Encyclopedia · Popular

What designers actually reach for.

Five working categories — classic, trending, UI accents, earth tones, neutral bases. The colours that show up most often in the work we admire, with hex, name, and a one-line note.

Classic

The colours that earn entries in design dictionaries. Used long enough to be culturally legible without an explanation.

  • Crimson

    #DC143C

    Saturated, deep — never decorative.

  • Amber

    #FFBF00

    Honey-yellow with depth.

  • Old Gold

    #C9A961

    Historic counterpoint to deep blue.

  • Emerald

    #1F6F4A

    Jewel green — confident, formal.

  • Cerulean Blue

    #007BA7

    Sky-blue of the Romantics.

    Open profile →

  • Indigo

    #0B2A4A

    Dye-cloth deep blue.

  • Navy

    #000080

    Authority blue.

  • Teal

    #0E5C7A

    Cool blue-green crossover.

  • Plum

    #6E2C50

    Deep red-purple.

  • Ink Black

    #0E0E0F

    Near-black for type.

  • Action Blue

    #0066CC

    Apple-style action accent.

Trending

What the studios and the editorial press are reaching for this season. Treat as a snapshot, not a permanent record.

UI accents

Working colours for interfaces. Action, error, success, warning — the five-colour set that shows up in every well-built product.

  • Vermilion

    #E63946

    Editorial alarm-bell red.

  • Azure

    #3B82B8

    Studio blue, web-default friendly.

  • Paper White

    #FAFAFC

    UI surface white.

  • Soft Grey

    #D2D2D7

    Light UI grey.

  • Slate Ink

    #3C3C3E

    Body-copy grey.

  • Action Blue

    #0066CC

    Apple-style action accent.

  • Signal Red

    #E63946

    Destructive / error state.

  • Confirm Green

    #2E7D32

    Success state.

  • Warning Amber

    #F4A60F

    Caution state.

Earth tones

Material-referenced colours. Clay, bark, taupe, moss — the family that ages slower than the rest.

Neutral bases

The substrate. What you build the rest of a palette on top of — paper whites, soft greys, slate inks, warm creams.

  • Espresso

    #3F362A

    Warm near-black.

  • Taupe

    #A89580

    Grey-warm cousin of beige.

  • Bone Linen

    #F5F1E8

    Warm cream paper.

  • Warm Cream

    #E5DBC9

    Light-mid warm neutral.

  • Paper White

    #FAFAFC

    UI surface white.

  • Soft Grey

    #D2D2D7

    Light UI grey.

  • Stone Grey

    #7A7A7D

    Mid grey for chrome.

  • Slate Ink

    #3C3C3E

    Body-copy grey.

  • Ink Black

    #0E0E0F

    Near-black for type.

Looking for something more specific?

Browse the full A → Z directory, search by hex code, or open the season palette index.