Gentle Ash Daybreak
Gentle Ash Daybreak: a pastel split complementary palette of #9CC9AA, #9ED7C5, #E0D3E9, #FFDCE0, #DAF9DC. Light, playful and welcoming; best contrast 1.63:1.
A balanced palette of 5 colors drawing on green, teal, beige, with a tight lightness range that stays soft and cohesive. Its lightest and darkest colors reach a contrast of 1.63:1, better for large type and decoration. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Limestoned#9CC9AA
A light, muted green (Limestoned) that brings balance and health. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Whirlpool#9ED7C5
A light, muted teal (Whirlpool) that brings a coastal freshness. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Sweet Dreams#E0D3E9
A very light, neutral pink (Sweet Dreams) that brings gentle playfulness. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Strawberry Blonde#FFDCE0
A very light, muted pink (Strawberry Blonde) that brings gentle playfulness. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Futon#DAF9DC
A very light, muted green (Futon) that brings a fresh, natural feel. Dark text reads well on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white1.85:1Poor 1/5
- On black18.56:1Excellent 5/5
- Color blind friendly83% similarVery good 4/5
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 | #9CC9AA | 80% |
| ≈ Powder Blue | Primary | #9ED7C5 | 83% |
| ≈ Fog | Surface | #E0D3E9 | 88% |
| ≈ Apricot | Accent | #FFDCE0 | 92% |
| ≈ Ivory | Background | #DAF9DC | 95% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #092012 for text.
:root {
--color-background: #daf9dc;
--color-surface: #e0d3e9;
--color-primary: #9ed7c5;
--color-accent: #ffdce0;
--color-text: #092012;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #daf9dc;
--color-surface: #e0d3e9;
--color-primary: #9ed7c5;
--color-accent: #ffdce0;
--color-ink: #092012;
}
About this palette
Gentle Ash Daybreak is palette number 2,544 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a pastel palette built on a split complementary scheme, and it is anchored by Ash (#9CC9AA), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as light, playful and welcoming. Its colors run from Ivory (#DAF9DC) at the light end to Ash (#9CC9AA) at the dark end, covering 80% to 95% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Ash #9CC9AA: suggested role text. It is a green color with 80% lightness and a chroma of 0.065.
2. ≈ Powder Blue #9ED7C5: suggested role primary. It is a teal color with 83% lightness and a chroma of 0.064.
3. ≈ Fog #E0D3E9: suggested role surface. It is a violet color with 88% lightness and a chroma of 0.033.
4. ≈ Apricot #FFDCE0: suggested role accent. It is a rose color with 92% lightness and a chroma of 0.039.
5. ≈ Ivory #DAF9DC: suggested role background. It is a green color with 95% lightness and a chroma of 0.05.
Harmony and structure
One hue is paired with the two hues flanking its opposite. You keep most of the energy of a complementary scheme with less tension and more variety.
In this palette the hues fall in the green, teal, violet and rose families, spread across 302 degrees of the OKLCH hue circle. Pastel palettes keep chroma between 0.03 and 0.08, and lightness between 80% and 96%, which is why the set feels consistent.
Temperature and mood
Overall the palette is temperature-balanced: 1 of its 5 chromatic colors lean warm and 0 lean cool. Its average chroma of 0.05 makes the saturation soft.
That combination suits baby and children's brands, wedding stationery and spring campaigns, and it is a good fit when you want a design to feel light, playful and welcoming.
Accessibility and contrast
The strongest pairing is Ash (#9CC9AA) with Ivory (#DAF9DC) at a contrast ratio of 1.63:1, 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 (#DAF9DC), so this page suggests #092012 for text, a darkened Ash that reaches 15.13:1. Check any pair you use in the contrast checker.
Under protanopia (reduced red sensitivity), #9CC9AA and #9ED7C5, #9ED7C5 and #E0D3E9 and #E0D3E9 and #FFDCE0 may look alike, so avoid using that difference alone to carry meaning. Under deuteranopia (reduced green sensitivity), #9CC9AA and #9ED7C5 and #FFDCE0 and #DAF9DC may look alike, so avoid using that difference alone to carry meaning. Under tritanopia (reduced blue sensitivity), #9CC9AA and #9ED7C5 and #E0D3E9 and #FFDCE0 may look alike, so avoid using that difference alone to carry meaning.
How to use it
Suggested roles: #DAF9DC as the background, #E0D3E9 for cards and surfaces, #9ED7C5 as the primary brand color, #FFDCE0 as the accent, and #092012 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 lone hue as the dominant brand color and the two flanking hues as secondary and accent colors.
Typical uses for a pastel palette include baby and children's brands, wedding stationery, spring campaigns and wellness and beauty websites. 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 Gentle Ash Daybreak accessible?
Its best pair reaches 1.63:1 (#9CC9AA on #DAF9DC). 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?
Powder Blue (#9ED7C5) 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 baby and children's brands, wedding stationery, spring campaigns and wellness and beauty websites, where a light, playful and welcoming feel works well.