← Shades of black

≈ Dark Moon

#121D1A is closest to Dark Moon in our library. Dark Moon (#121D1A) is a very dark, neutral black with a warm-leaning neutral feel. It has a hue angle of 164° and a lightness of 22%. As a neutral it supports other colors rather than competing with them.

#121D1A≈ Dark Moon
Conversion

What Dark Moon looks like, feels like and where it works.

Description

Dark Moon (#121D1A) is a very dark, neutral black with a warm-leaning neutral feel. It has a hue angle of 164° and a lightness of 22%. As a neutral it supports other colors rather than competing with them.

Psychology

Black is bold, formal and strong. It gives the highest contrast with light colors and feels premium; an off-black with a hint of hue is easier on the eye than pure black. As a dark shade, Dark Moon feels weighty and serious.

Meaning

Black stands for elegance, power and sophistication, and for mourning in the West.

Why use this color

Dark Moon is a flexible base. It carries white text well, so it works as a button, header or badge background. Pair it with its tints and shades for a complete scale.

Applications
  • Luxury and fashion
  • Typography and dark mode
  • Strong contrast and emphasis
  • Photography and film
History

Charcoal and soot were among the first pigments in cave art. Modern materials such as Vantablack, from 2014, absorb about 99.96 percent of light.

Accessibility

White text on Dark Moon has a contrast ratio of 17.26:1 (AAA); black text has 1.21:1 (fails). WCAG AA needs 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text and interface parts. Do not rely on color alone to carry meaning: pair it with text, an icon or a pattern.

ShadesMixed with black: darker and richer.
TintsMixed with white: lighter and softer.
TonesMixed with gray: quieter and less saturated.
HuesThe same lightness and strength, turned around the wheel.
TemperaturesPushed cooler on the left, warmer on the right.
50#F5F7F7100#E8ECEB200#D5DDDA300#B8C4C0400#96A5A1500#7A8A86600#64726E700#4F5B58800#3B4542900#2A3230950#121D1A
Analogous
Complementary
Split complementary
Triadic
Tetradic
Square

Want to explore these on a wheel? Open the color wheel.

#121D1A
Typical visionAs most people see it
#1C1C1A
ProtanopiaReduced sensitivity to red
#1A1A1A
DeuteranopiaReduced sensitivity to green
#0F1D1C
TritanopiaReduced sensitivity to blue
#1B1B1B
AchromatopsiaNo color, only light and dark

These are approximations to help you check that meaning never depends on color alone. Real vision varies from person to person.

White textQuote n. 31: there is no such thing as a bad color.
17.26:1
AAAAA
Normal textAAAAA
Large textAAAAA
Black textQuote n. 31: there is no such thing as a bad color.
1.21:1
AAAAA
Normal textFailFail
Large textFailFail
Open the contrast checker
#121D1A Color — closest to Dark Moon (HEX, RGB, Shades) · Tintly