# #281e38

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

## Values

- Hex: `#281e38`
- RGB: rgb(40, 30, 56)
- HSL: hsl(263, 30%, 17%)
- OKLCH: oklch(0.26 0.049 300.8)
- Relative luminance: 0.0167
- Nearest named color: Black Velvet (#222233, Δ 2.088) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/black-velvet
- Moods: cool, muted, dark, luxury, bold
- Page: https://brandsweets.com/colors/281e38

## Tints & shades

- Tints (toward white): #3b2d53, #4e3b6d, #614988, #7457a2, #8c74b4, #a28ec2, #b8a9d1, #cec3df, #e4deed, #faf8fb
- Shades (toward black): #261d35, #21192e, #1f172b, #1c1528, #1a1424, #15101e, #130e1b, #110c17, #0c0911, #09070d

## Harmonies

- Complementary: #2e381e
- Analogous: #1e2138, #351e38
- Triadic: #38281e, #1e3828
- Split-complementary: #38351e, #21381e
- Tetradic: #381e21, #2e381e, #1e3835

## Colors that go with #281e38

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 #281e38: 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 #281e38 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 #281e38: 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 #281e38 — 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), Olive Grove (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/muted#olive-grove), BrandSweets (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/brandsweets), Harvest (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/warm#harvest). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/sienna
- **Slate Blue** #6a5acd [harmony, pool: analogous] — Slate Blue is #281e38'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: triadic] — Teal completes a triad with #281e38 — 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), Mid-Century (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/warm#mid-century), Sapphire & Gold (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/luxury#sapphire-and-gold), Clinic (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/clean#clinic). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/teal
- **Amber** #ffbf00 [pool] — Amber is paired with #281e38 in 18 real palettes, including Beach Hut and Southwest Airlines's brand system, as the supporting colour. Seen in: Beach Hut (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/light#beach-hut), Southwest Airlines (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/southwest-com), 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 #281e38, 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): 15.75:1 — AA pass, AA-large pass, AAA pass
- On black (#000000): 1.33:1 — AA fail, AA-large fail, AAA fail. Fix: AA: text → #846aaf (4.66:1); AA: background → #8a8a8a (4.56:1); AAA: text → #a28ec2 (7.18:1); AAA: background → #adadad (7.02:1)

## Brands using this color

- **Sketch** — primary #2c203b (Δ 1.157) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/sketch-com
- **Discover** — primary #23233f (Δ 1.954) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/discover-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/281e38-b09cc4-dfd04e-2b1f2d-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: "#281e38" })`), `check_contrast` (with fixes), `generate_palette` (explore around locks), `suggest_palette` (mood/industry → curated-first), `list_palettes`.