The Times color palette
MediaThe Times employs a classic, monochromatic color palette centered around its signature black, reflecting its heritage and authority in journalism. The brand's color system is understated, relying on deep blacks, refined grays, and minimal accent colors for clarity and gravitas.
thetimes.co.ukThe Times colors
Click any swatch to copy its hex. Hover for RGB and HSL.
Brand colors
The colors people recognise.- Times BlackPrimary0, 0, 0
- Times WhiteSecondary255, 255, 255
- Times BlueAccent0, 83, 159
Surfaces
Page, cards and dividers.- Times Light GrayBackground245, 245, 245
- Times PaperSurface255, 255, 255
- Times Border GrayBorder213, 213, 213
Text
Three tiers of copy.- Times Headline BlackText0, 0, 0
- Times Body GraySecondary text51, 51, 51
- Times Muted GrayMuted text118, 118, 118
Semantic
Feedback and state colors.- Times Success GreenSuccess58, 142, 58
- Times Warning AmberWarning245, 166, 35
- Times Error RedError208, 2, 27
- Times Info BlueInfo0, 83, 159
Use The Times's colors in your project
Pick a format, copy or download. Everything below is generated from the exact hex values above.
the-times-palette-colors.css · Paste into your global stylesheet.
:root {
--info: #00539F;
--error: #D0021B;
--accent: #00539F;
--border: #D5D5D5;
--primary: #000000;
--success: #3A8E3A;
--surface: #FFFFFF;
--warning: #F5A623;
--secondary: #FFFFFF;
--text-muted: #767676;
--background: #F5F5F5;
--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
19.3:1
Pass
Text on surface
Needs 4.5:1 for body text
21.0:1
Pass
Secondary text on background
Needs 4.5:1 for body text
11.6:1
Pass
Secondary text on surface
Needs 4.5:1 for body text
12.6:1
Pass
Muted text on background
Needs 3:1 for large text
4.2:1
Pass
Muted text on surface
Needs 3:1 for large text
4.5:1
Pass
The Times gray and neutral colors
The quiet part of the The Times palette: page background, card surfaces, dividers and the three text tones that sit on them. Click a value to copy it.
- Times Light GrayBackground
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- Times PaperSurface
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- Times Border GrayBorder
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- Times Headline BlackText
- HEX
- RGB
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- Times Body GraySecondary text
- HEX
- RGB
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- Times Muted GrayMuted text
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About The Times's colors
The Times' color palette is rooted in monochrome, emphasizing black and white with subtle blue accents for navigation and highlights. This approach reinforces the brand's legacy, seriousness, and journalistic authority.
Primary black contrasts with white for maximum readability.
Blue accent is reserved for links and calls to action.
Grays are used for hierarchy and separation.
Psychology
Black conveys authority, tradition, and seriousness, aligning with The Times' reputation. Blue accents add trust and reliability without overpowering the classic palette.
Evolution
The Times' palette has remained largely stable, maintaining its black-and-white identity for decades. Recent digital iterations introduced blue and refined grays for modern usability.
Where The Times uses each color
- Primary
Times Black is used for the masthead, headlines, and primary navigation.
- Secondary
Times White is the main background for articles and content areas.
- Accent
Times Blue highlights links, buttons, and key navigation elements.
- Backgrounds
Times Light Gray is used for page backgrounds and subtle section separation.
- Text
Times Headline Black and Body Gray are used for main and secondary text respectively.
- Semantic
Success, warning, and error colors are used for alerts, notifications, and status messages.
The Times color questions
Hex codes, RGB values, neutrals and how to use the palette.
The primary brand color for The Times is Times Black, hex code #000000.
Times Black (#000000) is RGB(0, 0, 0) and CMYK(0, 0, 0, 100).
The Times uses a range of grays including Times Light Gray (#F5F5F5), Times Border Gray (#D5D5D5), and Times Muted Gray (#767676) for backgrounds, borders, and muted text.
Use Times Black (#000000) for headlines and navigation, Times White (#FFFFFF) for backgrounds, and Times Blue (#00539F) sparingly for interactive elements and highlights.
The secondary color is Times White, #FFFFFF, and the accent is Times Blue, #00539F. 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 The Times's colors consistently when it generates UI.
Make something in the spirit of The Times
Start from this palette's mood and get an original 13-color system for your own project, contrast-checked and ready to export.