Shadow Plum Estuary
Shadow Plum Estuary: a dark triadic palette of #170137, #452200, #07473B, #5C3D80, #875B31. Moody, intimate and rich; best contrast 3.25:1.
A balanced palette of 5 colors drawing on purple, brown, teal, with a tight lightness range that stays soft and cohesive. Its lightest and darkest colors reach a contrast of 3.25:1, better for large type and decoration. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Quiet Abyss#170137
A very dark, moderately saturated purple (Quiet Abyss) that brings a creative, premium air. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Chocolate Castle#452200
A dark, muted brown (Chocolate Castle) that brings earthy, grounded warmth. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Tropical Forest#07473B
A dark, muted teal (Tropical Forest) that brings a coastal freshness. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ In the Vines#5C3D80
A dark, moderately saturated purple (In the Vines) that brings quiet luxury. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Precious Copper#875B31
A medium, moderately saturated brown (Precious Copper) that brings craft and reliability. White text sits comfortably on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white19.16:1Excellent 5/5
- On black3.57:1Fair 2/5
- Color blind friendly90% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≈ Midnight | Background | #170137 | 18% |
| ≈ Espresso | Surface | #452200 | 29% |
| ≈ Charcoal | Accent | #07473B | 36% |
| ≈ Plum | Primary | #5C3D80 | 43% |
| ≈ Rust | Text | #875B31 | 51% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #FEEFE2 for text.
:root {
--color-background: #170137;
--color-surface: #452200;
--color-primary: #5c3d80;
--color-accent: #07473b;
--color-text: #feefe2;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #170137;
--color-surface: #452200;
--color-primary: #5c3d80;
--color-accent: #07473b;
--color-ink: #feefe2;
}
About this palette
Shadow Plum Estuary is palette number 3,339 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a dark palette built on a triadic scheme, and it is anchored by Plum (#5C3D80), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as moody, intimate and rich. Its colors run from Rust (#875B31) at the light end to Midnight (#170137) at the dark end, covering 18% to 51% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Midnight #170137: suggested role background. It is a violet color with 18% lightness and a chroma of 0.097.
2. ≈ Espresso #452200: suggested role surface. It is a orange color with 29% lightness and a chroma of 0.07.
3. ≈ Charcoal #07473B: suggested role accent. It is a teal color with 36% lightness and a chroma of 0.064.
4. ≈ Plum #5C3D80: suggested role primary. It is a violet color with 43% lightness and a chroma of 0.111.
5. ≈ Rust #875B31: suggested role text. It is a orange color with 51% lightness and a chroma of 0.082.
Harmony and structure
Three hues are spaced about a third of the wheel apart. Triadic palettes feel balanced and playful, because no single hue family dominates.
In this palette the hues fall in the violet, orange and teal families, spread across 244 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: 2 of its 5 chromatic colors lean warm and 0 lean cool. Its average chroma of 0.085 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 Midnight (#170137) with Rust (#875B31) at a contrast ratio of 3.25:1, 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 (#170137), so this page suggests #FEEFE2 for text, a lightened Rust that reaches 17.02:1. 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: #170137 as the background, #452200 for cards and surfaces, #5C3D80 as the primary brand color, #07473B as the accent, and #FEEFE2 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.
Choose one hue to dominate, one to support and one for small accents, so the palette stays lively without becoming chaotic.
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 Shadow Plum Estuary accessible?
Its best pair reaches 3.25:1 (#170137 on #875B31). 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?
Plum (#5C3D80) 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.