Improve visual distinction of Public vs Private repository tags on profile pages

[jurakovic]

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Proposal

On GitHub profile pages, repositories are labeled as Public or Private using identical visual styling. While this works functionally, it presents a usability issue when users view their own profiles, where both public and private repositories are listed together.

Because the labels share the same appearance, it is not immediately clear at a glance whether a repository is public or private. Users must read each label individually, which slows down scanning and increases cognitive load—particularly for profiles with many repositories.

Suggested Improvement

Introduce clearer visual differentiation between Public and Private repository tags while staying consistent with GitHub’s existing design language and the Primer Design System.

For example:

• Use Primer semantic colors:
  • Public repositories could use green “success” or “open” styles
  • Private repositories could use red or muted “danger” / “closed” styles
• Pair colors with appropriate icons (e.g., unlocked vs locked) to reinforce meaning and accessibility
• Apply subtle background, border, or badge styling rather than strong accents to preserve GitHub’s minimal aesthetic

This would not introduce a new visual concept. Archived repositories already display a distinct “Public archive” label style, demonstrating that differentiated repository state styling is already an established UI pattern. Extending this approach to clearly distinguish Private repositories would be consistent with existing behavior.

Benefits

• Faster visual recognition when reviewing one’s own repositories
• Reduced risk of misinterpreting repository visibility
• Improved accessibility through semantic color usage and iconography
• A small, low-risk UI enhancement aligned with existing design patterns

Examples

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This improvement would enhance clarity without changing any visibility or permission rules, and could leverage styling primitives already defined in Primer.

Thank you for considering this improvement.

[github-actions[bot]]

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