Espresso Color Palette – HEX, RGB & Design Inspiration
Color Details
HEX: #4E312D
RGB: 78, 49, 45
HEX: #715A57
RGB: 113, 90, 87
HEX: #958381
RGB: 149, 131, 129
HEX: #B8ADAB
RGB: 184, 173, 171
HEX: #DCD6D5
RGB: 220, 214, 213
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, #4E312D 0%, #715A57 25%, #958381 50%, #B8ADAB 75%, #DCD6D5 100%);Vertical (Top to Bottom)
background: linear-gradient(to bottom, #4E312D 0%, #715A57 25%, #958381 50%, #B8ADAB 75%, #DCD6D5 100%);Diagonal (Top Left to Bottom Right)
background: linear-gradient(to bottom right, #4E312D 0%, #715A57 25%, #958381 50%, #B8ADAB 75%, #DCD6D5 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
#4E312D
#715A57
#958381
#B8ADAB
#DCD6D5
Full Palette View
How people with Normal Vision see it:
Overall Mood & Feel
Energetic, warm, and inviting
Emotional Impact
Stimulating and energetic, evoking feelings of excitement, warmth, and action. The balanced lightness creates versatility across different contexts
Psychological Effect
This 5-color palette creates a energetic, warm, and inviting. It stimulates activity and engagement, increasing heart rate and mental alertness. 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
Active, outgoing individuals who respond to energy and enthusiasm
Individual Color Psychology
#4E312D
Powerful and sophisticated
Emotions Evoked
Personality Traits
Brand Traits
Ideal Industries
Marketing Use
Creates urgency, stimulates appetite, increases heart rate, and grabs attention. Perfect for clearance sales, food brands, and call-to-action buttons.
Cultural Meanings
Color Harmony Analysis
Palette Mood
Temperature
This palette combines balanced and light & airy moods with warm tones, making it versatile for various design applications.
Professional Implementation Guide
This monochromatic espresso palette features 5 carefully selected warm tones that create a balanced and versatile aesthetic. With high contrast levels and muted saturation, this palette is optimized for web interfaces and mobile apps.
Web Design & Development
For web development, implement this palette with CSS variables for easy theme switching. The high contrast makes it ideal for accessible interfaces meeting WCAG AA standards.
- 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 warm tones provide excellent battery efficiency on OLED screens. Use the strong color contrast 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 #4E312D as the dominant color for headers and #DCD6D5 for accents. These colors translate well to print with minimal adjustment.
- 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 Espresso:
Dominant Color
#4E312DUse #4E312D as your primary color for backgrounds, main content areas. This red tone should occupy about 60% of your design space.
Secondary Color
#958381Apply #958381 as your secondary color for supporting elements and section dividers. Allocate approximately 30% of your layout to this color.
Accent Color
#DCD6D5Reserve #DCD6D5 for accent elements like buttons, links, and important highlights. This white accent should be used sparingly (10% of design) to draw attention to key actions.
Professional Best Practices
✓ Smart Usage Tips
- •Balance warm tones with neutral whites or grays to create visual breathing room
- •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
2
Associated Tags
6
Categories
1348
Community Likes
Color Analysis & Technical Guide
Detailed breakdown of each color's role, characteristics, and optimal applications. This monochromatic palette creates a balanced and versatile aesthetic perfect for web interfaces and mobile apps.
Individual Color Breakdown
Each color in this warm palette has been analyzed for its properties and ideal usage scenarios. The high contrast and muted saturation ensure excellent readability and accessibility.
#4E312D
RED
#4E312D serves as the primary/dominant color in this palette. This dark red (muted) brings power and sophistication Use it for headers, navigation bars, and brand elements.
Dark toneH: 7°S: 27%L: 24%#715A57
RED
#715A57 serves as the secondary/supporting color in this palette. This medium red (muted) brings power and sophistication Use it for cards, borders, section dividers, and supporting UI components.
Dark toneH: 7°S: 13%L: 39%#958381
GRAY
#958381 serves as the secondary/supporting color in this palette. This medium gray (muted) brings neutrality and balance Use it for cards, borders, section dividers, and supporting UI components.
Light toneH: 6°S: 9%L: 55%#B8ADAB
GRAY
#B8ADAB serves as the secondary/supporting color in this palette. This medium gray (muted) brings neutrality and balance Use it for cards, borders, section dividers, and supporting UI components.
Light toneH: 9°S: 8%L: 70%#DCD6D5
WHITE
#DCD6D5 serves as the accent/highlight color in this palette. This light white (muted) brings cleanliness and simplicity Use it for call-to-action buttons, links, important notifications, and interactive elements.
Light toneH: 9°S: 9%L: 85%
Palette Characteristics
This palette exhibits distinct characteristics that make it particularly suitable for specific design applications and industries.
Warm colors create energy, excitement, and approachability. Perfect for brands targeting emotional connection.
High contrast ensures excellent readability and meets WCAG accessibility standards for most text combinations.
Muted saturation offers sophistication and reduces visual fatigue, ideal for content-heavy applications.
Balanced brightness provides flexibility for both light and dark design elements.
💡 Pro Tips for This Palette
- Perfect for: web interfaces, mobile apps. The monochromatic 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: Excellent contrast makes this palette naturally accessible. Most color combinations will meet WCAG AA standards.
- Extensions: Create tints (add white) and shades (add black) to expand this 5-color palette into a comprehensive design system.
- Cultural Context: Warm colors may have different meanings across cultures—verify associations with your target market.
Export Formats
Explore Espresso Palette
The Espresso color palette is a masterful blend of warm, muted tones that evoke a sense of comfort and sophistication, perfect for designers seeking to create a calming yet bold visual experience. At its core, this monochromatic palette is built around a series of nuanced shades that graduate from deep, rich browns to soft, creamy beiges, with the darkest tone, 4E312D, providing a dramatic and intense foundation. As the palette progresses, 715A57 introduces a slightly lighter, yet still deeply earthy note, while 958381 adds a touch of subtle warmth and depth, creating a sense of layering and dimensionality.
The Espresso palette's middle tones, including 958381 and B8ADAB, bring a sense of balance and harmony to the overall aesthetic, with the former's muted, earthy quality giving way to the latter's softer, more muted beige. Finally, the lightest tone, DCD6D5, provides a clean and airy contrast to the deeper shades, creating a sense of breathing room and visual relief. While the palette's overall effect is decidedly warm and inviting, it's worth noting that the inclusion of pink and coral undertones, particularly in the lighter shades, adds a touch of subtle femininity and playfulness to the overall design. The 715A57 shade, for example, has a hint of coral that adds depth and visual interest to the palette.
In practical terms, the Espresso palette is incredibly versatile, lending itself to a wide range of design applications, from websites and apps to branding and marketing materials. For example, a website's background could feature the deep, rich tone of 4E312D, while the navigation and accents might incorporate the lighter, airier quality of DCD6D5. Similarly, a brand's packaging and marketing materials could leverage the palette's bold, muted tones to create a sense of sophistication and elegance. The palette's calming, professional quality also makes it an excellent choice for financial, healthcare, or educational institutions seeking to convey trust and stability.
The psychological impact of the Espresso palette is also worth considering, as the warm, muted tones have a profound influence on viewer perception and behavior. The deep, earthy shades, such as 4E312D and 715A57, can create a sense of comfort and security, while the lighter tones, like B8ADAB and DCD6D5, can promote feelings of calmness and serenity. Moreover, the palette's subtle, coral-tinged undertones can add a touch of warmth and approachability, making it an excellent choice for designs that aim to engage and connect with users on an emotional level. By leveraging the Espresso palette's unique combination of warm, muted tones, designers can create visual experiences that are both soothing and stimulating, inviting users to linger and explore.
For designers seeking to get the most out of the Espresso palette, it's worth exploring complementary color pairings and design best practices. For example, pairing the deep, rich tone of 4E312D with a bright, poppy coral can create a striking visual contrast that adds energy and visual interest to the design. Alternatively, incorporating natural textures and earthy patterns can help to enhance the palette's organic, muted quality, creating a sense of depth and dimensionality. By combining the Espresso palette's warm, muted tones with thoughtful design principles and complementary color pairings, designers can create visual experiences that are both beautiful and effective, engaging users and conveying a sense of sophistication and elegance.
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 espresso palette effectively in your projects.
