Terra Brown Cascade
Terra Brown Cascade: a earthy complementary palette of #60320A, #794D1A, #618AA0, #85ADD0, #ECC4A9. Organic, honest and tactile; best contrast 6.65:1.
A balanced palette of 5 colors drawing on brown, blue, beige, with a moderate lightness range. Its lightest and darkest colors reach a contrast of 6.65:1, enough for most text. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Chocolate Fantasies#60320A
A dark, moderately saturated brown (Chocolate Fantasies) that brings craft and reliability. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Milk Chocolate#794D1A
A medium, moderately saturated brown (Milk Chocolate) that brings natural comfort. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Horizon#618AA0
A medium, muted blue (Horizon) that brings quiet confidence. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Windfall#85ADD0
A light, muted blue (Windfall) that brings quiet confidence. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Taco#ECC4A9
A light, muted orange (Taco) that brings playful warmth. Dark text reads well on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white10.72:1Very good 4/5
- On black13.03:1Excellent 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≈ Brown | Text | #60320A | 37% |
| ≈ Brown | Primary | #794D1A | 46% |
| ≈ Teal | Surface | #618AA0 | 61% |
| ≈ Cornflower | Accent | #85ADD0 | 73% |
| ≈ Apricot | Background | #ECC4A9 | 85% |
:root {
--color-background: #ecc4a9;
--color-surface: #618aa0;
--color-primary: #794d1a;
--color-accent: #85add0;
--color-text: #60320a;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #ecc4a9;
--color-surface: #618aa0;
--color-primary: #794d1a;
--color-accent: #85add0;
--color-ink: #60320a;
}
About this palette
Terra Brown Cascade is palette number 244 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a earthy palette built on a complementary scheme, and it is anchored by Brown (#794D1A), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as organic, honest and tactile. Its colors run from Apricot (#ECC4A9) at the light end to Brown (#60320A) at the dark end, covering 37% to 85% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Brown #60320A: suggested role text. It is a orange color with 37% lightness and a chroma of 0.083.
2. ≈ Brown #794D1A: suggested role primary. It is a orange color with 46% lightness and a chroma of 0.088.
3. ≈ Teal #618AA0: suggested role surface. It is a cyan color with 61% lightness and a chroma of 0.056.
4. ≈ Cornflower #85ADD0: suggested role accent. It is a blue color with 73% lightness and a chroma of 0.067.
5. ≈ Apricot #ECC4A9: suggested role background. It is a orange color with 85% lightness and a chroma of 0.059.
Harmony and structure
Two hues sit opposite each other on the wheel, each with a close companion. Complementary palettes have built-in tension: the opposite hues make each other look more vivid.
In this palette the hues fall in the orange, cyan and blue families, spread across 190 degrees of the OKLCH hue circle. Earthy palettes keep chroma between 0.04 and 0.11, and lightness between 34% and 86%, which is why the set feels consistent.
Temperature and mood
Overall the palette is temperature-balanced: 3 of its 5 chromatic colors lean warm and 2 lean cool. Its average chroma of 0.071 makes the saturation balanced.
That combination suits food and coffee brands, outdoor and craft businesses and interior-design boards, and it is a good fit when you want a design to feel organic, honest and tactile.
Accessibility and contrast
The strongest pairing is Brown (#60320A) with Apricot (#ECC4A9) at a contrast ratio of 6.65:1, which is WCAG AA. Across all 10 possible pairs, 3 reach the 4.5:1 AA level for normal text and 1 more reach 3:1 for large text.
On the Apricot background (#ECC4A9), #60320A and #794D1A can be used for text at AA contrast.
On the Brown text color (#60320A), #85ADD0 and #ECC4A9 reach AA contrast.
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: #ECC4A9 as the background, #618AA0 for cards and surfaces, #794D1A as the primary brand color, #85ADD0 as the accent, and #60320A for text. A reliable starting split is 60% background and surface, 30% primary and 10% accent.
Give one side of the wheel to the background and structure and the other to calls to action. A small amount of the opposing hue goes a long way.
Typical uses for a earthy palette include food and coffee brands, outdoor and craft businesses, interior-design boards and sustainability reports. 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 Terra Brown Cascade accessible?
Its best pair reaches 6.65:1 (#60320A on #ECC4A9). 3 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?
Brown (#794D1A) 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 food and coffee brands, outdoor and craft businesses, interior-design boards and sustainability reports, where a organic, honest and tactile feel works well.