Dive into the enchanting world of design as we explore the captivating allure of Deep Winter Color Palettes. From rich, velvety hues to icy tones, discover how these palettes transform designs into cozy visual sanctuaries, infusing warmth and sophistication into your compositions
Deep winter color palettes are inspired by the rich, moody shades we see in our surroundings during the dark winter months. Think frozen glaciers, cosseting firesides, and snow-dusted forests.
Most deep winter color palettes use dark shades of charcoal, brown, teal, or purple to anchor brighter accent hues, like ice white or mint blue. As for which deep winter color palettes to avoid? Sidestep an all-dark palette to keep your winter color scheme fresh and adaptable. (After all, we can definitely do with a color lift during the darkest winter months!)
Now, let’s explore 10 deep winter color palettes and see how their moody style can inspire your seasonal projects.
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Alongside each free palette, you’ll find a relevant HEX code swatch. These codes allow you to use our color schemes for online design projects like apps, websites, and social media posts.
If you want to use these colors to create print designs, the HEX swatches can be easily converted to CMYK.
Discover a deep winter color palette you love? Simply right-click and save the image to your computer, or save it to a mood board for later.
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1. Pink Drizzle
Whether it’s the soft pink glow of city lights through a rain-streaked window or the blush of a winter dawn, pink is a surprisingly appropriate winter color.
In this deep winter color palette, darkest midnight blue and inky teal blue are the moody counterparts to heather purple and cameo pink.
2. Whisky Club
This masculine color scheme takes its inspiration from dark woodland, cozy kitchens, and the fiery glow of a whiskey hot toddy.
Gun metal gray and dark forest green bring the deep winter colors to this palette, while molten amber and chamois bring hygge warmth to the scheme.
3. Baltic Blue
Deep winter color palettes don’t have to include exclusively dark colors. By teaming crisp, bright hues with deeper, richer colors, we can create a scheme that captures the fresh feeling of being outdoors in the winter snowfall.
In this deep winter color palette, peacoat blue and burgundy red are given a fresh, uniform-like feel when teamed with snow white and sable brown.
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4. Tawny Tundra
Wild and wintery Icelandic tundras inspire this deep winter color palette. Designers often avoid using brown color schemes in fear of the result being dull, but this scheme demonstrates how rich and surprisingly fresh brown can be when teamed with deep navy blue and bright white.
Amber brown is the perfect shade of brown for a deep winter scheme, as it blends red and orange tones for extra warmth and depth.
5. Deep Aurora
Mid-winter skies are always especially striking, due to the sun sitting closer to the horizon, casting the clouds in hues of pink and purple.
This deep winter color palette pays tribute to the enigmatic and magical skies seen in the depths of wintertime. With ink black, plum purple, violet purple, and fushsia, it mimics the effect of a rosy winter dawn. Or, if you’re lucky, a glimpse of the Northern Lights.
6. Mid-Winter Metropolis
We often look to the majestic beauty of natural environments to provide color inspiration but, in winter, cities often feature some of the most unusual and beautiful color schemes.
In this deep winter color palette, inspired by urban winterscapes, deep crimson and dark purple are lifted with pastel lavender blue and mint blue.
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7. Emerald Ice
While there may not be a huge amount of green visible in the environment during the depths of winter, green hues can be seen in starlit skies and icy lakes, and they bring much-needed vitality to design projects at this time of year.
This deep winter color palette is a graduating scheme of beautiful green hues, moving from dark forest green to teal green to emerald. Add in a dash of bright white for freshness.
8. Rust and Bone
In the cold months, we are naturally drawn to warm, cosseting colors that offer us comfort on dark, chilly nights. You can use this deep winter color scheme to warm up your projects, making designs feel more cozy and welcoming.
Jaffa orange and rust red look beautiful contrasted with cooler hues, such as zinc gray and charcoal black.
9. Acid Amethyst
This deep winter color palette is not as dark and moody as some of the other schemes featured here, because it is a color palette intended for the tail-end of winter. As the first tentative crocuses break through the snowy ground, they bring an unexpected pop of pastel color to otherwise wintery landscapes.
Dark amethyst purple is the moody hue in this palette, which otherwise uses pale mauve, acid yellow, and foggy dew to invoke a sense of hopefulness.
10. Brown Berry
Think of a deep winter color palette, and it’s likely to include a few berry hues. While this winter color scheme turns to tried-and-tested cranberry red for a festive pop of color, it’s given a more grown-up mood when teamed with sober colors like rosewood, maroon, and bittersweet orange.
Take Your Color Palette to the Next Level with Shutterstock Flex
Need beautiful photography to make that next project pop? We’ve got you covered. With Shutterstock Flex, you’ll have all-in-one access to our massive library, plus the FLEXibility you need to select the perfect mix of assets every time.
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