Smoky Ink Sonata
Smoky Ink Sonata: a dark split complementary palette of #866064, #793D3A, #014C2F, #042933, #370014. Moody, intimate and rich; best contrast 3.30:1.
A balanced palette of 5 colors drawing on red, green, blue, with a tight lightness range that stays soft and cohesive. Its lightest and darkest colors reach a contrast of 3.30:1, better for large type and decoration. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Opera#866064
A medium, muted pink (Opera) that brings a warm, expressive tone. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Peanut#793D3A
A dark, moderately saturated brown (Peanut) that brings craft and reliability. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Zucchini#014C2F
A dark, moderately saturated green (Zucchini) that brings balance and health. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Midnight Dreams#042933
A very dark, muted blue (Midnight Dreams) that brings trust and steadiness. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Vienna Roast#370014
A very dark, moderately saturated red (Vienna Roast) that brings appetite and urgency. White text sits comfortably on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white17.90:1Excellent 5/5
- On black3.87:1Fair 2/5
- Color blind friendly89% 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 | #866064 | 53% |
| ≈ Wine | Primary | #793D3A | 44% |
| ≈ Forest | Surface | #014C2F | 37% |
| ≈ Ink | Accent | #042933 | 26% |
| ≈ Ink | Background | #370014 | 22% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #FEEDEE for text.
:root {
--color-background: #370014;
--color-surface: #014c2f;
--color-primary: #793d3a;
--color-accent: #042933;
--color-text: #feedee;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #370014;
--color-surface: #014c2f;
--color-primary: #793d3a;
--color-accent: #042933;
--color-ink: #feedee;
}
About this palette
Smoky Ink Sonata is palette number 251 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a dark palette built on a split complementary scheme, and it is anchored by Ink (#370014), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as moody, intimate and rich. Its colors run from Slate (#866064) at the light end to Ink (#370014) at the dark end, covering 22% to 53% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Slate #866064: suggested role text. It is a rose color with 53% lightness and a chroma of 0.05.
2. ≈ Wine #793D3A: suggested role primary. It is a red color with 44% lightness and a chroma of 0.084.
3. ≈ Forest #014C2F: suggested role surface. It is a green color with 37% lightness and a chroma of 0.083.
4. ≈ Ink #042933: suggested role accent. It is a cyan color with 26% lightness and a chroma of 0.044.
5. ≈ Ink #370014: suggested role background. It is a rose color with 22% lightness and a chroma of 0.087.
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, red, green and cyan families, spread across 215 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 warm: 3 of its 5 chromatic colors lean warm and 1 lean cool. Its average chroma of 0.07 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 moody, intimate and rich.
Accessibility and contrast
The strongest pairing is Slate (#866064) with Ink (#370014) at a contrast ratio of 3.30:1, 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 (#370014), so this page suggests #FEEDEE for text, a lightened Slate that reaches 15.83:1. Check any pair you use in the contrast checker.
Under protanopia (reduced red sensitivity), #793D3A and #014C2F may look alike, so avoid using that difference alone to carry meaning.
How to use it
Suggested roles: #370014 as the background, #014C2F for cards and surfaces, #793D3A as the primary brand color, #042933 as the accent, and #FEEDEE 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 Smoky Ink Sonata accessible?
Its best pair reaches 3.30:1 (#866064 on #370014). 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?
Wine (#793D3A) 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 moody, intimate and rich feel works well.