Smoky Plum Aurora
Smoky Plum Aurora: a dark tetradic palette of #487071, #554C84, #563233, #262801, #001B31. Nocturnal, focused and cinematic; best contrast 3.19:1.
A balanced palette of 5 colors drawing on teal, purple, red, with a tight lightness range that stays soft and cohesive. Its lightest and darkest colors reach a contrast of 3.19:1, better for large type and decoration. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Rogue Waters#487071
A medium, muted teal (Rogue Waters) that brings a coastal freshness. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Twilight#554C84
A medium, moderately saturated purple (Twilight) that brings imagination and polish. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Espresso#563233
A dark, muted red (Espresso) that brings warmth and energy. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Lindworm Green#262801
A very dark, muted green (Lindworm Green) that brings a fresh, natural feel. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Oxford by Night#001B31
A very dark, muted blue (Oxford by Night) that brings quiet confidence. White text sits comfortably on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white17.48:1Excellent 5/5
- On black3.83:1Fair 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≈ Slate | Text | #487071 | 52% |
| ≈ Plum | Primary | #554C84 | 45% |
| ≈ Espresso | Surface | #563233 | 36% |
| ≈ Charcoal | Accent | #262801 | 27% |
| ≈ Navy | Background | #001B31 | 22% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #D4FBFB for text.
:root {
--color-background: #001b31;
--color-surface: #563233;
--color-primary: #554c84;
--color-accent: #262801;
--color-text: #d4fbfb;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #001b31;
--color-surface: #563233;
--color-primary: #554c84;
--color-accent: #262801;
--color-ink: #d4fbfb;
}
About this palette
Smoky Plum Aurora is palette number 4,467 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a dark palette built on a tetradic scheme, and it is anchored by Plum (#554C84), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as nocturnal, focused and cinematic. Its colors run from Slate (#487071) at the light end to Navy (#001B31) at the dark end, covering 22% to 52% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Slate #487071: suggested role text. It is a teal color with 52% lightness and a chroma of 0.045.
2. ≈ Plum #554C84: suggested role primary. It is a violet color with 45% lightness and a chroma of 0.09.
3. ≈ Espresso #563233: suggested role surface. It is a rose color with 36% lightness and a chroma of 0.052.
4. ≈ Charcoal #262801: suggested role accent. It is a yellow color with 27% lightness and a chroma of 0.058.
5. ≈ Navy #001B31: suggested role background. It is a blue color with 22% lightness and a chroma of 0.055.
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 teal, violet, rose, yellow and blue families, spread across 271 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 0.06 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 Slate (#487071) with Navy (#001B31) at a contrast ratio of 3.19:1, 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 (#001B31), so this page suggests #D4FBFB for text, a lightened Slate 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: #001B31 as the background, #563233 for cards and surfaces, #554C84 as the primary brand color, #262801 as the accent, and #D4FBFB for text (a computed lighter shade of Slate, 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 Plum Aurora accessible?
Its best pair reaches 3.19:1 (#487071 on #001B31). 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 (#554C84) 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.