#C8384E
#3E5E8E
#F0EEE8
#2E2E30
Background
Primary Accent
Secondary
Body Text

Old Barbershop Color Palette

#C8384E · #3E5E8E · #F0EEE8 · #2E2E30

Fail
WCAG Grade
2.7:1
Contrast Ratio
857
Saves
3,148
AI Copies
AI Prompt

Use #C8384E as the background. Use #3E5E8E as the primary accent. Use #F0EEE8 as secondary. Use #2E2E30 as body text/supporting color. Palette mood: Old Barbershop — vintage, cool, mono, warm.

Hex Codes, RGB & CMYK Color Values

Technical breakdown for the Old Barbershop color scheme. Use these values for web design (HEX/RGB), print projects (CMYK), or specialized design software (HSL).

Swatch Design Role HEX RGB CMYK HSL
Background
Luminance: 15.7%
200, 56, 78 0%, 72%, 61%, 22% 351°, 57%, 50%
Primary Accent
Luminance: 11.0%
62, 94, 142 56%, 34%, 0%, 44% 216°, 39%, 40%
Secondary
Luminance: 85.5%
240, 238, 232 0%, 1%, 3%, 6% 45°, 21%, 93%
Body Text
Luminance: 2.7%
46, 46, 48 4%, 4%, 0%, 81% 240°, 2%, 18%

Old Barbershop Tints & Shades

Hover states, borders and elevation need lighter and darker steps of your base colors. Here are computed tints and shades for every color in the Old Barbershop palette — click any swatch to copy its hex.

#C8384E gently saturated rose-red
#3E5E8E gently saturated blue
#F0EEE8 muted orange
#2E2E30 neutral gray

Old Barbershop Palette Contrast Matrix (WCAG 2.1)

Every color tested as text on every other color as background. Body copy needs 4.5:1 (AA), large text and UI components 3:1. AAA requires 7:1.

Text on Background Preview Ratio Grade Safe For
#2E2E30 on #F0EEE8
Aa Sample Text
11.68:1 AAA Body text, headings, UI
#F0EEE8 on #2E2E30
Aa Sample Text
11.68:1 AAA Body text, headings, UI
#F0EEE8 on #3E5E8E
Aa Sample Text
5.66:1 AA Body text, UI
#3E5E8E on #F0EEE8
Aa Sample Text
5.66:1 AA Body text, UI
#F0EEE8 on #C8384E
Aa Sample Text
4.38:1 Fail Large headings, UI components
#C8384E on #F0EEE8
Aa Sample Text
4.38:1 Fail Large headings, UI components
#2E2E30 on #C8384E
Aa Sample Text
2.67:1 Fail Decorative use only
#C8384E on #2E2E30
Aa Sample Text
2.67:1 Fail Decorative use only
#2E2E30 on #3E5E8E
Aa Sample Text
2.06:1 Fail Decorative use only
#3E5E8E on #2E2E30
Aa Sample Text
2.06:1 Fail Decorative use only
#3E5E8E on #C8384E
Aa Sample Text
1.29:1 Fail Decorative use only
#C8384E on #3E5E8E
Aa Sample Text
1.29:1 Fail Decorative use only

Old Barbershop Color Psychology & Meaning

A barber's pole is red and white with blue, and the stripes rotate to suggest the movement of the shop's trade, and this palette is barber red with white pole. It feels traditional and simple, the color of a pole that has spun for a century.

Color Harmony: Triadic Scheme

The Old Barbershop palette is built using a triadic relationship between its hues. This ensures that even with high-contrast accents, the overall scheme feels balanced and intentional.

Hue Wheel

A triadic palette is often preferred by professional designers because it balances visual interest with cohesion.

History & Design Context

The barber's pole descends from the practice of bloodletting: the red represented blood, the white the bandage, and the pole the staff the patient gripped, and blue was added in the United States.

Best Design Use Cases

Use the barber red for hero surfaces, barber blue for interactive elements, white pole for accents, and chrome dark for text.

Industries This Palette Suits

Film photography, vinyl, podcasting, heritage tourism.

Colors That Pair Well With Old Barbershop

Need a fifth color? These three companions are computed from the palette's own hue positions on the color wheel, so they extend the scheme without breaking its harmony.

orange

directly opposite #3E5E8E on the wheel — the strongest accent for CTAs and highlights when you need maximum energy

blue

30° beside #3E5E8E — a calm secondary that extends the palette without adding tension

tinted neutral

a ink-black carrying the palette's own hue — perfect for surfaces and dividers

Using Old Barbershop Without Breaking Accessibility

  • Avoid #3E5E8E for small UI elements on #C8384E — at 1.3:1 it misses the 3:1 WCAG threshold; darken it with a shade from the ramp below.
  • Don't set body copy in #2E2E30 on #C8384E — 2.7:1 fails WCAG AA; keep it for large decorative headings only.
  • Don't use #F0EEE8 behind body text — this light tone works better for surfaces, badges and dividers than for reading areas.

How to Implement the Old Barbershop Color Scheme

To use this Old Barbershop color palette in your web project, you can copy the following CSS variables or Tailwind CSS configuration. These roles ensure your UI maintains accessibility and visual hierarchy.

Option 1: CSS Variables

:root { 
  /* {name} Palette - ihatecolors.com */{'
'}  --color-bg: {colors[0]};{'
'}  --color-primary: {colors[1]};{'
'}  --color-secondary: {colors[2]};{'
'}  --color-text: {colors[3]};{'
'} {'}'}

Web Design Tip

Use #C8384E for the main background and #3E5E8E for primary buttons. This creates a high-contrast focal point.

Accessibility Note

The contrast ratio between #2E2E30 and #C8384E is 2.67:1 (Fail). Ensure your body text remains legible.

Old Barbershop Palette — Frequently Asked Questions

What are the hex codes in the Old Barbershop color palette?

The Old Barbershop palette contains #C8384E, #3E5E8E, #F0EEE8, #2E2E30. Click any swatch on this page to copy its value, or export all four at once as CSS variables, Tailwind config, SCSS or a Figma-ready list.

Is the Old Barbershop color palette accessible (WCAG)?

Yes for its strongest pairings: #2E2E30 on #F0EEE8 reaches 11.7:1 (AAA). For body text always keep a 4.5:1 ratio and for large UI elements 3:1 — the full contrast matrix above shows the exact score for every color-on-color combination in this palette.

What colors go well with the Old Barbershop palette?

Beyond its own four colors, #8E6E3E, #4E4884, #171112 extend it naturally: the complementary hue for high-energy accents, an analogous neighbor for calm transitions, and a tinted neutral for surfaces. All three are computed from this palette's hues on the color wheel.

What mood does the Old Barbershop palette create?

Old Barbershop reads as vintage, cool, mono. Gently saturated blue drives the personality, grounded by gently saturated rose-red — a combination that works best when the mid-tone base gets most of the canvas.

Can I use the Old Barbershop color palette commercially?

Yes. Individual color values can't be copyrighted, so the Old Barbershop palette is free for personal, client and commercial work — websites, branding, apps, print and social content, with no attribution required.

How do I add the Old Barbershop palette to Tailwind or CSS?

Use the export panel on this page: CSS variables, a Tailwind config block, SCSS variables, or a Figma copy list are generated from Old Barbershop's exact values, including the tint and shade ramps shown above.

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