Inky Teal Zephyr
Inky Teal Zephyr: a dark monochromatic palette of #167482, #2F5966, #05434C, #053140, #00171B. Nocturnal, focused and cinematic; best contrast 3.38:1.
A cool palette of 5 colors drawing on teal, blue, black, with a tight lightness range that stays soft and cohesive. Its lightest and darkest colors reach a contrast of 3.38:1, better for large type and decoration. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Waterworld#167482
A medium, moderately saturated blue (Waterworld) that brings quiet confidence. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Night Shift#2F5966
A dark, muted blue (Night Shift) that brings trust and steadiness. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Cold and Dark#05434C
A dark, muted blue (Cold and Dark) that brings quiet confidence. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Nordic Noir#053140
A dark, muted blue (Nordic Noir) that brings quiet confidence. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Sooty#00171B
A very dark, neutral black (Sooty) that brings depth and formality. White text sits comfortably on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white18.44:1Excellent 5/5
- On black3.85:1Fair 2/5
- Color blind friendly99% similarExcellent 5/5
Contrast is the best any color in the palette reaches on a plain white or black background. Color blind friendly shows how much of the difference between the colors is kept under the common kinds of color blindness.
| Color | Role | HEX | Lightness |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≈ Teal | Text | #167482 | 51% |
| ≈ Slate | Surface | #2F5966 | 44% |
| ≈ Charcoal | Primary | #05434C | 35% |
| ≈ Ink | Accent | #053140 | 29% |
| ≈ Navy | Background | #00171B | 19% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #DAF8FE for text.
:root {
--color-background: #00171b;
--color-surface: #2f5966;
--color-primary: #05434c;
--color-accent: #053140;
--color-text: #daf8fe;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #00171b;
--color-surface: #2f5966;
--color-primary: #05434c;
--color-accent: #053140;
--color-ink: #daf8fe;
}
About this palette
Inky Teal Zephyr is palette number 1,291 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a dark palette built on a monochromatic scheme, and it is anchored by Teal (#167482), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as nocturnal, focused and cinematic. Its colors run from Teal (#167482) at the light end to Navy (#00171B) at the dark end, covering 19% to 51% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Teal #167482: suggested role text. It is a cyan color with 51% lightness and a chroma of 0.083.
2. ≈ Slate #2F5966: suggested role surface. It is a cyan color with 44% lightness and a chroma of 0.051.
3. ≈ Charcoal #05434C: suggested role primary. It is a cyan color with 35% lightness and a chroma of 0.059.
4. ≈ Ink #053140: suggested role accent. It is a cyan color with 29% lightness and a chroma of 0.052.
5. ≈ Navy #00171B: suggested role background. It is a cyan color with 19% lightness and a chroma of 0.032.
Harmony and structure
All five colors share almost the same hue and differ mainly in lightness and saturation. Monochromatic palettes are the easiest to keep harmonious, because nothing competes for attention.
In this palette the hues fall in the cyan family, spread across 17 degrees of the OKLCH hue circle. Dark palettes keep chroma between 0.04 and 0.14, and lightness between 20% and 52%, which is why the set feels consistent.
Temperature and mood
Overall the palette is cool: 0 of its 5 chromatic colors lean warm and 5 lean cool. Its average chroma of 0.056 makes the saturation soft.
That combination suits dark-mode interfaces, gaming and music apps and luxury packaging, and it is a good fit when you want a design to feel nocturnal, focused and cinematic.
Accessibility and contrast
The strongest pairing is Teal (#167482) with Navy (#00171B) at a contrast ratio of 3.38:1, which is WCAG AA large. Across all 10 possible pairs, 0 reach the 4.5:1 AA level for normal text and 1 more reach 3:1 for large text.
No other palette color reaches 4.5:1 on the background (#00171B), so this page suggests #DAF8FE for text, a lightened Teal that reaches 16.54:1. Check any pair you use in the contrast checker.
All five colors stay distinguishable under protanopia, deuteranopia and tritanopia simulations, which is a good sign, although it is no substitute for testing with real users.
How to use it
Suggested roles: #00171B as the background, #2F5966 for cards and surfaces, #05434C as the primary brand color, #053140 as the accent, and #DAF8FE for text (a computed lighter shade of Teal, because no palette color is readable on that background). A reliable starting split is 60% background and surface, 30% primary and 10% accent.
Use the lightest color for large areas, the mid tones for structure, and the darkest for text. Add contrast through lightness, since hue will not do it for you.
Typical uses for a dark palette include dark-mode interfaces, gaming and music apps, luxury packaging and cinematic presentations. Open it in the generator to lock the colors you love and reroll the rest, or in the visualizer to see it on real layouts.
More palettes like this
Frequently asked questions
Is Inky Teal Zephyr accessible?
Its best pair reaches 3.38:1 (#167482 on #00171B). 0 of 10 pairs reach WCAG AA for normal text. Always check the exact text and background you use.
Which color should be the main brand color?
Charcoal (#05434C) is the most saturated color that is neither the lightest nor the darkest, which makes it the natural primary.
What is this palette good for?
It suits dark-mode interfaces, gaming and music apps, luxury packaging and cinematic presentations, where a nocturnal, focused and cinematic feel works well.