Basic Colors

Common color names are a starting point: navy blue is more specific than blue, just as ivory is more specific than white.

If you are labeling a chart with these common colors, keep the same shade for each category across every page. Red and Dark Red are separate swatches here, so switching between them can make a repeated label look like a new category.

Basic Colors grid showing Red, Yellow, Blue, Orange, Green, Purple, Brown, Black, and White.