Inky Navy Estuary
Inky Navy Estuary: a dark split complementary palette of #6F5E9E, #604874, #4D3701, #0A3504, #14003F. Deep, dramatic and immersive; best contrast 3.42:1.
A cool palette of 5 colors drawing on purple, brown, green, with a tight lightness range that stays soft and cohesive. Its lightest and darkest colors reach a contrast of 3.42:1, better for large type and decoration. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Scampi#6F5E9E
A medium, moderately saturated purple (Scampi) that brings quiet luxury. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Your Majesty#604874
A dark, muted purple (Your Majesty) that brings quiet luxury. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Pineapple#4D3701
A dark, muted brown (Pineapple) that brings craft and reliability. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Haunted Hills#0A3504
A dark, moderately saturated green (Haunted Hills) that brings a fresh, natural feel. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Quiet Abyss#14003F
A very dark, moderately saturated purple (Quiet Abyss) that brings imagination and polish. White text sits comfortably on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white19.06:1Excellent 5/5
- On black3.77:1Fair 2/5
- Color blind friendly87% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≈ Slate | Text | #6F5E9E | 53% |
| ≈ Plum | Accent | #604874 | 45% |
| ≈ Brown | Surface | #4D3701 | 35% |
| ≈ Charcoal | Primary | #0A3504 | 29% |
| ≈ Navy | Background | #14003F | 19% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #F2F0FE for text.
:root {
--color-background: #14003f;
--color-surface: #4d3701;
--color-primary: #0a3504;
--color-accent: #604874;
--color-text: #f2f0fe;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #14003f;
--color-surface: #4d3701;
--color-primary: #0a3504;
--color-accent: #604874;
--color-ink: #f2f0fe;
}
About this palette
Inky Navy Estuary is palette number 24,107 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a dark palette built on a split complementary scheme, and it is anchored by Navy (#14003F), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as deep, dramatic and immersive. Its colors run from Slate (#6F5E9E) at the light end to Navy (#14003F) at the dark end, covering 19% to 53% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Slate #6F5E9E: suggested role text. It is a violet color with 53% lightness and a chroma of 0.1.
2. ≈ Plum #604874: suggested role accent. It is a violet color with 45% lightness and a chroma of 0.076.
3. ≈ Brown #4D3701: suggested role surface. It is a yellow color with 35% lightness and a chroma of 0.072.
4. ≈ Charcoal #0A3504: suggested role primary. It is a green color with 29% lightness and a chroma of 0.089.
5. ≈ Navy #14003F: suggested role background. It is a violet color with 19% lightness and a chroma of 0.108.
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 violet, yellow and green families, spread across 225 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: 1 of its 5 chromatic colors lean warm and 1 lean cool. Its average chroma of 0.089 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 Slate (#6F5E9E) with Navy (#14003F) at a contrast ratio of 3.42:1, 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 (#14003F), so this page suggests #F2F0FE for text, a lightened Slate that reaches 16.94:1. Check any pair you use in the contrast checker.
Under protanopia (reduced red sensitivity), #4D3701 and #0A3504 may look alike, so avoid using that difference alone to carry meaning.
How to use it
Suggested roles: #14003F as the background, #4D3701 for cards and surfaces, #0A3504 as the primary brand color, #604874 as the accent, and #F2F0FE 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 Inky Navy Estuary accessible?
Its best pair reaches 3.42:1 (#6F5E9E on #14003F). 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 (#0A3504) 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.