Thistle Color Palette
Thistle Color Palette built around #D8BFD8, a light neutral pink anchor (WCAG contrast 1.7:1 against white). The set combines a light tint + a deep shade + a softened complement + a neutral ground so any palette position has a text-safe pairing.
Semantic roles
Assigned deterministically: lightest = background, darkest = text, most saturated = primary.
| background | #F3E7F3 | |
| surface | #C5D2C5 | |
| text | #6F5E6F | |
| text-muted | #BBA6BB | |
| primary | #D8BFD8 | |
| secondary | #C5D2C5 | |
| accent | #BBA6BB |
CSS variables
:root {
--background: #f3e7f3;
--surface: #c5d2c5;
--text: #6f5e6f;
--text-muted: #bba6bb;
--primary: #d8bfd8;
--secondary: #c5d2c5;
--accent: #bba6bb;
}Accessibility matrix
Text color (rows) on background (columns). Green = WCAG AA pass for normal text (≥4.5:1).
| Text \ BG | #D8BFD8 | #F3E7F3 | #6F5E6F | #C5D2C5 | #BBA6BB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #D8BFD8 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 3.5 | 1.1 | 1.3 |
| #F3E7F3 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 1.3 | 1.9 |
| #6F5E6F | 3.5 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 3.8 | 2.6 |
| #C5D2C5 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 3.8 | 1.0 | 1.4 |
| #BBA6BB | 1.3 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 1.0 |
Under deuteranopia
Machado et al. (2009) simulation, severity 1.0 — approximation, not a medical tool.
Colors in this palette
Similar palettes
FAQ
How do I use the thistle color palette in CSS?
Copy the CSS variables below into :root and use var(--primary), var(--background) etc. Full palette: #D8BFD8, #F3E7F3, #6F5E6F, #C5D2C5, #BBA6BB.
Do these colors pass accessibility checks?
See the WCAG matrix on this page: every text-on-background pairing with ratio ≥ 4.5 passes AA for normal text; ≥ 3 passes AA for large text and UI components.