WIRED color palette
MediaWIRED uses a stark, minimalist color palette centered on black and white, reflecting its focus on technology and modern journalism. Its brand identity is defined by high contrast and bold monochrome visuals.
wired.comWIRED colors
Click any swatch to copy its hex. Hover for RGB and HSL.
Brand colors
The colors people recognise.- WIRED BlackPrimary0, 0, 0
- WIRED WhiteSecondary255, 255, 255
- WIRED Teal AccentAccent0, 255, 208
Surfaces
Page, cards and dividers.- WIRED WhiteBackground255, 255, 255
- WIRED Light GraySurface245, 245, 245
- WIRED Border GrayBorder224, 224, 224
Text
Three tiers of copy.- WIRED BlackText0, 0, 0
- WIRED Medium GraySecondary text102, 102, 102
- WIRED Muted GrayMuted text153, 153, 153
Semantic
Feedback and state colors.- WIRED Success GreenSuccess0, 195, 137
- WIRED Warning YellowWarning255, 214, 0
- WIRED Error RedError255, 59, 48
- WIRED Info BlueInfo0, 153, 255
Use WIRED's colors in your project
Pick a format, copy or download. Everything below is generated from the exact hex values above.
wired-palette-colors.css · Paste into your global stylesheet.
:root {
--info: #0099FF;
--error: #FF3B30;
--accent: #00FFD0;
--border: #E0E0E0;
--primary: #000000;
--success: #00C389;
--surface: #F5F5F5;
--warning: #FFD600;
--secondary: #FFFFFF;
--text-muted: #999999;
--background: #FFFFFF;
--text-primary: #000000;
--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
21.0:1
Pass
Text on surface
Needs 4.5:1 for body text
19.3:1
Pass
Secondary text on background
Needs 4.5:1 for body text
5.7:1
Pass
Secondary text on surface
Needs 4.5:1 for body text
5.3:1
Pass
Muted text on background
Needs 3:1 for large text
2.8:1
Fail
Muted text on surface
Needs 3:1 for large text
2.6:1
Fail
WIRED gray and neutral colors
The quiet part of the WIRED palette: page background, card surfaces, dividers and the three text tones that sit on them. Click a value to copy it.
- WIRED WhiteBackground
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- WIRED Light GraySurface
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- WIRED Border GrayBorder
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- WIRED BlackText
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- WIRED Medium GraySecondary text
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- WIRED Muted GrayMuted text
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About WIRED's colors
WIRED’s palette is rooted in high-contrast black and white, with occasional neon accents for emphasis. This approach reinforces clarity and a futuristic, technology-driven aesthetic.
Primary black and white create a strong visual hierarchy.
Accent teal and other brights are used sparingly for highlights.
Grays provide subtle structure for UI elements.
Psychology
The monochrome base conveys authority, clarity, and modernity, while neon accents suggest innovation and energy. The palette supports both readability and a sense of cutting-edge design.
Evolution
WIRED has consistently used black and white since its inception, with only minor adjustments to accent colors over time. The core palette has remained stable, reinforcing its recognizable visual identity.
Where WIRED uses each color
- Primary
WIRED Black is used for the logo, main navigation, and headlines.
- Secondary
WIRED White serves as the background for articles and most UI surfaces.
- Accent
WIRED Teal Accent appears in links, buttons, and highlights on digital platforms.
- Backgrounds
WIRED White and Light Gray are used for page backgrounds and content areas.
- Text
WIRED Black and Medium Gray are used for primary and secondary text, respectively.
- Semantic
Success Green, Warning Yellow, Error Red, and Info Blue are reserved for status messages and notifications.
WIRED color questions
Hex codes, RGB values, neutrals and how to use the palette.
The primary WIRED brand color is black, with the hex code #000000.
WIRED Black is #000000, which is RGB(0, 0, 0) and CMYK(0, 0, 0, 100).
WIRED uses several neutral tones: Light Gray (#F5F5F5), Border Gray (#E0E0E0), Medium Gray (#666666), and Muted Gray (#999999).
Use WIRED Black (#000000) and White (#FFFFFF) for primary elements, with accent and semantic colors for highlights and notifications. Grays are intended for backgrounds, borders, and secondary text.
The secondary color is WIRED White, #FFFFFF, and the accent is WIRED Teal Accent, #00FFD0. 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 WIRED's colors consistently when it generates UI.
Make something in the spirit of WIRED
Start from this palette's mood and get an original 13-color system for your own project, contrast-checked and ready to export.