Inky Sapphire Cove
Inky Sapphire Cove: a dark split complementary palette of #0D1241, #262540, #503921, #40590F, #3C6CBE. Nocturnal, focused and cinematic; best contrast 3.45:1.
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 3.45:1, better for large type and decoration. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Deadly Depths#0D1241
A very dark, moderately saturated purple (Deadly Depths) that brings quiet luxury. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Black Market#262540
A very dark, muted purple (Black Market) that brings a creative, premium air. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Avocado Stone#503921
A dark, muted brown (Avocado Stone) that brings earthy, grounded warmth. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Pine#40590F
A dark, moderately saturated green (Pine) that brings growth and calm. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Matt Blue#3C6CBE
A medium, moderately saturated blue (Matt Blue) that brings quiet confidence. White text sits comfortably on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white17.79:1Excellent 5/5
- On black4.08:1Fair 2/5
- Color blind friendly93% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≈ Navy | Background | #0D1241 | 21% |
| ≈ Ink | Accent | #262540 | 28% |
| ≈ Espresso | Surface | #503921 | 36% |
| ≈ Pine | Primary | #40590F | 43% |
| ≈ Sapphire | Text | #3C6CBE | 54% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #EBF2FE for text.
:root {
--color-background: #0d1241;
--color-surface: #503921;
--color-primary: #40590f;
--color-accent: #262540;
--color-text: #ebf2fe;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #0d1241;
--color-surface: #503921;
--color-primary: #40590f;
--color-accent: #262540;
--color-ink: #ebf2fe;
}
About this palette
Inky Sapphire Cove is palette number 3,387 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a dark palette built on a split complementary scheme, and it is anchored by Sapphire (#3C6CBE), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as nocturnal, focused and cinematic. Its colors run from Sapphire (#3C6CBE) at the light end to Navy (#0D1241) at the dark end, covering 21% to 54% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Navy #0D1241: suggested role background. It is a blue color with 21% lightness and a chroma of 0.088.
2. ≈ Ink #262540: suggested role accent. It is a violet color with 28% lightness and a chroma of 0.049.
3. ≈ Espresso #503921: suggested role surface. It is a orange color with 36% lightness and a chroma of 0.049.
4. ≈ Pine #40590F: suggested role primary. It is a green color with 43% lightness and a chroma of 0.102.
5. ≈ Sapphire #3C6CBE: suggested role text. It is a blue color with 54% lightness and a chroma of 0.139.
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 blue, violet, orange and green families, spread across 218 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 cool: 1 of its 5 chromatic colors lean warm and 3 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 nocturnal, focused and cinematic.
Accessibility and contrast
The strongest pairing is Navy (#0D1241) with Sapphire (#3C6CBE) at a contrast ratio of 3.45:1, 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 (#0D1241), so this page suggests #EBF2FE for text, a lightened Sapphire that reaches 15.81:1. 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: #0D1241 as the background, #503921 for cards and surfaces, #40590F as the primary brand color, #262540 as the accent, and #EBF2FE for text (a computed lighter shade of Sapphire, 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 Sapphire Cove accessible?
Its best pair reaches 3.45:1 (#0D1241 on #3C6CBE). 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?
Pine (#40590F) 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 nocturnal, focused and cinematic feel works well.