Brand colours · Social impact
Brand colours for social impact startups
A ready-to-use palette for a social impact 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 social impact company.
How it should feel
Charity brands default to pale greens and blues, which can feel distant. So Saathi goes a different way, using marigold as its signature and indigo field for the moments that matter.
Fonts: Merriweather for headings, Open Sans for body text.
The palette
Four colours, each with one job. Click any swatch to copy its hex code.
Marigold
#E89B1F · RGB 232, 155, 31A festive, dignified marigold that feels local and hopeful.
Indigo Field
#3C4F8F · RGB 60, 79, 143A steady blue for data and reports to funders.
Earth
#2E2420 · RGB 46, 36, 32Warm dark for type and documents.
Khadi
#F6F0E4 · RGB 246, 240, 228Hand-spun cream for reports and posters.
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 a social impact 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 Saathi | 13.3 : 1 | Pass AA |
| Text on primary | Aa Saathi | 8.2 : 1 | Pass AA |
| Accent on dark | Aa Saathi | 1.9 : 1 | Avoid for text |
| Primary on light | Aa Saathi | 2.0 : 1 | Avoid for text |
| Light on dark | Aa Saathi | 13.3 : 1 | Pass AA |
What to know about colour in social impact
The palette is only a start. These are the traps we see most in this industry.
What the category already owns
Charity brands default to pale greens and blues, which can feel distant.
Avoid
- Sad, washed-out colours that frame people as problems.
- Different colours in every grant report.
Design your annual report cover and one outcome chart in the palette. Funders and communities both need to feel respected.
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 social impact 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 a social impact startup?
Start from a primary that the category does not already own. Charity brands default to pale greens and blues, which can feel distant. The sample palette here uses Marigold (#E89B1F) as the primary with Indigo Field (#3C4F8F) 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 social impact 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