Holidays just got brighter with accessible color palettes and tax savings

Issue #21 • 9 December 2025

Hi Reader.

Amazon's recent Black Friday color scheme was an interesting departure from holiday norms -- white text on an orange background (color hex code #F76201). This felt bright and cheerfully perched between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but it also fell short of WCAG's minimum color contrast ratio for normal font sizes which likely made elements in its header navigation harder to read for many visitors.

Screenshot of Amazon's Black Friday header featuring a bright color palette with oranges and whites

The company has since updated its palette to a higher-contrast combination of holiday colors. So rather than turn grinchy, let’s welcome a little creative mischief. This is the perfect season to wander off the classic red-and-green path and explore palettes that feel fresh, fun, and fully accessible.

Fun with accessible holiday colors

Below are three holiday-ready combinations with example illustrations that skip the traditional pairing without losing any cheer. Each palette is bright enough to set a seasonal mood and strong enough to meet WCAG contrast guidelines for navigation, text, and UI elements. Follow the linked images to explore color sets that deliver both style and compliance, courtesy of Atul Varma's Accessible Color Matrix tool.

Midnight Snowfall

A three-swatch color palette labeled “Deep Navy,” “Soft Icy Blue,” and “Warm Gold.” The first swatch is a nearly-black navy (#0A1A2F), the second is a pale wintry blue (#CFE8FF), and the third is a muted golden yellow (#D6A34C). Each swatch appears as a solid square with its name and hex code displayed underneath. — A winter-bright color palette that blends deep evening tones with soft snowlight and warm holiday accents. These colors pair well for accessible UI elements conveying richness or abundance and festive branding where contrast clarity and a cozy, modern mood both matter.

A winter night illustration shows a silhouetted Santa riding in a sleigh pulled by a reindeer across soft icy-blue hills under a deep navy sky. Warm gold stars and a large gold moon shine above. Three gold pine trees stand on the hills. The greeting “Happiest of Holidays” appears in icy-blue text in the top right, and “to you and yours” appears in navy text at the bottom right.

Cranberry Frost

A three-swatch color palette labeled “Deep Plum,” “Frosted Silver,” and “Bright Cranberry.” The first swatch is a dark purple-plum (#4A2040), the second is a light neutral silver-gray (#E5E5E5), and the third is a soft, warm cranberry red (#D45C6A). Each color block is shown with its name and hex code beneath it. — A winter wine set of swatches ideal for accessible holiday branding, warm illustrations, and tasteful overlays for images of food and drink.

A winter night illustration similar to the previous version, but using deep plum, frosted silver, and bright cranberry tones. Santa rides in a bright cranberry sleigh with a frosted-silver outline, pulled by a frosted-silver reindeer across pale snowy hills. Cranberry trees and stars dot the deep plum sky, along with a large frosted-silver moon. The greeting “Happiest of Holidays” appears in frosted-silver text at the top right, and “to you and yours” appears at the bottom right in deep plum.

North Pole Sleigh Ride

A three-swatch color palette labeled “Sleigh-Night Navy,” “Moonlit White,” and “Aurora Mint.” The first swatch is a deep navy blue (#0C2233), the second is a bright, cool white (#F9FBFF), and the third is a soft mint green (#A8E6CF). Each swatch appears as a solid square with its name and hex code below. — A crisp and sweet palette inspired by clear night skies and northern lights, great for accessible seasonal graphics, holiday promotions, and modern winter branding.

A winter night illustration, matching the layout of the previous versions but recolored with the sleigh-night navy, moonlit white, and aurora mint. Against a deep navy sky dotted with mint stars and white snowflakes, Santa appears in aurora mint, riding a mint-outlined sleigh pulled by a white reindeer. Mint green pine trees stand on moonlit-white snowy hills. The greeting “Happiest of Holidays” appears in mint text at the top right, and “to you and yours” appears in navy text at the bottom right.

These palettes are an invitation: a chance to bring your holiday designs to life in ways that sparkle for everyone, regardless of how they see color. Enjoy them as they are, or create your own accessible color set for the season.

A holiday gift for your accessibility investment

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Small businesses can claim up to $5,000 each year through the federal Disabled Access Credit, which reimburses 50% of eligible accessibility expenses. Pedal Point and our partners at BKJ Productions make qualifying simple with a free consultation, a focused accessibility report, and tailored remediation services that typically meet IRS criteria. With the credit in play, your costs drop while your accessibility, legal confidence, and audience reach grow. Get in touch and turn year-end improvements into real savings.

Discover Accessibility Tax Savings

DISCO's winter Northampton outing

I’m excited to share that the next Disabled Stories Collective event is officially scheduled, and DISCO is welcoming storytellers to the mic. We’ll gather in central Massachusetts at the Northampton Center for the Arts for “Whether Permitting: Stories of Barriers to Access” on Sunday, January 11, 2026, from 4–6 p.m. in Eli’s Room. If you’ve lived through, pushed against, or found creative ways around access obstacles, we’d love to hear your voice. Whether you’d like to be one of our featured storytellers join the open mic, or just sit back and listen, you’re warmly invited to take part. Just drop us an email to let us know. you're interested. Also, please share this opportunity with your networks. Let’s fill the room with stories that move, challenge, and connect.

Learn about DISCO

Accessibility around the web

Do Logos Need to Be Accessible? by Colleen Gratzer from Design Domination

Most people don’t realize that logos are exempt from WCAG color contrast rules, but that doesn’t mean low-contrast logos get a free pass with your audience. This article and accompanying video make the case that accessible logos aren’t about compliance, they’re about clarity. A logo that’s easy to see is easier to remember, which means stronger branding for everyone.

The Accessibility Problem With Authentication Methods Like CAPTCHA by Eleanor Hecks for Smashing Magazine

CAPTCHAs were meant to keep bots out, but too often, they lock people with disabilities out, too. From image classification to click-based tests, many “human checks” are anything but inclusive. There’s no universal solution, but understanding real user needs is where accessibility truly starts.

10 unexpected facts about web accessibility by Diana from A11y Explained

Did you know that screen reader users can "read" 2-3 times faster than many visual readers, or that dyslexia is more common than red hair? These are just a couple examples of a fascinating list of unexpected and intriguing accessibility facts unpacked in this article.

Happies of holidays to you and yours!

Simon Miner
Pedal Point Solutions

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