Asia
India Color Palette
Saffron, marigold, and the Holi powder spectrum — color as celebration, at full saturation.
The palette
No two colors in this palette reach 4.5:1 for body text. Set text in white or black, as marked on each swatch.
Check this palette: contrast matrix, harmony, color-blind view →Cultural context
India's traditional palette is engineered for a high-sun climate that mutes lower saturation: every hue is pushed toward maximum chroma. The flag's saffron-white-green is a starting point, but the working palette spans from Holi festival pinks and yellows to Mughal miniature blues, from Kanchipuram silk magenta to Rajasthani fort indigo. Henna brown, marigold orange, and the spectrum of religious vermilion (sindoor) anchor everyday and ceremonial life. In much of this tradition, color is celebration, not background.
Suits
Festival designSouth Asian retail brandingBollywood-influenced editorialWedding packaging
Copy as CSS
:root {
--saffron: #ff9933;
--india-green: #138808;
--holi-pink: #e91e63;
--mughal-blue: #1b4f72;
--marigold: #f2a516;
--kanchipuram-magenta: #c2185b;
--sindoor-vermillion: #d32f2f;
--henna-brown: #8d5524;
}Copy as Tailwind
@theme {
--color-saffron: #ff9933;
--color-india-green: #138808;
--color-holi-pink: #e91e63;
--color-mughal-blue: #1b4f72;
--color-marigold: #f2a516;
--color-kanchipuram-magenta: #c2185b;
--color-sindoor-vermillion: #d32f2f;
--color-henna-brown: #8d5524;
}Further reading
More regional palettes
China (Traditional)
Cinnabar red, imperial yellow, and ink-wash green — five-element color theory across two millennia.
Korea (Obangsaek)
The five Obangsaek directions — a ceremonial palette of five cardinal colors.
Vietnam
Áo dài silk, lacquer red, and tropical green — Indochinese color culture in saturated form.
Japan
Indigo, sumi ink, and unbleached paper — restraint as aesthetics.