Midnight Sapphire Ember
Midnight Sapphire Ember: a dark monochromatic palette of #001828, #0C283B, #00445E, #14598E, #486F82. Nocturnal, focused and cinematic; best contrast 3.33:1.
A cool palette of 5 colors drawing on black, blue, with a tight lightness range that stays soft and cohesive. Its lightest and darkest colors reach a contrast of 3.33:1, better for large type and decoration. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Oxford by Night#001828
A very dark, muted blue (Oxford by Night) that brings quiet confidence. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Dark#0C283B
A very dark, muted gray (Dark) that brings calm restraint. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Maniac Mansion#00445E
A dark, muted blue (Maniac Mansion) that brings quiet confidence. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Dark Denim#14598E
A medium, moderately saturated blue (Dark Denim) that brings quiet confidence. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Shipyard#486F82
A medium, muted blue (Shipyard) that brings quiet confidence. White text sits comfortably on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white18.08:1Excellent 5/5
- On black3.87:1Fair 2/5
- Color blind friendly98% 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 | #001828 | 20% |
| ≈ Ink | Surface | #0C283B | 27% |
| ≈ Charcoal | Accent | #00445E | 36% |
| ≈ Sapphire | Primary | #14598E | 45% |
| ≈ Slate | Text | #486F82 | 52% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #E3F5FF for text.
:root {
--color-background: #001828;
--color-surface: #0c283b;
--color-primary: #14598e;
--color-accent: #00445e;
--color-text: #e3f5ff;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #001828;
--color-surface: #0c283b;
--color-primary: #14598e;
--color-accent: #00445e;
--color-ink: #e3f5ff;
}
About this palette
Midnight Sapphire Ember is palette number 19,715 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a dark palette built on a monochromatic scheme, and it is anchored by Sapphire (#14598E), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as nocturnal, focused and cinematic. Its colors run from Slate (#486F82) at the light end to Navy (#001828) 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 #001828: suggested role background. It is a blue color with 20% lightness and a chroma of 0.045.
2. ≈ Ink #0C283B: suggested role surface. It is a blue color with 27% lightness and a chroma of 0.049.
3. ≈ Charcoal #00445E: suggested role accent. It is a cyan color with 36% lightness and a chroma of 0.074.
4. ≈ Sapphire #14598E: suggested role primary. It is a blue color with 45% lightness and a chroma of 0.108.
5. ≈ Slate #486F82: suggested role text. It is a cyan color with 52% lightness and a chroma of 0.053.
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 blue and cyan families, 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 0.066 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 (#001828) with Slate (#486F82) at a contrast ratio of 3.33:1, 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 (#001828), so this page suggests #E3F5FF for text, a lightened Slate that reaches 16.16:1. 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: #001828 as the background, #0C283B for cards and surfaces, #14598E as the primary brand color, #00445E as the accent, and #E3F5FF 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 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 Midnight Sapphire Ember accessible?
Its best pair reaches 3.33:1 (#001828 on #486F82). 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?
Sapphire (#14598E) 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.