High Contrast — Google Calendar Palette
High Contrast picks six of Google Calendar's own strongest colors — tomato red, basil green, blueberry, mango, grape, and graphite — chosen so that no two are ever confusable, even in a dense month view or at a glance on a phone. It is the opposite of an aesthetic palette, on purpose.
Preview in a calendar week
Hex codes
| Category | Color | Hex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urgent | #D50000 | ||
| Work | #3F51B5 | ||
| Health | #0B8043 | ||
| Family | #F09300 | ||
| Personal | #8E24AA | ||
| Admin | #616161 |
When to use this palette
Best when the calendar is a working instrument: dispatchers, parents running multiple kids' schedules, and anyone with low vision or color-vision deficiency who needs categories to be unmistakable.
Use High Contrast in Google Calendar
Google Calendar's built-in picker doesn't include these exact colors. With the CalPalette Chrome extension you can enter each hex code once, save the whole High Contrast palette, and reuse it on any event.
Install CalPalette FreeHigh Contrast palette — FAQ
How do I use the High Contrast palette in Google Calendar?
Install the CalPalette Chrome extension, open any event in Google Calendar, and click the "+" button next to the default colors. Enter the hex codes from this page (#D50000, #3F51B5, #0B8043, #F09300, #8E24AA, #616161) to build the palette, then save it so every color is one click away on future events.
Can I use these hex codes without an extension?
Google Calendar's standard picker only offers its built-in colors, so these exact hex values aren't available natively. You can pick the closest built-in colors by eye, or use CalPalette to apply the exact hex codes.
What categories does the High Contrast palette cover?
It maps 6 colors to common calendar categories: Urgent (#D50000), Work (#3F51B5), Health (#0B8043), Family (#F09300), Personal (#8E24AA), Admin (#616161). You can rename the categories to fit your own system — the colors are what matter.
Related palettes
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#4285F4 · #33B679 · #F4511E · #D50000 · #8E24AA · #F6BF26
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#E63946 · #264653 · #2A9D8F · #F4A261 · #9B5DE5 · #00B4D8
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#0B57D0 · #185ABC · #1A73E8 · #4285F4 · #669DF6 · #8AB4F8
Browse all 20 palettes in the Google Calendar palette library.