Colour
palette
GMMedia colour system is built on the contrast of deep black and warm gold. Six defined colours cover every use case — digital, print and brand communication.
Brand palette
Each colour has seven tonal variations from the lightest to the darkest. The highlighted swatch indicates the primary brand value.
Gold
PrimaryPrimary / Accent
The dominant brand colour. Used for CTAs, icons, accent lines and typographic highlights. Never place gold text on a white background — use it exclusively against dark tones.
Black
Background
The primary background colour for all digital media and dark-themed print. Creates the premium contrast needed to highlight the gold accent.
Cream
Primary text
Warm off-white for body text on dark backgrounds. Preferred over pure white — it reduces eye strain and fits the warm, premium tone of the brand.
Card Dark
Cards / Surfaces
A slightly lighter shade than the main background — used for cards, dialog boxes and input fields to visually separate content layers.
Border
Borders / Dividers
Used for borders, dividers and decorative structural lines. This subtle shade separates elements without distracting from the content.
Muted
Secondary text
For metadata, captions, placeholder text and secondary labels. Its neutrality creates a clear visual hierarchy between primary and supplementary content.
Colour combinations
All approved pairings maintain a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 (WCAG AA). Each combination has a specific intended use.
Primary — body text, headings
Accent — CTAs, icons, highlights
Cards, panels, dialogs
Card headings, accent elements
Metadata, captions
Structural lines — never for text
For letterhead, documents only
Bold labels only — sparingly
Colour do's & don'ts
Use
- →Always use Gold only on dark backgrounds (Black, Card Dark)
- →Maintain text contrast ratio ≥ 4.5:1 (WCAG AA)
- →Use Cream (#E2D9CE) as the primary text colour on dark backgrounds
- →Use Pantone 7409 C for any print materials with Gold
- →Stick to the defined colour palette — no ad-hoc extensions
Avoid
- →Do not use Gold on a white or light background without dark container
- →Do not use pure white (#FFFFFF) as body text on a dark background
- →Do not create new "brand colours" — use only the six palette colours
- →Do not combine two accent colours (Gold + any other bright colour)
- →Do not reduce text or icon opacity to simulate colour hierarchy
Contrast table (WCAG)
For accessible UIs, maintain a contrast ratio ≥ 4.5:1 for normal text (AA standard). AA Large for large text (≥ 3:1). The recommended combinations are listed below.
| Combination | Contrast ratio | WCAG AA | WCAG AAA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cream (#E2D9CE) on Black (#090909) | 15.4:1 | ✓ AA | ✓ AAA |
| Gold (#C9A227) on Black (#090909) | 5.8:1 | ✓ AA | – N/A |
| Cream on Card Dark (#111111) | 14.1:1 | ✓ AA | ✓ AAA |
| Gold on Card Dark (#111111) | 5.3:1 | ✓ AA | – N/A |
| Muted (#8C8C8C) on Black (#090909) | 4.7:1 | ✓ AA | – N/A |
| Black (#090909) on Gold (#C9A227) | 5.8:1 | ✓ AA | – N/A |
| White (#ffffff) on Black (#090909) | 20.3:1 | ✓ AA | ✓ AAA |
| Gold on White (#ffffff) — not recommended | 2.4:1 | ✗ Fail | – N/A |
Colour spaces
Different output media require different colour spaces. Always convert between colour spaces precisely — do not rely on automatic conversion.
RGB / HEX
For web, apps, presentations, social media, video. sRGB colour profile (IEC 61966-2-1).
Gold: #C9A227
CMYK
For offset and digital print. Coated paper profile: Coated FOGRA 39 (ISO 12647-2:2004).
Gold: 0, 19, 81, 21
Pantone
For spot colour printing, embossing, embroidery and production where colour reproducibility is critical.
Gold: Pantone 7409 C