Retro Color Palette
Retro palettes borrow from print and interiors of the 1960s–80s: mustard, burnt orange, avocado and brown for the 70s, teal, magenta and purple for the 80s. What ties them together is slightly faded saturation and a warm cream instead of white.
See it on a page
Lightest color becomes the background, darkest the text, the most saturated one the button.
Ship the release notes your users actually read.
Body text in your darkest color on your lightest: 11.18:1 AA pass
Export
CSS custom properties, Tailwind v4 @theme (in OKLCH), Tailwind v3 config, JSON or SCSS.
:root {
--color-dark-slate-gray: #3D2B1F;
--color-sienna: #A0522D;
--color-peru: #E07B39;
--color-gold-enrod: #E3B448;
--color-antique-white: #F4E9D8;
}Contrast between every pair
WCAG 2.2: 4.5:1 for body text (AA), 3:1 for large text and UI parts, 7:1 for AAA.
| Text / background | #3D2B1F | #A0522D | #E07B39 | #E3B448 | #F4E9D8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #3D2B1F | Aa2.39:1Fail | Aa4.51:1AA | Aa6.96:1AA | Aa11.18:1AAA | |
| #A0522D | Aa2.39:1Fail | Aa1.88:1Fail | Aa2.91:1Fail | Aa4.67:1AA | |
| #E07B39 | Aa4.51:1AA | Aa1.88:1Fail | Aa1.54:1Fail | Aa2.47:1Fail | |
| #E3B448 | Aa6.96:1AA | Aa2.91:1Fail | Aa1.54:1Fail | Aa1.60:1Fail | |
| #F4E9D8 | Aa11.18:1AAA | Aa4.67:1AA | Aa2.47:1Fail | Aa1.60:1Fail |
Get an AI critique of this palette
The contrast numbers are calculated exactly in your browser and passed to the AI, so its advice starts from real ratios.
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9.79:1 text contrast · Edit in generatorTips for retro palettes
- Swap white for cream (#F4E9D8 or similar) and black for a warm dark brown.
- Lower saturation slightly; retro colors look printed, not on screen.
- Stripes and arches of three or four retro colors are the classic layout.
Want one written for your project? Describe it on the AI palette generator, then check it with the accessible palette checker.
Frequently asked questions
What colors are considered retro?
Mustard yellow, burnt orange, avocado green, brown and cream (1970s); teal, hot pink, purple and yellow (1980s); mint, pink and red with chrome (1950s diners).
How do I make colors look vintage or retro?
Reduce saturation a little, warm everything slightly toward yellow, and use cream instead of pure white.
What is the difference between retro and vintage palettes?
They overlap. “Vintage” usually means faded, muted and paper-like; “retro” often means bolder decade-specific colors such as 70s orange or 80s neon.