The Washington Post color palette
MediaThe Washington Post's color identity is defined by a classic, authoritative black paired with a range of neutral grays and subtle accent tones, reflecting its legacy as a leading news organization. The palette is minimal and monochromatic, emphasizing clarity and seriousness.
washingtonpost.comThe Washington Post colors
Click any swatch to copy its hex. Hover for RGB and HSL.
Brand colors
The colors people recognise.- WP BlackPrimary35, 31, 32
- WP Slate GraySecondary109, 110, 113
- WP Light SandAccent213, 211, 198
Surfaces
Page, cards and dividers.- WP WhiteBackground255, 255, 255
- WP Light GraySurface245, 245, 243
- WP Divider GrayBorder226, 226, 223
Text
Three tiers of copy.- WP BlackText35, 31, 32
- WP Slate GraySecondary text109, 110, 113
- WP Muted GrayMuted text167, 168, 170
Semantic
Feedback and state colors.- WP Success GreenSuccess58, 122, 26
- WP Warning OrangeWarning201, 122, 0
- WP Error RedError179, 36, 36
- WP Info BlueInfo0, 87, 184
Use The Washington Post's colors in your project
Pick a format, copy or download. Everything below is generated from the exact hex values above.
the-washington-post-palette-colors.css · Paste into your global stylesheet.
:root {
--info: #0057B8;
--error: #B32424;
--accent: #D5D3C6;
--border: #E2E2DF;
--primary: #231F20;
--success: #3A7A1A;
--surface: #F5F5F3;
--warning: #C97A00;
--secondary: #6D6E71;
--text-muted: #A7A8AA;
--background: #FFFFFF;
--text-primary: #231F20;
--text-secondary: #6D6E71;
}Contrast and accessibility
Every text tone tested against every surface, per WCAG 2.1.
Text on background
Needs 4.5:1 for body text
16.3:1
Pass
Text on surface
Needs 4.5:1 for body text
14.9:1
Pass
Secondary text on background
Needs 4.5:1 for body text
5.1:1
Pass
Secondary text on surface
Needs 4.5:1 for body text
4.7:1
Pass
Muted text on background
Needs 3:1 for large text
2.4:1
Fail
Muted text on surface
Needs 3:1 for large text
2.2:1
Fail
The Washington Post gray and neutral colors
The quiet part of the The Washington Post palette: page background, card surfaces, dividers and the three text tones that sit on them. Click a value to copy it.
- WP WhiteBackground
- HEX
- RGB
- HSL
- WP Light GraySurface
- HEX
- RGB
- HSL
- WP Divider GrayBorder
- HEX
- RGB
- HSL
- WP BlackText
- HEX
- RGB
- HSL
- WP Slate GraySecondary text
- HEX
- RGB
- HSL
- WP Muted GrayMuted text
- HEX
- RGB
- HSL
About The Washington Post's colors
The Washington Post's palette is rooted in monochromatic blacks and grays, prioritizing legibility and authority. Occasional muted accent colors are used for semantic states and highlights.
Primary black anchors the brand and is paired with a range of grays.
Accent colors are used sparingly for notifications and highlights.
Backgrounds remain light for readability and contrast.
Psychology
The dominant black conveys seriousness, trust, and journalistic integrity. The neutral grays and subtle accents support a sense of clarity and professionalism.
Evolution
The palette has remained largely stable, maintaining its monochrome foundation for decades. Minor adjustments have been made to accent and semantic colors for digital accessibility.
Where The Washington Post uses each color
- Primary
WP Black is used for the logo, headlines, and primary navigation elements.
- Secondary
WP Slate Gray appears in subheadings, metadata, and secondary navigation.
- Accent
WP Light Sand is used for highlights, subtle backgrounds, and callout boxes.
- Backgrounds
WP White is the main background for articles and content areas.
- Text
WP Black and WP Slate Gray are used for primary and secondary text, respectively.
- Semantic
Success, warning, error, and info colors are applied to alerts, badges, and status indicators.
The Washington Post color questions
Hex codes, RGB values, neutrals and how to use the palette.
The official primary color for The Washington Post is #231F20. This black is used for the logo and main headlines.
WP Black (#231F20) is RGB(35, 31, 32) and CMYK(0, 11, 9, 86). These values ensure consistent reproduction across digital and print.
The Washington Post uses a range of grays, including WP Slate Gray (#6D6E71), WP Light Gray (#F5F5F3), and WP Muted Gray (#A7A8AA). These neutrals provide structure and hierarchy in the interface.
Primary and secondary colors should be reserved for key brand elements and text. Accent and semantic colors are used sparingly for highlights, alerts, and notifications to maintain a clean, authoritative look.
The secondary color is WP Slate Gray, #6D6E71, and the accent is WP Light Sand, #D5D3C6. 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 The Washington Post's colors consistently when it generates UI.
Make something in the spirit of The Washington Post
Start from this palette's mood and get an original 13-color system for your own project, contrast-checked and ready to export.