# #281b2c

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

## Values

- Hex: `#281b2c`
- RGB: rgb(40, 27, 44)
- HSL: hsl(286, 24%, 14%)
- OKLCH: oklch(0.246 0.037 318.1)
- Relative luminance: 0.0142
- Nearest named color: Black Cherry (#2c1620, Δ 2.47) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/black-cherry
- Moods: cool, muted, dark, luxury, bold
- Page: https://brandsweets.com/colors/281b2c

## Tints & shades

- Tints (toward white): #3f2b46, #593c62, #704c7b, #8a5d98, #9d74aa, #af8db9, #c3aacb, #d5c3da, #e9dfec, #fbf9fb
- Shades (toward black): #251929, #231726, #201523, #1d1320, #1a111c, #171019, #140e16, #110c13, #0e0a10, #0c080d

## Harmonies

- Complementary: #1f2c1b
- Analogous: #201b2c, #2c1b28
- Triadic: #2c281b, #1b2c28
- Split-complementary: #282c1b, #1b2c20
- Tetradic: #2c201b, #1f2c1b, #1b282c

## Colors that go with #281b2c

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

- **Charcoal** #36454f [role, pool] — Charcoal is the text near-black for #281b2c: softer than #000 and cool enough to feel like part of the same palette. Seen in: Tide Pool (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/cool#tide-pool), Volkswagen (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/vw-com), Audi (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/audi-com), Lamborghini (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/lamborghini-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/charcoal
- **Dark Olive Green** #556b2f [harmony, pool: split] — Dark Olive Green is a split-complement of #281b2c: nearly opposite, so it still pops against it, without the vibrating edge of a true complement. Seen in: Cohere (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/cohere-com), 7-Eleven (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/7-eleven-com), Warp (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/warp-dev), Clay & Linen (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/warm#clay-and-linen). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/darkolivegreen
- **Sea Green** #2e8b57 [harmony, pool: complementary] — Sea Green sits directly opposite #281b2c on the wheel — the strongest contrast one hue can give another, so use it small: a button, a link colour, one highlight. Seen in: Subaru (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/subaru-com), Asana (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/asana-com), Wellness (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/warm#wellness), Next.js (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/nextjs-org). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/seagreen
- **Sienna** #a0522d [harmony, pool: triadic] — Sienna completes a triad with #281b2c — three hues spaced evenly round the wheel, the classic way to get energy into a palette without a clash. Seen in: Woodsmoke (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/dark#woodsmoke), BrandSweets (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/brandsweets), Harvest (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/warm#harvest), Coffee Bar (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/dark#coffee-bar). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/sienna
- **Slate Blue** #6a5acd [harmony, pool: analogous] — Slate Blue is #281b2c's neighbour on the wheel, so the two read as one family — use it for hover states, gradients and secondary surfaces. Seen in: GitLab (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/gitlab), Indigo SaaS (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/modern#indigo-saas), Superhuman (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/superhuman-com), Sentry (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/sentry-io). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/slateblue
- **Teal** #008080 [harmony, pool: split] — Teal is a split-complement of #281b2c: nearly opposite, so it still pops against it, without the vibrating edge of a true complement. Seen in: Alpine (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/cool#alpine), N26 (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/n26-com), Gusto (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/gusto-com), Sapphire & Gold (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/luxury#sapphire-and-gold). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/teal
- **Amber** #ffbf00 [pool] — Amber is paired with #281b2c in 18 real palettes, including Wikipedia's brand system and Google's brand system, as the accent. Seen in: Wikipedia (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/wikipedia-org), Google (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/google-com), Warner Bros. (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/warnerbros-com), McDonald's (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/mcdonalds-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/amber
- **Blue** #0000ff [pool] — 23 real palettes, including Sketch's brand system and Bumble's brand system put Blue beside #281b2c, as the accent. Seen in: Sketch (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/sketch-com), Bumble (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/bumble-com), Rolex (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/rolex-com), Warp (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/warp-dev). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/blue

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

- On white (#ffffff): 16.36:1 — AA pass, AA-large pass, AAA pass
- On black (#000000): 1.28:1 — AA fail, AA-large fail, AAA fail. Fix: AA: text → #9264a0 (4.55:1); AA: background → #878787 (4.55:1); AAA: text → #ad8ab7 (7.1:1); AAA: background → #ababab (7.13:1)

## Brands using this color

- **Allbirds** — primary #241c24 (Δ 1.899) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/allbirds-com

## Curated palettes containing it

- **Golden Hour** (sunset, warm, vivid, light) — #f4a259, #f25f5c, #5b3758, #fff7ec, #2b1a2b — Apricot into coral into plum — a sunset flattened to three tokens, with the plum doubling as the twilight text colour. — tool: https://brandsweets.com/palettes/new/f4a259-f25f5c-5b3758-fff7ec-2b1a2b — collection: https://brandsweets.com/palettes/sunset

## 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/281b2c-bd9fc1-adcb62-2d1f2a-ece9f1?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: "#281b2c" })`), `check_contrast` (with fixes), `generate_palette` (explore around locks), `suggest_palette` (mood/industry → curated-first), `list_palettes`.