Here’s an example of how to customize the background and title color of a UINavigationBar without having to use an image (in this case, a blue background with a white title AND white status bar):
// Set the navigation bar to blue [[UINavigationBar appearance] setBarTintColor:[UIColor blueColor]]; [[UINavigationBar appearance] setTranslucent:NO]; // Set the navigation bar's title text to white [[UINavigationBar appearance] setTitleTextAttributes:@{NSForegroundColorAttributeName : [UIColor whiteColor]}]; // Here's where it gets a little weird: we set the barStyle property to *UIBarStyleBlack* to achieve a *white* status bar. [[UINavigationBar appearance] setBarStyle:UIBarStyleBlack];