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It’s the color of sun-faded diner menus, mixtape covers, and hand-painted signage that still hums with the energy of generations past. Meet Retro Chili (#E8431E), our new Color of the Season. This fiery orange-red tone evokes mid-century prints, delicore aesthetics, and analog photography vibes. Retro Chili brings the heat—unapologetic, loud, and alive.
Channeling the eclecticism of vintage street life, this hot red knows how to take up space. Whether splashed across poster layouts or woven into editorial spreads, Retro Chili brings an energy that is both nostalgic and radically current.
Meet Retro Chili
To make sure you’re working with the same color, we’re providing equivalencies in hexadecimal, CMYK, and RGB systems below.
HEX: #E8431E
RGB: 232, 67, 30
CMYK: 0, 71, 87, 9
Looking for a refresher on the various color codes, what they mean, and their applications? Make sure to check out this article where we explore the differences and technical details you need to know.
How to Apply Retro Chili
Use it as a primary background for zine-style layouts, packaging with attitude, or merch that needs to stand out. Pair it with cream, oat, or sand tones for a delicore-inspired palette that nods to faded recipe cards and kitchen enamelware. Want to push it further? Combine it with saturated blues, marigold yellows, or forest greens to amplify the palette with a streetwise eclecticism that feels handbuilt and unfiltered.
Typographically, Retro Chili pairs well with bold slab serifs, chunky grotesques, or distressed monospace fonts. Think mid-century diner menus, VHS cover typography, or print shop signage from the analog era. For high-impact moments, consider reversed type in cream or textured overlays that feel screen-printed or risograph-inspired. This color rewards experimentation—it’s a natural match for tactile, print-forward design, poster culture, and anything that needs to scream without saying a word.
Vibrant Palettes Using Retro Chili
Wondering how to apply Retro Chili in your next project? These palettes complement our Color of the Season and are ready to use. To download the free SVG file, make sure you’re signed into your Creative Market account.
Download our set of color palettes in SVG and start using them in your favorite design app.
Download the palettesOur Retro Chili Collection
We have curated inspiring Creative Market products that are already using our Color of the Season or slight variations of it. Check out the full collection, featuring some of these outstanding assets:
Brand strategist. Creating design tools to empower creative entrepreneurs. Author of the Lean Branding book. MA in Design Management from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).
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