Red Maple
Red Maple is an autumn red palette inspired by the specific colors of Acer rubrum — the red maple — as its foliage transitions through October. Unlike the orange-dominant palettes associated with generic autumn imagery, red maple trees produce some of the truest reds in the fall forest: deep crimson at the leaf's core shading to brilliant autumn red at full peak, then warming toward the amber-gold tones of the surrounding landscape as the season progresses.
The palette's movement from pure red toward golden amber as it lightens creates a natural fall color arc that distinguishes Red Maple from a simple red monochromatic scale. Autumn Red (#C82828) is the pivot point — vivid and true, with no significant orange or brown component. Amber Red (#E07858) introduces the first warmth, and Golden Straw completes the transition to the full harvest palette that surrounds the red maple in autumn.
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Red Maple is a versatile autumn palette that works for a wide range of seasonal applications — fall fashion, harvest festivals, recipe blogs, seasonal retail campaigns, and agricultural brands. But because the reds are clean and the warm tones don't tip into cliché orange, this palette is also effective year-round for brands that want the depth and energy of red with a natural, organic character that signals quality and seasonality without being too literal.
The combination of Maple Bark and Golden Straw — the darkest and lightest tones — creates a high-contrast pairing that works well for typographic design, particularly on warm paper stocks. Use Autumn Red as a primary brand or accent color, Amber Red for secondary UI elements and illustration fills, and Golden Straw as a background tone that reads as warm and seasonal without overwhelming content.