Color Scheme
Black & White
A pure black-and-white scheme for decks that need maximum restraint, print compatibility, and crisp information hierarchy.
Content color references (ColorRef)
Swatches above are the hex catalog values for this scheme. In OPF documents, content can also reference those slots by name (for example accent1, textSecondary) or define deck-level variables and use var:<id> in rich text and styled table cells. The OPF Config below demonstrates named runs, variables, and styled-cell ColorRef using @openpresentation/opf 0.31.0. See the Format card. Use the published CLI's opf embed command to embed the catalog records a deck references (the snippets here already embed theirs) for portable offline decks; remote media and data remain separate.
Chart series colors
By default a chart takes its series colors from the deck's color scheme. Series 1 to 6 use accent1 to accent6 of the scheme in that order; series 7 to 12 use the same six accents mixed 40% toward white (series 7 is a tint of accent1). A pie, doughnut, treemap or funnel gives category i color i. Charts with more than twelve series repeat the list.
Put the series that carries the message first, because accent1 is the deck's primary, and keep a chart to six series or fewer so no tint is needed. Each color is then adjusted so it keeps 3:1 contrast against the chart panel and stays apart from its neighbours; on a dark panel colors are lightened, never merged.
To set a series color yourself, give the chart chart.colors: a list of up to 24 colors by position, where entry i replaces the palette color of series (or slice, for a pie) i and the rest of the palette is unchanged. An entry is any ColorRef: a hex color, a color-scheme slot or role such as accent3 (it follows the deck if its scheme changes), or a var: color variable. The contrast adjustment still applies to authored colors, and the opf/chart-colors-adjusted warning says when an entry was unresolvable or had to be moved.
"chart": {
"type": "column",
"data": { "columns": ["Quarter", "Revenue", "Costs"], "rows": [["Q1", 12, 8], ["Q2", 18, 11]] },
"colors": ["accent3", "#7B241C"]
}highlight wins over both: the series and categories it names take the deck's primary color and every other mark takes a muted neutral, whatever chart.colors says.
Core 0.21.0 behavior.
Series order for this scheme (before the contrast adjustment)
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
OPF Config
color-schemes:black-and-white{
"$schema": "https://openpresentation.org/schema/opf/v1",
"name": "PPTX.gallery — color-schemes/black-and-white",
"tags": [
"gallery:color-schemes/black-and-white"
],
"variables": {
"highlight": {
"type": "color",
"value": "#0F4C81",
"description": "Brand highlight paired with the \"black-and-white\" color scheme."
}
},
"design": {
"colorScheme": "black-and-white"
},
"slides": [
{
"id": "gallery-color-title",
"layout": "text",
"title": "Color scheme preview",
"subtitle": "Applies the \"black-and-white\" color scheme deck-wide."
},
{
"id": "gallery-color-named-runs",
"layout": "text",
"title": "Content color references",
"text": [
"Slot names like ",
{
"text": "accent1",
"color": "accent1",
"bold": true
},
" and roles like ",
{
"text": "secondary text",
"color": "textSecondary"
},
" resolve through the effective color scheme."
]
},
{
"id": "gallery-color-variable-runs",
"layout": "text",
"title": "Document variables",
"items": [
[
"Highlight ",
{
"text": "critical KPIs",
"color": "var:highlight",
"bold": true
},
" with deck-level variables."
]
]
},
{
"id": "gallery-color-styled-cells",
"layout": "text",
"title": "Styled table cells",
"table": {
"columns": [
"Signal",
"Status"
],
"rows": [
[
"Rollout",
{
"value": "At risk",
"style": {
"fill": "surface",
"color": "var:highlight",
"borders": {
"bottom": {
"color": "accent1",
"width": 1
}
}
}
}
],
[
"Hiring",
{
"value": [
{
"text": "On track",
"color": "accent3",
"bold": true
}
],
"style": {
"fill": "light2"
}
}
]
]
}
}
],
"catalogs": {
"default": {
"source": "https://www.pptx.gallery",
"colorSchemes": {
"black-and-white": {
"name": "Black & White",
"accent1": "#9E9E9E",
"accent2": "#424242",
"accent3": "#616161",
"accent4": "#757575",
"accent5": "#9E9E9E",
"accent6": "#212121",
"dark1": "#000000",
"dark2": "#000000",
"followedHyperlink": "#424242",
"hyperlink": "#212121",
"light1": "#FFFFFF",
"light2": "#FFFFFF",
"summary": "Strict monochrome contrast for formal, document-style decks.",
"description": "A pure black-and-white scheme for decks that need maximum restraint, print compatibility, and crisp information hierarchy.",
"tags": [
"minimal",
"formal",
"neutral",
"high-contrast",
"restrained"
]
}
},
"layouts": {
"text": {
"name": "Text",
"summary": "Prose. Several blocks sit side by side when short and stack when long.",
"tags": [
"Text"
],
"direction": "column",
"regions": [
{
"name": "title"
},
{
"name": "body",
"accepts": [
"text",
"list",
"quote",
"code",
"group"
],
"role": "primary",
"flow": "auto"
}
],
"description": "Explain one idea in continuous prose. Use paragraphs or flowing blocks for detail that needs to be read in sequence.",
"preview": {
"vectorSrc": "https://www.pptx.gallery/layout-previews/text.svg"
}
}
}
}
}
}Load this config in the gallery's visual editor, or in the Inspector at pptx.dev.
Best Use Cases
Legal briefings, compliance updates, print-first handouts, analytical appendices
Color Psychology
Black and white removes decorative signal and puts emphasis on structure, evidence, and hierarchy.
Accessibility
WCAG AAAThe default dark1/light1 pairing is 21:1, exceeding WCAG AAA for normal text. Check accent usage against the chosen background for small labels.
Mood Tags
Industry Fit
General Color Tips
60-30-10 Rule
Use your primary color 60% of the time, secondary 30%, and accent 10% for visual balance.
WCAG AA Minimum
Ensure text has at least 4.5:1 contrast ratio against backgrounds. All schemes in this catalog meet WCAG AA.
Industry Context Matters
Match color psychology to audience expectations. Blue works for finance, green works for health, and purple works for technology.
Test on Projectors
Colors shift on projectors. Test dark backgrounds in the actual presentation environment before presenting.