Brand colours · HR tech
Brand colours for HR tech startups
A ready-to-use palette for an HR tech brand, tested for contrast and shown on a real app screen, pitch deck and business card. Copy the hex codes, or use it to see what good looks like before you choose your own.
Meet the sample brand
To show the palette working, we built it for a fictional HR tech company.
How it should feel
HR software is a sea of corporate blue and stock photo smiles. So Crewly goes a different way, using crew blue as its signature and peach for the moments that matter.
Fonts: Figtree for headings, Inter for body text.
The palette
Four colours, each with one job. Click any swatch to copy its hex code.
Crew Blue
#2F6FDB · RGB 47, 111, 219A friendly, dependable blue for a product that pays people.
Peach
#FFB38A · RGB 255, 179, 138A warm accent that keeps it human.
Navy Ink
#16213A · RGB 22, 33, 58Serious dark for payslips and reports.
Soft Paper
#F7F8FB · RGB 247, 248, 251Clean light for long admin sessions.
A good split: mostly light, dark for text, primary for key moments, accent sparingly.
The palette in use
Colours only prove themselves on real things. Here it is on the three places an HR tech startup shows up first.
App screen
Pitch deck slide
Business card, front and back
Contrast check
Text must stay readable. We checked each pairing against the WCAG standard, where 4.5 to 1 passes for body text.
| Use | Sample | Ratio | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body text | Aa Crewly | 15.1 : 1 | Pass AA |
| Text on primary | Aa Crewly | 4.8 : 1 | Pass AA |
| Accent on dark | Aa Crewly | 9.2 : 1 | Pass AA |
| Primary on light | Aa Crewly | 4.5 : 1 | Large text only |
| Light on dark | Aa Crewly | 15.1 : 1 | Pass AA |
What to know about colour in HR tech
The palette is only a start. These are the traps we see most in this industry.
What the category already owns
HR software is a sea of corporate blue and stock photo smiles.
Avoid
- Playful colours on payslips: pay must feel accurate.
- Too little contrast in dense attendance tables.
Design one payslip and one leave-request screen in the palette. HR tech must feel friendly for employees and exact for finance.
Choose your own in four steps
Use the sample as a reference, then make it yours.
Write your positioning
Colour follows strategy. Know who you serve and how you want them to feel first.
Map the competition
Screenshot five HR tech competitors and note the colours they own. Pick a lane nobody holds.
Build four colours
A primary, an accent, a dark and a light. Check contrast before anything else.
Test it on real things
Your app, a deck slide and the place customers meet you offline. Fix what fails.
Questions
What are good brand colours for an HR tech startup?
Start from a primary that the category does not already own. HR software is a sea of corporate blue and stock photo smiles. The sample palette here uses Crew Blue (#2F6FDB) as the primary with Peach (#FFB38A) as the accent.
How many colours should a startup brand have?
Four is enough: a primary, an accent, a dark for text and a light for backgrounds. Use them roughly 60, 30 and 10 percent, with the accent the smallest share.
Can I use this palette for my own brand?
Yes, it is free to use as a starting point. Change at least the primary so it fits your positioning and stands apart from your competitors.
How does Astitva choose brand colours?
Astitva writes your brand strategy from a short brief, suggests a palette that fits it, checks the text contrast and then uses the same colours across your logo, brand book and pitch deck.
More for HR tech founders
Every guide for this industry, in one place.
Get a palette made for your startup
Astitva writes your brand strategy from a short brief, picks colours that fit it, checks contrast, and uses them across your logo, brand book and pitch deck.
Start free with 50 credits