Color

Color is an integral aspect of conveying clear concise data. Our colors are optimized across four backgrounds, meeting or exceeding WCAG 2.0 Level AA Accessibility Guidelines.

Palettes

Neutrals

Our neutrals have been streamlined for on-screen use. They are organized by lightness value from Black (0) to White (100).

  • Black
    $mds-color-black
    #000000
    AAA
  • 12
    $mds-color-neutral-12
    #1e1e1e
    AAA
  • 20
    $mds-color-neutral-20
    #333333
    AAA
  • 37
    $mds-color-neutral-37
    #5e5e5e
    AA
  • 50
    $mds-color-neutral-50
    #808080
    AA18
  • 67
    $mds-color-neutral-67
    #ababab
    AAA
  • 80
    $mds-color-neutral-80
    #cccccc
    AAA
  • 90
    $mds-color-neutral-90
    #e5e5e5
    AAA
  • 95
    $mds-color-neutral-95
    #f2f2f2
    AAA
  • White
    $mds-color-white
    #ffffff
    AAA

Feedback

Use feedback colors to reinforce user action. Color alone is not sufficient to meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA Accessibility Guidelines. An additional affordance, such as an Icon, must be included.

Errors

  • Error
    $mds-background-color-feedback-error
    #ff0000
    DNP

Always pair with mds-text-color-white when used as a background color.

Warnings

  • Warning
    $mds-background-color-feedback-warning
    #f5c400
    AAA

Always pair with mds-text-color-primary-on-light when used as a background color.

Backgrounds

Background colors work in pairs to establish visual hierarchy.

Primary

  • White
    $mds-background-color-default
    #ffffff
  • Black
    $mds-background-color-black
    #000000

Primary backgrounds always contain the product’s focal point. The user is doing most of their work on this background.

Secondary

  • Light Gray
    $mds-background-color-light
    #f2f2f2
  • Dark Gray
    $mds-background-color-dark
    #1e1e1e

Secondary backgrounds offer visual rest from primary backgrounds. They often contain auxiliary elements such as side navigation, card backgrounds, registration forms, or ad-unit containers.

The MDS site uses the secondary-background for the navigation on the left. The site’s content is contained in the primary-background area.

Secondary Background Example 1

Morningstar.com uses the secondary-background to contain ad units. This helps separate ad units from editorial content.

Secondary Background Example 2

Interactive

Use to establish interactivity and hierarchy between UI components (i.e., mds-button--primary versus mds-button).

  • Default
    $mds-interactive-color-primary-default
    #0077cf
    AA
  • Hover
    $mds-interactive-color-primary-hover
    #005ba1
    AA
  • Active
    $mds-interactive-color-primary-active
    #004376
    AAA
  • Always pair with $mds-text-white when used as a background color.
  • Never use $mds-background-color-interactive-default for text, as this creates an optical imbalance with interactive objects.
  • Use $mds-background-color-interactive-dark and $mds-background-color-interactive-darker for hover and active states.

Text

Text on any background color must have a minimum foreground-to-background contrast ratio of 4.5:1. This ensures compliance with WCAG 2.0 Level AA Accessibility Guidelines.

Brand logos and disabled text do not have a minimum contrast ratio. All other content, including placeholder text, must meet or exceed 4.5:1.

Primary

Use for fundamental text, such as body copy, Data Table cell data, and List Group items.

  • On White
    $mds-text-color-primary-on-light
    #1e1e1e
    AA
  • On Light
    $mds-text-color-primary-on-light
    #1e1e1e
    AA
  • On Dark
    $mds-text-color-primary-on-dark
    #ffffff
    AA
  • On Black
    $mds-text-color-primary-on-dark
    #ffffff
    AA

Secondary

Use for supportive text, such as placeholder text in Forms, Data Table column headers, and metadata.

  • On White
    $mds-text-color-secondary-on-light
    #5e5e5e
    AA
  • On Light
    $mds-text-color-secondary-on-light
    #5e5e5e
    AA
  • On Dark
    $mds-text-color-secondary-on-dark
    #ababab
    AA
  • On Black
    $mds-text-color-secondary-on-dark
    #ababab
    AA

In this example, mds-text-color-secondary-on-light is used for text box placeholder text in Forms, as well as for the readout of disclosure information in small type (metadata).

Secondary Light Text Example

Error

Use to highlight errors. This color is under evaluation, as it doesn’t meet Accessibility benchmarks.

  • On White
    $mds-text-color-error-on-light
    #ff0000
    DNP
  • On Light
    $mds-text-color-error-on-light
    #ff0000
    DNP
  • On Dark
    $mds-text-color-error-on-dark
    #ff0000
    DNP
  • On Black
    $mds-text-color-error-on-dark
    #ff0000
    DNP

Disabled

Use to indicate components that cannot be used. Disabled components are exempt from minimum contrast ratios.

  • On White
    @include disabled-text()
  • On Light
    @include disabled-text()
  • On Dark
    @include disabled-text()
  • On Black
    @include disabled-text()

Use the @include disabled-text(text-color) mixin on a component to render the disabled text color.

Visualization & Charts

We assign specific meanings and orders to colors to create clarity and consistency across widely-used data visualizations.

Asset Allocation

Use these colors to represent data tied to specific asset classes.

  • Local Stocks
    $mds-visualization-color-asset-allocation-local-stocks
    #1f55a5
  • Non-Local Stocks
    $mds-visualization-color-asset-allocation-non-local-stocks
    #8faad2
  • Bonds
    $mds-visualization-color-asset-allocation-bonds
    #ef7622
  • Real Estate
    $mds-visualization-color-asset-allocation-real-estate
    #a50032
  • Cash
    $mds-visualization-color-asset-allocation-cash
    #518428
  • Other
    $mds-visualization-color-asset-allocation-other
    #f5c400
  • Not Classified
    $mds-visualization-color-asset-allocation-not-classified
    #e5e5e5
  • If a product does not use these exact terms when breaking down asset classes, use the color associated with the closest asset type. For example, Alternatives would use the color ascribed to Real Estate.

Super Sectors

Use to represent data relating to Morningstar Super Sectors.

  • Cyclical
    $mds-visualization-color-sector-cyclical
    #ef7622
  • Sensitive
    $mds-visualization-color-sector-sensitive
    #1f55a5
  • Defensive
    $mds-visualization-color-sector-defensive
    #518428
  • Sectors that underly a larger Super Sector should inherit the color of the Super Sector.

Valuation

Use to represent under, fair, or over valuation.

  • Under
    $mds-visualization-color-valuation-under
    #00a8e1
  • Fair
    $mds-visualization-color-valuation-fair
    #e5efef
  • Over
    $mds-visualization-color-valuation-over
    #ef7622
  • Type should never appear in these colors, as they don’t meet Accessibility guidelines.

Performance

Use to show positive, neutral, or negative performance in both text and visualizations. The positive and negative colors are under evaluation for use in text, as they don’t meet Accessibility guidelines.

  • Positive
    $mds-visualization-color-performance-positive
    #00af41
  • Neutral, Text
    $mds-visualization-color-performance-neutral-text
    #5e5e5e
  • Neutral, Chart
    $mds-visualization-color-performance-neutral-chart
    #cccccc
  • Negative
    $mds-visualization-color-performance-negative
    #ff0000
  • When using these colors for type, be sure to include an additional affordance, i.e., bold type.
do use Neutral, Text in tables.

Do use Neutral, Text in tables.

dont use Neutral, Chart in tables.

Don‘t use Neutral, Chart in tables.

do use Neutral, Chart in visualizations.

Do use Neutral, Chart in visualizations.

dont use Neutral, Text in visualizations.

Don‘t use Neutral, Text in visualizations.

Color Order Inside Charts

Use when there are no specific color meanings associated with a visualization.

  • 1
    $mds-chart-color-1
    #1f55a5
  • 2
    $mds-chart-color-2
    #a50032
  • 3
    $mds-chart-color-3
    #f5c400
  • 4
    $mds-chart-color-4
    #518428
  • 5
    $mds-chart-color-5
    #00a8e1
  • 6
    $mds-chart-color-6
    #6a4c9e
  • 7
    $mds-chart-color-7
    #ef7622
  • 8
    $mds-chart-color-8
    #005f5f
  • 9
    $mds-chart-color-9
    #00af41
  • 10
    $mds-chart-color-10
    #e60546
  • 11
    $mds-chart-color-11
    #7d256f
  • 12
    $mds-chart-color-12
    #c19c31
  • 13
    $mds-chart-color-13
    #00beaf
  • 14
    $mds-chart-color-14
    #ff3c00
  • 15
    $mds-chart-color-15
    #89bd40
  • Always start with the $mds-chart-color-1, then travel down this list.
  • If there are more than 15 items, begin again with $mds-chart-color-1.
  • This color order is intended to be a default for when there are not specific color meanings assigned to the data. Designers should feel empowered to deviate from the default when color can be used to communicate meaning.

Borders

Borders define and structure content.

Separators

  • On White
    $mds-border-separator-default
    solid 1px #e5e5e5
  • On Light
    $mds-border-separator-on-light
    solid 1px #cccccc
  • On Dark
    $mds-border-separator-on-dark
    solid 1px #333333
  • On Black
    $mds-border-separator-on-dark
    solid 1px #333333

Controls

  • On White
    $mds-border-control-default
    solid 1px #808080
  • On Light
    $mds-border-control-default
    solid 1px #808080
  • On Dark
    $mds-border-control-default
    solid 1px #808080
  • On Black
    $mds-border-control-default
    solid 1px #808080

Accessibility

Color contrast refers to the difference between foreground and background. The World Wide Web Consortium established specific color-contrast ratios for achieving compliance. The guidelines are split into three levels: A, AA, and AAA. The organizational benchmark for Morningstar products is Level AA.

The color decisions shared here reflect an adherence to a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1. When possible, we recommend a ratio near 5.5:1, just to be safe. Never use any combinations that do not meet Level AA Guidelines.

Rating
Description
AAA
Passes Level AAA Guidelines at all sizes. Minimum contrast ratio ≥ 7.0:1.
AA
Passes Level AA Guidelines at all sizes. Minimum contrast ratio ≥ 4.5:1.
AA18
Passes Level AA Guidelines only at ≥18px type size or bold weight. Minimum contrast ratio ≥ 3.0:1.
DNP
Does not pass Level AA Guidelines. Do not use.

The table above is reproduced from W3C’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0.

Neutrals Color Contrast Matrix

Subtlety and refinement are integral to our visual language, however, ensuring that our content is legible takes precedent. The successes and failures below guided System color decisions.

Neutrals Accessibility

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