diff --git a/frontend/src/views/ShopfloorDashboard.vue b/frontend/src/views/ShopfloorDashboard.vue
index 4ce6bc7..2527e33 100644
--- a/frontend/src/views/ShopfloorDashboard.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/views/ShopfloorDashboard.vue
@@ -45,13 +45,17 @@
 
         <!-- Carousel - one card at a time, rotating -->
         <section v-else-if="group.displaystyle === 'carousel'" class="recognition-section">
-          <div class="section-title recognition">{{ group.typename }}</div>
+          <div
+            class="section-title recognition"
+            :style="{ backgroundColor: getTypeColor(group.typecolor), color: textOn(group.typecolor) }"
+          >{{ group.typename }}</div>
           <div class="recognition-carousel">
             <div
               v-for="(rec, idx) in group.items"
               :key="`${rec.notificationid}-${rec.employeesso}`"
               class="recognition-card"
               :class="{ active: idx === carouselIndex(group) }"
+              :style="{ '--accent': getTypeColor(rec.typecolor) }"
             >
               <!-- A type that names no employee is a message, not a person:
                    no photo frame, no empty name line. -->
@@ -82,7 +86,10 @@
 
         <!-- Grid - a row of tiles, cycling a page at a time -->
         <section v-else class="recert-section">
-          <div class="section-title recert-title">
+          <div
+            class="section-title recert-title"
+            :style="{ backgroundColor: getTypeColor(group.typecolor), color: textOn(group.typecolor) }"
+          >
             <span>{{ group.typename }} ({{ group.items.length }})</span>
             <span v-if="gridRangeLabel(group)" class="recert-range">{{ gridRangeLabel(group) }}</span>
           </div>
@@ -99,6 +106,7 @@
               :key="`grid-${rec.notificationid}-${rec.employeesso}`"
               class="recert-tile"
               :class="{ 'message-tile': !hasEmployee(rec) }"
+              :style="{ '--accent': getTypeColor(rec.typecolor) }"
             >
               <template v-if="hasEmployee(rec)">
                 <img
@@ -265,6 +273,10 @@ const styledGroups = computed(() => {
         key,
         typename: heading,
         displaystyle: n.displaystyle,
+        // Heading colour comes from the first type in the row. A shared
+        // category is one heading, so it can only carry one colour; the
+        // individual cards below still wear their own type's colour.
+        typecolor: n.typecolor,
         items: []
       })
     }
@@ -453,6 +465,19 @@ function getTypeColor(typecolor) {
   return aliases[typecolor] || typecolor || '#14abef'
 }
 
+// Text colour for a heading painted an arbitrary type colour. Gold needs dark
+// text, navy needs white, and a site picks its own hexes - so this is computed
+// rather than a per-colour rule.
+function textOn(backgroundcolor) {
+  const hex = getTypeColor(backgroundcolor).replace('#', '')
+  if (hex.length < 6) return '#fff'
+  const r = parseInt(hex.slice(0, 2), 16)
+  const g = parseInt(hex.slice(2, 4), 16)
+  const b = parseInt(hex.slice(4, 6), 16)
+  // Rec. 709 luma, the usual quick contrast test.
+  return (0.2126 * r + 0.7152 * g + 0.0722 * b) > 150 ? '#231b00' : '#fff'
+}
+
 function getSectionClass(notifications) {
   // Use danger color if any active incidents
   const hasIncident = notifications.some(n => n.typecolor === 'danger' && !n.resolved)
@@ -602,6 +627,7 @@ function handlePhotoError(e) {
 }
 
 .section-title.recognition {
+  /* Fallback only - the real colour is the type's, set inline. */
   background: #ffc107;
   color: #3a2e00;
 }
@@ -612,6 +638,7 @@ function handlePhotoError(e) {
   margin-bottom: 25px;
 }
 .section-title.recert-title {
+  /* Fallback only - the real colour is the type's, set inline. */
   background: #0d6efd;
   color: #fff;
   display: flex;
@@ -638,8 +665,8 @@ function handlePhotoError(e) {
   gap: 14px;
 }
 .recert-tile {
-  background: linear-gradient(135deg, #1e3a5f 0%, #0d2137 100%);
-  border: 2px solid #0d6efd;
+  background: linear-gradient(135deg, #16233b 0%, #0d2137 100%);
+  border: 2px solid var(--accent, #0d6efd);
   border-radius: 10px;
   padding: 14px 10px;
   display: flex;
@@ -653,7 +680,7 @@ function handlePhotoError(e) {
   height: 90px;
   border-radius: 50%;
   object-fit: cover;
-  border: 3px solid #0d6efd;
+  border: 3px solid var(--accent, #0d6efd);
   background: #1a1a2e;
 }
 .recert-photo.ge-logo-fallback {
@@ -713,8 +740,8 @@ function handlePhotoError(e) {
   top: 0;
   left: 0;
   right: 0;
-  background: linear-gradient(135deg, #4a3a0a 0%, #2a2200 100%);
-  border: 3px solid #ffc107;
+  background: linear-gradient(135deg, #2b2718 0%, #1d1a10 100%);
+  border: 3px solid var(--accent, #ffc107);
   border-radius: 12px;
   padding: 20px 25px;
   display: flex;
@@ -736,7 +763,7 @@ function handlePhotoError(e) {
   height: 140px;
   border-radius: 50%;
   object-fit: cover;
-  border: 4px solid #ffc107;
+  border: 4px solid var(--accent, #ffc107);
   background: #1a1a2e;
 }