History Main / HighlyConspicuousUniform

--> It blends in with ''nothing''! "UCP" is the camo pattern, which stands for "Universal Camo Pattern", because it ''universally'' doesn't blend in with JACK. FUCKING. SHIT.

->''The uniforms of the Imperial Guard are camouflaged in order to protect their wearers by hiding them from sight. The principle is that what the enemy cannot see he cannot kill. This is not the way of the Adeptus Astartes. A Space Marine’s armour is bright with heraldry that proclaims his devotion to his Chapter and the beloved Emperor of Mankind. Our principle is that what the enemy can see, he will soon learn to fear...''

* HighlyConspicuousUniform/{{Literature}}

!!Examples:

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/AzureStrikerGunvoltSeries''
** The Sumeragi mooks are rather guilty of this, wearing bright-colored uniforms coded for each weapon they're issued with (ironically the mooks armed with homing missiles are the ones with the most sensible color scheme). Justified as they are corporate soldiers rather than military servicemen.
** Eden Pawns are a subdued example as their uniforms are appropriate for the terrain they are operating in. Only the pawns armed with chain-mines and submachine guns wear yellow and red respectively and even then, the latter are only encountered inside their headquarters helped that some of them are equipped with an optic camouflage that make them ideal at setting up ambushes and infiltration.
* All the Empires in ''VideoGame/PlanetSide'' are guilty of this. The Terran Republic has [[http://wiki.planetsidesyndicate.com/images/e/ec/TRRexoArmors2.jpg bright black and red uniforms]], the Vanu Sovereignty has [[http://wiki.planetsidesyndicate.com/index.php?title=Image:VS_Rexos.jpg shiny purple and green]] armor, and the New Conglomerate has [[http://wiki.planetsidesyndicate.com/images/5/54/NCRexoArmors.jpg neon yellow and blue]].
** The sequel makes the default uniforms darker with most uniforms being largely grey fatigues/[[FutureSpandex spandex]] with faction-colored bodyarmor sections, but players can return to the old silliness with camouflage being a [[{{Microtransactions}} cosmetic that players can buy]], to varying degrees of trueness to the definition of camouflage; "Tech" is shiny chrome, and the Valentines Day "Loyal Hearts" camo is a iridescent faction colored camo that is so bright it can be seen from a mile away. You can then further augment your high-visibility camo by wearing the glow-in-the-dark HardLight cosmetic armor and activating the [[TronLines Lumifiber]] cosmetic on your vehicles.
* In ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic I'' & ''[[VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords II]]'', soldiers of the Old Republic got to battle wearing bright red combatsuits, and the Mandalorians seem to like wearing armor in nearly every color of the rainbow. But both are easily topped by the Sith Troopers and their shining silver uniforms.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Haze}}'', the Mantel soldiers all wear helmets and shoulderpads that glow luminous yellow, with the rest of their armor being dark grey or black. The helmets and shoulderpads also flash red when the user takes damage. In reality, those helmets would only serve as massive targets for their enemies, especially since they'd flash whenever they hit their marks.
* The dull grey armour in ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'' would be [[RealIsBrown good for blending in with one's surroundings]] if not for the colour-coded lights on it.
* [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in ''VideoGame/{{Xenonauts}}''. As noted in the xenopedia since the color spectrum of the aliens is likely vastly diffrent from humans, camoflauge patterns and their development would likely be just a huge waste of time and money thus the research department decided to use simple blue jumpsuits to make recognising friendlies easier.
* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'':
** Getting [[EasterEgg The IWHBYD Skull]] in ''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}'' creates a chance of a Grunt making fun of the Master Chief's shiny armor. [[HypocriticalHumor Of course, said Grunt is most likely to be in orange, red or white armor]].
** Other Spartans seem to enjoy bright blues and oranges, among many other colors. And that's not just in multiplayer deathmatches either.
** In general, the Covenant races wear bright-colored armor which becomes ever more ornate as they advance in rank, with Brute War Chieftains and Elite Field Marshals wearing particularly fancy helmets into battle. On the other hand, many of the Covenant forces can [[InvisibilityCloak cloak]] (even if it took them a while to figure out how to also cloak those big glowing energy swords of theirs).
* ''VideoGame/HalfLife'':
** In [[VideoGame/HalfLife1 the original game]], HECU marines are equipped with (among other things) Urban Camouflage BDU, black combat vests with green shoulders, and occasionally helmets with either the Urban Camouflage[[note]]on the original models[[/note]] or [=M81=] Woodland Camouflage[[note]]on the HD and ''Opposing Force'' models[[/note]] pattern or a red beret for squad leaders, [[ArtisticLicenseMilitary even though US Marines don't wear berets]]. These color schemes, which blend poorly with the game's desert environments, were a conscious choice by the developers in order for the HECU to be more visible to players, especially on the lower-resolution monitors of the time.
** Also played straight with the Black Ops. Both the female assassins in the base game and the male grunts in the expansion pack ''VideoGame/HalfLifeOpposingForce'' wear conspicuous black outfits regardless of where they are deployed, though the former also benefits from an {{invisibility cloak}} if you're playing on Hard difficulty. This is lampshaded in the web series ''Shephard's Mind''.
** The Combine Elites in ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' wear bright white armor, probably to emulate Imperial Stormtroopers. They also have [[CyberCyclops a glowing red lens on their helmets]].
* Almost everyone in ''VideoGame/EvilGenius'' wear brightly colored uniforms. Your neon yellow workers and the orange military minions are particularly obvious. Enemy spies and agents also come in full dress uniforms, some of them more glaring than others. The game itself is a parody on SpyFiction movies and series, particularly ''Film/JamesBond''.
** Averted with the social minions, whose goal is distracting enemy agents, making them think the island is just a tourist hotspot. The valets are dressed as bellhops (despite performing all hotel functions), while spindoctors, diplomats, and playboys wear suits (albeit with bright-colored jackets).
** One mission involves the island being invaded by several groups of {{Mooks}} in orange jumpsuits. They're, basically, the worker minions of your rival, minus the hard hats.
* ''Franchise/MassEffect'':
** {{Justified}} according to the prequel novel ''Literature/MassEffectRevelation'' in that there's no real point to actually wearing camouflage anyway. If you're wearing anything even remotely modern, the only way to hide yourself from enemy sensors is to use a full-on InvisibilityCloak system, because ''everyone's'' armor is outfitted with sensors able to pick you out. Your enemies ''will'' see you regardless of whether you're wearing dull camouflage or bright blue and yellow-painted gear. For this reason, suits with TronLines are commonplace, especially among mercenaries; if you can't hide you might as well be visible and intimidating.
** Phoenix-series armor from ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' is white and pink. White and ''pink''. One of the (female) party members starts the game with it, but you can give it to anyone. [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Krogan]] in pink is hilarious. A few others, particularly the ones designed by Devlon Industries, are highly visible outfits. Then again, the Phoenix series is apparently designed for [[TheMedic medics]], and the Devlon series of armor is designed for construction and utility work in high-risk areas, so it makes sense that they wouldn't be camouflaged.
** All three of the major [[PrivateMilitaryContractors mercenary groups]] in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' wear obvious uniforms, with the Blue Suns wearing, well, bright blue and white armor, the Eclipse wearing yellow and black armor, and the Blood Pack wearing bright red. The latter being justified as the [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy krogan]] don't hide from their enemies.
** Thanks to the armor customization in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', it's possible to send [[PlayerCharacter Commander Shepard]] into action wearing bright pink. [[WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation Yahtzee]] commented on this in his review of the game.
** Cerberus dresses its soldiers in highly conspicuous white and gold uniforms with clearly visible logos of the organization, in spite of their status as a covert black-ops terrorist group, and the fact that just being a member warrants a prison sentence in Citadel space.
* In ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianSun'', [[OneWorldOrder GDI]] soldiers wear bright yellow uniforms/armor. [[NGOSuperpower Nod]] troopers wear black and red. Note that in [[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianDawn the original game]], their respective faction colors were tan and black. Or rather, it was gold and red (just as in ''Sun''), but it was ''far'' less prominent on their things, and the cinematics indicated that even ''that'' was an exaggeration[[note]]the framing explanation for how you are commanding your troops means it'd make sense for forces to be marked with faction colours more prominently than they actually are in reality -- makes identification quicker, and since it isn't real it doesn't impact camouflage.[[/note]]
* The Marines of ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' wear quite sensible fatigues, but their body armour comes in Day-Glo Lime Green and Peacock Blue.
* In ''VideoGame/QuakeIIIArena'', you can select from a wide variety of dull brown, gray, and orange skins, though this still does not make them invisible in front of [[RealIsBrown brown, gray, and orange backgrounds]]. However, there are always some players who pick the bright red or blue team-deathmatch skins all the time. If you are presented with multiple targets, they are the ones you aim at first.
* The villainous teams in the Franchise/{{Pokemon}} games, while not militant per say, do tend to wear very noticeable uniforms for criminal organizations.
** Team Rocket tend to wear black uniforms with a big red R on the chest, probably the most inconspicuous; then again, they're probably the most well-known organization in the country they're in, so they'd still be noticed.
** Team Aqua wear blue and white pirate-like uniforms, Team Magma wear gray and red hooded uniforms, but these two tend to show themselves in public the least out of the villainous teams.
** Team Galactic are rather well-known and wear typical "space-traveler" uniforms, gray and blue and really make no effort to hide themselves (they've got extremely villainous buildings just standing there in the middle of goddamn cities) and are mostly ignored due to ApatheticCitizens.
** Team Plasma also make no effort to hide themselves and dress almost like knights, but they are ''trying'' to be known in order to convert people to their goals.
** Team Flare wear very conspicuous bright red suits and style their hair like flames, but this may be intentional as quite a few citizens in the game think they're just some sort of exclusive fashion club as a result.
* When you [[DressingAsTheEnemy dress as the enemy]] in ''VideoGame/SpaceQuest'', your uniform has a helmet, but none of the guards on the Deltaur are wearing helmets.
* In ''VideoGame/HaloReach'', ''[[VideoGame/RainbowSix Rainbow Six: Vegas]]'', and every other multiplayer FPS with a character creator, most players are normally dressed in gaudy and brightly-colored fatigues and armor.
** Though ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps'' prevents you from meddling with the actual ''uniform'', there's nothing to stop you from slapping [[RuleOfCool orange-and-black tiger stripes]] on your gun, putting a bright pink emblem on it, and then wearing blue face paint.
** Actually [[InvokedTrope invoked]] in a commercial for ''VideoGame/Halo4'', where a trio of players in various shades of ''neon'' were laughing it up, saying how you had to make your armor "pop" so that the poor schmuck you just killed knew just who it was that was now tea-bagging you. Then the pre-order special [[AvertedTrope rock-texture camouflaged]] player walks out from right next to them (having gone unseen the whole time) and takes all three out before any of them knew what happened. "[[IronicEcho Pop]]".
* In ''Blacklight: Retribution'' nearly every single soldier wears the same dull grey fatigues, which normally would be great for camouflage in an urban environment...if it wasn't for the bright neon lights all over your body including hands, torso and a particularly helpful pair on the standard helmet indicating the best spot for a headshot.
* In ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', every class's uniform is brightly-colored around the torso, to draw attention to the weapon they're wielding and to make aiming at them easier.
* In ''VideoGame/AlphaProtocol'', the secret organization G22 fields field operatives wearing bright red jumpsuits and a very distinctive helmet with glowing night-vision goggles. Given that their modus operandi is supposed to be maximum subtlety and stealth, it's a little jarring.
* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'' has a significant portion of gameplay revolving around camouflage, and most characters wear sensible fatigues. The Boss, however, wears a highly conspicuous white uniform. [[spoiler:Which proves to be excellent camouflage in her final battle in a field of white flowers.]]
* ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline''
** Until season 9, armor visuals were in bright, often shiny colors, with bright red for tactical officers, orange or yellow for engineers, and blue for science officers. However, you can turn armor visuals off, and it's quite possible to customize the uniform underneath to more subdued shades. Armor visuals were made part of the tailor in season 9, allowing for much more variety.
** Klingon players tend to avert it, as their color palette lends itself more to earth tones and, barring some of the reputation system armors, they didn't get armor visuals (ostensibly because [[WeWillWearArmorInTheFuture their uniform is itself armor]]).
** While Romulan Imperial (NPC) uniforms continue to be quite conspicuous, Romulan Republic (player faction) uniforms are colored a yellowish khaki with gray trim by default.
** Post-season 9, Cryptic put out an [[http://memory-beta.wikia.com/wiki/Starfleet_uniform_%282410s%29 official uniform code]] based around the "Odyssey" style, with more subdued colors, and changed all the Starfleet {{NPC}}s over. Most officers' service (shipboard) uniforms are black with a color stripe, although flag officers get silver or gold braid and [[TheCaptain commanding officers]] get white shoulders, while enlisted service uniforms are in gray with colored shoulders. Tactical (field) uniforms are mostly in gray.
* While ''VideoGame/SandsOfDestruction'' only introduces us to [[OddlySmallOrganization two members]] of the World Annihilation Front (your TokenEvilTeammate and LoveInterest, Morte, and the leader of the Front, [[spoiler:Lacertus Rex]]), and we aren't even told if they ''have'' a uniform, Morte's outfit is '''''hot pink'''''. GameplayAndStoryIntegration has her personal outfits equipped with the trait "War Paint", which makes the enemy more likely to target her. As her stats don't lend her to being a tank ([[GlassCannon she can dish hits, but can't take them]]), this means she's likely to die in combat. [[DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist A lot - luckily Kyrie gets a revive move.]] Their opponents, the World Salvation Committee, wear pale blue and white uniforms in a world that's largely desert ([[SandIsWater including the ocean]]). The one place their uniforms might provide some camouflage, the Winter Isle, is the one place you'll never encounter them.
* The Galician uniform in ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles'' is a blue with red and white stripes design, although the colors aren't as bright as some examples. Special mention for the Bullseye Badge goes to Alicia. Her baker's scarf may be a nice symbol of the life she fights to defend, but in the mean time she's wearing a bright red piece of cloth on her head.
** Played with in ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles4''. The Ranger Corps. wear a much more sensible dirt-brown uniform, which is about the best camouflage one could expect in the setting. That falls apart when they end up in the snow, but then they have [[ExposedToTheElements bigger problems]] than just being spotted. They eventually get insulated uniforms, with appropriate camo, and even the tank gets a lick of paint to blend in better.
** Both games have medics wearing bright pink. The fourth game clarifies they're [[FictionalGenevaConventions noncombatants]] and want everyone to know it. [[spoiler:It does become a problem in Chapter 13 when a sniper is deliberately targetting medics in violation of the treaty.]]
* ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'' has an interesting case, as players' hair/tentacles and ink are colored bright neon hues that contrasts with the environments of the game. However, the game's main objective is to paint as much of the stage in this same color. Since you can swim in ink of your own color, in addition to allowing for better mobility, areas painted with your ink provide some degree of camouflage.
* In ''VideoGame/DiscoElysium'', going by the old war veteran René Arnoux, who is StillWearingTheOldColors, it appears this was very much the case with the old royal army of Revachol. How else can a bright blue jacket with canary yellow markings and an accompanying pair of almost fluorescent orange riding-pants be described? René even acknowledges that taking it into combat during the CivilWar might have looked and felt glorious, but it proved amazingly impractical against the rebelling Communists, who in contrast blended much better in in urban envioments due to wearing black and grey fatigues, and the royalist forces suffered for it over the course the war.
* ''VideoGame/{{Ravenfield}}'' has the Eagle and Raven factions wearing bright blue and red respectively. Even in the Spec Ops gamemode your small squad is still dressed in bright blue/red, albeit with some extra black gear on top of their normal uniform. The game features downloadable skins so you can dress up your army in more practical uniforms for the environment but they have no effect on the enemy's ability to spot you.
* ''VideoGame/Warhammer40000SpaceMarine'' being set in the same universe as the [[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} table top game]], naturally plays with this trope the same way. Captain Titus and the Ultramarines play it straight with their power armor being bright blue with gold trim and heraldry. Lieutenant Mira and the Imperial Guard avert it by wearing the standard olive-drab flak armor of Cadian regiments.
* ''VideoGame/EldenRing'': The Lordsworn soldiers and knights all wear brightly colored tabards & often decorated helms. In this case, it's for much the same reason historical soldiers did; there were six Lordsworn factions fighting in the Shattering, and they all wore similar armor types, so the [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience distinctive colors]] kept friendly fire to a minimum. The only faction to avert it were the Mt. Gelmir troops, whose color was black.
* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'':
** The lower ranks in the [[BadassArmy Imperial Legion]] wear fairly standard metallic chain and plate armor in darker colors. Higher ranks, however, get into the gold/tan "Templar" armor with bright red accents, the gaudy [[BlingOfWar Imperial Silver]] armor, and finally the legendary, enchanted (causing it [[PowerGlows to glow]]) Lord's Mail typically worn by the highest ranking member in the land.
** Bouyant Armigers are the [[CorruptChurch Tribunal Temple]]'s elite force, with their members hand-picked by PhysicalGod Vivec himself. Despite operating in desolate areas such as [[LethalLavaLand Molag Amur]] and [[{{Mordor}} inside Red Mountain]], their very best tend to wear bright green, iridescent, spiky glass armor that really stands out.
* The [[UsefulNotes/ChineseWithChopperSupport People's Liberation Army Navy Marine Corps]] in the tactical shooter ''VideoGame/{{Squad}}'' wear a naval blue camouflage that makes them highly visible. Hilariously, it comes in two variants: "desert" and "woodland", the only change is the camouflage of the body armor, the rest is still the same. And yes, this is a case of AluminumChristmasTrees, PLA Marines really do wear those blue-camouflage uniforms since they are supposed to garison small islands in the South China Sea and (probably) do [[StormingTheBeaches amphibious assaults]] straight unto urban areas in Taiwan.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_coat_(British_army) British Redcoats]], who wore bright red uniforms with white crossbelts. This was before camouflage was much of a factor in warfare. The bright red color helped commanders keep track of troop movements amid smoke-covered battlefields. The color also blended together when British troops stood together, making it difficult for enemies to count their numbers.
** British uniforms subverted this trope on long enough deployments. Between the dirt they picked up and the fading of the cheap dye used for enlisted men's uniforms, they would wind up khaki after a year or so of field wear. This is why the British turned to khaki when they abandoned the red.
* Musicians (fifers and drummers especially) were often uniformed in the reversed colors to the regular soldiers (British musicians would have coats of their unit's facing color faced in red for example). The reason was simple, so the officers could locate them (the musician was the equivalent of a [[CommunicationsOfficer radioman]], drumbeats carried better than voices). Trumpeters especially would also occasionally be sent towards enemy lines bearing messages or to accompany an officer sent to parley with the enemy. Here conspicuousness was also a desired effect.
* The French continued their use of the Highly Conspicuous Uniform into the early days of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, when the British and Germans had switched to more practical khaki and field grey, respectively. The French had considered alternative colors, but the problem was that they would have had to buy dyes from ''Germany''. However, the story of bright uniforms is exaggerated, with most frontline troops having more reasonable uniforms. The Conspicuous Uniforms were mainly Reserve or Dress uniforms that were pressed into service because of an extreme dearth of proper ones.
* Whilst the uniforms were camouflaged in WWI, it was a considerable time before Officers' rank marks were removed from the cuffs. A lot of Officers were shot gesturing with a hand above trench-level before rank markings were moved to a more discreet location on the shoulders.
* While German armies were intelligently camouflaged, [[NoseArt this was not so with their air force]]. Germany's premier pilot, [[RedBaron Manfred von Richthofen]], popularized the idea of painting aircraft with bright colors for quick recognition from friendlies when he painted his own aircraft red.
** But then military airplanes that were painted to camouflage them were painted to be camouflaged while standing on the ground. The paint jobs generally were not that useful in flight, while especially for flying in larger formations - like Richthofen's "Flying Circus" - the leader(s) had to be easily identifiable by the rankers, especially because communication had to be done optically (hand-signals, waggling wing-tips etc.) before the introduction of radio communication between the pilots in the inter-war era.
* Some French soldiers in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII had the "Bullseye Badge" variant. A special patch, worn on the chest, over the heart, represented the ''bleu, blanc et rouge'' of the French flag as a circle with a blue rim, a white inner circle, and a red dot in the center--that's right, a ''literal'' bullseye target.
* In a more modern situation, the US Air Marshals, whose entire purpose was to sit anonymously on planes so that potential hijackers or terrorists wouldn't know if there was one on board, were for some time required to dress in business attire, even if everyone else on the plane was dressed looking like they were ready to hit the beach. Even more insanely, they were required to show their ID at the gate and get on the plane before the other passengers. After this was publicized in the media by air marshals who'd been complaining that undercover agents should actually try to be undercover, they changed the rules. At least one marshal, before the rules were changed, decided to use these rules to his own advantage. Since it was practically impossible to be incognito, he would make a ''deliberate effort'' to stand out, making it clear that ''he'' was the marshal of the plane, so that if anything did go wrong, his partner at least had a ''chance'' of being ignored.
* Real life Bullseye Badges: Allied tanks after the invasion of Normandy carried the US white star on their sides. When a lot of destroyed allied tanks were found to have a neat hole punched in the middle of said star, they were drabbed-down with mud or paint.
** German vehicles at the time of the invasion of Poland had a national insignia that was a white cross (on dark grey vehicles). After discovering that Polish troops used the cross as a target marker, the white cross was first overpainted with yellow, then later with a black cross painting out the middle of each arm leaving four white corner angles, then went off into lower-visibility variations.
** Modern air forces mostly have two-tone grayscale versions of their "official" roundels and insignia. Compare the two on the page for the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Australian_Air_Force Royal Australian Air Force]] on [[Website/{{Wikipedia}} The Other Wiki]].
*** Two other examples would be the RAF Roundel where peacetime it was Red, White, and Blue but during WWII they made the white either very narrow or left it out and the BIG Red Rising Sun on the flight decks of Japanese aircraft carriers. In fact, in Midway, one of the bomber pilots aimed directly at the big red spot on the ''Hiryu'' and hit it.
*** In late 1944 and 1945, more and more British naval assets were deployed to the Pacific to join in the war on Japan. Hard experience, of trigger-happy American gunners who shot at any red circles, suggested that it would be a ''really'' good idea for British aircraft to lose the red circle in the middle of the roundel. Thus royal Navy carrier aircraft were distinguished by a blue and white roundel only.
*** Note that until partway into WWII, the roundel used by American planes was a blue circle with a white star and a red circle centered in the star. Guess why American warplanes [[FriendOrFoe no longer have a red circle in their roundel?]]
** Played straight with the "invasion stripes" used by the Allied air forces during the Normandy invasion. Of course whatever remained of the Luftwaffe in the area was a far smaller threat than friendly fire, so pretty much Justified.
*** Not to mention the [[NoseArt various color schemes]] used by aviators on both sides throughout the war. Some units, such as the [[EagleSquadron American Volunteer Group]] or the [[Film/RedTails Tuskegee Airmen]], are as famous for their paint jobs as they are for their achievements in the war.
** "Stripping the paint" for aircraft in [=WW2=]. The British and Luftwaffe scorned it because it made the aircraft shiny and blatantly obvious. The US 8th Air Force simply didn't care; more than once it was actually suggested that they ''wanted'' enemy aircraft to find them, so the enemy would engage and be destroyed.
*** The actual reason for using the minimal bare-metal finishes on the American planes, of course, was that it was [[BoringButPractical cheaper and faster to build and deploy the aircraft if they didn't waste time painting them first.]] It was also pointed out that the olive-drab favored by the Army didn't exactly blend in with the skies of Western Europe to begin with, which was where the Germans tended to run into them anyways.
*** There was also the point that the coat of paint actually reduced performance (because it added weight) - an unpainted B-17 was 8mph faster than a painted one and an unpainted P-51 was up to 16 mph faster. Also, the olive drab was primarily of value in making aircraft parked on airfields less visible to people attacking that airfield - in [=WW2=], by 1944, US airfields weren't often attacked. These days camouflage is primarily aimed at optically-guided missiles.
*** During the Cold War, US Navy aircraft usually had a base coat of white paint, with [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:F-14-vf-84.jpg various attractive color schemes]]. Beginning in the late 1980s, the US Navy began moving to a low-visibility gray scheme on all aircraft, with the idea meant to reduce visibility in dogfights (for Tomcats and Hornets, [[https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Navy_050131-N-0000S-002_An_F-14B_Tomcat,_assigned_to_the_Pukin%5Ersquo,_Dogs_of_Fighter_Squadron_One_Four_Three_(VF-143),_and_the_squadron%5Ersquo,s_new_aircraft,_an_F-A-18E_Super_Hornet,_fly_in_formation.jpg seen here]]) and for some measure of camouflage for support assets (i.e. helicopters). Because of the unpopularity of the move, in order to have its cake and eat it, the Navy allows the certain aircraft in each squadron to be painted in a special [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:F-14_over_Pula.JPEG high visibility color scheme.]] The development of radar means that visual camouflage is no longer as critical as it used to be, but it can still be useful in a dogfight, with both pilots relying on the Mark 1 Eyeball.
** The Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy faced the same problem with their planes having big red dots, which were used as bullseyes by American planes. The IJN arguably was a worse offender, given their planes were painted bright white.
*** In a compensating move, Allied forces revised their markings. The prewar US aircraft marking had a red circle in the middle of the white star. This was removed in 1942 after it was discovered that overeager pilots would fixate on the red dot and attack any aircraft displaying a red circle marking, even if it was only part of a larger marking; the RAF/RAAF similarly painted over the central red dot of their insignia with white for aircraft in the Pacific theater.
*** Many US Navy dive bomber pilots in their after-action reports would indicate that they used said Japanese hinomaru [rising sun] symbol on the decks of Japanese aircraft carriers as convenient aiming points for their payloads.
* The [[UsefulNotes/HistoryOfTheColdWar Cold War]] offers a particularly grim example: The strategic aircraft (bombers and the interceptors designed to fight them) of many nations were often painted glossy white. Called "anti-flash white," this color scheme was applied because white is the best heat reflector and it was expected that these planes would be flying near nuclear explosions if they went into combat.
* The cockade used by the enlisted men of the Finnish Defence Forces has been a [[http://tietokannat.mil.fi/np03/data/images/149_press.jpg literal blue-and-white bullseye]] for the longest time. It's the butt of quite a few local military jokes.
* If the enemy is [[ShootTheMedicFirst unscrupulous]], medics and civilian emergency vehicles still have this problem. While the main reason for putting big red-on-white crosses/crescents on medical assets is to proclaim they're not a threat and to encourage the enemy to direct their attacks elsewhere, the conspicuous markings can indeed backfire if the opposition suspects a TrojanHorse. And yes it's still illegal to give weapons to medics featuring UsefulNotes/TheRedCross, which is the second reason the Red Cross is barely seen anymore.
** This [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i31UzeaVJA Bill Cosby routine]] sums up the disadvantages of being a conspicuous wartime medic pretty well.
** Similarly, UsefulNotes/WorldWarII American officers had a particular white marking on their helmets, which officers at the time would go out of their ways to smudge with mud to hide. It was noted once that Creator/TomHanks's character in ''Film/SavingPrivateRyan'', for instance, would have in real life known better than to leave a bright white "I'm an officer, snipe me!" mark on his forehead.
* Inverted Trope at times during War On Terror operations in Afghanistan. Special Operations Forces troops sometimes have as their assigned mission to blend in with, gain the confidence of, train, and fight beside native irregulars. To that end they wear native dress, let their hair grow (to an extent) and grow beards (to the Afghan tribesmen a beard denotes manhood). Occasionally a Pentagon commando general officer will take it upon himself to try and make them "...present a more military appearance..." by ordering said troops to shave, get haircuts, and wear "proper uniforms". Such an order is invariably ignored by the field troops if their chain of command passes it on and doesn't just bury the order somewhere in the piles of paperwork any modern army generates.
** Meanwhile, some Canadian troops in the early months of the war in Afghanistan were issued green/brown "temperate woodland" camouflage, due to a lack of beige/brown "arid region" uniforms.
** Similarly, a number of British and US troops had to make do with jungle-pattern camouflage [=BDUs=] during Desert Storm, as there weren't enough desert-pattern fatigues in storage and the jungle-pattern was at least designed for hot weather.
*** Until Multi Terrain Pattern uniforms were issued to the British Army, British troops in Afghanistan had to wear a mix of Desert and Woodland camouflage, as Helmand province's terrain can quickly go from green to brown and back again.
** Training gear used by many non-deployed military units will give off the impression of either this or a poorly-equipped RagtagBunchOfMisfits due to various mismatching camo patterns on the gear. Seeing an airman in the grey tiger-stripe [=ABUs=], with a woodland camo [=BDU=] patterned kevlar vest, and a sold green helmet (or even a helmet colored with the Army's [=ACU=] digital camo) can be a sight to behold, even before they then don a bright reflective belt for safety's sake. Remember, of course, that old gear is often used for training, while they would save the newer stuff for when they actually need it.
* Soviet penal battalions in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII reportedly made to {{exploit|edTrope}} this trope sometimes to act as decoys (e.g., being dressed in dark uniforms in a snowy environment to draw enemy fire to themselves instead of regular Red Army units). [[WeHaveReserves Yes, the people who ordered they do that didn't care about their chances of living]].
* The United States military combat uniforms (the Army Combat Uniform, and before it, the Battle Dress Uniform and Desert Combat Uniform) all feature a patch with a reflected United States flag on their right shoulder [[note]][[AndKnowingIsHalfTheBattle It is depicted the way the flag would actually appear if a soldier were carrying it.]] The flag typically goes on the right side because that is the position of seniority when more than one soldier are marching side by side. If the soldier is moving forward, as if he were advancing, the flag would trail behind him, and would thus appear reversed from the right side, because the blue field is always closest to the flagpole. [[ButIDigress Of course, if you had a strong wind at your back, the flag would be the other way.]] The same observation can be made with aircraft bearing the US flag, when viewed from the right.[[/note]] When deploying into a location where red, white and blue blend in poorly, it's switched out for a less visible monochromatic version.
* The [=US=] Army's infamous "Universal Camouflage Pattern", a grey-ish mess of a bad idea that fit in absolutely nowhere. A [[https://soldiersystems.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/img_6425.jpg picture of a soldier]] laying down on a couch that actually matched the pattern went memetic, sometimes captioned as 'It finally blends in with something!". The Army eventually issued [=MultiCam=], an actually-universal camo pattern that lost to [=UCP=], for troops in Afganistan starting in 2010, and eventually phased [=UCP=] out completely in favor of its own [=MultiCam=] knockoff.
* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_Guard The Swiss Guard]] both plays this straight and subverts it. The official, well-known uniform is colorful as a peacock. The work uniform is much more practical.
** Not to mention that looking like a Renaissance Faire reject is a great way to sucker a would-be papal assassin into dismissing you as harmless window-dressing. At least, until you pull a modern sidearm out of those poofy sleeves...
*** This tradition goes all the way back to the original medieval Swiss mercenary bands, who wore very colorful uniforms to announce their presence to their enemies and hopefully demoralize them with their [[TheDreaded badass reputation.]]
* Admiral UsefulNotes/HoratioNelson wearing one of these [[StraightForTheCommander led to his being shot by a French marksman]] at the cusp of his greatest victory at Trafalgar, although what rendered him conspicuous was probably less his officer's uniform than the decorations he wore.
* The US Navy ''loves'' this trope:
** Dress uniforms (the blue and the white sailor outfits) are explicitly meant to attract attention and their antique style stands out far more than other services, plus they tend to be required in any sort of public relations arena where other services still wear less formal uniforms.
** The Navy Working Uniform or NWU type I, worn from 2008 until 2019. Similar to the digital style of camouflage worn by the Marines, with a digital pattern of the standard fatigue design, the NWU was meant to evoke the style of tactical gear worn by other services. All well and good except for the color, a blend of blue and grey. For extra mileage, officers and senior enlisted had spots of gold coloring on them. Arguably subverted however, [=NWUs=] are meant to be worn in a shipboard or industrial environment and are designed not to hide the sailor, but to hide any paint or oil stains the uniform accumulates. Thus, while they might "look" more military than the utilities they replaced, they would have been almost useless in an actual tactical environment. Not to mention that it's pointless for a ship's crew to camouflage themselves.
*** This was replaced between 2016 and 2019 with the NWU Types II and III, uniforms of the same cut and general pattern, but different coloration. They also improved the pocket layout, buttons/velcro, and a variety of other features.
*** They ended up looking almost ''exactly'' like Russian riot police (OMON) in their white-blue-gray "city" camo.
** US Navy flight-deck crews work in an environment which is loud, dangerous, often poorly lit, and very busy. Since being spotted by the enemy is not an issue, the various work groups wear [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience brightly-colored]] jerseys in a [[https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fil:Coloured_flight_deck_jerseys.jpg rainbow palette]], so they can easily spot and identify each other and their role.
** Averted with the parts of the Navy (like the Seabees and [[UsefulNotes/NavySEALs SEALs]]) who work where they might actually get shot at, previously with a copy of the more traditional fatigues from another service, though now with the NWU type II and III.
* Subverted with Britain painting some recon planes pink during World War II. While they stood out garishly on the ground, when flying dawn or dusk flights the pink was actually the most effective camouflage color. In a similar manner the Long Range Desert Group 'Pink Panthers' look a bit stupid if seen outside of a desert.
** Similarly-garish was the "dazzle" camouflage of WWI and WWII. Naval vessels were painted with big, blocky intersecting stripes. The point wasn't concealment but rather confusion as the odd lines and shapes made it difficult to determine the range, heading, size, and type of the ships so painted.
*** It turned out that transforming ships into sea-going zebras did not have the desired effect and in World War II this type of camouflage was not attempted again. However, the Royal Navy then did develop a special Western Approaches camouflage where ships were painted mostly white with a few light green and light blue areas. This was actually a pretty effective colour scheme for the North Atlantic.
*** The Japanese navy often used land based camouflage patterns on its sea vessels, making them mostly green. The logic is that a ship will most likely be spotted at sea anyway and this way they could at least conceal ship movements between ports.
*** Some ships used prominent camo on certain parts of the ship and actual stealthy camo on others. The goal here was to disguise them as entirely different types of ship.
* British police officers are frequently seen wearing bright yellow jackets or tabards with reflective panels over their regular duty uniforms. They provide a highly visible presence while on foot patrol and reduce the chances of being run down by a passing car during traffic stops, but can be something of a disadvantage when trying to approach the scene of an emergency call covertly.
** Pretty well ''all'' police, firefighters, paramedics, and other emergency responders are required (or are in the process of and will soon be required) to wear some form of High Visibility Clothing (either as part of the clothing itself, or as a vest worn over it) in situations where they are supposed to be seen. Even, amusingly, military personnel if their duties dealing with civilians require it. Nothing like seeing someone in the latest digital camouflage wearing a bright orange vest with reflective stripes.
** The current (well, for the past 20 to 30 years in the USA) trend for police to be more "militarized" and wear military style uniforms (either very dark blue or black, or out and out camouflage) conflicts with the idea that police are supposed to be easily identifiable. If someone is pointing a gun at you or breaking into your house, you might think that it would be a good idea for you to be able to instantly identify if they are police or criminals.
* For many years, the German police forces (aptly named UsefulNotes/TheThinFormerlyGreenLine or ''[[EmbarrassingNickname Senfmännchen (Mustard Men)]]'') wore a somewhat pastel-based assortment of colours on their uniforms, including moss-green jackets, mustard-yellow shirts, [[BringMyBrownPants brown pants]] and green or white caps. (Many police officers tended to wear black leather jackets on active duty, which was also permissible). This was for reasons similar to the British lime-green vests, but over the years the ''[[UsefulNotes/TheSixteenLandsOfDeutschland Lands]]'' changed their uniforms to dark blue, partly on the urging of the European Union to make all European police uniforms dark blue.
* UN peacekeeping tend to wear rather ordinary fatigues, but with sky blue helmets (Commonly with "UN" in white letters) and berets. Also, all their vehicles, including tanks, are painted bright white, with UN or the UN logo on them.
** Some units of the British Armed Forces, most notably the [[ItsRainingMen Parachute Regiment]] and the Royal Marines, have equally vibrantly-coloured berets as part of their uniform. These are often worn on foot patrols during counter-insurgency operations, partly because civilians find them less intimidating than helmets but mostly because the Taliban -and the IRA before them- have learned that those berets mean [[EliteMooks serious professional opposition.]]
* According to an urban legend, around the time of the Vietnam War, some high-ranking idiot(s) in Taiwan's military had the bright idea of making their newly-bought tanks look more impressive by painting over the camouflage paint job... with metallic paint of the sort one might see on a brand new Ferrari. By the time their superiors found out, it was too late and the repainting was already done. So when those superiors told them what a stupid idea it was, they sanded off the paint, ''including'' the original camouflage paint, leaving the shiny metal underneath exposed. Hardly an improvement.
** Out of desperation, some Soviet tanks produced during [=WW2=] were sent to the battlefield unpainted. This was for various reasons including production time, likelihood of survival regardless of whether it was painted, and simple unavailability of appropriate or sufficient quantities of paint. Famous instances included the Siege of Leningrad and the defense of Stalingrad, in which the front line was a short drive from the factory gates - or in Stalingrad's case, ultimately ''within the factory itself''. Those unpainted tanks which survived for long enough built a patina of rust, mud, and dirt which was almost as effective as painted camouflage.
** In besieged Leningrad, there was hardly any conventional green paint for military vehicles built at the local factories. As a Red Navy base, what the city had in abundance was battleship grey in various colours. Therefore tanks and vehicles on the Leningrad front were seen in two or three-tone grey camouflage schemes, which in a local context worked effectively.
** For similar reasons, British forces in Egypt in 1940 - a backwater low down the supply chain where it was thought a war would be ''least'' likely to break out - had practically no desert yellow paint. A massive influx of material from Britain, sent out to defend against an Italian threat, was in its European green. No yellow paint was sent out. Surplus paint held by the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force was scrounged and the Caunter Scheme was devised to make the most of a bizarre assortment of colours. British tanks and weapons were seen in a geometric pattern using up to six colours, including battleship grey, sky blue, chocolate brown, khaki, green and ship's pale grey. What is most surprising is how well it worked in the desert.
** The first units of the German Afrika Korps also had to make do with European-style camouflage early in the campaign, for both their vehicles and uniforms. The OKH (Army High Command) originally figured that since just one of its 30 mobile (panzer and motorised) divisions would be operating in the African desert, there was no point in going to all the expense of ordering in special paint for it in any particular hurry. When Hitler took special interest in that panzer division's performance, and a full ''four'' of Germany's mere 250 infantry divisions were sent to North Africa to reinforce it, they made the necessary arrangements.
* The "Red Devils" of the UsefulNotes/SengokuJidai were so called because they wore bright red lacquered armor, unlike the brown or black armor of most {{samurai}}. Their leader, Ii Naomasa, received a bullet wound at Sekigahara, possibly due to the conspicuousness of his red armor making him an easier target.
* [[UsefulNotes/KaijuDefenseForce Japan Air Self Defense Force]] pilots and aircrew stationed at Hokkaido wear bright orange flightsuits, deliberately invoking this, to aide in visual search in the event of an ejection over ice-cold water.
** Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers wear red or orange wetsuits for similar reasons.
* Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft are typically painted in generic military gray or green (for land-based helicopters), except for planes and helicopters which are specifically designated for search and rescue: they are painted yellow with red trim and a big red stripe. Their crews wear bright orange flightsuits or coveralls, their unit's headgear is an orange beret, the parachutes used by Search and Rescue technicians are bright orange with a black stripe and even their backpacks are orange or bright red. The purpose is to let people in trouble see that the BigDamnHeroes are coming.
** This is common for dedicated SAR units around the world. The US Coast Guard paints most of its equipment in its most highly-visible colors. CG Red is a shade that's closer to Visibility Orange than anything else, and the Coast Guard's Dolphin helicopters, for example, are painted all CG Red with black and white trim. In Britain, the Royal Air Force uses all-over bright yellow for its SAR units while the Royal Navy prefers battleship grey with the tail-boom and nose in a colour not unlike CG Red, and the RNLI paints its surface craft all-over Visibility Orange above the waterline with a navy-blue lower hull.
** The Japanese Air Self Defense Force's Air Rescue Wing is an inversion; originally UH-60J Rescue Hawks were painted in a high visibility [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:UH-60J_KAB001.jpg white on yellow color scheme]], but have since moved to a dark blue on blue [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:JASDF_UH-60J_(591)_tankt_bij_in_de_lucht_boven_de_Japanse_Zee,_-5_juni_2014_a.jpg maritime camouflage scheme]].
* Over the course of World War II the Waffen SS were issued uniform items in a multitude of camouflage patterns which often came in both summer and autumn colours. SS units also adopted camouflage clothing issued to the forces of other Axis nations and even borrowed items from the German army. By the end of the war it was not uncommon for Panzergrenadiers to go into combat wearing trousers, smocks, jackets and helmet covers which were in completely different patterns and colours to each other.
* Golf even has an iconic example of this. One of the highlights of The Masters, the first major championship of the men's golf season, is the award ceremony in which the winner is fitted with a distinctive green jacket. Even if he's won the event before. Said jacket identifies members of Augusta National Golf Club, the exclusive private club which owns and operates the tournament. All Masters winners become honorary members of Augusta National, giving them lifetime access to the club.[[note]]At least two Masters winners—UsefulNotes/JackNicklaus and Arnold Palmer—went on to become regular club members as well.[[/note]] By club rule, the reigning Masters champion is the only person who can take his green jacket off the club premises. There's a practical reason for this restriction—the members wear these jackets to identify themselves during the tournament.[[note]]One Masters champion, Gary Player, kept his jacket, returning it to his homeland of South Africa. Though he violated the letter of the rule, he never violated the spirit, as he never wore it. He and the club eventually made an arrangement by which said jacket became an exhibit in his personal museum (open to the public) in South Africa.[[/note]]
[[/folder]]

** Part of it is also proof of identity: the stories take place in a pre-industrialized world, so bleach is not easy to come by. Very few people are able to afford a pure white outfit and the expenses involved in ''keeping'' it white, which means that it's very difficult for someone to impersonate a Herald, due to the costs involved in faking the uniform. The shades used in Healer Green and Bardic Scarlet were chosen for similar reasons.

[[folder:FanWorks]]

* Most of the minifigs in Lego sets have bright colors, even the more outright militant sets (licensed properties notwithstanding).

* The [[{{Transformers}} Autobots and Decepticons]] always have their corresponding faction sigil visible from the front, usually either on their chest or their limbs. It's fairly unsurprising that TheMasquerade in any given series will last about five minutes.

In historical works taking place before the time around UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, this is TruthInTelevision, as a lot of armies really did wear ridiculous uniforms back then; uniforms with adaptive coloring didn't become widespread until the twentieth century. France in particular didn't adopt some sort of camouflage for regular soldiers until ''1914''. Indeed, using bright colors to aid identification of allies during combat made a lot of sense at the time, given that muskets tended to be extremely inaccurate at distances over 100 yards and a lot of the combat infantry fire was conducted at even closer range. Meanwhile the commanding officers had to know where their units were, which was the reason why even units with less conspicuous uniforms (e. g. Russians dressed in dark green, Prussians dressed in dark blue, Swedes dressed in dark blue or grey, Portuguese dressed in brown) carried large and highly conspicuous colours, standards or guidons. Even when breechloading rifles were introduced in European armies, colored uniforms still served a purpose in identification amidst the gunpowder smoke until smokeless powder was adopted.

** US Navy flight-deck crews work in an environment which is loud, dangerous, often poorly lit, and very busy. Since being spotted by the enemy is not an issue, the various work groups wear [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience brightly-colored]] jerseys in a [[https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fil:Coloured_flight_deck_jerseys.jpg rainbow palette]], so they can easily spot and identify each other.

* The [[{{Transformers}} Autobots and Decepticons]] always have their corresponding faction sigil visible from the front, usually either on their chest or their forehead/helmet. It's fairly unsurprising that TheMasquerade in any given series will last about five minutes.

* Enforced in ''LightNovel/HeavyObject'' when the 37th botches a PR stunt on global television. They get a PunishmentDetail where the soldiers need to assault ice-locked enemy warships in the Arctic icecap. Their mandatory uniform for this assault on foot across pure white snow against heavily armed emplacements are bright red uniforms with white fur trim; the higher ups ''really'' don't like them.

* Subverted in ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnlineAlternativeGunGaleOnline'': LLENN wears a full on ''pink'' combat suit... which actually ''does'' work for stealth in a desert environment (as seen in the manga's opening scene). TruthInTelevision - in real life, the British SAS used pink land rovers for desert ops. Played straight when she's in a forest and sticks out like a sore thumb (which is why she is often found donning a leaf green cloak to blend in).

* Combine Elite in ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' wear bright white armor, probably to emulate Imperial Stormtroopers. They also have [[CyberCyclops a glowing red lens on their helmets]].
** [[VideoGame/HalfLife1 The original game]] subverts it with the female Black Ops, but plays it straighter in the expansion pack ''Opposing Force''. The female operatives had incredibly fast movements and jumped very high in seconds, but both they and the more conspicuous [=MP5=]-toting male grunts ''always'' wore black outfits regardless of where they were deployed. This is lampshaded in the web series ''Shephard's Mind''.
** Speaking of grunts and the original game, HECU marines are equipped with (among other things) Urban Camouflage BDU, black combat vests with green shoulders, and occasionally helmets with the [=M81=] Woodland Camouflage pattern or a red beret for squad leaders, [[ArtisticLicenseMilitary even though US Marines don't wear berets]]. You may have noticed that urban and woodland patterns blend poorly with desert environments.