Simple Colours

Tartans are traditionally recorded only as broad colour descriptions rather than exact shades. So we recommend using the simple colour palette if you are designing a tartan with a view to official recording. Schools and other beginners will probably also find this the easiest choice to work from.

The colours shown in this palette are organised into the ten main colour groups (reds, greens, purples, etc.) conventionally recorded by the Scottish Tartans Authority. Each colour has a mid-, a light, and a darker shade. This reflects how tartans have traditionally been described, with sometimes large variations in how these are interpreted by individual weavers.

The actual shades chosen for the Simple Palette have in fact been taken from the Weavers’ Palette. So if you design a tartan you like with this palette and request us to weave it for you, the results should be reasonably accurate (bearing in mind the inevitable variation in a process like this).