The color white: meaning and palettes to use it
White looks like the absence of a decision, but it's one of the most important choices in any design: white space is what makes everything else readable. Here's what it means and which white to pick.
Click a color to copy its code.
What the color white means
It's linked to purity, cleanliness, peace, simplicity and new beginnings. It's the light that contains every color.
Its downside is coldness and emptiness: a space that is too white can feel clinical or impersonal.
What white says about a brand
It's the color of minimalism, tech and health. Lots of white around a product makes it look more expensive: it's what nearly every luxury store does.
In digital design, pure white with pure black text can glare. An off-white or very light gray background is easier on the eyes.
Not every shade of white says the same thing
Pure white
Total cleanliness. The default digital background.
Off-white
Warm and friendly. Paper, food, weddings.
Bone white
Natural and handmade.
Gray white
Neutral and modern. Interface backgrounds.
Palettes with white to copy
Each swatch shows the contrast of the text that reads best on top of it. From 4.5:1 it works for body text.
Minimal
Tech, portfolios, product
Wedding
Events, stationery, photography
Warm clinical
Health, aesthetics, pharmacy
What goes with white
- Goes well with
- Everything. Especially black, navy blue and a single accent color.
- Use with care
- Light yellows and very soft pastels for text: they disappear on white.
White around the world
In Spain and Mexico, as in the US and UK, white is the color of weddings, and also of First Communion. In Spain it's the color of the whitewashed villages of Andalusia.
In much of East Asia, on the other hand, white is traditionally associated with mourning.
Design with this palette, for free
Copy the codes and take them to Polimake's design canvas: social posts, covers and thumbnails with your own photos, no subscription needed.
Frequently asked questions
- Is white a color?
- In the physics of light, white is the sum of all colors. In painting and printing, it is usually the color of the paper or surface.
- Which white should I use as a website background?
- Pure white works, but an off-white or very light gray is easier on the eyes for long text.