Brand exploration · 14 October 2026

Blue treatments

Six ways to paint the navy grounds. Each one is shown on the same two examples: a homepage-style hero and a navy content band. All are built from #1F2F6E navy, #172456 deep navy and #175CFF accent blue. Decided: B, the gradient; it is the token --hs-ground-navy.

At a glance. Body text is rgba(255,255,255,.86), measured on the lightest point of each ground.
TreatmentGroundBody text contrastHouse style today
Today, /scholarships11.4 : 1Not a brand colour
A. Current9.6 : 1Fits
B. Gradient6.4 : 1Fits ("navy-deep: gradients")
C. Radial glow6.9 : 1Fits
D. Honor accent7.8 : 1Gold line needs an exception
E. Frosted card5.3 : 1Breaks "no glass"
F. Satin8.0 : 1Fits; adds ambient motion

Today on /scholarships

The editor-page hero blue, for contrast. It is darker than the brand navy, and not in any theme or module CSS.

CSS
background: #162351;
Body text
11.4 : 1 AA pass
Hero, as stored in node 81

Scholarships for your next chapter.

Merit, service and study abroad awards, plus a free directory of more than 1,000 partner scholarships.

A. Current: flat navy

The baseline. The homepage hero and navy bands render this today.

CSS
background: #1F2F6E; /* --hs-navy */
Body text
9.6 : 1 AA pass
(a) Homepage hero

Honor Society® is where achievement becomes opportunity.

Join free to build your recognition profile and access scholarship opportunities, member benefits, mentorship, career resources and official graduation regalia. Professional Track™ is available when you want additional tools and benefits.

(b) Navy content band

Beyond recognition

Support that comes with membership.

Success is built on focus, balance and resilience. Honor Society® encourages a balanced approach to growth, so you stay on track toward your goals.

  • Mentorship

    Resume critiques, mock interviews and first-hand advice from people already in the role.

  • Scholarships

    Merit, service and study abroad awards, plus a free directory of more than 1,000 partner scholarships.

  • Career resources

    Job listings, resume upload and Career Insider guidebooks from Vault.

B. Gradient: deep navy to a touch of blue

Light comes in from the lower right. The text side stays on deep navy and navy; the far corner reaches 50% accent blue.

CSS
background: linear-gradient(135deg,
  #172456 0%,   /* --hs-blue-900 */
  #1F2F6E 45%,  /* --hs-blue-800 */
  #1D3A92 78%,  /* --hs-blue-700 */
  #1B46B6 100%  /* --hs-blue-600 */
);
Body text
6.4 : 1 AA pass (at the #1B46B6 corner; 9.6 : 1 or more behind the text)
(a) Homepage hero

Honor Society® is where achievement becomes opportunity.

Join free to build your recognition profile and access scholarship opportunities, member benefits, mentorship, career resources and official graduation regalia. Professional Track™ is available when you want additional tools and benefits.

(b) Navy content band

Beyond recognition

Support that comes with membership.

Success is built on focus, balance and resilience. Honor Society® encourages a balanced approach to growth, so you stay on track toward your goals.

  • Mentorship

    Resume critiques, mock interviews and first-hand advice from people already in the role.

  • Scholarships

    Merit, service and study abroad awards, plus a free directory of more than 1,000 partner scholarships.

  • Career resources

    Job listings, resume upload and Career Insider guidebooks from Vault.

C. Radial glow behind the heading

A soft pool of accent blue sits behind the heading, as if lit from in front. The rest of the band stays flat navy.

CSS
background:
  radial-gradient(ellipse 55% 70% at 22% 38%,
    rgba(23,92,255,.42), rgba(23,92,255,0) 70%),
  #1F2F6E;
/* band: glow at 16% 24% */
Body text
6.9 : 1 AA pass (at the centre of the glow)
(a) Homepage hero

Honor Society® is where achievement becomes opportunity.

Join free to build your recognition profile and access scholarship opportunities, member benefits, mentorship, career resources and official graduation regalia. Professional Track™ is available when you want additional tools and benefits.

(b) Navy content band

Beyond recognition

Support that comes with membership.

Success is built on focus, balance and resilience. Honor Society® encourages a balanced approach to growth, so you stay on track toward your goals.

  • Mentorship

    Resume critiques, mock interviews and first-hand advice from people already in the role.

  • Scholarships

    Merit, service and study abroad awards, plus a free directory of more than 1,000 partner scholarships.

  • Career resources

    Job listings, resume upload and Career Insider guidebooks from Vault.

D. Honor accent: gold line and seal engraving

Flat navy with a 2px honor-gold line on top and faint concentric rings in one corner, like the engraving on a seal or a certificate.

CSS
background: #1F2F6E;
box-shadow: inset 0 2px 0 #C9A227; /* --hs-honor-gold */
/* ::before */
background: repeating-radial-gradient(circle at 100% 0%,
  rgba(255,255,255,.08) 0 1.25px, rgba(255,255,255,0) 1.75px 10px);
mask-image: radial-gradient(circle at 100% 0%, #000 0%, transparent 65%);
Body text
7.8 : 1 AA pass (on a ring line)
Note
Decision: house style bans gold lines between bands. The line needs an exception, for example "top of a hero only".
(a) Homepage hero

Honor Society® is where achievement becomes opportunity.

Join free to build your recognition profile and access scholarship opportunities, member benefits, mentorship, career resources and official graduation regalia. Professional Track™ is available when you want additional tools and benefits.

(b) Navy content band

Beyond recognition

Support that comes with membership.

Success is built on focus, balance and resilience. Honor Society® encourages a balanced approach to growth, so you stay on track toward your goals.

  • Mentorship

    Resume critiques, mock interviews and first-hand advice from people already in the role.

  • Scholarships

    Merit, service and study abroad awards, plus a free directory of more than 1,000 partner scholarships.

  • Career resources

    Job listings, resume upload and Career Insider guidebooks from Vault.

E. Frosted card over a blue ground

Two blue light pools on a navy-to-deep-navy ground. The hero copy and the band cards sit on translucent, blurred panels.

CSS
/* ground */
background:
  radial-gradient(40% 60% at 82% 22%, rgba(23,92,255,.55), rgba(23,92,255,0) 70%),
  radial-gradient(45% 65% at 8% 92%, rgba(27,70,182,.6), rgba(27,70,182,0) 70%),
  linear-gradient(160deg, #1F2F6E, #172456);
/* card */
background: rgba(255,255,255,.08);
border: 1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.16);
border-radius: 8px;
backdrop-filter: blur(16px);
box-shadow: 0 12px 30px rgba(10,16,40,.25);
Body text
5.3 : 1 AA pass (card over the brightest pool; the lowest margin on this page)
Note
Decision: house style says "no glass (backdrop-filter)". Older browsers without backdrop-filter show the 8% white panel only; contrast stays the same.
(a) Homepage hero

Honor Society® is where achievement becomes opportunity.

Join free to build your recognition profile and access scholarship opportunities, member benefits, mentorship, career resources and official graduation regalia. Professional Track™ is available when you want additional tools and benefits.

(b) Navy content band

Beyond recognition

Support that comes with membership.

Success is built on focus, balance and resilience. Honor Society® encourages a balanced approach to growth, so you stay on track toward your goals.

  • Mentorship

    Resume critiques, mock interviews and first-hand advice from people already in the role.

  • Scholarships

    Merit, service and study abroad awards, plus a free directory of more than 1,000 partner scholarships.

  • Career resources

    Job listings, resume upload and Career Insider guidebooks from Vault.

F. Satin: the sheen on a navy gown

Drawn from the brand's own artefact: regalia. A diagonal band of blue light drifts slowly across the navy, like light on a gown, and the base deepens toward the bottom. Still with reduced motion.

CSS
background:
  linear-gradient(180deg, rgba(23,36,86,0) 55%, rgba(23,36,86,.65) 100%),
  #1F2F6E;
/* ::before */
background: linear-gradient(105deg,
  rgba(23,92,255,0) 25%, rgba(23,92,255,.22) 40%,
  rgba(255,255,255,.07) 48%, rgba(23,92,255,.18) 56%,
  rgba(23,92,255,0) 72%);
background-size: 220% 100%;
animation: hs-satin 18s ease-in-out infinite alternate;
/* only under prefers-reduced-motion: no-preference */
Body text
8.0 : 1 AA pass (at the brightest point of the sheen)
Note
Motion is a choice: the static frame works too. VISUAL.md allows animation gated on reduced motion.
(a) Homepage hero

Honor Society® is where achievement becomes opportunity.

Join free to build your recognition profile and access scholarship opportunities, member benefits, mentorship, career resources and official graduation regalia. Professional Track™ is available when you want additional tools and benefits.

(b) Navy content band

Beyond recognition

Support that comes with membership.

Success is built on focus, balance and resilience. Honor Society® encourages a balanced approach to growth, so you stay on track toward your goals.

  • Mentorship

    Resume critiques, mock interviews and first-hand advice from people already in the role.

  • Scholarships

    Merit, service and study abroad awards, plus a free directory of more than 1,000 partner scholarships.

  • Career resources

    Job listings, resume upload and Career Insider guidebooks from Vault.

Footer: current and navy

Each footer sits under a navy closing band, as on an acquisition page. The navy option uses deep navy #172456, so the footer still parts from a #1F2F6E band above it.

CSS
background: #222222; /* --hs-footer */
Text
Links white 15.9 : 1, note text 12.1 : 1 AA pass
Current: #222222

Honor Your Ambition™

Start Free Membership

CSS
background: #172456; /* --hs-navy-deep */
Text
Links white 14.8 : 1, note text 11.2 : 1 AA pass
Option: deep navy #172456

Honor Your Ambition™

Start Free Membership