# #281c36

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

## Values

- Hex: `#281c36`
- RGB: rgb(40, 28, 54)
- HSL: hsl(268, 32%, 16%)
- OKLCH: oklch(0.254 0.05 304.3)
- Relative luminance: 0.0155
- Nearest named color: Black Velvet (#222233, Δ 2.385) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/black-velvet
- Moods: cool, muted, dark, luxury, bold
- Page: https://brandsweets.com/colors/281c36

## Tints & shades

- Tints (toward white): #3c2a51, #50376c, #66478a, #7a55a5, #8f6eb4, #a489c2, #b9a4d0, #d0c2e0, #e5ddee, #faf8fc
- Shades (toward black): #251a32, #23182f, #1e1528, #1b1325, #191122, #16101e, #140e1b, #0f0a14, #0c0911, #0a070d

## Harmonies

- Complementary: #2a361c
- Analogous: #1c1d36, #351c36
- Triadic: #36281c, #1c3628
- Split-complementary: #36351c, #1d361c
- Tetradic: #361c1d, #2a361c, #1c3635

## Colors that go with #281c36

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 #281c36: softer than #000 and cool enough to feel like part of the same palette. Seen in: Volkswagen (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/vw-com), Tide Pool (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/cool#tide-pool), Microsoft (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/microsoft-com), Boeing (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/boeing-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/charcoal
- **Dark Olive Green** #556b2f [harmony, pool: complementary] — Dark Olive Green sits directly opposite #281c36 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), Oatmeal (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/neutral#oatmeal). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/darkolivegreen
- **Sea Green** #2e8b57 [harmony, pool: split] — Sea Green is a split-complement of #281c36: nearly opposite, so it still pops against it, without the vibrating edge of a true complement. 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), Mushroom (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/neutral#mushroom). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/seagreen
- **Sienna** #a0522d [harmony, pool: triadic] — Sienna completes a triad with #281c36 — 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), Olive Grove (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/muted#olive-grove). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/sienna
- **Slate Blue** #6a5acd [harmony, pool: analogous] — Slate Blue is #281c36'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: triadic] — Teal completes a triad with #281c36 — three hues spaced evenly round the wheel, the classic way to get energy into a palette without a clash. Seen in: Alpine (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/cool#alpine), Sapphire & Gold (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/luxury#sapphire-and-gold), Clinic (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/clean#clinic), Mid-Century (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/warm#mid-century). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/teal
- **Amber** #ffbf00 [pool] — Amber is paired with #281c36 in 18 real palettes, including Southwest Airlines's brand system and Beach Hut, as the accent. Seen in: Southwest Airlines (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/southwest-com), Beach Hut (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/light#beach-hut), Wikipedia (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/wikipedia-org), Google (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/google-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/amber
- **Blue** #0000ff [pool] — 22 real palettes, including Sketch's brand system and Monzo's brand system put Blue beside #281c36, 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

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

- On white (#ffffff): 16.04:1 — AA pass, AA-large pass, AAA pass
- On black (#000000): 1.31:1 — AA fail, AA-large fail, AAA fail. Fix: AA: text → #8a68b1 (4.7:1); AA: background → #8a8a8a (4.64:1); AAA: text → #a68dc4 (7.23:1); AAA: background → #adadad (7.15:1)

## Brands using this color

- **Sketch** — primary #2c203b (Δ 1.693) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/sketch-com

## 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/281c36-b39cc4-dfdc4e-2c1f2d-e9eaf1?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: "#281c36" })`), `check_contrast` (with fixes), `generate_palette` (explore around locks), `suggest_palette` (mood/industry → curated-first), `list_palettes`.