Smoky Crimson Lantern
Smoky Crimson Lantern: a dark tetradic palette of #121E00, #002D34, #452C6A, #8C2C20, #19745A. Deep, dramatic and immersive; best contrast 3.04:1.
A cool palette of 5 colors drawing on green, teal, purple, with a tight lightness range that stays soft and cohesive. Its lightest and darkest colors reach a contrast of 3.04:1, better for large type and decoration. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Nightmare#121E00
A very dark, muted green (Nightmare) that brings growth and calm. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Elite Teal#002D34
A very dark, muted teal (Elite Teal) that brings a cool, trustworthy tone. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Her Highness#452C6A
A dark, moderately saturated purple (Her Highness) that brings a creative, premium air. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Kobe#8C2C20
A dark, moderately saturated brown (Kobe) that brings natural comfort. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Tropical Rainforest#19745A
A medium, moderately saturated teal (Tropical Rainforest) that brings clean, modern calm. White text sits comfortably on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white17.33:1Excellent 5/5
- On black3.68:1Fair 2/5
- Color blind friendly87% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≈ Ink | Background | #121E00 | 22% |
| ≈ Ink | Accent | #002D34 | 27% |
| ≈ Plum | Surface | #452C6A | 36% |
| ≈ Crimson | Primary | #8C2C20 | 44% |
| ≈ Teal | Text | #19745A | 50% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #D9FBED for text.
:root {
--color-background: #121e00;
--color-surface: #452c6a;
--color-primary: #8c2c20;
--color-accent: #002d34;
--color-text: #d9fbed;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #121e00;
--color-surface: #452c6a;
--color-primary: #8c2c20;
--color-accent: #002d34;
--color-ink: #d9fbed;
}
About this palette
Smoky Crimson Lantern is palette number 4,075 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a dark palette built on a tetradic scheme, and it is anchored by Crimson (#8C2C20), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as deep, dramatic and immersive. Its colors run from Teal (#19745A) at the light end to Ink (#121E00) at the dark end, covering 22% to 50% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Ink #121E00: suggested role background. It is a green color with 22% lightness and a chroma of 0.056.
2. ≈ Ink #002D34: suggested role accent. It is a cyan color with 27% lightness and a chroma of 0.047.
3. ≈ Plum #452C6A: suggested role surface. It is a violet color with 36% lightness and a chroma of 0.105.
4. ≈ Crimson #8C2C20: suggested role primary. It is a red color with 44% lightness and a chroma of 0.132.
5. ≈ Teal #19745A: suggested role text. It is a teal color with 50% lightness and a chroma of 0.092.
Harmony and structure
Four hues are spaced around the wheel in two complementary pairs. It is the richest scheme, and the hardest to balance.
In this palette the hues fall in the green, cyan, violet, red and teal families, spread across 269 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: 1 of its 5 chromatic colors lean warm and 1 lean cool. Its average chroma of 0.087 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 Ink (#121E00) with Teal (#19745A) at a contrast ratio of 3.04:1, 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 (#121E00), so this page suggests #D9FBED for text, a lightened Teal that reaches 15.66:1. 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: #121E00 as the background, #452C6A for cards and surfaces, #8C2C20 as the primary brand color, #002D34 as the accent, and #D9FBED for text (a computed lighter shade of Teal, because no palette color is readable on that background). A reliable starting split is 60% background and surface, 30% primary and 10% accent.
Let one hue take most of the space and use the others sparingly. Control the mood with lightness and saturation rather than hue.
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 Crimson Lantern accessible?
Its best pair reaches 3.04:1 (#121E00 on #19745A). 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?
Crimson (#8C2C20) 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.