Clay Sand Aurora
Clay Sand Aurora: a earthy split complementary palette of #D6D680, #9FAC5E, #5679B5, #654872, #413805. Organic, honest and tactile; best contrast 7.69:1.
A balanced palette of 5 colors drawing on yellow, green, blue, with a moderate lightness range. Its lightest and darkest colors reach a contrast of 7.69:1, enough for body text. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Treasury#D6D680
A very light, moderately saturated yellow (Treasury) that brings a bright, hopeful note. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Palm#9FAC5E
A light, moderately saturated yellow (Palm) that brings attention without aggression. Dark text reads well on it.
- ≈ Flood#5679B5
A medium, moderately saturated blue (Flood) that brings quiet confidence. Best for large type, icons and decoration.
- ≈ Neon Violet#654872
A dark, muted purple (Neon Violet) that brings imagination and polish. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Dark Olive#413805
A dark, muted green (Dark Olive) that brings balance and health. White text sits comfortably on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white11.71:1Very good 4/5
- On black13.78:1Excellent 5/5
- Color blind friendly97% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≈ Sand | Background | #D6D680 | 86% |
| ≈ Sage | Primary | #9FAC5E | 72% |
| ≈ Cornflower | Surface | #5679B5 | 58% |
| ≈ Plum | Accent | #654872 | 45% |
| ≈ Charcoal | Text | #413805 | 34% |
:root {
--color-background: #d6d680;
--color-surface: #5679b5;
--color-primary: #9fac5e;
--color-accent: #654872;
--color-text: #413805;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #d6d680;
--color-surface: #5679b5;
--color-primary: #9fac5e;
--color-accent: #654872;
--color-ink: #413805;
}
About this palette
Clay Sand Aurora is palette number 252 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a earthy palette built on a split complementary scheme, and it is anchored by Sand (#D6D680), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as organic, honest and tactile. Its colors run from Sand (#D6D680) at the light end to Charcoal (#413805) at the dark end, covering 34% to 86% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Sand #D6D680: suggested role background. It is a yellow color with 86% lightness and a chroma of 0.109.
2. ≈ Sage #9FAC5E: suggested role primary. It is a green color with 72% lightness and a chroma of 0.104.
3. ≈ Cornflower #5679B5: suggested role surface. It is a blue color with 58% lightness and a chroma of 0.101.
4. ≈ Plum #654872: suggested role accent. It is a violet color with 45% lightness and a chroma of 0.075.
5. ≈ Charcoal #413805: suggested role text. It is a yellow color with 34% lightness and a chroma of 0.067.
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 yellow, green, blue and violet families, spread across 217 degrees of the OKLCH hue circle. Earthy palettes keep chroma between 0.04 and 0.11, and lightness between 34% and 86%, 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 0.091 makes the saturation balanced.
That combination suits food and coffee brands, outdoor and craft businesses and interior-design boards, and it is a good fit when you want a design to feel organic, honest and tactile.
Accessibility and contrast
The strongest pairing is Sand (#D6D680) with Charcoal (#413805) at a contrast ratio of 7.69:1, which is WCAG AAA. Across all 10 possible pairs, 3 reach the 4.5:1 AA level for normal text and 1 more reach 3:1 for large text.
On the Sand background (#D6D680), #654872 and #413805 can be used for text at AA contrast.
On the Charcoal text color (#413805), #D6D680 and #9FAC5E reach AA contrast.
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: #D6D680 as the background, #5679B5 for cards and surfaces, #9FAC5E as the primary brand color, #654872 as the accent, and #413805 for text. 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 earthy palette include food and coffee brands, outdoor and craft businesses, interior-design boards and sustainability reports. 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 Clay Sand Aurora accessible?
Its best pair reaches 7.69:1 (#D6D680 on #413805). 3 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?
Sage (#9FAC5E) 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 food and coffee brands, outdoor and craft businesses, interior-design boards and sustainability reports, where a organic, honest and tactile feel works well.