Inky Iris Cascade
Inky Iris Cascade: a dark split complementary palette of #755DAF, #5E4D71, #4C3F23, #023105, #100939. Deep, dramatic and immersive; best contrast 3.51:1.
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 3.51:1, better for large type and decoration. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Simply Purple#755DAF
A medium, moderately saturated purple (Simply Purple) that brings a creative, premium air. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Your Majesty#5E4D71
A medium, muted purple (Your Majesty) that brings quiet luxury. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Avocado Stone#4C3F23
A dark, muted brown (Avocado Stone) that brings natural comfort. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Haunted Hills#023105
A very dark, moderately saturated green (Haunted Hills) that brings balance and health. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Quiet Abyss#100939
A very dark, moderately saturated purple (Quiet Abyss) that brings imagination and polish. White text sits comfortably on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white18.74:1Excellent 5/5
- On black3.94:1Fair 2/5
- Color blind friendly89% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≈ Iris | Text | #755DAF | 54% |
| ≈ Plum | Accent | #5E4D71 | 45% |
| ≈ Espresso | Surface | #4C3F23 | 37% |
| ≈ Charcoal | Primary | #023105 | 27% |
| ≈ Navy | Background | #100939 | 19% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #F2EFFF for text.
:root {
--color-background: #100939;
--color-surface: #4c3f23;
--color-primary: #023105;
--color-accent: #5e4d71;
--color-text: #f2efff;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #100939;
--color-surface: #4c3f23;
--color-primary: #023105;
--color-accent: #5e4d71;
--color-ink: #f2efff;
}
About this palette
Inky Iris Cascade is palette number 7,923 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a dark palette built on a split complementary scheme, and it is anchored by Iris (#755DAF), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as deep, dramatic and immersive. Its colors run from Iris (#755DAF) at the light end to Navy (#100939) at the dark end, covering 19% to 54% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Iris #755DAF: suggested role text. It is a violet color with 54% lightness and a chroma of 0.126.
2. ≈ Plum #5E4D71: suggested role accent. It is a violet color with 45% lightness and a chroma of 0.061.
3. ≈ Espresso #4C3F23: suggested role surface. It is a yellow color with 37% lightness and a chroma of 0.046.
4. ≈ Charcoal #023105: suggested role primary. It is a green color with 27% lightness and a chroma of 0.086.
5. ≈ Navy #100939: suggested role background. It is a violet color with 19% lightness and a chroma of 0.087.
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 violet, yellow and green families, spread across 220 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 0.081 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 Iris (#755DAF) with Navy (#100939) at a contrast ratio of 3.51:1, 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 (#100939), so this page suggests #F2EFFF for text, a lightened Iris that reaches 16.57:1. 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: #100939 as the background, #4C3F23 for cards and surfaces, #023105 as the primary brand color, #5E4D71 as the accent, and #F2EFFF for text (a computed lighter shade of Iris, 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 Iris Cascade accessible?
Its best pair reaches 3.51:1 (#755DAF on #100939). 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?
Charcoal (#023105) 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.