Colour

Core brand colours, palettes and contrast requirements for accessibility.

Our colour palette is designed with accessibility in mind.

However, it remains the responsibility of teams using the colours in the palette to ensure services comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) when using colours in combination.

This section explains how to apply colour and helps everyone understand information clearly.

Always use the GOV.UK colour palette alongside other accessibility principles. This includes using accessible colour combinations and ensuring meaning is never conveyed by colour alone.

Palette overview

Our palette consists of 4 tiers: primary, tints, shades and accents.

Primary

Primary colours form the foundation of the brand palette, with blue as the core colour that anchors the visual identity.

The additional primary colours are complementary and can be used to express tone, emphasis, or differentiation while maintaining brand cohesion.

These colours should be applied thoughtfully to reinforce consistency and clarity across all communications.

Tints

Tints are lighter variations of the primary colours, created by adding white.

These are useful for backgrounds, highlights, and creating a sense of space while maintaining brand coherence.

Shades

Shades are darker variations of the primary colours, created by adding black.

They provide depth, contrast, and are ideal for text or design elements requiring emphasis.

Accents

Accents are supplementary colours used sparingly to highlight important content, inject energy, or signal specific actions or statuses within a design.

They should complement the primary palette without overwhelming it.