Forbes color palette
MediaForbes uses a classic, high-contrast color palette centered on black and white, reflecting its authoritative and premium brand identity. The palette is minimal, focusing on clarity and legibility for its business and financial journalism.
forbes.comForbes colors
Click any swatch to copy its hex. Hover for RGB and HSL.
Brand colors
The colors people recognise.- Forbes BlackPrimary0, 0, 0
- Forbes WhiteSecondary255, 255, 255
- Forbes GoldAccent200, 170, 110
Surfaces
Page, cards and dividers.- Forbes Light GrayBackground245, 246, 247
- Forbes Surface GraySurface241, 241, 241
- Forbes Border GrayBorder229, 229, 229
Text
Three tiers of copy.- Forbes Text BlackText0, 0, 0
- Forbes Text Dark GraySecondary text51, 51, 51
- Forbes Text Muted GrayMuted text110, 110, 110
Semantic
Feedback and state colors.- Forbes Success GreenSuccess0, 128, 96
- Forbes Warning OrangeWarning245, 166, 35
- Forbes Error RedError215, 38, 61
- Forbes Info BlueInfo39, 110, 241
Use Forbes's colors in your project
Pick a format, copy or download. Everything below is generated from the exact hex values above.
forbes-palette-colors.css · Paste into your global stylesheet.
:root {
--info: #276EF1;
--error: #D7263D;
--accent: #C8AA6E;
--border: #E5E5E5;
--primary: #000000;
--success: #008060;
--surface: #F1F1F1;
--warning: #F5A623;
--secondary: #FFFFFF;
--text-muted: #6E6E6E;
--background: #F5F6F7;
--text-primary: #000000;
--text-secondary: #333333;
}Contrast and accessibility
Every text tone tested against every surface, per WCAG 2.1.
Text on background
Needs 4.5:1 for body text
19.4:1
Pass
Text on surface
Needs 4.5:1 for body text
18.6:1
Pass
Secondary text on background
Needs 4.5:1 for body text
11.7:1
Pass
Secondary text on surface
Needs 4.5:1 for body text
11.2:1
Pass
Muted text on background
Needs 3:1 for large text
4.7:1
Pass
Muted text on surface
Needs 3:1 for large text
4.5:1
Pass
Forbes gray and neutral colors
The quiet part of the Forbes palette: page background, card surfaces, dividers and the three text tones that sit on them. Click a value to copy it.
- Forbes Light GrayBackground
- HEX
- RGB
- HSL
- Forbes Surface GraySurface
- HEX
- RGB
- HSL
- Forbes Border GrayBorder
- HEX
- RGB
- HSL
- Forbes Text BlackText
- HEX
- RGB
- HSL
- Forbes Text Dark GraySecondary text
- HEX
- RGB
- HSL
- Forbes Text Muted GrayMuted text
- HEX
- RGB
- HSL
About Forbes's colors
Forbes relies on a monochrome palette with gold accents to convey prestige and clarity. The restrained use of color supports a focus on content and readability.
Primary black and white provide high contrast for text and backgrounds.
Gold accent is used sparingly for highlights and premium cues.
Neutral grays support UI elements and subtle separation.
Psychology
Black and white evoke authority, professionalism, and timelessness, while gold signals luxury and trust. The minimal palette helps reinforce Forbes' reputation as a serious and reliable source.
Evolution
Forbes' palette has remained largely stable, with black and white as core elements since its inception. Recent digital iterations introduced subtle grays and gold for enhanced UI clarity and premium cues.
Where Forbes uses each color
- Primary
Forbes Black is used for the logo, primary navigation, and headlines.
- Secondary
Forbes White is the main background color for articles and content areas.
- Accent
Forbes Gold highlights subscription offers, badges, and select call-to-action buttons.
- Backgrounds
Forbes Light Gray and Surface Gray are used for page backgrounds and card surfaces.
- Text
Text Black and Text Dark Gray are used for body copy and secondary information.
- Semantic
Success Green, Warning Orange, Error Red, and Info Blue are used for alerts, notifications, and status indicators.
Forbes color questions
Hex codes, RGB values, neutrals and how to use the palette.
The primary Forbes brand color is Forbes Black, with the hex code #000000.
Forbes Black (#000000) in RGB is (0, 0, 0) and in CMYK is (0, 0, 0, 100).
Forbes uses several neutral grays, including Forbes Light Gray (#F5F6F7), Surface Gray (#F1F1F1), Border Gray (#E5E5E5), and Text Muted Gray (#6E6E6E) for backgrounds, surfaces, borders, and muted text.
The palette should prioritize black and white for maximum contrast, with gold used sparingly for accents and grays for UI structure. Semantic colors are reserved for alerts and status messaging.
The secondary color is Forbes White, #FFFFFF, and the accent is Forbes Gold, #C8AA6E. Together with the primary they make up the three brand colors at the top of this page.
6 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 Forbes's colors consistently when it generates UI.
Make something in the spirit of Forbes
Start from this palette's mood and get an original 13-color system for your own project, contrast-checked and ready to export.