Software & SaaS

GitHub Color Codes

GitHub's color is near-black #181717, applied flat to the Octocat and the wordmark. The GitHub color codes in Hex, RGB and CMYK can be found below. Tom Preston-Werner, Chris Wanstrath, P. J. Hyett and Scott Chacon founded it on 8 February 2008. Microsoft bought the company for $7.5 billion in a deal that closed on 26 October 2018.

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

Primary colors

What are GitHub Primary Colors?

GitHub's primary color is near-black #181717, a warm off-black rather than a true #000000.

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

GitHub Black

Hex	#181717
RGB	24, 23, 23
HSL	hsl(0, 2%, 9%)
CMYK	0%, 4%, 4%, 91%converted · approximate
Pantone	PMS 419 Cnearest match · not published by the brand

GitHub Hex Color Codes

GitHub hex color codes are #181717 for black.

Color	Hex
Black	#181717

GitHub RGB Color Codes

GitHub RGB color codes are 24, 23, 23 for black. Reach for RGB when a tool wants channel numbers or a CSS alpha value.

Color	RGB
Black	rgb(24, 23, 23)

GitHub HSL Color Codes

GitHub HSL color codes are 0, 2%, 9% for black. Change the third value for a lighter or darker version without moving the hue.

Color	HSL
Black	hsl(0, 2%, 9%)

GitHub CMYK Color Code

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

Color	CMYK
Black	0%, 4%, 4%, 91%

GitHub Pantone Color Codes

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

Color	Nearest Pantone
Black	PMS 419 C

Logo

GitHub Logo Colors

GitHub logo colors are one near-black, used on the Octocat and on the wordmark alike.

GitHub Logo Colors Palette

What the GitHub Logo Colors Mean?

The GitHub logo colors were never really chosen, and the mascot was not drawn for GitHub either. Simon Oxley sold the illustration on iStock as clip art called Octopuss; GitHub bought exclusive rights, renamed it Octocat and trademarked it. Cameron McEfee then drew hundreds of variants for the Octodex. One flat near-black is what lets a character that detailed survive being stamped on a sticker, and it is why the mark reads at 16px in a browser tab.

GitHub Logo Color History

GitHub logo color history is a story of not changing. The Octocat has been redrawn and simplified over the years, most visibly into the Invertocat lockup, and the near-black has stayed put through the 2018 Microsoft acquisition. If you are matching it, note that #000000 and #24292F both circulate as GitHub's black and neither is the mark's own value.

GitHub Logo JPG

GitHub 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.

GitHub Logo PNG

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

Download PNG Trademark of its owner, shown for identification.

GitHub Logo WebP

GitHub 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.

GitHub Color Code Shades

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

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

In code

Using the GitHub palette

CSS custom properties

:root {
  --github-black: #181717;
}

Contrast against white

Black	17.89:1AA ✓

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.