Nº 193 GitHub logo

GitHub Logo

The GitHub logo uses 1 primary color. Its dominant color is Black Grey (#24292F, closest Pantone 426 C). GitHub operates in the Programming & Developer Software industry.

Color family
black
Brand popularity
Top 2% of indexed brands
Website
github.com

Design analysis

GitHub uses a combination mark pairing a distinctive mascot — the Octocat — with a geometric sans-serif wordmark. The Octocat is a stylized octopus-cat hybrid rendered in a single-weight outline with rounded terminals, making it readable down to favicon size (16×16 px). Its silhouette is unique enough to function as a standalone app icon without the wordmark. The logotype uses a custom typeface with uniform stroke width, open apertures, and a squared-off 't' crossbar that echoes the Octocat's mechanical feel. This construction avoids thin serifs or delicate details that would break in code editors, terminal windows, or monochrome print. The mark sits comfortably beside other developer-tool logos (GitLab's fox, Bitbucket's bucket) while remaining the only widely recognized mascot in the category, giving it instant personality without sacrificing technical credibility.

Unique octopus-cat hybrid silhouetteSingle-weight outline style scales to faviconCustom geometric wordmark with squared 't'Consistent dark-grey/white dual-mode palette

Logo colors, measured

Colors extracted from the logo image itself (background removed), with share of the mark each color covers.

Click a chip to copy its hex code.

The near-black #24292F dominates the mark, providing maximum contrast on light backgrounds and inverting cleanly to white for dark-mode interfaces — a daily reality for developers. Unlike the bright blues, greens, or purples common in dev-tool branding, this neutral dark grey signals seriousness and neutrality, letting the Octocat's shape carry recognition rather than hue. It also prints reliably on low-quality laser printers and renders identically across calibrated and uncalibrated monitors.

Variations & downloads

Color variants generated from the vector source — free to download for identification, editorial and research use.

GitHub logo, primary version
Primary SVG PNG
GitHub logo, white version for dark backgrounds
White SVG PNG
GitHub logo, black monochrome version
Black SVG PNG

Visually similar logos

Nearest neighbors in visual embedding space — marks that share shape and structure with the GitHub logo, regardless of color or industry.

Brand web palette

Colors GitHub uses across its website — the broader brand system around the logo.

About GitHub

GitHub is a leading brand in the software development industry, offering a wide range of products and services to help developers enhance their coding experience. With GitHub, you can easily find and fix security issues as you code, ensuring the security of your projects from the start. Their advanced security features provide a comprehensive security analysis of your code, helping you identify and address vulnerabilities early on. GitHub also offers code scanning, which scans your code for security issues in real-time and integrates the results seamlessly into your development workflow. You can set up code scanning to run on every push and pull request, ensuring continuous security monitoring. Additionally, GitHub's CodeQL engine allows you to query your code as data, enabling you to find security issues deep within your application. By leveraging the CodeQL community and creating custom queries, you can effectively secure your code and prevent future reversions. With secret scanning, GitHub also helps you manage and detect hard-coded secrets in your repositories. Whether you're a developer contributing to open source projects or part of a team, GitHub has the tools and resources to meet your security needs. Join GitHub today and benefit from their extensive features and secure coding practices

Questions about the GitHub logo

Who designed the GitHub Octocat?

The original Octocat illustration was created by British designer Simon Oxley as a stock image. GitHub licensed it in 2008 and their internal team, including Cameron McEfee, refined it into the current logo mark.

Why does GitHub use a mascot instead of an abstract symbol?

The Octocat gives the brand an approachable, human face in a category dominated by abstract geometric marks. It works as a cultural touchpoint — developers put Octocat stickers on laptops, creating organic brand visibility that a purely abstract logo rarely achieves.

What color is the GitHub logo?

The dominant color of the GitHub logo is Black Grey (hex #24292F). The closest Pantone match is 426 C.

How many colors does the GitHub logo have?

The GitHub logo uses 1 primary color: #24292F.

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The GitHub logo is a trademark of its owner, shown here for identification and design research. Color data is measured from the public mark by LogoLabs; analysis is editorial commentary. No affiliation or endorsement is implied.