Shadow Rust Lullaby
Shadow Rust Lullaby: a dark split complementary palette of #281300, #362500, #1A4755, #525572, #845F44. Deep, dramatic and immersive; best contrast 3.12:1.
A balanced palette of 5 colors drawing on brown, blue, purple, with a tight lightness range that stays soft and cohesive. Its lightest and darkest colors reach a contrast of 3.12:1, better for large type and decoration. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Shadow Play#281300
A very dark, muted brown (Shadow Play) that brings earthy, grounded warmth. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Secret Passage#362500
A very dark, muted brown (Secret Passage) that brings earthy, grounded warmth. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Mallard#1A4755
A dark, muted blue (Mallard) that brings quiet confidence. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Majestic Magic#525572
A medium, muted purple (Majestic Magic) that brings imagination and polish. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Cocoa#845F44
A medium, muted brown (Cocoa) that brings natural comfort. White text sits comfortably on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white17.74:1Excellent 5/5
- On black3.70:1Fair 2/5
- Color blind friendly98% 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 | #281300 | 21% |
| ≈ Charcoal | Primary | #362500 | 28% |
| ≈ Charcoal | Surface | #1A4755 | 37% |
| ≈ Slate | Accent | #525572 | 46% |
| ≈ Rust | Text | #845F44 | 52% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #FFEEE3 for text.
:root {
--color-background: #281300;
--color-surface: #1a4755;
--color-primary: #362500;
--color-accent: #525572;
--color-text: #ffeee3;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #281300;
--color-surface: #1a4755;
--color-primary: #362500;
--color-accent: #525572;
--color-ink: #ffeee3;
}
About this palette
Shadow Rust Lullaby is palette number 8,259 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a dark palette built on a split complementary scheme, and it is anchored by Rust (#845F44), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as deep, dramatic and immersive. Its colors run from Rust (#845F44) at the light end to Ink (#281300) at the dark end, covering 21% to 52% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Ink #281300: suggested role background. It is a orange color with 21% lightness and a chroma of 0.048.
2. ≈ Charcoal #362500: suggested role primary. It is a yellow color with 28% lightness and a chroma of 0.057.
3. ≈ Charcoal #1A4755: suggested role surface. It is a cyan color with 37% lightness and a chroma of 0.054.
4. ≈ Slate #525572: suggested role accent. It is a violet color with 46% lightness and a chroma of 0.047.
5. ≈ Rust #845F44: suggested role text. It is a orange color with 52% lightness and a chroma of 0.063.
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 orange, yellow, cyan and violet families, spread across 223 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: 3 of its 5 chromatic colors lean warm and 2 lean cool. Its average chroma of 0.054 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 deep, dramatic and immersive.
Accessibility and contrast
The strongest pairing is Ink (#281300) with Rust (#845F44) at a contrast ratio of 3.12:1, 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 (#281300), so this page suggests #FFEEE3 for text, a lightened Rust that reaches 15.71:1. 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: #281300 as the background, #1A4755 for cards and surfaces, #362500 as the primary brand color, #525572 as the accent, and #FFEEE3 for text (a computed lighter shade of Rust, 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 Shadow Rust Lullaby accessible?
Its best pair reaches 3.12:1 (#281300 on #845F44). 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 (#362500) 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.