Color scheme: color values, meanings and matching ratios

Primary colors: orange, black; secondary colors: purple, green, off-white

Recommended ratio:Orange 45%, black 35%, purple 10%, green 7%, off-white 3%Logic: orange and black dominate most of the image, purple and green serve as visual accents, off-white is used for text highlights and outline brightening

  • Orange #FF7B00Meaning: autumn harvest, pumpkins, bonfires, originating from Samhain harvest and bonfire rituals, representing the autumn earth and warm firelight
  • Black #000000Meaning: night, the dead, the unknown, symbolizing the darkness at the boundary between life and death on Halloween night
  • Purple #7B2CBF (secondary color)Meaning: mystery, witchcraft, magic, often associated with the occult and supernatural forces in the Middle Ages
  • Green #39FF14 (secondary color)Meaning: poison, monsters, decay, representing ghostly swamps, monsters and potions
  • Off-white #F5F0E1 (secondary color)Meaning: moonlight, bones, ghosts, used for text, skeletons and spider web highlights, avoiding pure white being too harsh

Matching tips:

  1. Large areas of orange + black as the base; purple and green as small accents, do not use in large areas; off-white only for text, lines and local highlights
  2. Web / blog images: prioritize off-white for text, placed on a black background for better readability

Symbols: origins and usage

jack-o'-lantern

Origin: from the Irish legend of Stingy Jack, originally carved from turnips, switched to pumpkins by immigrants to North America Usage: main visual in the C position, placed on covers, article headers and main decorative elements, representing the core symbol of Halloween

bat

Origin: on Samhain nights, bats often appeared around bonfires; ancient people believed bats were messengers of the dead, traveling between the worlds of life and death Usage: border elements, corner accents, suitable for decorative textures, not as the main subject

spider web

Origin: symbolizes darkness, desolation and forgotten places, associated with death and dark spaces in medieval folk culture Usage: borders, corner decorations, fine line textures, suitable for background decoration

black cat

Origin: in medieval Europe, black cats were considered companions of witches and incarnations of supernatural forces In Celtic folklore, black cats are incarnations of the dead Usage: small accent elements, suitable for the side of illustrations

skeleton & bones

Origin: from the medieval “art of dying” (Memento Mori, remember you must die), a reminder that life is short Usage: accent decoration, icons, small border elements

Witch

Origin: in medieval folklore Halloween night was when witches gathered and Samhain was believed to be the night when witchcraft power was strongest Usage: illustration icon suitable for accompanying folklore articles