diff --git a/client.c b/client.c
index aaa83b0e5..b010f658a 100644
--- a/client.c
+++ b/client.c
@@ -902,7 +902,7 @@ luaA_client_border_set(lua_State *L)
     client_setborder(*c, width);
 
     if(colorstr
-        && draw_color_new(globalconf.connection, (*c)->phys_screen, colorstr, &color))
+        && xcolor_new(globalconf.connection, (*c)->phys_screen, colorstr, &color))
         xcb_change_window_attributes(globalconf.connection, (*c)->win, XCB_CW_BORDER_PIXEL,
                                      &color.pixel);
 
diff --git a/common/draw.c b/common/draw.c
index 6df50484f..cdceedd6f 100644
--- a/common/draw.c
+++ b/common/draw.c
@@ -243,7 +243,7 @@ draw_text_markup_expand(draw_parser_data_t *data,
     if(p->attribute_names[0])
         for(i = 0; p->attribute_names[0][i]; i++)
             if(!a_strcmp(p->attribute_names[0][i], "color"))
-                data->has_bg_color = draw_color_new(data->connection, data->phys_screen,
+                data->has_bg_color = xcolor_new(data->connection, data->phys_screen,
                                                     p->attribute_values[0][i], &data->bg_color);
 
     /* text */
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@ draw_text_markup_expand(draw_parser_data_t *data,
             if(!a_strcmp(p->attribute_names[1][i], "align"))
                 data->align = draw_align_get_from_str(p->attribute_values[1][i]);
             else if(!a_strcmp(p->attribute_names[1][i], "shadow"))
-                draw_color_new(data->connection, data->phys_screen,
+                xcolor_new(data->connection, data->phys_screen,
                                p->attribute_values[1][i], &data->shadow.color);
             else if(!a_strcmp(p->attribute_names[1][i], "shadow_offset"))
                 data->shadow.offset = atoi(p->attribute_values[1][i]);
@@ -1009,7 +1009,7 @@ draw_align_get_from_str(const char *align)
  * \return true if color allocation was successfull
  */
 bool
-draw_color_new(xcb_connection_t *conn, int phys_screen, const char *colstr, xcolor_t *color)
+xcolor_new(xcb_connection_t *conn, int phys_screen, const char *colstr, xcolor_t *color)
 {
     xcb_screen_t *s = xcb_aux_get_screen(conn, phys_screen);
     xcb_alloc_color_reply_t *hexa_color = NULL;
diff --git a/common/draw.h b/common/draw.h
index 78761e9c3..57833ec84 100644
--- a/common/draw.h
+++ b/common/draw.h
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ typedef struct
     uint16_t red;
     uint16_t green;
     uint16_t blue;
+    uint16_t alpha;
 } xcolor_t;
 
 typedef enum
@@ -143,7 +144,7 @@ area_t draw_get_image_size(const char *filename);
 void draw_rotate(draw_context_t *, xcb_drawable_t, int, int, double, int, int);
 area_t draw_text_extents(xcb_connection_t *, int, font_t *, const char *);
 alignment_t draw_align_get_from_str(const char *);
-bool draw_color_new(xcb_connection_t *, int, const char *, xcolor_t *);
+bool xcolor_new(xcb_connection_t *, int, const char *, xcolor_t *);
 
 void area_list_remove(area_t **, area_t *);
 
diff --git a/lua.c b/lua.c
index 332393e94..220d8830c 100644
--- a/lua.c
+++ b/lua.c
@@ -358,10 +358,10 @@ luaA_colors_set(lua_State *L)
     const char *fg, *bg;
     luaA_checktable(L, 1);
     if((fg = luaA_getopt_string(L, 1, "fg", NULL)))
-        draw_color_new(globalconf.connection, globalconf.default_screen,
+        xcolor_new(globalconf.connection, globalconf.default_screen,
                        fg, &globalconf.colors.fg);
     if((bg = luaA_getopt_string(L, 1, "bg",NULL)))
-        draw_color_new(globalconf.connection, globalconf.default_screen,
+        xcolor_new(globalconf.connection, globalconf.default_screen,
                        bg, &globalconf.colors.bg);
     return 0;
 }
@@ -459,8 +459,8 @@ luaA_parserc(const char *rcfile)
 
     /* \todo move this */
     globalconf.font = draw_font_new(globalconf.connection, globalconf.default_screen, "sans 8");
-    draw_color_new(globalconf.connection, globalconf.default_screen, "black", &globalconf.colors.fg);
-    draw_color_new(globalconf.connection, globalconf.default_screen, "white", &globalconf.colors.bg);
+    xcolor_new(globalconf.connection, globalconf.default_screen, "black", &globalconf.colors.fg);
+    xcolor_new(globalconf.connection, globalconf.default_screen, "white", &globalconf.colors.bg);
 
     luaA_dostring(L, "package.path = package.path .. \";" AWESOME_LUA_LIB_PATH  "/?.lua\"");
 
diff --git a/statusbar.c b/statusbar.c
index 2014a07d2..859c96d51 100644
--- a/statusbar.c
+++ b/statusbar.c
@@ -551,14 +551,14 @@ luaA_statusbar_new(lua_State *L)
 
     lua_getfield(L, 1, "fg");
     if((color = luaL_optstring(L, -1, NULL)))
-        draw_color_new(globalconf.connection, globalconf.default_screen,
+        xcolor_new(globalconf.connection, globalconf.default_screen,
                        color, &(*sb)->colors.fg);
     else
         (*sb)->colors.fg = globalconf.colors.fg;
 
     lua_getfield(L, 1, "bg");
     if((color = luaL_optstring(L, -1, NULL)))
-        draw_color_new(globalconf.connection, globalconf.default_screen,
+        xcolor_new(globalconf.connection, globalconf.default_screen,
                        color, &(*sb)->colors.bg);
     else
         (*sb)->colors.bg = globalconf.colors.bg;
diff --git a/widgets/graph.c b/widgets/graph.c
index cb7d72785..1d45c168d 100644
--- a/widgets/graph.c
+++ b/widgets/graph.c
@@ -343,14 +343,14 @@ graph_tell(widget_t *widget, const char *property, const char *new_value)
         d->height = atof(new_value);
     else if(!a_strcmp(property, "bg"))
     {
-        if(!draw_color_new(globalconf.connection,
+        if(!xcolor_new(globalconf.connection,
                            globalconf.default_screen,
                            new_value, &d->bg))
             return WIDGET_ERROR_FORMAT_COLOR;
     }
     else if(!a_strcmp(property, "bordercolor"))
     {
-        if(!draw_color_new(globalconf.connection,
+        if(!xcolor_new(globalconf.connection,
                            globalconf.default_screen,
                            new_value, &d->bordercolor))
             return WIDGET_ERROR_FORMAT_COLOR;
@@ -455,20 +455,20 @@ graph_new(alignment_t align)
         d->data_title[i] = a_strdup(cfg_title(cfg));
 
         if((color = cfg_getstr(cfg, "fg")))
-            draw_color_new(globalconf.connection, statusbar->phys_screen, color, &tmp_color);
+            xcolor_new(globalconf.connection, statusbar->phys_screen, color, &tmp_color);
         else
             tmp_color = globalconf.screens[statusbar->screen].styles.normal.fg;
 
         if((color = cfg_getstr(cfg, "fg_center")))
         {
             ptmp_color_center = p_new(xcolor_t, 1);
-            draw_color_new(globalconf.connection, statusbar->phys_screen, color, ptmp_color_center);
+            xcolor_new(globalconf.connection, statusbar->phys_screen, color, ptmp_color_center);
         }
 
         if((color = cfg_getstr(cfg, "fg_end")))
         {
             ptmp_color_end = p_new(xcolor_t, 1);
-            draw_color_new(globalconf.connection, statusbar->phys_screen, color, ptmp_color_end);
+            xcolor_new(globalconf.connection, statusbar->phys_screen, color, ptmp_color_end);
         }
 
         if (cfg_getbool(cfg, "scale"))
@@ -517,12 +517,12 @@ graph_new(alignment_t align)
     }
 
     if((color = cfg_getstr(config, "bg")))
-        draw_color_new(globalconf.connection, statusbar->phys_screen, color, &d->bg);
+        xcolor_new(globalconf.connection, statusbar->phys_screen, color, &d->bg);
     else
         d->bg = globalconf.screens[statusbar->screen].styles.normal.bg;
 
     if((color = cfg_getstr(config, "bordercolor")))
-        draw_color_new(globalconf.connection, statusbar->phys_screen, color, &d->bordercolor);
+        xcolor_new(globalconf.connection, statusbar->phys_screen, color, &d->bordercolor);
     else
         d->bordercolor = tmp_color;
 */
diff --git a/widgets/progressbar.c b/widgets/progressbar.c
index 26a428f0b..49e6f3cce 100644
--- a/widgets/progressbar.c
+++ b/widgets/progressbar.c
@@ -75,10 +75,10 @@ progressbar_pcolor_set(xcolor_t **ppcolor, char *new_color)
     bool flag = false;
     if(!*ppcolor)
     {
-        flag = true; /* p_delete && restore to NULL, if draw_color_new unsuccessful */
+        flag = true; /* p_delete && restore to NULL, if xcolor_new unsuccessful */
         *ppcolor = p_new(xcolor_t, 1);
     }
-    if(!(draw_color_new(globalconf.connection,
+    if(!(xcolor_new(globalconf.connection,
                     globalconf.default_screen,
                     new_color, *ppcolor))
        && flag)
@@ -461,13 +461,13 @@ progressbar_tell(widget_t *widget, const char *property, const char *new_value)
 
         /* change values accordingly... */
         if(!a_strcmp(property, "fg"))
-            draw_color_new(globalconf.connection, globalconf.default_screen, setting, &(d->fg[i]));
+            xcolor_new(globalconf.connection, globalconf.default_screen, setting, &(d->fg[i]));
         else if(!a_strcmp(property, "bg"))
-            draw_color_new(globalconf.connection, globalconf.default_screen, setting, &(d->bg[i]));
+            xcolor_new(globalconf.connection, globalconf.default_screen, setting, &(d->bg[i]));
         else if(!a_strcmp(property, "fg_off"))
-            draw_color_new(globalconf.connection, globalconf.default_screen, setting, &(d->fg_off[i]));
+            xcolor_new(globalconf.connection, globalconf.default_screen, setting, &(d->fg_off[i]));
         else if(!a_strcmp(property, "bordercolor"))
-            draw_color_new(globalconf.connection, globalconf.default_screen, setting, &(d->bordercolor[i]));
+            xcolor_new(globalconf.connection, globalconf.default_screen, setting, &(d->bordercolor[i]));
         else if(!a_strcmp(property, "fg_center"))
             progressbar_pcolor_set(&(d->pfg_center[i]), setting);
         else if(!a_strcmp(property, "fg_end"))