Paper Ash Echo
Paper Ash Echo: a soft neutral monochromatic palette of #86ACB8, #9BBBC7, #BCCCD1, #CFE5EE, #E6F9FE. Pure, minimal and calm; best contrast 2.24:1.
A cool palette of 5 colors drawing on blue, beige, gray, with a tight lightness range that stays soft and cohesive. Its lightest and darkest colors reach a contrast of 2.24:1, better for large type and decoration. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Open Seas#86ACB8
A light, muted blue (Open Seas) that brings quiet confidence. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Shallow Sea#9BBBC7
A light, muted blue (Shallow Sea) that brings quiet confidence. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Windy#BCCCD1
A light, neutral gray (Windy) that brings calm restraint. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Airy#CFE5EE
A very light, neutral gray (Airy) that brings a steady, composed backdrop. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Cold Canada#E6F9FE
A very light, neutral teal (Cold Canada) that brings a coastal freshness. Dark text reads well on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white2.43:1Poor 1/5
- On black19.34:1Excellent 5/5
- Color blind friendly99% similarExcellent 5/5
Contrast is the best any color in the palette reaches on a plain white or black background. Color blind friendly shows how much of the difference between the colors is kept under the common kinds of color blindness.
| Color | Role | HEX | Lightness |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≈ Ash | Text | #86ACB8 | 72% |
| ≈ Silver | Primary | #9BBBC7 | 77% |
| ≈ Silver | Accent | #BCCCD1 | 83% |
| ≈ Powder Blue | Surface | #CFE5EE | 91% |
| ≈ White | Background | #E6F9FE | 97% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #001F27 for text.
:root {
--color-background: #e6f9fe;
--color-surface: #cfe5ee;
--color-primary: #9bbbc7;
--color-accent: #bcccd1;
--color-text: #001f27;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #e6f9fe;
--color-surface: #cfe5ee;
--color-primary: #9bbbc7;
--color-accent: #bcccd1;
--color-ink: #001f27;
}
About this palette
Paper Ash Echo is palette number 15,910 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a soft neutral palette built on a monochromatic scheme, and it is anchored by Ash (#86ACB8), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as pure, minimal and calm. Its colors run from White (#E6F9FE) at the light end to Ash (#86ACB8) at the dark end, covering 72% to 97% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Ash #86ACB8: suggested role text. It is a cyan color with 72% lightness and a chroma of 0.045.
2. ≈ Silver #9BBBC7: suggested role primary. It is a cyan color with 77% lightness and a chroma of 0.039.
3. ≈ Silver #BCCCD1: suggested role accent. It is a near-neutral color with 83% lightness and a chroma of 0.019, so it behaves like a neutral.
4. ≈ Powder Blue #CFE5EE: suggested role surface. It is a near-neutral color with 91% lightness and a chroma of 0.026, so it behaves like a neutral.
5. ≈ White #E6F9FE: suggested role background. It is a near-neutral color with 97% lightness and a chroma of 0.021, so it behaves like a neutral.
Harmony and structure
All five colors share almost the same hue and differ mainly in lightness and saturation. Monochromatic palettes are the easiest to keep harmonious, because nothing competes for attention.
In this palette the hues fall in the cyan family, spread across 3 degrees of the OKLCH hue circle. Soft neutral palettes keep chroma between 0.01 and 0.05, and lightness between 72% and 96%, which is why the set feels consistent.
Temperature and mood
Overall the palette is temperature-neutral: 0 of its 2 chromatic colors lean warm and 2 lean cool. Its average chroma of 0.03 makes the saturation soft.
That combination suits minimal websites, fashion lookbooks and stationery, and it is a good fit when you want a design to feel pure, minimal and calm.
Accessibility and contrast
The strongest pairing is Ash (#86ACB8) with White (#E6F9FE) at a contrast ratio of 2.24:1, which is below the WCAG AA minimum of 4.5:1. Across all 10 possible pairs, 0 reach the 4.5:1 AA level for normal text and 0 more reach 3:1 for large text.
No other palette color reaches 4.5:1 on the background (#E6F9FE), so this page suggests #001F27 for text, a darkened Ash that reaches 15.78:1. Check any pair you use in the contrast checker.
All five colors stay distinguishable under protanopia, deuteranopia and tritanopia simulations, which is a good sign, although it is no substitute for testing with real users.
How to use it
Suggested roles: #E6F9FE as the background, #CFE5EE for cards and surfaces, #9BBBC7 as the primary brand color, #BCCCD1 as the accent, and #001F27 for text (a computed darker shade of Ash, because no palette color is readable on that background). A reliable starting split is 60% background and surface, 30% primary and 10% accent.
Use the lightest color for large areas, the mid tones for structure, and the darkest for text. Add contrast through lightness, since hue will not do it for you.
Typical uses for a soft neutral palette include minimal websites, fashion lookbooks, stationery and note-taking and documentation apps. Open it in the generator to lock the colors you love and reroll the rest, or in the visualizer to see it on real layouts.
More palettes like this
Frequently asked questions
Is Paper Ash Echo accessible?
Its best pair reaches 2.24:1 (#86ACB8 on #E6F9FE). 0 of 10 pairs reach WCAG AA for normal text. Always check the exact text and background you use.
Which color should be the main brand color?
Silver (#9BBBC7) is the most saturated color that is neither the lightest nor the darkest, which makes it the natural primary.
What is this palette good for?
It suits minimal websites, fashion lookbooks, stationery and note-taking and documentation apps, where a pure, minimal and calm feel works well.