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Off-White Color Codes for Logo Design

Common off-white hex and RGB codes, why no single off-white standard exists, and how to set up off-white swatches correctly in vector logo files.

Published

Contents
  1. The short answer: there is no single off-white code
  2. Common off-white color codes
  3. How off-white differs from white in a logo
  4. Setting up off-white in vector logo files
  5. Matching an existing brand's off-white
  6. What this guide does not cover

The short answer: there is no single off-white code

Off-white is a range of very light colors that sit just short of pure white (hex #FFFFFF, RGB 255, 255, 255). There is no official off-white value. The practical way to pick one is to start from a known, documented color definition and test it against your logo's other colors. The most reliable published reference is the set of named colors in the CSS web standard. It includes several near-whites with fixed hex values that render the same in any browser or design tool that reads hex.

Common off-white color codes

The values below are CSS named colors. The RGB figures are direct conversions of each hex code. The tone descriptions are editorial readings of the numbers: a lower blue value reads warmer, and a higher blue value reads cooler.

Name | Hex | RGB | Tone
Snow | #FFFAFA | 255, 250, 250 | Faint pink-warm
Ivory | #FFFFF0 | 255, 255, 240 | Warm, slightly yellow
Floral White | #FFFAF0 | 255, 250, 240 | Warm cream
Ghost White | #F8F8FF | 248, 248, 255 | Cool, slightly blue
White Smoke | #F5F5F5 | 245, 245, 245 | Neutral light gray
Mint Cream | #F5FFFA | 245, 255, 250 | Cool, faint green
Seashell | #FFF5EE | 255, 245, 238 | Warm peach tint
Old Lace | #FDF5E6 | 253, 245, 230 | Warm parchment
Linen | #FAF0E6 | 250, 240, 230 | Warm, soft beige
Cornsilk | #FFF8DC | 255, 248, 220 | Pale yellow cream
Beige | #F5F5DC | 245, 245, 220 | Muted yellow-gray
Antique White | #FAEBD7 | 250, 235, 215 | Deeper warm cream

These names come from a web standard, not a brand or print system. Using one of them does not tie your logo to any trademark. It also does not guarantee a particular printed result.

In screen and digital vector files, white is a defined color value. It is not the absence of color. An off-white fill shows up against a pure white background, which can be useful for subtle reversed shapes or soft backgrounds. It can also be a problem if the logo is meant to blend into a white page. On colored or dark backgrounds, an off-white reverse often looks less harsh than pure white. Whether that suits a given brand is a design judgment, not a technical rule.

In print, plain white is usually the unprinted paper. An off-white usually needs actual ink or a specified spot color, and the paper stock itself will shift how it looks. A hex or RGB code alone is not enough to specify print color.

Setting up off-white in vector logo files

  • Define the off-white as a named swatch, or a global swatch where the tool supports it, rather than typing the value into each shape. Changing the swatch then updates every object that uses it.
  • Record the value for each color mode you deliver: hex and RGB for screen files, and a separately chosen CMYK or spot value for print files.
  • Do not rely on an automatic RGB-to-CMYK conversion. The resulting CMYK numbers depend on the color profile, so the same hex code can produce different CMYK values in different setups.
  • Check that off-white areas are actual vector fills. A logo can contain an embedded raster image or be a raster preview saved inside a vector-format container. In that case the color cannot be edited as a swatch, whatever the file extension suggests.
  • If the logo uses a gradient into or out of off-white, test it at small sizes and on both light and dark backgrounds. Very light gradient stops can disappear or produce visible banding.

Matching an existing brand's off-white

If you need the off-white used by a specific company, the authoritative source is that company's brand guidelines or its supplied logo files. Sampling a color from a screenshot or a raster preview only gives an approximation, because compression and display settings alter the value. Being able to download a brand's logo also does not mean you may modify it, reuse its colors in a way that implies affiliation, or use its fonts or trademarks. Those permissions are separate and come from the owner's usage terms.

What this guide does not cover

No verified Pantone, RAL or other print-system equivalents were available for this article, so none are listed. Choose print values with a physical swatch guide or your printer's proofing process. No brand-specific off-white values were supplied either. For those, refer to the brand owner's official documentation.