Color Metro UI

Metro UI design system color palette

Metro UI Color Palette

Metro UI (also known as Modern UI) is the design language created by Microsoft for Windows Phone 7 and later adopted across Windows 8 and other Microsoft products. It emphasizes bold, flat colors, clean typography, and content-focused layouts.

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Metro Design Principles: The Metro design language is built on several core principles:
  • Content over chrome โ€” Focus on the content, not the UI frame
  • Typography as design โ€” Clean, clear typographic hierarchy
  • Bold, flat colors โ€” Vibrant, saturated accent colors
  • Motion brings life โ€” Smooth, purposeful animations
  • Authentically digital โ€” Embraces the digital medium rather than mimicking physical objects

Official Metro Colors

The following 17 colors form the official Metro UI palette. Click any swatch to copy the hex code. These colors are designed to be vibrant and highly legible on both light and dark backgrounds.

Light Green#99b433
Green#00a300
Dark Green#1e7145
Magenta#ff0097
Light Purple#9f00a7
Purple#7e3878
Dark Purple#603cba
Teal#00aba9
Light Blue#eff4ff
Blue#2d89ef
Dark Blue#2b5797
Yellow#ffc40d
Orange#e3a21a
Dark Orange#da532c
Red#ee1111
Dark Red#b91d47
Dark Crimson#831515

Color Reference Table

SwatchNameHexBest Text Color
Light Green#99b433Black
Green#00a300White
Dark Green#1e7145White
Magenta#ff0097White
Light Purple#9f00a7White
Purple#7e3878White
Dark Purple#603cbaWhite
Teal#00aba9White
Light Blue#eff4ffBlack
Blue#2d89efWhite
Dark Blue#2b5797White
Yellow#ffc40dBlack
Orange#e3a21aBlack
Dark Orange#da532cWhite
Red#ee1111White
Dark Red#b91d47White
Dark Crimson#831515White

Using Metro Colors in CSS

:root {
  /* Metro UI Accent Colors */
  --metro-green: #00a300;
  --metro-blue: #2d89ef;
  --metro-red: #ee1111;
  --metro-purple: #7e3878;
  --metro-teal: #00aba9;
  --metro-orange: #da532c;
  --metro-magenta: #ff0097;
}

/* Metro-style tile */
.metro-tile {
  background-color: var(--metro-blue);
  color: #ffffff;
  padding: 1.5rem;
  font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif;
  font-weight: 300;
  font-size: 1.25rem;
}

/* Metro navigation item */
.metro-nav-item {
  background: var(--metro-teal);
  color: white;
  padding: 0.75rem 1.5rem;
  border: none;
  text-transform: uppercase;
  letter-spacing: 0.05em;
}

Metro Tile Example

Metro UI is famous for its tile-based interface. Hereโ€™s how these colors work in a tile layout:

Light Green
Green
Dark Green
Magenta
Light Purple
Purple
Dark Purple
Teal
Blue
Dark Blue
Yellow
Orange
Dark Orange
Red
Dark Red
Dark Crimson
๐Ÿ’ก
Design Tip: Metro UI works best with a limited color palette. Choose one primary accent color for your app and use it consistently across interactive elements. Use the remaining colors sparingly for visual hierarchy and categorization.
โš ๏ธ
Metro UI has evolved into Microsoftโ€™s Fluent Design System. While the color palette remains influential, modern Microsoft products may use updated color values. Check the latest Fluent Design guidelines for current recommendations.