The Base Design Palette consists of 15 core colors, 13 of which are also part of the Enterprise Palette and the AMI Palette. Bluescreen and Ocean Blue are reserved for headers and other graphic elements that need to stand out from the illustrations.

The colors on the Base Design Palette are used for most standard graphic elements on a page. The four analogous blues and the four shades of monochromatic gray are the main colors and should be the first to be considered. The four oranges and the two reserved blues are accent colors and should be used only to complement the main colors.

Aside from white, which should always dominate the page, the four analogous blues from the Base Palette should be used the most, in conjunction with the four grays from the same palette. The four oranges may be used to add excitement to the page, but should only be used to complement the blues and the grays.