Smoky Ink Prairie
Smoky Ink Prairie: a dark tetradic palette of #001D1C, #25224C, #4E2F34, #5B5727, #487491. Nocturnal, focused and cinematic; best contrast 3.50:1.
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 3.50:1, better for large type and decoration. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Dark Moon#001D1C
A very dark, muted black (Dark Moon) that brings bold, premium contrast. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Black Market#25224C
A very dark, muted purple (Black Market) that brings a creative, premium air. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Dark Roast#4E2F34
A dark, muted red (Dark Roast) that brings a bold, confident accent. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Reptile Revenge#5B5727
A dark, muted yellow (Reptile Revenge) that brings light and cheer. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Beach View#487491
A medium, muted blue (Beach View) that brings quiet confidence. White text sits comfortably on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white17.60:1Excellent 5/5
- On black4.18:1Fair 2/5
- Color blind friendly96% 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 | #001D1C | 21% |
| ≈ Ink | Primary | #25224C | 28% |
| ≈ Espresso | Surface | #4E2F34 | 34% |
| ≈ Pine | Accent | #5B5727 | 45% |
| ≈ Slate | Text | #487491 | 54% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #E5F4FF for text.
:root {
--color-background: #001d1c;
--color-surface: #4e2f34;
--color-primary: #25224c;
--color-accent: #5b5727;
--color-text: #e5f4ff;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #001d1c;
--color-surface: #4e2f34;
--color-primary: #25224c;
--color-accent: #5b5727;
--color-ink: #e5f4ff;
}
About this palette
Smoky Ink Prairie is palette number 6,539 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a dark palette built on a tetradic scheme, and it is anchored by Ink (#25224C), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as nocturnal, focused and cinematic. Its colors run from Slate (#487491) at the light end to Ink (#001D1C) at the dark end, covering 21% to 54% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Ink #001D1C: suggested role background. It is a teal color with 21% lightness and a chroma of 0.036.
2. ≈ Ink #25224C: suggested role primary. It is a violet color with 28% lightness and a chroma of 0.075.
3. ≈ Espresso #4E2F34: suggested role surface. It is a rose color with 34% lightness and a chroma of 0.046.
4. ≈ Pine #5B5727: suggested role accent. It is a yellow color with 45% lightness and a chroma of 0.068.
5. ≈ Slate #487491: suggested role text. It is a blue color with 54% lightness and a chroma of 0.067.
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 274 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 0.058 makes the saturation soft.
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 Ink (#001D1C) with Slate (#487491) at a contrast ratio of 3.50:1, 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 (#001D1C), so this page suggests #E5F4FF for text, a lightened Slate that reaches 15.69:1. 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: #001D1C as the background, #4E2F34 for cards and surfaces, #25224C as the primary brand color, #5B5727 as the accent, and #E5F4FF 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 Ink Prairie accessible?
Its best pair reaches 3.50:1 (#001D1C on #487491). 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?
Ink (#25224C) 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.