El País color palette
MediaEl País is a leading Spanish-language newspaper known for its minimalist and authoritative visual identity, centered around a monochromatic palette. Its brand colors emphasize clarity, neutrality, and journalistic integrity.
elpais.comEl País colors
Click any swatch to copy its hex. Hover for RGB and HSL.
Brand colors
The colors people recognise.- El País BlackPrimary34, 34, 34
- El País WhiteSecondary255, 255, 255
- El País BlueAccent0, 123, 193
Surfaces
Page, cards and dividers.- El País Light GrayBackground245, 245, 245
- El País Surface GraySurface229, 229, 229
- El País Border GrayBorder212, 212, 212
Text
Three tiers of copy.- El País Text BlackText34, 34, 34
- El País Text GraySecondary text102, 102, 102
- El País Muted GrayMuted text153, 153, 153
Semantic
Feedback and state colors.- El País Success GreenSuccess76, 175, 80
- El País Warning YellowWarning255, 193, 7
- El País Error RedError211, 47, 47
- El País Info BlueInfo2, 136, 209
Use El País's colors in your project
Pick a format, copy or download. Everything below is generated from the exact hex values above.
el-pais-palette-colors.css · Paste into your global stylesheet.
:root {
--info: #0288D1;
--error: #D32F2F;
--accent: #007BC1;
--border: #D4D4D4;
--primary: #222222;
--success: #4CAF50;
--surface: #E5E5E5;
--warning: #FFC107;
--secondary: #FFFFFF;
--text-muted: #999999;
--background: #F5F5F5;
--text-primary: #222222;
--text-secondary: #666666;
}Contrast and accessibility
Every text tone tested against every surface, per WCAG 2.1.
Text on background
Needs 4.5:1 for body text
14.6:1
Pass
Text on surface
Needs 4.5:1 for body text
12.6:1
Pass
Secondary text on background
Needs 4.5:1 for body text
5.3:1
Pass
Secondary text on surface
Needs 4.5:1 for body text
4.6:1
Pass
Muted text on background
Needs 3:1 for large text
2.6:1
Fail
Muted text on surface
Needs 3:1 for large text
2.3:1
Fail
El País gray and neutral colors
The quiet part of the El País palette: page background, card surfaces, dividers and the three text tones that sit on them. Click a value to copy it.
- El País Light GrayBackground
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- El País Surface GraySurface
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- El País Border GrayBorder
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- El País Text BlackText
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- El País Text GraySecondary text
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- El País Muted GrayMuted text
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About El País's colors
El País uses a restrained, monochromatic palette with blue accents to maintain a serious, trustworthy tone. The color system is designed for readability and neutrality, supporting its journalistic mission.
Primary black and white create strong contrast for legibility.
Accent blue highlights interactive elements and links.
Grays are used for backgrounds, surfaces, and secondary text.
Psychology
The dominant black and white scheme conveys authority, clarity, and seriousness, while blue adds a touch of reliability and approachability. The use of gray tones supports a neutral, unobtrusive reading experience.
Evolution
El País has maintained a consistent monochrome palette since its inception, with minor adjustments to gray tones for digital clarity. The blue accent was introduced to improve navigation and highlight key actions in digital interfaces.
Where El País uses each color
- Primary
Used for the masthead, headlines, and primary navigation elements.
- Secondary
Backgrounds and article bodies use white for maximum readability.
- Accent
Blue is applied to links, buttons, and interactive UI elements.
- Backgrounds
Light gray backgrounds differentiate sections and support content hierarchy.
- Text
Primary black and gray tones are used for headlines, body text, and metadata.
- Semantic
Green, yellow, red, and blue are used for status indicators and notifications.
El País color questions
Hex codes, RGB values, neutrals and how to use the palette.
The primary El País brand color is #222222, known as 'El País Black'. This color is used for the masthead and main headlines.
The primary color #222222 in RGB is (34, 34, 34). In CMYK, it is approximately (0, 0, 0, 87).
El País uses a range of grays: #F5F5F5 for backgrounds, #E5E5E5 for surfaces, #D4D4D4 for borders, #666666 for secondary text, and #999999 for muted text. These ensure a clear, neutral reading experience.
Use #222222 for primary elements and text, #FFFFFF for backgrounds, and #007BC1 for interactive accents. Grays and semantic colors are reserved for UI structure, secondary content, and status indicators.
The secondary color is El País White, #FFFFFF, and the accent is El País Blue, #007BC1. Together with the primary they make up the three brand colors at the top of this page.
4 of 6 text and background pairings meet WCAG 2.1 AA contrast. The contrast section above shows every pairing with its exact ratio.
Use the export block on this page. It gives you CSS custom properties, a Tailwind config, W3C design tokens or a shadcn/ui theme built from these exact hex values, with copy and download buttons.
Yes. Export the Claude Code skill, Cursor rules or Codex prompt from the same block. The agent then applies El País's colors consistently when it generates UI.
Make something in the spirit of El País
Start from this palette's mood and get an original 13-color system for your own project, contrast-checked and ready to export.