Palette
WARNING Yellow
Our primary brand colour, only used as accents, rarely as fill.White
Base Fill, or Text.Black
Base Fill, or Text.Accessibility
WCAG 2.1 Standards PassBlack on White, contrast ratio 21:1
White on Black, contrast ratio 21:1
Black on Yellow, contrast ratio 13:1
Yellow on Black, contrast ratio 13:1
WCAG 2.1 Standards FailYellow on White, contrast ratio 1.6:1
White on Yellow, contrast ratio 1.6:1
Guidelines
Do
- Pair yellow with black. At 13:1 it clears AAA for any text size.
- Use black on white or white on black for body copy, at 21:1.
- Treat yellow as an accent: highlights, rules, fills, small marks.
- Give yellow a black outline or label when it sits on a light ground.
- Check contrast against the colour actually behind the text, including imagery.
- Provide a non colour cue as well: text, icon, weight or position.
- Test both modes, since the ground swaps between them.
Do not
- Set yellow text on white, or white text on yellow. At 1.6:1 it fails every threshold.
- Use yellow for body copy on any ground.
- Use yellow as a large background behind white type.
- Rely on yellow alone to carry meaning such as status, error or success.
- Tint or darken yellow to force a contrast pass. Use black instead.
- Place any mark on imagery without checking the contrast where it lands.
DEPARTMNT BRAND SYSTEM V1.0 · UPDATED AUGUST 2026