Master Reference · v1.0

Wavecast Master Colour Palette

The canonical colour set — names, values and on-fill pairings — for documents, slide decks, publishing defaults and product. Brand foundation, neutral surfaces, the semantic layer (Event Phase, Booking Status), functional states, the categorical chart set, and the accessibility rules everything downstream inherits.

Mirrors: Notion · Colour RegistryCaptured: 2 Jun 2026 · WCAG AA (LM link exempt)

Colour is the most developed constituent of the Brand Pack. This page is the Wavecast master colour system; the groups below are its client-themeable layer — the part a client’s Brand Pack (WDSBP) re-skins. Swap these per client and every output follows. Event Phase and Booking Status are fixed system semantics — part of the master palette, but identical across every client — so they sit outside the themeable set.

#	Colour category	Client themeable
01	Brand	✓
02	Tints	✓
03	Surface Scale — Light	✓
04	Surface Scale — Dark	✓
05	Text & Icons	✓
06	Event Phase	—
07	Gradients	✓
08	Booking Status	—
09	Functional States	✓
10	Categorical Set	✓

Event Phase and Booking Status are fixed system semantics — the same in every Brand Pack — so they sit outside the themeable set. Tap a row to jump to its section.

Brand

Canonical

Three brand colours: Primary (Sky) is structural, Secondary (champagne) is warmth, Accent (Rose) is interactive.

Sky 500

Primarybase_colours_primary#0ea5e9Structural brand blue. Headers, brand accents, non-interactive emphasis. Mode-agnostic.

Champagne

Secondarybase_colours_secondary#d8b15aBrand warmth. Furniture & non-interactive emphasis — rules, dividers, tags, framed borders, watermarks. Carries its own tonal ramp (Tints). Mode-agnostic.

Rose

Accentbase_colours_accent#fe2767The interactive colour. CTAs, buttons, links, active states, accent bars. Used for links in both modes. Mode-agnostic.

Notes

Primary (Sky) is the structural brand blue — headers, brand moments, non-interactive accents.
Secondary (champagne) is brand warmth — furniture and non-interactive emphasis (rules, dividers, tags, framed borders). It carries its own tonal ramp (see Tints).
Accent (Rose) is the interactive colour — CTAs, buttons, links, active states. If it's clickable, it's Accent.
Swatches are mode-agnostic, but the link role is mode-specific for contrast (see Text and Accessibility).

Tints

Canonical

The two brand colours that carry a full tonal scale — Primary (Sky) and Secondary (champagne). Each is a ten-step ramp anchored at 500; swap the brand value per client and the scale regenerates. Accent (Rose) has no scale.

Primary Scale — Sky

100
#e0f2fe

200
#bae6fd

300
#7dd3fc

400
#38bdf8

500 · base
#0ea5e9

600
#0284c7

700
#0369a1

800
#075985

900
#0c4a6e

950
#082f49

Secondary Scale — Champagne

100
#fbf6ea

200
#f6ecce

300
#eedca0

400
#e4c87b

500 · base
#d8b15a

600
#bd9540

700
#9c7a2e

800
#7b6022

900
#5a4619

950
#382c10

How the scales work

Primary Scale = Tailwind Sky 100–950; primary_500 = base_colours_primary (#0ea5e9). Token shape primary_100 … primary_950.
Secondary Scale = champagne 100–950; secondary_500 = base_colours_secondary (#d8b15a — the system's existing chrome gold). Token shape secondary_100 … secondary_950.
Both regenerate around their 500 anchor when the brand value is swapped per client. Mode-agnostic.
Secondary on-fill: black through 600, white from 700. Gold-as-text: never AA as text at 500 — steps to secondary_700 #9c7a2e on light, secondary_text_dm #e4c87b on dark; at 500 only as line/fill/border. Reserved base; hue-clear of Warning #eab308 and Paused amber #b85d14.

Surface Scale — Light

Canonical

Zinc-based neutral scale for light-mode surfaces.

Whitesurface_scale_light_white#ffffffBase canvas, content cards

SSL1surface_scale_light_ssl1#fafafaSubtle elevation (Zinc 50)

SSL2surface_scale_light_ssl2#f4f4f5Page bg, callout panels (Zinc 100)

SSL3surface_scale_light_ssl3#e4e4e7Borders, dividers (Zinc 200) · --border

SSL4surface_scale_light_ssl4#d4d4d8Heavier rules (Zinc 300) · --border-strong

Notes

Goes light → dark as the number increases.

Surface Scale — Dark

Canonical

Mirror of the light scale, inverted.

Blacksurface_scale_dark_black#000000Deepest surface, overlays

SSD1surface_scale_dark_ssd1#18181bBase canvas, page bg DM (Zinc 900)

SSD2surface_scale_dark_ssd2#27272aContent cards DM (Zinc 800)

SSD3surface_scale_dark_ssd3#3f3f46Borders, dividers DM (Zinc 700) · --border

SSD4surface_scale_dark_ssd4#52525bHeavier rules DM (Zinc 600) · --border-strong

Notes

Goes dark → light as the number increases.

Text & Icons

Canonical

Mode-specific text, link and icon colours.

Text 1 — LMtext_light_text_1_lm#000000Primary text — headings, body, labels

Text 2 — LMtext_light_text_2_lm#71717aMuted — subtitles, meta (Zinc 500). AA only on white/SSL1.

Link — LMtext_light_link_lm#fe2767Inline links in LM. Brand Rose — mode-agnostic with DM. 3.68:1 on white (below AA-normal); accepted for brand consistency.

Text 1 — DMtext_dark_text_1_dm#ffffffPrimary text in DM

Text 2 — DMtext_dark_text_2_dm#a1a1aaMuted text in DM (Zinc 400)

Link — DMtext_dark_link_dm#fe2767Inline links in DM. Brand Rose — mode-agnostic with LM. 4.81:1 on #18181b, AA-normal.

Icon — LMicons_icon_lm#000000Icon fills in LM

Icon — DMicons_icon_dm#ffffffIcon fills in DM

Notes

Links are mode-agnostic. Brand Rose #fe2767 in both modes — 4.81:1 on dark (AA-normal), 3.68:1 on white (below AA-normal), accepted as a deliberate brand-consistency trade-off.
Muted text (Text 2) is a per-layer override — see the surface-dependent rule under Accessibility.

Event Phase

Canonical

Ten lifecycle phases, each a token, value and badge.

Ideationphase_ideation#b5d36aon-fill #000

Setupphase_setup#5fb55aon-fill #000

Launchphase_launch#1f9d6bon-fill #000

Promotionphase_promotion#1d6e63on-fill #fff

Finalisingphase_finalising#ffa033on-fill #000

Pre-Livephase_prelive#cf3a14on-fill #fff

Livephase_live#ff0000on-fill #000

Replayphase_replay#0284c7on-fill #000

Insightphase_insight#7c5cd6on-fill #fff

Archivephase_archive#475068on-fill #fff

#	Phase	Token	Hex	On-fill	Badge — tinted & solid	Signal
1	Ideation	phase_ideation	#b5d36a	#000	IdeationIdeation	Germination — fresh shoot
2	Setup	phase_setup	#5fb55a	#000	SetupSetup	Taking shape
3	Launch	phase_launch	#1f9d6b	#000	LaunchLaunch	Going public
4	Promotion	phase_promotion	#1d6e63	#fff	PromotionPromotion	Building momentum — deep teal-green
5	Finalising	phase_finalising	#ffa033	#000	FinalisingFinalising	Heat building
6	Pre-Live	phase_prelive	#cf3a14	#fff	Pre-LivePre-Live	Imminent
7	Live	phase_live	#ff0000	#000	LiveLive	On air & broadcast-live indicator
8	Replay	phase_replay	#0284c7	#000	ReplayReplay	Second life begins
9	Insight	phase_insight	#7c5cd6	#fff	InsightInsight	Analytics / reporting / audience
10	Archive	phase_archive	#475068	#fff	ArchiveArchive	Cold storage, at rest

Notes

Token shape is nominal throughout — phase_{name}.
phase_live (#ff0000) is both the Live phase and the broadcast-live indicator — one "live" everywhere, no separate Status category (live is its shorthand alias).
On-fill is not assumed. phase_live as a fill needs black text (white is only 4.0:1); as a dot/pulse it carries no text.
The Badge column shows both forms: tinted (13% fill, 30% border, hue dot, tuned text — the in-product default) and solid (hue fill + on-fill text — validates the pairing).

Badge text — DM (derived display tokens)

The resolved tinted-badge text on dark (13%-fill / 30%-border treatment), promoted into the Colour Registry (1 Jun 2026) so the canonical source carries them explicitly. Token shape phase_{name}_text_dm.
phase_ideation_text_dm #b5d36a (reads true) · phase_setup_text_dm #6fc468 · phase_launch_text_dm #2bbd82 · phase_promotion_text_dm #43b8a6 · phase_finalising_text_dm #ffa033 (reads true) · phase_prelive_text_dm #ef6a47 · phase_live_text_dm #ff5c5c · phase_replay_text_dm #38bdf8 · phase_insight_text_dm #a78fe8 · phase_archive_text_dm #8b97b0.
Archive re-based to the slate #475068 (3 Jun 2026) so it reads on dark surfaces — the former phase_archive_dot_dm workaround is now redundant (the dot uses the base).

Gradients

Canonical

Three signature gradients — one per act — blended from the Event Phase colours in each band. Dreamy by default.

Fill — full saturation

PlanningPhases 1–4 · Pre

1234

gradient_planning

LivePhases 5–7 · Live

567

gradient_live

ReplayPhases 8–10 · Post

8910

gradient_replay

Tint — 16%, dreamy

PlanningPhases 1–4 · Pre

gradient_planning_tint

LivePhases 5–7 · Live

gradient_live_tint

ReplayPhases 8–10 · Post

gradient_replay_tint

How they're built

Each gradient blends its act's phase colours in phase order at 135°: Planning = phases 1–4 (Pre), Live = phases 5–7, Replay = phases 8–10 (Post).
Two forms, mirroring the badges — kept as separate swatches. Fill is the full-saturation blend (mode-agnostic; hero headers and accent surfaces). Tint is the same blend at 16% via color-mix(… , transparent) (the tint-badge recipe), dreamy and subtle; for section and card washes.
The tint sits over the page surface, so it adapts to light and dark automatically; the fill renders identically in both modes.
Replay is eased through extra transitional stops so the violet→slate hand-off is smooth rather than a hard seam.
Token shape gradient_planning / gradient_live / gradient_replay, each with a _tint variant.

Booking Status

Canonical

Four symmetrical groups, each an outline and fill state.

Provisionalbooking_provisional

EnquiryPencil

#5c636e · Outline: first contact · Fill: holds a sloton-fill #fff · 6.06:1

Activebooking_active

ConfirmedIn Progress

#1f8a7a · Outline: locked but dormant · Fill: happening nowon-fill #000 · 4.97:1

Pausedbooking_paused

On HoldPostponed

#b85d14 · Outline: recoverable pause · Fill: definite slipon-fill #000 · 4.61:1

Completedgroup = black · terminal

CancelledDelivered

Outline: Cancelled #b3322c, closed-bad · Fill: Delivered #000000, closed-gooddelivered on-fill #fff · 21:1

Notes

Provisional, Active, Paused are single-hue: outline = pending / soft, fill = committed / active.
Completed is the terminal exception — two hues, axis = outcome: outline (Cancelled) = closed-bad, fill (Delivered) = closed-good.
The dot echoes the chip — hollow for outline, solid for fill.
On-fill text is not assumed white; outline text is checked for both modes. Token shape booking_{group}.

Outline text — DM (derived display tokens)

The resolved outline-text colour on dark, lightened from the base hue; promoted into the Colour Registry (1 Jun 2026). Token shape booking_{group}_text_dm.
booking_provisional_text_dm #8b929c · booking_active_text_dm #34b3a0 · booking_paused_text_dm #d98030 · booking_cancelled_text_dm #cf4339. Delivered is exempt — fixed black fill / white text in both modes.

Functional states

Canonical

Four states, each one hue plus a light tint.

Success

state_success#16a34a · tint rgba(22,163,74,.15)on-fill #000 · 6.37:1Confirmations, completed actions, healthy status.

Warning

state_warning#eab308 · tint rgba(234,179,8,.15)on-fill #000 · 10.95:1Caution, attention needed. Never carries white text.

Error

state_error#e23b2e · tint rgba(226,59,46,.15)on-fill #000 · 4.90:1Failures, blocking problems, connection loss.

Info

state_info#5470a0 · tint rgba(84,112,160,.15)on-fill #fff · 5.00:1Neutral notices, tips, system messages.

Notes

Mode-agnostic. The light tint backs banners (base hue as text); the on-fill value is for solid badges — not assumed white.
Real-time operational signals (connection lost, recording failed) use Error.
Token shape state_{name}.

Banner text — DM (derived display tokens)

The resolved text over the light tint on dark surfaces, lightened from the base hue; promoted into the Colour Registry (1 Jun 2026). Token shape state_{name}_text.
state_success_text #4ade80 · state_warning_text #facc15 · state_error_text #f87171 · state_info_text #93b4e0.

Categorical set

Canonical

Eight hues carrying no meaning, for charts and avatars.

cat_1
#0ea5e9

cat_2
#7c5cd6

cat_3
#f59e0b

cat_4
#ec4899

cat_5
#14b8a6

cat_6
#a3e635

cat_7
#fb7185

cat_8
#64748b

Notes

For chart series, avatars, abstract fills — no semantic meaning attached.
cat_1/cat_2 reuse Sky and the Insight violet; the rest space evenly around the wheel.
Token shape cat_1 … cat_8.

Accessibility & contrast

Canonical

The contrast foundation everything downstream inherits.

Notes

All values are checked against WCAG 2.1 AA — normal text ≥4.5:1, large text / non-text UI ≥3:1.
On-fill text is never assumed. Every solid fill carries a paired on-fill value that clears AA-normal. White is not universal — several fills require black (phase_live, state_success, state_error, phase_replay, all light Pre/Live steps). Bind the on-fill token, never a hardcoded #fff.
Links are mode-agnostic. Brand Rose #fe2767 is the link colour in both modes — 4.81:1 on #18181b (AA-normal), 3.68:1 on white (below AA-normal). The light-mode link is a deliberate exception to AA-normal, accepted for brand consistency; on light surfaces always pair it with the underline affordance so colour is never the sole signal.
The reserved-base rule (brand families only). Sky 500 is Primary, Rose is Accent — semantic aliases must not point to those brand bases, so a non-clickable badge never wears the brand colour. Replay (phase_replay) takes Sky 600 #0284c7, not Sky 500. Phase tokens hold standalone values and never alias a brand base.
Colourblind safety. Where two semantic colours share a family (Pre green vs Success green; Live red vs Error red vs Cancelled red), they're separated by treatment, shape and label — not hue alone. phase_live is a dot/pulse, not a red badge. Hue is never the sole carrier of meaning.
Muted text is surface-dependent. Text 2 LM #71717a is AA-normal on white/SSL1 but only AA-large on SSL2 and below — step down to #52525b for essential muted text on SSL2+. In DM, Text 2 #a1a1aa is safe across SSD1/SSD2; reserve #71717a for non-essential meta only.

Open questions

Track

Carried for resolution

Categorical ambiguity. cat_2 (violet) shares the Insight phase hue. In a dashboard where a categorical chart sits beside a phase-coloured chart, the violet series could read as "the Insight phase." Fallback is a semantically-clean categorical set excluding all phase/functional hues. Decide after the dashboard prototype is reviewed.

Wavecast Master Colour Palette v1.0
Exact mirror of the Notion Colour Registry. Ported into the WDS References shell — colour values are not edited here; update the registry, then re-sync.