Nocturnal Ink Gallery
Nocturnal Ink Gallery: a dark split complementary palette of #00162F, #092564, #592B18, #57522B, #4C6C84. Nocturnal, focused and cinematic; best contrast 3.27:1.
A balanced palette of 5 colors drawing on black, blue, brown, with a tight lightness range that stays soft and cohesive. Its lightest and darkest colors reach a contrast of 3.27:1, better for large type and decoration. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Oxford by Night#00162F
A very dark, muted blue (Oxford by Night) that brings open, airy calm. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Marine#092564
A dark, moderately saturated blue (Marine) that brings quiet confidence. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Hot Fudge#592B18
A dark, muted brown (Hot Fudge) that brings earthy, grounded warmth. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Olive Bark#57522B
A dark, muted brown (Olive Bark) that brings craft and reliability. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Shipyard#4C6C84
A medium, muted blue (Shipyard) that brings trust and steadiness. White text sits comfortably on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white18.16:1Excellent 5/5
- On black3.78:1Fair 2/5
- Color blind friendly95% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≈ Navy | Background | #00162F | 20% |
| ≈ Ink | Primary | #092564 | 29% |
| ≈ Espresso | Surface | #592B18 | 35% |
| ≈ Pine | Accent | #57522B | 43% |
| ≈ Slate | Text | #4C6C84 | 52% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #E7F4FE for text.
:root {
--color-background: #00162f;
--color-surface: #592b18;
--color-primary: #092564;
--color-accent: #57522b;
--color-text: #e7f4fe;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #00162f;
--color-surface: #592b18;
--color-primary: #092564;
--color-accent: #57522b;
--color-ink: #e7f4fe;
}
About this palette
Nocturnal Ink Gallery is palette number 13,411 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a dark palette built on a split complementary scheme, and it is anchored by Ink (#092564), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as nocturnal, focused and cinematic. Its colors run from Slate (#4C6C84) at the light end to Navy (#00162F) at the dark end, covering 20% to 52% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Navy #00162F: suggested role background. It is a blue color with 20% lightness and a chroma of 0.059.
2. ≈ Ink #092564: suggested role primary. It is a blue color with 29% lightness and a chroma of 0.116.
3. ≈ Espresso #592B18: suggested role surface. It is a red color with 35% lightness and a chroma of 0.074.
4. ≈ Pine #57522B: suggested role accent. It is a yellow color with 43% lightness and a chroma of 0.058.
5. ≈ Slate #4C6C84: suggested role text. It is a blue color with 52% lightness and a chroma of 0.053.
Harmony and structure
One hue is paired with the two hues flanking its opposite. You keep most of the energy of a complementary scheme with less tension and more variety.
In this palette the hues fall in the blue, red and yellow families, spread across 221 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: 1 of its 5 chromatic colors lean warm and 3 lean cool. Its average chroma of 0.072 makes the saturation balanced.
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 Navy (#00162F) with Slate (#4C6C84) at a contrast ratio of 3.27:1, 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 (#00162F), so this page suggests #E7F4FE for text, a lightened Slate that reaches 16.23:1. 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: #00162F as the background, #592B18 for cards and surfaces, #092564 as the primary brand color, #57522B as the accent, and #E7F4FE for text (a computed lighter shade of Slate, 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 lone hue as the dominant brand color and the two flanking hues as secondary and accent colors.
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 Nocturnal Ink Gallery accessible?
Its best pair reaches 3.27:1 (#00162F on #4C6C84). 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?
Ink (#092564) 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.