# #281a01

A color — warm, vivid, dark, playful, bold, luxury. Deterministic analysis from BrandSweets (no inference).

## Values

- Hex: `#281a01`
- RGB: rgb(40, 26, 1)
- HSL: hsl(38, 95%, 8%)
- OKLCH: oklch(0.23 0.046 80.1)
- Relative luminance: 0.0119
- Nearest named color: Burnt Coffee (#271b10, Δ 2.164) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/burnt-coffee
- Moods: warm, vivid, dark, playful, bold, luxury
- Page: https://brandsweets.com/colors/281a01

## Tints & shades

- Tints (toward white): #553602, #815303, #ae7004, #db8d06, #f9a615, #fab742, #fbc86f, #fcd99c, #feeac8, #fffbf5
- Shades (toward black): #281a01, #231601, #231601, #1e1301, #1e1301, #1e1301, #191001, #191001, #140d01, #140d01

## Harmonies

- Complementary: #010f28
- Analogous: #280601, #232801
- Triadic: #01281a, #1a0128
- Split-complementary: #012328, #060128
- Tetradic: #012806, #010f28, #280123

## Colors that go with #281a01

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

- **Blue Violet** #8a2be2 [harmony, pool: split] — Blue Violet is a split-complement of #281a01: nearly opposite, so it still pops against it, without the vibrating edge of a true complement. Seen in: Yahoo (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/yahoo-com), ClickUp (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/clickup-com), Prepare your taste buds... (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/grubhub-com), Klarna US (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/klarna-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/blueviolet
- **Charcoal** #36454f [role, pool] — Charcoal is the body-text near-black for #281a01: its slight blue cast keeps type crisp beside a warm colour where pure #000 looks heavy. Seen in: Gusto (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/gusto-com), Logitech (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/logitech-com), N26 (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/n26-com), HubSpot (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/hubspot-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/charcoal
- **Royal Blue** #4169e1 [harmony, pool: complementary] — Royal Blue sits directly opposite #281a01 on the wheel — the strongest contrast one hue can give another, so use it small: a button, a link colour, one highlight. Seen in: Signal (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/signal-org), Headspace (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/headspace-com), Spectrum (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/spectrum-com), Yahoo (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/yahoo-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/royalblue
- **Sienna** #a0522d [harmony, pool: analogous] — Sienna is #281a01's neighbour on the wheel, so the two read as one family — use it for hover states, gradients and secondary surfaces. Seen in: Harvest (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/warm#harvest), BrandSweets (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/brandsweets), Woodsmoke (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/dark#woodsmoke), Coffee Bar (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/dark#coffee-bar). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/sienna
- **Steel Blue** #4682b4 [harmony, pool: split] — Steel Blue is a split-complement of #281a01: nearly opposite, so it still pops against it, without the vibrating edge of a true complement. Seen in: Retro Pop (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/playful#retro-pop), Launch Orange (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/bold#launch-orange), American Express (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/americanexpress-com), Plaid (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/plaid-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/steelblue
- **Teal** #008080 [harmony, pool: triadic] — Teal completes a triad with #281a01 — three hues spaced evenly round the wheel, the classic way to get energy into a palette without a clash. Seen in: Saffron (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/warm#saffron), Magazine Ochre (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/editorial#magazine-ochre), Gusto (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/gusto-com), N26 (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/n26-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/teal
- **Amber** #ffbf00 [pool] — Amber is paired with #281a01 in 18 real palettes, including Maple and Trailhead, as the accent. Seen in: Maple (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/warm#maple), Trailhead (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/warm#trailhead), Heatwave (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/warm#heatwave), Google (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/google-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/amber
- **Blue** #0000ff [pool] — 23 real palettes, including CVS's brand system and Signal's brand system put Blue beside #281a01, as the supporting colour. Seen in: CVS (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/cvs-com), Signal (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/signal-org), Headspace (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/headspace-com), Bumble (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/bumble-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/blue

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

- On white (#ffffff): 16.96:1 — AA pass, AA-large pass, AAA pass
- On black (#000000): 1.24:1 — AA fail, AA-large fail, AAA fail. Fix: AA: text → #a46904 (4.6:1); AA: background → #858585 (4.6:1); AAA: text → #d18605 (7.12:1); AAA: background → #a8a8a8 (7.13:1)

## Curated palettes containing it

- **Saffron** (warm, vivid, elegant) — #d97706, #7c2d12, #0f766e, #fffaf0, #2a1b0c — Saffron and clove with a teal counterpoint — spice-market warmth, balanced so it doesn't go orange everywhere. — tool: https://brandsweets.com/palettes/new/d97706-7c2d12-0f766e-fffaf0-2a1b0c — collection: https://brandsweets.com/palettes/warm
- **Maple** (autumn, warm, vivid) — #c1272d, #e8730c, #f2b705, #fff8ee, #2a1a0a — The three colours a maple goes through in October, on a warm white — loud, seasonal, and readable because the type is near-black. — tool: https://brandsweets.com/palettes/new/c1272d-e8730c-f2b705-fff8ee-2a1a0a — collection: https://brandsweets.com/palettes/autumn

## Fonts for this mood

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

## Palette tool

Open this color locked as the lead with four explored companions: https://brandsweets.com/palettes/new/281a01-c4ba9c-62bbcb-2c2d1f-f1ebe9?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: "#281a01" })`), `check_contrast` (with fixes), `generate_palette` (explore around locks), `suggest_palette` (mood/industry → curated-first), `list_palettes`.
