Light Summer Color Palette

The light summer colors, one by one

• Powder Blue (#B9D3EE) is a cool, very light, vivid blue, closest to powder blue among common named colors. Use it as a statement color near the face or a call to action.
• Soft Sky (#A7C7E7) is a cool, light, moderately saturated blue, closest to powder blue among common named colors. Use it as tops, accessories and supporting UI surfaces.
• Lavender (#C8B8E6) is a cool, very light, moderately saturated violet, closest to periwinkle among common named colors. Use it as tops, accessories and supporting UI surfaces.
• Light Orchid (#D7B4D9) is a cool, light, moderately saturated magenta, closest to lilac among common named colors. Use it as tops, accessories and supporting UI surfaces.
• Rose Pink (#F2B5C6) is a warm, very light, vivid red, closest to apricot among common named colors. Use it as a statement color near the face or a call to action.
• Soft Watermelon (#EE8C9E) is a warm, light, vivid red, closest to dusty rose among common named colors. Use it as a statement color near the face or a call to action.
• Seafoam (#A8DCCB) is a cool, light, moderately saturated teal-green, closest to seafoam green among common named colors. Use it as tops, accessories and supporting UI surfaces.
• Light Teal (#7FC4C1) is a cool, light, moderately saturated cyan, closest to seafoam green among common named colors. Use it as tops, accessories and supporting UI surfaces.
• Periwinkle (#9BA8E0) is a cool, light, moderately saturated blue, closest to sky blue among common named colors. Use it as tops, accessories and supporting UI surfaces.
• Light Lemon (#F6EFA6) is a warm, very light, vivid yellow-orange, closest to pale yellow among common named colors. Use it as a statement color near the face or a call to action.
• Soft Navy (#4A5C80) is a cool, dark, muted blue, closest to slate grey among common named colors. Use it as tops, accessories and supporting UI surfaces.
• Soft White (#F7F8FA) is a cool, very light, muted blue, closest to off white among common named colors. Use it as a background or base neutral.

What is seasonal color analysis?

Who is a Light Summer?

How to tell if you are a Light Summer

Building a light summer wardrobe

• Light Summer wardrobes are built on soft white, light grey, blue grey and soft navy. These neutrals keep the palette airy and low in contrast.
• Add color with powder blue, lavender, rose pink, seafoam, periwinkle and light teal. Soft, flowing fabrics and gentle prints in these colors suit the season.
• For darker pieces, soft navy and blue grey work far better than black or chocolate brown.

Makeup, hair and jewelry

Common mistakes with a light summer palette

• Reaching for the wrong neutral. Black (#000000) is the most common slip. Swap it for soft white, light grey, blue grey to keep the cool-neutral feel.
• Mixing in the wrong temperature. Colors like orange, mustard, rust break the harmony because they sit outside Light Summer's cool-neutral, soft range.
• Using every color at once. A palette of twelve colors is a menu, not an outfit or a layout. Pick one main color, one accent and one or two neutrals for any single look or screen.
• Ignoring contrast on screen. Many light summer colors are light, so check text against the WCAG contrast guideline before using them for copy or button labels.

Ready-made light summer palettes

Best neutrals, and colors to avoid

Using light summer colors in design

:root {
  --light-summer-morning-haze-1: #F7F8FA;
  --light-summer-morning-haze-2: #B9D3EE;
  --light-summer-morning-haze-3: #C8B8E6;
  --light-summer-morning-haze-4: #F2B5C6;
  --light-summer-morning-haze-5: #4A5C80;
}

Light Summer vs neighbouring seasons

Sources and further reading

• Wikipedia: Color analysis (art) · History of seasonal color analysis and the twelve-season system.
• WCAG 2.1: Contrast (Minimum) · The W3C rule behind the 4.5:1 and 3:1 thresholds used on this page.
• MDN: CSS color values · Reference for hex, rgb() and hsl() syntax.

More seasonal palettes

Questions people ask