Gentle Apricot Velvet
Gentle Apricot Velvet: a pastel complementary palette of #9CC4D2, #99D3EE, #FFC8B0, #FEDAC5, #E0F4FE. Light, playful and welcoming; best contrast 1.64:1.
A balanced palette of 5 colors drawing on blue, orange, beige, with a tight lightness range that stays soft and cohesive. Its lightest and darkest colors reach a contrast of 1.64:1, better for large type and decoration. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Airborne#9CC4D2
A light, muted blue (Airborne) that brings trust and steadiness. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Fail Whale#99D3EE
A light, muted blue (Fail Whale) that brings quiet confidence. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Dolly Cheek#FFC8B0
A very light, muted pink (Dolly Cheek) that brings gentle playfulness. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Coral Kiss#FEDAC5
A very light, muted beige (Coral Kiss) that brings understated calm. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Vaporised#E0F4FE
A very light, neutral teal (Vaporised) that brings a coastal freshness. Dark text reads well on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white1.86:1Poor 1/5
- On black18.54:1Excellent 5/5
- Color blind friendly90% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≈ Silver | Text | #9CC4D2 | 80% |
| ≈ Sky | Accent | #99D3EE | 84% |
| ≈ Apricot | Primary | #FFC8B0 | 88% |
| ≈ Apricot | Surface | #FEDAC5 | 91% |
| ≈ White | Background | #E0F4FE | 96% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #001F28 for text.
:root {
--color-background: #e0f4fe;
--color-surface: #fedac5;
--color-primary: #ffc8b0;
--color-accent: #99d3ee;
--color-text: #001f28;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #e0f4fe;
--color-surface: #fedac5;
--color-primary: #ffc8b0;
--color-accent: #99d3ee;
--color-ink: #001f28;
}
About this palette
Gentle Apricot Velvet is palette number 576 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a pastel palette built on a complementary scheme, and it is anchored by Apricot (#FFC8B0), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as light, playful and welcoming. Its colors run from White (#E0F4FE) at the light end to Silver (#9CC4D2) at the dark end, covering 80% to 96% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Silver #9CC4D2: suggested role text. It is a cyan color with 80% lightness and a chroma of 0.047.
2. ≈ Sky #99D3EE: suggested role accent. It is a cyan color with 84% lightness and a chroma of 0.07.
3. ≈ Apricot #FFC8B0: suggested role primary. It is a red color with 88% lightness and a chroma of 0.071.
4. ≈ Apricot #FEDAC5: suggested role surface. It is a orange color with 91% lightness and a chroma of 0.049.
5. ≈ White #E0F4FE: suggested role background. It is a near-neutral color with 96% lightness and a chroma of 0.025, so it behaves like a neutral.
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 cyan, red and orange families, spread across 184 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: 2 of its 4 chromatic colors lean warm and 2 lean cool. Its average chroma of 0.052 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 Silver (#9CC4D2) with White (#E0F4FE) at a contrast ratio of 1.64:1, 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 (#E0F4FE), so this page suggests #001F28 for text, a darkened Silver that reaches 15.11:1. Check any pair you use in the contrast checker.
Under protanopia (reduced red sensitivity), #FFC8B0 and #FEDAC5 may look alike, so avoid using that difference alone to carry meaning. Under deuteranopia (reduced green sensitivity), #9CC4D2 and #99D3EE and #FFC8B0 and #FEDAC5 may look alike, so avoid using that difference alone to carry meaning. Under tritanopia (reduced blue sensitivity), #9CC4D2 and #99D3EE may look alike, so avoid using that difference alone to carry meaning.
How to use it
Suggested roles: #E0F4FE as the background, #FEDAC5 for cards and surfaces, #FFC8B0 as the primary brand color, #99D3EE as the accent, and #001F28 for text (a computed darker shade of Silver, because no palette color is readable on that background). 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 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 Apricot Velvet accessible?
Its best pair reaches 1.64:1 (#9CC4D2 on #E0F4FE). 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?
Apricot (#FFC8B0) 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.