Zinc Color Palette – HEX, RGB & Design Inspiration
Color Details
HEX: #92898A
RGB: 146, 137, 138
HEX: #A8A1A1
RGB: 168, 161, 161
HEX: #BEB8B9
RGB: 190, 184, 185
HEX: #D3D0D0
RGB: 211, 208, 208
HEX: #E9E7E8
RGB: 233, 231, 232
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, #92898A 0%, #A8A1A1 25%, #BEB8B9 50%, #D3D0D0 75%, #E9E7E8 100%);Vertical (Top to Bottom)
background: linear-gradient(to bottom, #92898A 0%, #A8A1A1 25%, #BEB8B9 50%, #D3D0D0 75%, #E9E7E8 100%);Diagonal (Top Left to Bottom Right)
background: linear-gradient(to bottom right, #92898A 0%, #A8A1A1 25%, #BEB8B9 50%, #D3D0D0 75%, #E9E7E8 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
#92898A
#A8A1A1
#BEB8B9
#D3D0D0
#E9E7E8
Full Palette View
How people with Normal Vision see it:
Overall Mood & Feel
Energetic, warm, and inviting, with an airy and optimistic feel
Emotional Impact
Stimulating and energetic, evoking feelings of excitement, warmth, and action. The light tones create an uplifting, optimistic atmosphere perfect for approachable brands
Psychological Effect
This 5-color palette creates a energetic, warm, and inviting, with an airy and optimistic feel. 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
Affluent consumers seeking premium, high-quality products and experiences. Appeals to those seeking approachable, positive, and optimistic brands
Individual Color Psychology
#92898A
Neutral and balanced
Emotions Evoked
Personality Traits
Brand Traits
Ideal Industries
Marketing Use
Provides balance and neutrality. Doesn't compete for attention. Professional and timeless. Can appear dull if not balanced with other colors.
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 complementary zinc palette features 5 carefully selected warm tones that create a light and airy aesthetic. With low contrast levels and muted saturation, this palette is optimized for minimalist designs and health & wellness.
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 warm tones provide excellent readability in bright conditions. 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 #92898A as the dominant color for headers and #E9E7E8 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 Zinc:
Dominant Color
#92898AUse #92898A as your primary color for backgrounds, main content areas. This gray tone should occupy about 60% of your design space.
Secondary Color
#BEB8B9Apply #BEB8B9 as your secondary color for subtle backgrounds and card components. Allocate approximately 30% of your layout to this color.
Accent Color
#E9E7E8Reserve #E9E7E8 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
- •Add white or black text overlays to improve readability on colored backgrounds
- •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
5
Categories
3881
Community Likes
Color Analysis & Technical Guide
Detailed breakdown of each color's role, characteristics, and optimal applications. This complementary palette creates a light and airy aesthetic perfect for minimalist designs and health & wellness.
Individual Color Breakdown
Each color in this warm palette has been analyzed for its properties and ideal usage scenarios. The low contrast and muted saturation ensure harmonious visual relationships.
#92898A
GRAY
#92898A serves as the primary/dominant color in this palette. This medium gray (muted) brings neutrality and balance Use it for headers, navigation bars, and brand elements.
Light toneH: 353°S: 4%L: 55%#A8A1A1
GRAY
#A8A1A1 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: 0°S: 4%L: 65%#BEB8B9
GRAY
#BEB8B9 serves as the secondary/supporting color in this palette. This light gray (muted) brings neutrality and balance Use it for cards, borders, section dividers, and supporting UI components.
Light toneH: 350°S: 4%L: 73%#D3D0D0
WHITE
#D3D0D0 serves as the secondary/supporting color in this palette. This light white (muted) brings cleanliness and simplicity Use it for cards, borders, section dividers, and supporting UI components.
Light toneH: 0°S: 3%L: 82%#E9E7E8
WHITE
#E9E7E8 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: 330°S: 4%L: 91%
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.
Low contrast creates subtle, sophisticated aesthetics but requires careful attention to text legibility.
Muted saturation offers sophistication and reduces visual fatigue, ideal for content-heavy applications.
Light palette creates airy, open designs with excellent readability for dark text overlays.
💡 Pro Tips for This Palette
- Perfect for: minimalist designs, health & wellness. The complementary color relationship creates natural visual flow.
- Mood & Psychology: This palette evokes a light and airy 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: Warm colors may have different meanings across cultures—verify associations with your target market.
Export Formats
Explore Zinc Palette
The Zinc color palette is a masterful blend of soft, muted hues that evoke a sense of calmness and serenity, making it perfect for designs that require a soothing and modern aesthetic. At its core, this palette is all about subtle warmth and understated elegance, which is beautifully captured in its range of gentle, monochromatic shades. From the pale, silvery tone of D3D0D0, which adds a touch of sophistication and refinement, to the slightly darker, greyish beige of A8A1A1, each color in the Zinc palette plays a unique role in creating a sense of visual harmony and balance.
Delving deeper into the palette, we find that the individual colors work together in perfect symphony to create a sense of depth and nuance. The lightest shade, E9E7E8, is a soft, creamy hue that adds a touch of warmth and coziness to the design, while the mid-tone shade, BEB8B9, provides a sense of stability and balance. The darker shades, such as 92898A, add a sense of gravity and sophistication, grounding the design and preventing it from feeling too airy or insubstantial. Interestingly, despite the absence of overtly pink or coral hues, the Zinc palette still manages to evoke a sense of soft, feminine charm, making it an excellent choice for designs that require a touch of warmth and personality.
In terms of practical applications, the Zinc color palette is incredibly versatile and can be used in a wide range of design contexts, from websites and apps to branding and marketing materials. Its calming, soothing quality makes it particularly well-suited for designs that require a sense of serenity and tranquility, such as wellness or healthcare-related projects. Additionally, the palette's modern, monochromatic aesthetic makes it an excellent choice for designs that require a sense of sleekness and sophistication, such as tech or finance-related projects. Whether used as a primary color scheme or as an accent palette, the Zinc colors are sure to add a touch of warmth and elegance to any design.
The Zinc color palette also has a profound impact on viewer perception and behavior, as the soft, muted hues have a calming effect on the mind and emotions. Research has shown that colors in the beige and grey spectrum, such as D3D0D0 and A8A1A1, can help to reduce stress and anxiety, while also promoting feelings of relaxation and calmness. Furthermore, the palette's subtle warmth, courtesy of shades like BEB8B9 and E9E7E8, can help to create a sense of approachability and friendliness, making it an excellent choice for designs that require a sense of personality and charm. By leveraging the psychological power of the Zinc color palette, designers can create designs that not only look beautiful but also feel welcoming and engaging.
For designers looking to get the most out of the Zinc color palette, there are several pro tips and pairing suggestions to keep in mind. For example, the palette's soft, muted hues can be beautifully complemented by rich, bold colors like emerald green or navy blue, which can help to add a sense of contrast and visual interest to the design. Additionally, the Zinc colors can be paired with a range of textures and patterns, from soft, organic shapes to bold, geometric motifs, to create a sense of depth and visual complexity. By experimenting with different combinations and permutations of the Zinc palette, designers can unlock a wide range of creative possibilities and produce designs that are both beautiful 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 zinc palette effectively in your projects.