# #281c31

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

## Values

- Hex: `#281c31`
- RGB: rgb(40, 28, 49)
- HSL: hsl(274, 27%, 15%)
- OKLCH: oklch(0.251 0.042 309.8)
- Relative luminance: 0.015
- Nearest named color: Black Velvet (#222233, Δ 2.124) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/black-velvet
- Moods: cool, muted, dark, luxury, bold
- Page: https://brandsweets.com/colors/281c31

## Tints & shades

- Tints (toward white): #3d2b4a, #553c68, #6a4a82, #7f599b, #9574af, #a98ebe, #bda8cd, #d0c1dc, #e6dfec, #faf9fb
- Shades (toward black): #251a2d, #22182a, #201627, #1d1424, #1a1320, #150f1a, #120d17, #100b13, #0d0910, #0b070d

## Harmonies

- Complementary: #25311c
- Analogous: #1d1c31, #311c2f
- Triadic: #31281c, #1c3128
- Split-complementary: #2f311c, #1c311d
- Tetradic: #311d1c, #25311c, #1c2f31

## Colors that go with #281c31

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 #281c31: 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), Boeing (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/boeing-com), Audi (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/audi-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/charcoal
- **Dark Olive Green** #556b2f [harmony, pool: complementary] — Dark Olive Green sits directly opposite #281c31 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), Cohere (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/cohere-com), Warp (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/warp-dev), Clay & Linen (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/warm#clay-and-linen). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/darkolivegreen
- **Sienna** #a0522d [harmony, pool: triadic] — Sienna completes a triad with #281c31 — 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 #281c31'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), Superhuman (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/superhuman-com), Indigo SaaS (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/modern#indigo-saas), Sentry (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/sentry-io). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/slateblue
- **Teal** #008080 [harmony, pool: split] — Teal is a split-complement of #281c31: 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), Sapphire & Gold (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/luxury#sapphire-and-gold), N26 (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/n26-com), Mid-Century (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/warm#mid-century). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/teal
- **Amber** #ffbf00 [pool] — Amber is paired with #281c31 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), Beach Hut (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/light#beach-hut), Southwest Airlines (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/southwest-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/amber
- **Blue** #0000ff [pool] — 23 real palettes, including Sketch's brand system and Monzo's brand system put Blue beside #281c31, as the accent. Seen in: Sketch (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/sketch-com), Monzo (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/monzo-com), Rolex (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/rolex-com), Bumble (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/bumble-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/blue
- **Blue Violet** #8a2be2 [pool] — Blue Violet is paired with #281c31 in 10 real palettes, including ClickUp's brand system and Yahoo's brand system, as the lead colour. Seen in: ClickUp (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/clickup-com), Yahoo (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/yahoo-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

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

- On white (#ffffff): 16.15:1 — AA pass, AA-large pass, AAA pass
- On black (#000000): 1.3:1 — AA fail, AA-large fail, AAA fail. Fix: AA: text → #8b67a8 (4.6:1); AA: background → #8a8a8a (4.68:1); AAA: text → #a78abc (7:1); AAA: background → #ababab (7.03:1)

## 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/281c31-b79cc4-c2cb62-2d1f2d-eae9f1?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: "#281c31" })`), `check_contrast` (with fixes), `generate_palette` (explore around locks), `suggest_palette` (mood/industry → curated-first), `list_palettes`.