# Color.

> The veridive palette has nine colors: four Midnight and Ink darks for grounds and surfaces, Signal orange as the single accent with a lighter hover shade, and White and two Steels for text and lines. This chapter gives hex, RGB and approximate CMYK values, the proportions of a composition, WCAG contrast ratios and rules for light surfaces and print.

Mostly Midnight, one accent. Midnight is the ground, White carries the words, and Signal marks the one thing that should catch the eye.

## Palette

Four darks for grounds and surfaces, two oranges for the accent, three lights for words and lines. CMYK values are approximate.

| Name | Hex | RGB | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midnight | #070B18 | 7 11 24 | Primary background, dark surfaces |
| Ink | #0F1630 | 15 22 48 | Raised surfaces, cards on Midnight |
| Ink 2 | #141D3D | 20 29 61 | Secondary surfaces |
| Ink 3 | #1B2550 | 27 37 80 | Tertiary surfaces, borders on dark |
| Signal | #F5A623 | 245 166 35 | The one accent: the arrow, calls to action, highlights |
| Signal 2 | #FFBE4D | 255 190 77 | Signal on hover, glow |
| White | #EEF1F7 | 238 241 247 | Text and marks on dark; light background |
| Steel | #8993AB | 137 147 171 | Secondary text on dark |
| Steel 2 | #5C6784 | 92 103 132 | Tertiary text, hairlines |

CMYK, approximately: Midnight 71 54 0 91 · Ink 69 54 0 81 · Ink 2 67 52 0 76 · Ink 3 66 54 0 69 · Signal 0 32 86 4 · Signal 2 0 25 70 0 · White 4 2 0 3 · Steel 20 14 0 33 · Steel 2 30 22 0 48.

## Proportions

In any composition, Midnight covers about four fifths, Ink about a tenth and White less than that. Signal is a few sparks: the arrow, one button, one lit element.

## One accent

Signal is the only accent. Use it for the arrow in the mark, for calls to action, for the full stop that ends a headline and for one highlighted element in a figure. If two things on a screen are orange, one of them shouldn’t be. Signal is never a fill for large areas, never a text color on White or light surfaces, and never paired with a second accent color.

## Contrast

Ratios follow WCAG 2: at least 4.5:1 for body text, 3:1 for large text and graphics.

| Pair | Ratio | Use |
|---|---|---|
| White on Midnight | 17.3:1 | All text |
| White on Ink | 15.8:1 | All text on cards |
| Signal on Midnight | 9.7:1 | Accents, links, short text |
| Midnight on Signal | 9.7:1 | Button labels |
| Steel on Midnight | 6.4:1 | Secondary text |
| Steel on Ink | 5.8:1 | Secondary text on cards |
| Steel 2 on Midnight | 3.5:1 | Large text and hairlines only |
| Midnight on White | 17.3:1 | Text on light surfaces |
| Signal on White | 1.8:1 | Never text: the arrow and small details only |

## Light surfaces

Documents and light pages invert the system. White or paper is the ground, Midnight carries the text and the squares, and Signal is kept for the arrow and small details. For secondary text on light surfaces, use Steel 2 (5.0:1), not Steel (2.7:1).

## Print

The CMYK values are straight conversions for orientation, not a print specification. Print Midnight as a rich black, and proof Signal on the actual paper before a run.

## Misuse

1. Don’t add a hue that isn’t in the palette to make something stand out. Use size, weight or Signal instead.
2. Don’t blend palette colors into gradients or add a glow.
3. Don’t set body text in Signal or Steel 2.
4. Don’t put Signal text on White or any light surface.

## Files

The palette in four formats: CSS custom properties for the web, JSON for design and presentation tools, an Adobe swatch file (ASE) and a GIMP and Inkscape palette (GPL).