Cookies on ons.gov.uk

Cookies are small files stored on your device when you visit a website. We use some essential cookies to make this website work.

We would like to set additional cookies to remember your settings and understand how you use the site. This helps us to improve our services.

View cookies

You have accepted all additional cookies. You have rejected all additional cookies. You can change your cookie preferences at any time.

Skip to main content

Colours

Overview

Our core brand colours should be used across all products to build familiarity and recognition. We have additional supporting palettes for digital products, illustrations and charts.

We use consistent groups of colours as themes for specific statistical topic areas.

Important information:

For digital services follow the design system colours guidance.

For data visualisations follow the using colours in charts guidance.

Our colour palettes

We use four main colour palettes across our digital and print materials to establish the Office for National Statistics (ONS) brand.

Primary brand palette

The primary colour palette has been built out from our logo colours. It should be used for all core products where there is no specific topic theming.

Night blue

RGB
0, 60, 87
CMYK
100, 39, 0, 63
Pantone
2188 CP

Spring green

RGB
168, 189, 58
CMYK
26, 1, 100, 10
Pantone
583 CP

Aqua teal

RGB
0, 163, 166
CMYK
86, 0, 45, 0
Pantone
7466 CP

Ocean blue

RGB
32, 96, 149
CMYK
93, 51, 6, 4
Pantone
2151 CP

Sky blue

RGB
39, 160, 204
CMYK
86, 8, 0, 0
Pantone
299 CP

Supporting palette

The supporting palette is used to add a greater degree of reality to illustrations, and to build out the topic themes.

Indigo blue

RGB
60, 56, 142
CMYK
92, 87, 0, 0
Pantone
2104 CP

Plum purple

RGB
144, 32, 130
CMYK
53, 99, 0, 0
Pantone
513 CP

Flamingo pink

RGB
223, 6, 103
CMYK
0, 100, 24, 4
Pantone
214 CP

Ruby red

RGB
208, 2, 27
CMYK
10, 100, 94, 3
Pantone
186 CP

Jaffa orange

RGB
250, 100, 1
CMYK
0, 71, 95, 0
Pantone
3564 CP

Sun yellow

RGB
251, 201, 0
CMYK
0, 20, 100, 2
Pantone
7406 CP

Neon yellow

RGB
240, 247, 98
CMYK
9, 0, 66, 0
Pantone
386 CP

Leaf green

RGB
15, 130, 67
CMYK
87, 0, 99, 32
Pantone
2259 CP

Grey palette

The grey palette is used for fonts and shadowing.

Black

RGB
34, 34, 34
CMYK
0, 0, 0, 87
Pantone
Black 3 CP

Grey 100

RGB
65, 64, 66
CMYK
40, 30, 20, 66
Pantone
Cool Grey 10 CP

Grey 75

RGB
112, 112, 113
CMYK
54, 43, 42, 20
Pantone
Cool Grey 9 CP

Grey 35

RGB
188, 188, 189
CMYK
30, 22, 22, 3
Pantone
Cool Grey 7 CP

Grey 15

RGB
226, 226, 227
CMYK
14, 10, 10, 0
Pantone
Cool Grey 4 CP

Grey 5

RGB
245, 245, 246
CMYK
5, 4, 4, 0
Pantone
Cool Grey 1 CP

White

RGB
255, 255, 255
CMYK
0, 0, 0, 0

People palette

The people palette keeps our illustrations of people consistent. It can be used for skin tone and hair colour.

This palette is for people illustrations only and should not be used in other contexts.

People tone 1

RGB
244, 212, 174
CMYK
4, 19, 35, 0
Pantone
475 C

People tone 2

RGB
241, 192, 159
CMYK
5, 30, 39, 0
Pantone
474 C

People tone 3

RGB
204, 142, 74
CMYK
17, 46, 76, 6
Pantone
721 CP

People tone 4

RGB
178, 91, 32
CMYK
23, 68, 95, 14
Pantone
723 CP

People tone 5

RGB
135, 76, 43
CMYK
32, 67, 82, 35
Pantone
2320 CP

People tone 6

RGB
117, 70, 60
CMYK
35, 66, 62, 45
Pantone
7588 CP

People tone 7

RGB
85, 49, 23
CMYK
41, 70, 87, 63
Pantone
2322 CP

Tints

We use either 70%, 40% or 10% tints of our colours. Tints are created by adding white, rather than using transparency.

Example

70% Night blue

RGB
77, 119, 137
CMYK
44, 13, 0, 46
Pantone
2166 C

40% Night blue

RGB
153, 177, 189
CMYK
19, 6, 0, 26
Pantone
536 C

10% Night blue

RGB
230, 236, 238
CMYK
3, 1, 0, 7
Pantone
649 C

Accessible colour contrast

ONS colours must be used with the correct contrast to meet accessibility requirements.

We have tested the contrast between foreground and background colours to make sure they meet level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1) (opens in a new tab) 

You can test accessible combinations of ONS brand colours with the EightShapes Contrast Grid (opens in a new tab) 

Topic colour themes

We have developed a set of colour themes that align with specific statistical topic areas. These should be used on our materials, for example in illustrations and the dot pattern.

Each topic contains night-blue to give options with enough colour contrast. Tints can be also used to give a wider range of colour options and to add depth.

Children and education

Sky blue

RGB
39, 160, 204
CMYK
86, 8, 0, 0
Pantone
299 CP

Spring green

RGB
168, 189, 58
CMYK
26, 1, 100, 10
Pantone
583 CP

Night blue

RGB
0, 60, 87
CMYK
100, 39, 0, 63
Pantone
2188 CP

Economy and business

Jaffa orange

RGB
250, 100, 1
CMYK
0, 71, 95, 0
Pantone
3564 CP

Ocean blue

RGB
32, 96, 149
CMYK
93, 51, 6, 4
Pantone
2151 CP

Night blue

RGB
0, 60, 87
CMYK
100, 39, 0, 63
Pantone
2188 CP

Environment, climate and nature

Leaf green

RGB
15, 130, 67
CMYK
87, 0, 99, 32
Pantone
2259 CP

Neon yellow

RGB
240, 247, 98
CMYK
9, 0, 66, 0
Pantone
386 CP

Night blue

RGB
0, 60, 87
CMYK
100, 39, 0, 63
Pantone
2188 CP

Health and social care

Aqua teal

RGB
0, 163, 166
CMYK
86, 0, 45, 0
Pantone
7466 CP

Jaffa orange

RGB
250, 100, 1
CMYK
0, 71, 95, 0
Pantone
3564 CP

Night blue

RGB
0, 60, 87
CMYK
100, 39, 0, 63
Pantone
2188 CP

Population, migration and census

Plum purple

RGB
144, 32, 130
CMYK
53, 99, 0, 0
Pantone
513 CP

Aqua teal

RGB
0, 163, 166
CMYK
86, 0, 45, 0
Pantone
7466 CP

Night blue

RGB
0, 60, 87
CMYK
100, 39, 0, 63
Pantone
2188 CP

Security, crime and justice

Ocean blue

RGB
32, 96, 149
CMYK
93, 51, 6, 4
Pantone
2151 CP

Ruby red

RGB
208, 2, 27
CMYK
10, 100, 94, 3
Pantone
186 CP

Night blue

RGB
0, 60, 87
CMYK
100, 39, 0, 63
Pantone
2188 CP

Transport

Indigo blue

RGB
60, 56, 142
CMYK
92, 87, 0, 0
Pantone
2104 CP

Ocean blue

RGB
32, 96, 149
CMYK
93, 51, 6, 4
Pantone
2151 CP

Night blue

RGB
0, 60, 87
CMYK
100, 39, 0, 63
Pantone
2188 CP

Welfare, well-being and housing

Flamingo pink

RGB
223, 6, 103
CMYK
0, 100, 24, 4
Pantone
214 CP

Indigo blue

RGB
60, 56, 142
CMYK
92, 87, 0, 0
Pantone
2104 CP

Night blue

RGB
0, 60, 87
CMYK
100, 39, 0, 63
Pantone
2188 CP

Adobe downloads

Our colour profiles and swatches are available to download and use with Adobe.

Colour profiles

The colour profiles pack contains:

  • ONS Coated.csf
  • ONS Photography (Adobe RGB).csf
  • ONS Uncoated.csf

Download the ONS Adobe colour profiles pack (1.4MB) (opens in a new tab) 

To edit colour profiles across the Adobe Suite:

  1. Open Adobe Bridge and go to “Edit” then “Colour settings” select “Show saved colour settings”.
  2. Drop the .csf files into the finder window and select “ONS Coated” on the menu, this will make the dialog box disappear.
  3. The default profiles for Adobe programs will now be sRGB for screen, FOGRA39 for print.

Swatches

The swatches pack contains:

  • ONS RGB colour swatches for digital
  • ONS CMYK colour swatches for print
  • ONS Pantone colour swatches for print

Download the ONS Adobe swatches pack (7KB) (opens in a new tab) 

Help improve this page

Let us know how we could improve this page, or share your user research findings. Discuss this page on GitHub (opens in a new tab) 

Back to top