← Shades of black

Raven

Raven (#0B0B0B) is a very dark, neutral black with a true neutral feel. It has a hue angle of 0° and a lightness of 15%. As a neutral it supports other colors rather than competing with them.

#0B0B0BRaven
Conversion

What Raven looks like, feels like and where it works.

Description

Raven (#0B0B0B) is a very dark, neutral black with a true neutral feel. It has a hue angle of 0° and a lightness of 15%. 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, Raven feels weighty and serious.

Meaning

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

Why use this color

Raven 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 Raven has a contrast ratio of 19.68:1 (AAA); black text has 1.06:1 (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#F7F7F5100#ECEBE7200#DDDBD4300#C4C1B7400#A6A195500#8B8679600#736E62700#5C584D800#45423A900#33302A950#0B0B0B
Analogous
Complementary
Split complementary
Triadic
Tetradic
Square

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

#0B0B0B
Typical visionAs most people see it
#0B0B0B
ProtanopiaReduced sensitivity to red
#0B0B0B
DeuteranopiaReduced sensitivity to green
#0B0B0B
TritanopiaReduced sensitivity to blue
#0B0B0B
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.
19.68:1
AAAAA
Normal textAAAAA
Large textAAAAA
Black textQuote n. 31: there is no such thing as a bad color.
1.06:1
AAAAA
Normal textFailFail
Large textFailFail
Open the contrast checker