Software & SaaS

Basecamp Color Codes

Basecamp's color is a very dark slate, #1D2D35. The Basecamp color codes in Hex, RGB and CMYK can be found below. The company began in 1999 as 37signals, named after 37 extraterrestrial radio signals catalogued by the astronomer Paul Horowitz. It renamed itself Basecamp in 2014 and went back to 37signals in May 2022.

The Basecamp logo, shown for identification. Basecamp is a trademark of its owner and this site is not affiliated with it.

Primary colors

What are Basecamp Primary Colors?

Basecamp's primary color is #1D2D35, dark enough to read as near-black at small sizes.

Basecamp publishes no public CMYK or Pantone sheet, so both are shown below as conversions and nearest matches.

Basecamp Slate

Hex	#1D2D35
RGB	29, 45, 53
HSL	hsl(200, 29%, 16%)
CMYK	45%, 15%, 0%, 79%converted · approximate
Pantone	PMS 433 Cnearest match · not published by the brand

Basecamp Hex Color Codes

Basecamp hex color codes are #1D2D35 for slate.

Color	Hex
Slate	#1D2D35

Basecamp RGB Color Codes

Basecamp RGB color codes are 29, 45, 53 for slate. Reach for RGB when a tool wants channel numbers or a CSS alpha value.

Color	RGB
Slate	rgb(29, 45, 53)

Basecamp HSL Color Codes

Basecamp HSL color codes are 200, 29%, 16% for slate. Change the third value for a lighter or darker version without moving the hue.

Color	HSL
Slate	hsl(200, 29%, 16%)

Basecamp CMYK Color Code

Basecamp CMYK color codes are conversions from the hex, because the brand publishes none. Check a printed proof before a full run.

Color	CMYK
Slate	45%, 15%, 0%, 79%

Basecamp Pantone Color Codes

Basecamp Pantone color codes are nearest matches by color distance, not brand specs. The table shows the closest swatch for every color.

Color	Nearest Pantone
Slate	PMS 433 C

Logo

Basecamp Logo Colors

Basecamp logo colors are one very dark slate, used flat.

Basecamp Logo Colors Palette

What the Basecamp Logo Colors Mean?

The Basecamp logo colors match a company that has spent 25 years arguing against excess. The mark is a simple campfire-and-tent idea reduced to flat shapes, and there is one color. David Heinemeier Hansson wrote Ruby on Rails here as an internal tool before releasing it in 2004, which is a bigger mark on software than the logo will ever be. The slate is warmer than pure black, and that is the only decoration in it.

Basecamp Logo Color History

Basecamp logo color history follows two name changes rather than any design fashion. 37signals became Basecamp in 2014, when the company dropped everything but its main product, and the name went back in May 2022 once HEY existed alongside it. The dark neutral survived both.

Basecamp Logo JPG

Basecamp logo in JPG. No transparency, so it is flattened onto white. Safe for documents and slide decks.

Download JPG Trademark of its owner, shown for identification.

Basecamp Logo PNG

Basecamp logo in PNG, with a transparent background. Use it over a colored surface.

Download PNG Trademark of its owner, shown for identification.

Basecamp Logo WebP

Basecamp logo in WebP. Same transparency as the PNG at about a third of the file size.

Download WEBP Trademark of its owner, shown for identification.

Basecamp Color Code Shades

Basecamp color code shades step evenly from the primary toward black, for hover states, borders and shadows.

These are interface steps, not Basecamp paint or trim names.

In code

Using the Basecamp palette

CSS custom properties

:root {
  --basecamp-slate: #1D2D35;
}

Contrast against white

Slate	14.20:1AA ✓

Brand colors are chosen for recognition, not for legibility. A failing value here is normal. It means use it as a fill, not as text.