Memphis color interpretation

Memphis Pastel

Knowing irony in pastel: squiggle and dot against black

This is one of several color interpretations commonly associated with Memphis.

Part of the Playfulness & Joy mood, alongside Kidcore and Corporate Memphis. Began in the 1980s, on the style timeline.

Omoro Spectrolab · Color Analysis Sampling Live
PaletteMemphis Pastel
Batch032-MP
Pigments0 / 5 Sampled
MoodKnowing irony in paste
Drawdown Recordtap a pull to copy hex
Omoro Color Laboratory - Drawdown Record032-MP / 5 PULLS

knowing irony in pastel: squiggle and dot against black

Sampled Pigment- - - - - -
Awaiting SampleRGB - · - · -
● SENSOR OKHEX COPIED ✓
Export Tray - Digitized SwatchesEMPTY
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On a photo
Memphis plate1 / 5
Hex Reference
#181818Outline Black
#FF9999Pastel Coral
#99CCFFPastel Blue
#FFEE88Pastel Lemon
#FFAAEEPastel Pink
Color Psychology

Outline Black sets the weight of the palette in authority and sophistication, and Pastel Coral is the swatch that breaks rank: a single red that stops the set reading as one note. Outline Black to Pastel Pink spans 74 points of lightness, so the palette can carry its own hierarchy without reaching for a second one. Saturation averages 80 percent with Pastel Coral at the top, which is loud enough that the palette will fight anything else on the page.

authoritysophisticationpowergravityurgencyappetite
Outline Black#181818

Outline Black reads as pure authority: sophistication, power, and the visual weight that makes everything placed near it feel more serious.

Pastel Coral#FF9999

Pastel Coral reads as pure adrenaline: alarm, desire, the color of things that move fast.

Pastel Blue#99CCFF

Pastel Blue an electric or cobalt blue: trust with real conviction, confident rather than passive.

Pastel Lemon#FFEE88

Pastel Lemon an electric, high-visibility yellow: caution and euphoria share the same wavelength here.

Pastel Pink#FFAAEE

Pastel Pink a soft mauve-pink, magenta's confidence turned gentle.

The Aesthetic

80s Italian design movement with geometric patterns, terrazzo, and bold colors

Explore the full Memphis style guideIts decade on the timeline · 1980s
More Memphis Interpretations
Memphis
Squiggle pattern - postmodern and playful
Sotsass
1981 Memphis launch: Ettore Sotsass and the anti-good-taste
Tokyo Memphis
Japanese Memphis: kawaii meets Sottsass in Harajuku
Postmodern Soft
Diluted Memphis: squiggle faded through a decade of nostalgia
Related Palettes
Post-Modernism
Maximalism
Bauhaus
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About This Palette
What colors are in the Memphis Pastel color palette?

5 colors, calibrated to work as one system.

The swatches

  1. Outline Black: #181818
  2. Pastel Coral: #FF9999
  3. Pastel Blue: #99CCFF
  4. Pastel Lemon: #FFEE88
  5. Pastel Pink: #FFAAEE
What mood does the Memphis Pastel color palette convey?

Knowing irony in pastel: squiggle and dot against black

Is Memphis Pastel related to Memphis?

Yes. Memphis Pastel is one of several color interpretations commonly associated with the Memphis aesthetic. Each interpretation captures a distinct emotional register within the same visual world.

What are the hex codes for the Memphis Pastel palette?

Hex codes

  1. #181818
  2. #FF9999
  3. #99CCFF
  4. #FFEE88
  5. #FFAAEE

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