Midnight Rust Daybreak
Midnight Rust Daybreak: a dark split complementary palette of #935038, #78461A, #1C4243, #1C2D44, #2B0100. Deep, dramatic and immersive; best contrast 3.11:1.
A balanced palette of 5 colors drawing on brown, teal, blue, with a tight lightness range that stays soft and cohesive. Its lightest and darkest colors reach a contrast of 3.11:1, better for large type and decoration. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Panela#935038
A medium, moderately saturated brown (Panela) that brings natural comfort. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Walnut#78461A
A dark, moderately saturated brown (Walnut) that brings natural comfort. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Emerald Forest#1C4243
A dark, muted teal (Emerald Forest) that brings a cool, trustworthy tone. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Midnight Ocean#1C2D44
A dark, muted blue (Midnight Ocean) that brings open, airy calm. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Nether#2B0100
A very dark, muted red (Nether) that brings warmth and energy. White text sits comfortably on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white18.96:1Excellent 5/5
- On black3.44:1Fair 2/5
- Color blind friendly94% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≈ Rust | Text | #935038 | 51% |
| ≈ Brown | Primary | #78461A | 45% |
| ≈ Charcoal | Surface | #1C4243 | 35% |
| ≈ Ink | Accent | #1C2D44 | 29% |
| ≈ Ink | Background | #2B0100 | 18% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #FEEEE8 for text.
:root {
--color-background: #2b0100;
--color-surface: #1c4243;
--color-primary: #78461a;
--color-accent: #1c2d44;
--color-text: #feeee8;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #2b0100;
--color-surface: #1c4243;
--color-primary: #78461a;
--color-accent: #1c2d44;
--color-ink: #feeee8;
}
About this palette
Midnight Rust Daybreak is palette number 3,163 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a dark palette built on a split complementary scheme, and it is anchored by Rust (#935038), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as deep, dramatic and immersive. Its colors run from Rust (#935038) at the light end to Ink (#2B0100) at the dark end, covering 18% to 51% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Rust #935038: suggested role text. It is a red color with 51% lightness and a chroma of 0.097.
2. ≈ Brown #78461A: suggested role primary. It is a orange color with 45% lightness and a chroma of 0.089.
3. ≈ Charcoal #1C4243: suggested role surface. It is a teal color with 35% lightness and a chroma of 0.043.
4. ≈ Ink #1C2D44: suggested role accent. It is a blue color with 29% lightness and a chroma of 0.048.
5. ≈ Ink #2B0100: suggested role background. It is a red color with 18% lightness and a chroma of 0.073.
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 red, orange, teal and blue families, spread across 226 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: 3 of its 5 chromatic colors lean warm and 2 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 deep, dramatic and immersive.
Accessibility and contrast
The strongest pairing is Rust (#935038) with Ink (#2B0100) at a contrast ratio of 3.11:1, 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 (#2B0100), so this page suggests #FEEEE8 for text, a lightened Rust that reaches 16.80:1. 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: #2B0100 as the background, #1C4243 for cards and surfaces, #78461A as the primary brand color, #1C2D44 as the accent, and #FEEEE8 for text (a computed lighter shade of Rust, 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 Rust Daybreak accessible?
Its best pair reaches 3.11:1 (#935038 on #2B0100). 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?
Brown (#78461A) 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.