Imperial vessels

From Gineipaedia, the Legend of Galactic Heroes wiki

Imperial warships are typically large and ornate compared to Alliance warships. Typically built following particular social agendas, the upper decks were spacious and elegant for the officers (and the lower decks cramped and dingy). Imperial bridges were constructed like throne rooms: large and open, they were often rimmed with decorative columns. Everything about an Imperial warship is designed to exude superiority. Though imperial weapons technology was slightly superior than that of the Free Planets Alliance, Imperial shipbuilders chose to focus more on the aesthetics of each individual warship instead of solely prioritizing combat efficiency. This meant that Imperial warships were typically larger than there FPA counterparts, and possessed fewer weapons. On the battlefield, each ship class on one side was roughly equal in ability to the same ship class on the other.

Although all warships are painted in a uniformly gray color, the warships of the Imperial Fleet is much more varied than the FPA Fleet. So, for instance, the Black Lancer Fleet, led by admiral Bittenfeld, were uniformly black, and many flagships were distinctly marked (the Brünhild is white; the Tristan has a blue stripe etc).