch of grass. Cambridge covered.

A Cambridge gift with a story

The finished design is now available across a range of Cambridge gifts, including mugs, coasters, magnets and wall art.

It’s for Cambridge locals, students arriving in the city, graduates who don’t want to leave, proud parents, visitors and anyone looking for a Cambridge souvenir that’s a little different.

And a big thank you to the designers and architects I met at that Crown Paints workshop back in 2025. You definitely helped get the Cambridge colour wheels turning.

It just took me a while to finish the job.

SHOP THE CAMBRIDGE COLOUR PALETTE