diff --git a/cmake/BuildType.cmake b/cmake/BuildType.cmake
index 14a12a8ccc0c22511e31288d7ab3b4fea69fb561..ac66a37a7ee18d873e34487b35740b9178027783 100644
--- a/cmake/BuildType.cmake
+++ b/cmake/BuildType.cmake
@@ -14,15 +14,9 @@ set(default_build_type "Release")
 # endif()
 
 if(NOT CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE AND NOT CMAKE_CONFIGURATION_TYPES)
-  if( COLOR_DEFS )
-    message(STATUS "${Blue}INFO: Setting build type to '${default_build_type}' as none was specified.${ColourReset}")
-  else()
-    message(STATUS "INFO: Setting build type to '${default_build_type}' as none was specified.")
-  endif()
-  set(CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE "${default_build_type}" CACHE
-      STRING "Choose the type of build." FORCE)
+  message(STATUS "${Blue}INFO: Setting build type to '${default_build_type}' as none was specified.${ColourReset}")
+  set(CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE "${default_build_type}" CACHE STRING "Choose the type of build." FORCE)
   # Set the possible values of build type for cmake-gui
-  set_property(CACHE CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE PROPERTY STRINGS
-    "Debug" "Release" "MinSizeRel" "RelWithDebInfo")
+  set_property(CACHE CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE PROPERTY STRINGS "Debug" "Release" "MinSizeRel" "RelWithDebInfo")
 endif()
 
diff --git a/cmake/PrintBuildInfo.cmake b/cmake/PrintBuildInfo.cmake
index 862a34b45c7506c83a229d7ef71ff604d182acb6..68d6ac021630eea3a87ec51a01544965cd7238a6 100644
--- a/cmake/PrintBuildInfo.cmake
+++ b/cmake/PrintBuildInfo.cmake
@@ -1,13 +1,6 @@
 # Copyright (C) 2002-2020 CERN for the benefit of the ATLAS collaboration
 
-if( COLOR_DEFS )
-  message(STATUS "-----")
-  message(STATUS "${BoldYellow}Building with type: ${CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE}${ColourReset}")
-  message(STATUS "${BoldYellow}Using C++ standard: ${CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD}${ColourReset}")
-  message(STATUS "-----")
-else()
-  message(STATUS "-----")
-  message(STATUS "Building with type: ${CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE}")
-  message(STATUS "Using C++ standard: ${CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD}")
-  message(STATUS "-----")
-endif()
+message(STATUS "-----")
+message(STATUS "${BoldYellow}Building with type: ${CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE}${ColourReset}")
+message(STATUS "${BoldYellow}Using C++ standard: ${CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD}${ColourReset}")
+message(STATUS "-----")
diff --git a/cmake/SetupCoin3D.cmake b/cmake/SetupCoin3D.cmake
index d8372de2a0ac68c3e97a7df3bbf6891cc06dbe2b..98d818f55d62689c87acbffa67c1077e43d6a3dc 100644
--- a/cmake/SetupCoin3D.cmake
+++ b/cmake/SetupCoin3D.cmake
@@ -20,11 +20,7 @@ option( GEOMODEL_USE_BUILTIN_COIN3D
 if( GEOMODEL_USE_BUILTIN_COIN3D )
 
    # Tell the user what's happening.
-   if( COLOR_DEFS )
-	   message( STATUS "${BoldMagenta}'GEOMODEL_USE_BUILTIN_COIN3D' was set to 'true' ==> Building Coin and SoQt  as part of the project${ColourReset}" )
-   else()
-	   message( STATUS "'GEOMODEL_USE_BUILTIN_COIN3D' was set to 'true' ==> Building Coin and SoQt as part of the project" )
-   endif()
+	message( STATUS "${BoldMagenta}'GEOMODEL_USE_BUILTIN_COIN3D' was set to 'true' ==> Building Coin and SoQt  as part of the project${ColourReset}" )
 
    # External(s) required for the build.
    find_package( Boost REQUIRED )
diff --git a/cmake/SetupJSON.cmake b/cmake/SetupJSON.cmake
index 3e6312b0df7f06bdcf1279e756def2a540da9ae9..a516cde54638058bee2aec199d00a2df564f0acd 100644
--- a/cmake/SetupJSON.cmake
+++ b/cmake/SetupJSON.cmake
@@ -21,11 +21,7 @@ option( GEOMODEL_USE_BUILTIN_JSON
 if( GEOMODEL_USE_BUILTIN_JSON )
 
    # Tell the user what's happening.
-   if( COLOR_DEFS )
-     message( STATUS "${BoldMagenta}'GEOMODEL_USE_BUILTIN_JSON' was set to 'true' ==> Building nlohmann_json as part of the project${ColourReset}" )
-   else()
-     message( STATUS "'GEOMODEL_USE_BUILTIN_JSON' was set to 'true' ==> Building nlohmann_json as part of the project" )
-   endif()
+   message( STATUS "${BoldMagenta}'GEOMODEL_USE_BUILTIN_JSON' was set to 'true' ==> Building nlohmann_json as part of the project${ColourReset}" )
 
    # The include directory and library that will be produced.
    set( nlohmann_json_INCLUDE_DIR
diff --git a/cmake/SetupXercesC.cmake b/cmake/SetupXercesC.cmake
index da6ec6fda361b2fd23da6cbe07b0cbabc3542f2a..e42cb94c00759e9fee3fbecd9a3145cfcca74ce4 100644
--- a/cmake/SetupXercesC.cmake
+++ b/cmake/SetupXercesC.cmake
@@ -20,16 +20,12 @@ option( GEOMODEL_USE_BUILTIN_XERCESC
 if( GEOMODEL_USE_BUILTIN_XERCESC )
 
    # Tell the user what's happening.
-   if( COLOR_DEFS )
-     message( STATUS "${BoldMagenta}'GEOMODEL_USE_BUILTIN_XERCESC' was set to 'true' ==> Building XercesC as part of the project${ColourReset}" )
-   else()
-     message( STATUS "'GEOMODEL_USE_BUILTIN_XERCESC' was set to 'true' ==> Building XercesC as part of the project" )
-   endif()
+   message( STATUS "${BoldMagenta}'GEOMODEL_USE_BUILTIN_XERCESC' was set to 'true' ==> Building XercesC as part of the project${ColourReset}" )
 
    # The include directory and library that will be produced.
    set( XercesC_INCLUDE_DIR
        "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}${CMAKE_FILES_DIRECTORY}/XercesCInstall/${CMAKE_INSTALL_INCLUDEDIR}" CACHE PATH "Path to the Xerces-C include directory" FORCE )
-  set( XercesC_INCLUDE_DIRS "${XercesC_INCLUDE_DIR}" )
+   set( XercesC_INCLUDE_DIRS "${XercesC_INCLUDE_DIR}" )
    set( XercesC_LIBRARY
        "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}${CMAKE_FILES_DIRECTORY}/XercesCInstall/lib/${CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_PREFIX}xerces-c${CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_SUFFIX}" CACHE PATH "Path to the Xerces-C library file" FORCE )
    set( XercesC_LIBRARIES "${XercesC_LIBRARY}" )
diff --git a/cmake/configure_cpp_options.cmake b/cmake/configure_cpp_options.cmake
index 9a6cc8a7902de8bd14d412f0ca4fc86a3bc116fc..4b7db9d2889a3a772d386c8fcf648c311cc1b5a7 100644
--- a/cmake/configure_cpp_options.cmake
+++ b/cmake/configure_cpp_options.cmake
@@ -18,8 +18,7 @@
 set( CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE "Release" CACHE STRING "CMake build mode to use" )
 set( CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD 17 CACHE STRING "C++ standard used for the build" )
 set( CMAKE_CXX_EXTENSIONS FALSE CACHE BOOL "(Dis)allow using GNU extensions" )
-set( CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD_REQUIRED TRUE CACHE BOOL
-   "Require the specified C++ standard for the build" )
+set( CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD_REQUIRED TRUE CACHE BOOL "Require the specified C++ standard for the build" )
 
 # Setting CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS to avoid "deprecated" warnings
 set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "-Wno-deprecated-declarations" ) # very basic
@@ -28,7 +27,6 @@ set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "-Wno-deprecated-declarations" ) # very basic
 #set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "-Wall -Wextra -Werror -pedantic-errors" ) # better for an even more severe check
 #set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "-Weverything -Werror -pedantic-errors" ) # not recommended, it warns for really EVERYTHING!
 
-
 # TODO: for Debug and with GCC, do we want to set the flags below by default?
 # set( CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE DEBUG )
 # set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "-fPIC -O0 -g -gdwarf-2" )