# #252c41

A color — cool, muted, dark, luxury, bold. Deterministic analysis from BrandSweets (no inference).

## Values

- Hex: `#252c41`
- RGB: rgb(37, 44, 65)
- HSL: hsl(225, 27%, 20%)
- OKLCH: oklch(0.296 0.04 269.7)
- Relative luminance: 0.0258
- Nearest named color: Eternal Darkness (#1c2841, Δ 2.055) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/eternal-darkness
- Moods: cool, muted, dark, luxury, bold
- Page: https://brandsweets.com/colors/252c41

## Tints & shades

- Tints (toward white): #343e5b, #434f75, #505f8b, #6071a4, #7a88b3, #949fc2, #aeb7d0, #c5cbdd, #dfe2ec, #f9f9fb
- Shades (toward black): #22283a, #202537, #1c2131, #1a1f2d, #161a27, #131620, #11141d, #0d0f17, #0b0d13, #07090d

## Harmonies

- Complementary: #413a25
- Analogous: #253a41, #2c2541
- Triadic: #41252c, #2c4125
- Split-complementary: #412c25, #3a4125
- Tetradic: #41253a, #413a25, #25412c

## Colors that go with #252c41

Named partners (harmony on the OKLCH wheel, co-occurrence in curated palettes and brand systems, and the neutrals that carry it), best first:

- **Dark Olive Green** #556b2f [harmony, pool: complementary] — Dark Olive Green sits directly opposite #252c41 on the wheel — the strongest contrast one hue can give another, so use it small: a button, a link colour, one highlight. Seen in: 7-Eleven (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/7-eleven-com), Oatmeal (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/neutral#oatmeal), Olive Grove (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/muted#olive-grove), Cohere (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/cohere-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/darkolivegreen
- **Sea Green** #2e8b57 [harmony, pool: triadic] — Sea Green completes a triad with #252c41 — three hues spaced evenly round the wheel, the classic way to get energy into a palette without a clash. Seen in: Asana (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/asana-com), Subaru (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/subaru-com), Mushroom (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/neutral#mushroom), Wellness (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/warm#wellness). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/seagreen
- **Sienna** #a0522d [harmony, pool: split] — Sienna is a split-complement of #252c41: nearly opposite, so it still pops against it, without the vibrating edge of a true complement. Seen in: Olive Grove (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/muted#olive-grove), Woodsmoke (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/dark#woodsmoke), Harvest (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/warm#harvest), BrandSweets (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/brandsweets). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/sienna
- **Slate Blue** #6a5acd [harmony, pool: analogous] — Slate Blue is #252c41's neighbour on the wheel, so the two read as one family — use it for hover states, gradients and secondary surfaces. Seen in: Superhuman (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/superhuman-com), Marvel (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/marvel-com), GitLab (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/gitlab), Indigo SaaS (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/modern#indigo-saas). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/slateblue
- **Steel Blue** #4682b4 [harmony, pool: analogous] — Steel Blue is #252c41's neighbour on the wheel, so the two read as one family — use it for hover states, gradients and secondary surfaces. Seen in: Beach Hut (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/light#beach-hut), Discover (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/discover-com), Astro (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/astro-build), Plaid (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/plaid-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/steelblue
- **Amber** #ffbf00 [pool] — Amber is paired with #252c41 in 11 real palettes, including Beach Hut and McDonald's's brand system, as the supporting colour. Seen in: Beach Hut (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/light#beach-hut), McDonald's (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/mcdonalds-com), Wikipedia (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/wikipedia-org), Southwest Airlines (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/southwest-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/amber
- **Blue** #0000ff [pool] — 19 real palettes, including Sketch's brand system and Headspace's brand system put Blue beside #252c41, as the accent. Seen in: Sketch (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/sketch-com), Headspace (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/headspace-com), Monzo (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/monzo-com), Minecraft (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/minecraft-net). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/blue
- **White Smoke** #f5f5f5 [role] — White Smoke is the surface for #252c41: a clean near-white with no warm cast, so the cool hue stays clear instead of drifting muddy. — https://brandsweets.com/colors/whitesmoke

## Contrast (WCAG 2.x, as text)

- On white (#ffffff): 13.86:1 — AA pass, AA-large pass, AAA pass
- On black (#000000): 1.52:1 — AA fail, AA-large fail, AAA fail. Fix: AA: text → #6474a6 (4.59:1); AA: background → #949494 (4.57:1); AAA: text → #8a97bc (7.23:1); AAA: background → #bababa (7.14:1)

## Brands using this color

- **Amazon** — secondary #232f3e (Δ 1.311) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/amazon-com
- **Volkswagen** — secondary #293043 (Δ 1.53) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/vw-com

## Curated palettes containing it

- **Campus** (friendly, cool, clean) — #1d4ed8, #64748b, #f59e0b, #ffffff, #1e293b — Institutional blue with a highlighter-amber accent — trustworthy for parents, lively enough for students. — tool: https://brandsweets.com/palettes/new/1d4ed8-64748b-f59e0b-ffffff-1e293b — collection: https://brandsweets.com/palettes/friendly
- **Open House** (clean, cool, modern) — #2f6690, #8fa3b8, #e3a72f, #ffffff, #1b2a41 — Steel blue for trust, warm gold for the sold moment — an approachable brokerage that still feels established. — tool: https://brandsweets.com/palettes/new/2f6690-8fa3b8-e3a72f-ffffff-1b2a41 — collection: https://brandsweets.com/palettes/clean
- **Coastal** (cool, light, clean) — #2a9d8f, #8ecae6, #e9c46a, #f7fafc, #1a2b3c — Sea-teal, sky and sand — bright without shouting; works for travel, wellness, and anything near water. — tool: https://brandsweets.com/palettes/new/2a9d8f-8ecae6-e9c46a-f7fafc-1a2b3c — collection: https://brandsweets.com/palettes/cool

## Fonts for this mood

- luxury: https://brandsweets.com/fonts/mood/luxury
- bold: https://brandsweets.com/fonts/mood/bold

## Palette tool

Open this color locked as the lead with four explored companions: https://brandsweets.com/palettes/new/252c41-9ca1c4-df754e-221f2d-e9eff1?lock=0&style=vibrant
(Humans lock/regenerate in the tool; the URL is the state — read `lock=` back to see what they kept.)

## Connect an agent

Point any MCP client at the BrandSweets colors endpoint for the same engine:

- Endpoint: https://mcp.brandsweets.com/colors/mcp
- Tools: `analyze_color` (e.g. `analyze_color({ color: "#252c41" })`), `check_contrast` (with fixes), `generate_palette` (explore around locks), `suggest_palette` (mood/industry → curated-first), `list_palettes`.
