These 10 FREE winter color palettes take their inspiration from the diverse hues of winter landscapes, and the flora and fauna that inhabit them.
Your perception of winter might be that it’s a season of bleakness and gray weather but, in nature, this couldn’t be less true. Look hard enough and you’ll find that winter is full of vivid color, whether it’s exceptionally rich sunsets or dramatic tones of evergreen forests dusted in snow.
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You can use these winter palettes to bring nature-inspired hues into your design projects—social media posts, event flyers, holiday hangs, etc.
Many of these schemes also offer unique color ideas for interior design projects, allowing you to create cocooning and comforting decor schemes.
License these images via Caroline Ericson, Wang Zhibo, and YRABOTA.
The Winter Season in Full Color
Nature is the ultimate color inspiration, and here we take the cold weather as the starting point for 10 evocative winter color schemes—dusty pastels, tonal jewel hues, and so much more.
A celebration of the natural environment in the cold weather season, you’ll discover unexpected winter color combinations that showcase the richness and diversity of winter.
Found a winter palette you love? Simply right-click and save the image, or pin to a mood board to use in a project later.
Each winter color palette includes the HEX code values that allow you to use the swatches in digital designs. For print designs, simply convert to CMYK swatches.
1. Forest Glow
Shades of blush pink combine with mint green and teal green to create this ethereal color scheme. Inspired by quiet moments in snow-dusted forests, this is a calming color palette that will bring freshness and tranquility to your design projects.
2. Weekend at the Cabin
Who wouldn’t relish the thought of a weekend hunkering down in a cozy cabin?
This biscuit- and hazelnut-hued winter palette is all about comforting colors that bring to mind leisurely countryside activities, such as crisp morning walks and the reward of home-baked bread.
3. Aurora
There’s probably nothing more spectacular in nature than to witness the otherworldly glow of the Northern Lights.
This color palette takes nature’s greatest light show as its inspiration, combining inky peacoat blue, pale blue gray. and celadon green with mesmerizing neon sea green.
4. Brownstone
Nature can be found in even the most urban of environments.
This earthy, brown-based color palette is inspired by snowy walks in the park, with the promise of hot cocoa to follow. A preppy palette perfect for crafting brand identities with authority.
Or, why not try with interior design projects to create a cozy, cocooning effect?
5. Pastel Hamlet
The light in winter is starker and clearer, making colors feel cooler and paler than in summer. While pastel colors have a common association with springtime, they’re also perfectly in tune with the winter season.
This pale and interesting palette combines sugar-dusted hues of egg yolk yellow, powder pink, sky blue, and pastel green to recreate the feel of a snow-clad country village.
A light-hearted, fresh palette that would be a great fit for social media designs in the colder months.
License these images via Caroline Ericson, Wang Zhibo, and YRABOTA.
6. Winter Harvest
At the start of winter, nature is often at its most bountiful, with late-year harvests of fruit and root vegetables providing us with plenty of delectable color inspiration.
Here, deep blue is the anchoring color for purple wine and beetroot red, while absinthe yellow provides an uplifting vitamin boost.
7. Pine Cone
Venture out into the great outdoors after the snow has fallen and you’ll be rewarded with all sorts of country critters, as well as epic snow-frosted landscapes.
This rustic, forest-inspired palette is a nice choice for outdoorsy branding or down-to-earth designs, with nature-inspired hues of hunter green, chambray blue, and chestnut red.
8. Ice Breaker
A color palette inspired by the deepest mid-winter, this arctic-inspired scheme is a blend of icy blue tones, including deep water blue, periwinkle, pale baby blue, and pure snow white.
A cool alternative palette for festive or holiday designs, this is a stylish tribute to the enigmatic blues of deep winter.
9. Caledonian Sleeper
Catch the sleeper train from London to Inverness, and wake up to a view of the Highlands, one of the most romantic and dramatic natural regions on earth.
Whether it’s the golden sandstone of Edinburgh’s Old Town or the rusts and reds of the wild Cairngorm mountains, Scotland is the perfect place to source inspiring winter color.
This Scottish-inspired color palette combines Celtic winter colors, including tartan red, classic camel, deep teal green, and pale foggy dew.
10. Dark Flora
Rich, jewel colors feel just right for winter.
As the nights draw in, dramatic sunsets transform winter skies into watercolors of amethyst and gold, while winter produce ripen towards deep shades of cabbage purple and butternut orange.
Swap your bright summertime prints for dark and moody florals with this sumptuous, opulent palette.
Get Started with Winter’s Best Stock Photography
Looking for photos and vectors to get your creative process over the river and through the woods? We’ve got the very best winter-themed stock photography to get those wheels (or snow tires) spinning.
License these images via Fanfo, Ondrej Prosicky, Dmitriev Mikhail, Shaiith, Adam Gryko, Sandra Cunningham, Melinda Nagy, Dmitry Demkin, and encierro.
Feeling Inspired by These Winter Colors?
Looking for vibrant, seasonal imagery inspired by these winter palettes or the summer, spring, or fall scene of your dreams? We’ve got you covered. It’s never been easier to access everything you need in a single subscription.
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License this cover image via Mumemories.
