Midnight Espresso Gallery
Midnight Espresso Gallery: a dark split complementary palette of #2B011B, #500228, #2F3F29, #2A6163, #825576. Deep, dramatic and immersive; best contrast 3.12:1.
A balanced palette of 5 colors drawing on pink, red, green, with a tight lightness range that stays soft and cohesive. Its lightest and darkest colors reach a contrast of 3.12:1, better for large type and decoration. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Vienna Roast#2B011B
A very dark, muted red (Vienna Roast) that brings warmth and energy. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Evil Empire#500228
A dark, moderately saturated red (Evil Empire) that brings a bold, confident accent. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Everglade#2F3F29
A dark, muted green (Everglade) that brings balance and health. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Verdant Forest#2A6163
A medium, muted teal (Verdant Forest) that brings clean, modern calm. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Indian Silk#825576
A medium, muted red (Indian Silk) that brings a bold, confident accent. White text sits comfortably on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white18.70:1Excellent 5/5
- On black3.51:1Fair 2/5
- Color blind friendly92% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≈ Ink | Background | #2B011B | 19% |
| ≈ Espresso | Primary | #500228 | 28% |
| ≈ Charcoal | Surface | #2F3F29 | 35% |
| ≈ Slate | Accent | #2A6163 | 46% |
| ≈ Slate | Text | #825576 | 51% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #FEEBF8 for text.
:root {
--color-background: #2b011b;
--color-surface: #2f3f29;
--color-primary: #500228;
--color-accent: #2a6163;
--color-text: #feebf8;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #2b011b;
--color-surface: #2f3f29;
--color-primary: #500228;
--color-accent: #2a6163;
--color-ink: #feebf8;
}
About this palette
Midnight Espresso Gallery is palette number 16,883 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a dark palette built on a split complementary scheme, and it is anchored by Espresso (#500228), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as deep, dramatic and immersive. Its colors run from Slate (#825576) at the light end to Ink (#2B011B) at the dark end, covering 19% to 51% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Ink #2B011B: suggested role background. It is a rose color with 19% lightness and a chroma of 0.078.
2. ≈ Espresso #500228: suggested role primary. It is a rose color with 28% lightness and a chroma of 0.112.
3. ≈ Charcoal #2F3F29: suggested role surface. It is a green color with 35% lightness and a chroma of 0.043.
4. ≈ Slate #2A6163: suggested role accent. It is a teal color with 46% lightness and a chroma of 0.058.
5. ≈ Slate #825576: suggested role text. It is a magenta color with 51% lightness and a chroma of 0.076.
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 rose, green, teal and magenta families, spread across 222 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 temperature-balanced: 2 of its 5 chromatic colors lean warm and 1 lean cool. Its average chroma of 0.073 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 deep, dramatic and immersive.
Accessibility and contrast
The strongest pairing is Ink (#2B011B) with Slate (#825576) at a contrast ratio of 3.12:1, 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 (#2B011B), so this page suggests #FEEBF8 for text, a lightened Slate that reaches 16.43:1. Check any pair you use in the contrast checker.
Under protanopia (reduced red sensitivity), #2A6163 and #825576 may look alike, so avoid using that difference alone to carry meaning.
How to use it
Suggested roles: #2B011B as the background, #2F3F29 for cards and surfaces, #500228 as the primary brand color, #2A6163 as the accent, and #FEEBF8 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 Midnight Espresso Gallery accessible?
Its best pair reaches 3.12:1 (#2B011B on #825576). 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?
Espresso (#500228) 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 deep, dramatic and immersive feel works well.