90S Retro Color Palette – HEX, RGB & Design Inspiration
Color Details
HEX: #00DB96
RGB: 0, 219, 150
HEX: #49297E
RGB: 73, 41, 126
HEX: #90DCFF
RGB: 144, 220, 255
HEX: #E10086
RGB: 225, 0, 134
HEX: #FDFB76
RGB: 253, 251, 118
Text on White/Black Backgrounds
Color Pair Combinations (10 total)
WCAG Contrast Standards:
- AAA (7:1): Enhanced contrast for maximum readability
- AA (4.5:1): Minimum for normal text (under 18pt)
- AA Large (3:1): Acceptable for large text (18pt+ or 14pt+ bold)
- Fail: Below WCAG standards, not recommended for text
Recommended Text Colors
Horizontal (Left to Right)
background: linear-gradient(to right, #00DB96 0%, #49297E 25%, #90DCFF 50%, #E10086 75%, #FDFB76 100%);Vertical (Top to Bottom)
background: linear-gradient(to bottom, #00DB96 0%, #49297E 25%, #90DCFF 50%, #E10086 75%, #FDFB76 100%);Diagonal (Top Left to Bottom Right)
background: linear-gradient(to bottom right, #00DB96 0%, #49297E 25%, #90DCFF 50%, #E10086 75%, #FDFB76 100%);Usage Tips:
- Copy the CSS code and paste directly into your stylesheets
- Linear gradients work great for backgrounds and hero sections
- Radial gradients are perfect for spotlights and focus effects
- Conic gradients create eye-catching loading spinners and progress indicators
- Smooth transitions ensure seamless color blending
Normal Vision
No color vision deficiency
Color Swatches
#00DB96
#49297E
#90DCFF
#E10086
#FDFB76
Full Palette View
How people with Normal Vision see it:
Overall Mood & Feel
Calm, professional, and trustworthy
Emotional Impact
Calming and contemplative, promoting feelings of trust, stability, and peace. The balanced lightness creates versatility across different contexts
Psychological Effect
This 5-color palette creates a calm, professional, and trustworthy. The combination works together to create memorable visual experiences that influence consumer perception, decision-making, and brand recall. The rich variety provides versatility while maintaining cohesive emotional messaging across touchpoints.
Brand Personality Traits
Perfect For These Industries
Target Audience
Thoughtful consumers who value stability, trust, and quality
Individual Color Psychology
#00DB96
Clear and refreshing
Emotions Evoked
Personality Traits
Brand Traits
Ideal Industries
Marketing Use
Evokes feelings of cleanliness and clarity. Popular in tech and healthcare for its association with precision and hygiene.
Cultural Meanings
Color Harmony Analysis
Palette Mood
Temperature
This palette combines balanced and light & airy moods with neutral and cool and warm tones, making it versatile for various design applications.
Professional Implementation Guide
This complementary 90s retro palette features 5 carefully selected balanced tones that create a balanced and versatile aesthetic. With low contrast levels and vibrant saturation, this palette is optimized for .
Web Design & Development
For web development, implement this palette with CSS variables for easy theme switching. Consider adding darker variants for better text readability.
- Apply the 60-30-10 rule for visual hierarchy
- Use accent colors for CTAs and hover states
- Maintain consistent color usage across all pages
- Test responsive behavior on multiple devices
Mobile App Interfaces
In mobile applications, these balanced tones provide excellent battery efficiency on OLED screens. Use the subtle color variations to define clear touch targets.
- Design both light and dark mode variants
- Consider thumb-reach zones for color placement
- Test under direct sunlight and low light
- Use color to indicate interactive elements
Brand Identity Systems
Build a cohesive brand identity by designating specific colors for specific purposes. Establish your primary brand color from the most distinctive shade and create comprehensive brand guidelines specifying exact usage scenarios.
- Define primary, secondary, and accent colors
- Create usage rules for marketing materials
- Specify minimum sizes and clear space
- Document do's and don'ts for consistency
Frontend Development
Developers can integrate this palette efficiently using modern CSS techniques. Export as CSS variables for maximum flexibility, allowing theme switching and dynamic color updates without rewriting stylesheets.
- Use CSS custom properties for theming
- Implement semantic color naming conventions
- Create utility classes for rapid prototyping
- Consider CSS-in-JS for component-scoped colors
Print Design
For print materials, convert to CMYK using #00DB96 as the dominant color for headers and #FDFB76 for accents. These vibrant colors may appear slightly muted in print; request color proofs.
- Add to your design software color library
- Create swatches for quick color access
- Use CMYK values for print production
- Request color proofs before final print
Marketing Campaigns
Marketing materials benefit from consistent color usage that reinforces brand recognition. Apply this palette across email campaigns, landing pages, advertisements, and social media for maximum impact and memorability.
- Maintain color consistency across channels
- A/B test color variations for conversion
- Consider cultural color associations
- Align colors with campaign messaging
Strategic Color Distribution
Professional designers follow the 60-30-10 rule for balanced color distribution. Here's how to apply this principle with the 90S Retro:
Dominant Color
#00DB96Use #00DB96 as your primary color for backgrounds, main content areas. This cyan tone should occupy about 60% of your design space.
Secondary Color
#90DCFFApply #90DCFF as your secondary color for subtle backgrounds and card components. Allocate approximately 30% of your layout to this color.
Accent Color
#FDFB76Reserve #FDFB76 for accent elements like buttons, links, and important highlights. This yellow accent should be used sparingly (10% of design) to draw attention to key actions.
Professional Best Practices
✓ Smart Usage Tips
- •Add white or black text overlays to improve readability on colored backgrounds
- •Use desaturated versions (reduce saturation by 20-30%) for large background areas to prevent visual fatigue
- •Test your palette across different devices and lighting conditions before finalizing
✗ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- •Don't use all colors equally—establish clear visual hierarchy through color weight
- •Avoid low-contrast text combinations that strain readability
- •Don't rely solely on color to convey meaning (use icons, text, and patterns too)
- •Avoid inconsistent color usage across different pages or screens
- •Don't assume screen colors match print output—always request physical proofs
Palette Overview & Statistics
5
Total Colors
5
Associated Tags
6
Categories
407
Community Likes
Color Analysis & Technical Guide
Detailed breakdown of each color's role, characteristics, and optimal applications. This complementary palette creates a balanced and versatile aesthetic perfect for .
Individual Color Breakdown
Each color in this balanced palette has been analyzed for its properties and ideal usage scenarios. The low contrast and vibrant saturation ensure harmonious visual relationships.
#00DB96
CYAN
#00DB96 serves as the primary/dominant color in this palette. This medium cyan (highly saturated) brings clarity and innovation Use it for headers, navigation bars, and brand elements.
Dark toneH: 161°S: 100%L: 43%#49297E
PURPLE
#49297E serves as the secondary/supporting color in this palette. This medium purple (moderately saturated) brings luxury and mystery Use it for cards, borders, section dividers, and supporting UI components.
Dark toneH: 263°S: 51%L: 33%#90DCFF
CYAN
#90DCFF serves as the secondary/supporting color in this palette. This light cyan (highly saturated) brings clarity and innovation Use it for cards, borders, section dividers, and supporting UI components.
Light toneH: 199°S: 100%L: 78%#E10086
PINK
#E10086 serves as the secondary/supporting color in this palette. This medium pink (highly saturated) brings playfulness and compassion Use it for cards, borders, section dividers, and supporting UI components.
Dark toneH: 324°S: 100%L: 44%#FDFB76
YELLOW
#FDFB76 serves as the accent/highlight color in this palette. This light yellow (highly saturated) brings optimism and cheerfulness Use it for call-to-action buttons, links, important notifications, and interactive elements.
Light toneH: 59°S: 97%L: 73%
Palette Characteristics
This palette exhibits distinct characteristics that make it particularly suitable for specific design applications and industries.
Balanced temperature offers versatility across various design contexts and industries.
Low contrast creates subtle, sophisticated aesthetics but requires careful attention to text legibility.
Vibrant saturation creates bold, attention-grabbing designs perfect for youth brands and creative projects.
Balanced brightness provides flexibility for both light and dark design elements.
💡 Pro Tips for This Palette
- Perfect for: . The complementary color relationship creates natural visual flow.
- Mood & Psychology: This palette evokes a balanced and versatile feeling, making it ideal for brands seeking to convey those qualities.
- Accessibility: Test text combinations carefully with contrast checkers to ensure accessibility compliance.
- Extensions: Create tints (add white) and shades (add black) to expand this 5-color palette into a comprehensive design system.
- Cultural Context: Cool tones are generally perceived as professional worldwide but always research cultural color meanings.
Export Formats
Explore 90S Retro Palette
The 90S Retro color palette is a vibrant and bold collection of hues that instantly transport you back to a bygone era of grunge music, high-waisted jeans, and old school video games. This palette is not just a nostalgic trip, but a carefully crafted blend of colors that evoke feelings of playfulness, elegance, and energy. At its core, the 90S Retro palette is all about embracing the carefree spirit of the decade, and its colors work together in perfect harmony to create a visual experience that is both modern and retro at the same time.
When you delve deeper into the palette, you start to appreciate the unique characteristics of each color. The soft, pastel quality of 00DB96, a pale teal green, provides a calming contrast to the richer, more saturated tones that dominate the palette. In stark contrast, 49297E, a deep, rich purple, adds a sense of sophistication and glamour, while 90DCFF, a bright, poppy cyan, injects a shot of adrenaline and playfulness into the mix. The bold, fire engine red of E10086 adds a sense of urgency and excitement, balanced by the warm, sunny yellow of FDFB76, which brings a sense of optimism and happiness to the palette. Each color plays a vital role in creating the overall aesthetic of the 90S Retro palette, and together they form a cohesive visual language that is both nostalgic and forward-thinking.
The 90S Retro color palette is incredibly versatile, and its applications are diverse and far-reaching. Designers can use this palette to create eye-catching websites, apps, and branding materials that are sure to grab attention and leave a lasting impression. In marketing and advertising, the bold, vibrant colors of the 90S Retro palette can be used to create campaigns that are energetic, playful, and memorable. Whether you are designing a product launch, a social media campaign, or a print advertisement, this palette has the potential to add a unique and distinctive edge to your design. With its eclectic mix of colors, the 90S Retro palette is also ideal for creating bold, statement-making graphics, illustrations, and animations that are sure to stand out in a crowded visual landscape.
The colors in the 90S Retro palette also have a profound psychological impact on the viewer, influencing their perceptions and behavior in subtle but significant ways. The bright, energetic colors of the palette, such as 90DCFF and E10086, can stimulate feelings of excitement and enthusiasm, while the softer, more muted tones, such as 00DB96 and FDFB76, can create a sense of calmness and relaxation. The deep, rich purple of 49297E, meanwhile, can add a sense of luxury and sophistication to a design, making it perfect for high-end branding and marketing materials. By understanding the psychological effects of each color, designers can use the 90S Retro palette to create designs that are not only visually striking but also emotionally resonant and engaging.
To get the most out of the 90S Retro color palette, it is essential to experiment with different combinations and pairings of colors. For example, pairing the bright cyan of 90DCFF with the warm yellow of FDFB76 can create a bold, eye-catching contrast that is perfect for graphics and illustrations. Meanwhile, combining the deep purple of 49297E with the pale teal green of 00DB96 can add a sense of elegance and sophistication to a design. By exploring different color combinations and pairings, designers can unlock the full creative potential of the 90S Retro palette and create designs that are truly unique and memorable. Additionally, considering complementary colors, such as pairing the bold red of E10086 with a deep green or blue, can add an extra layer of depth and visual interest to a design, making it even more engaging and effective.
Palette Image
Below is the generated palette image showing all colors in a vertical layout. Perfect for sharing on social media or using as a reference.
Categories & Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about using and implementing the 90s retro palette effectively in your projects.