# #383838

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

## Values

- Hex: `#383838`
- RGB: rgb(56, 56, 56)
- HSL: hsl(0, 0%, 22%)
- OKLCH: oklch(0.341 0 0)
- Relative luminance: 0.0395
- Nearest named color: Artist’s Charcoal (#37393e, Δ 0.99) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/artists-charcoal
- Moods: neutral, dark, luxury, bold
- Page: https://brandsweets.com/colors/383838

## Tints & shades

- Tints (toward white): #4d4d4d, #5e5e5e, #737373, #858585, #999999, #adadad, #bfbfbf, #d4d4d4, #e6e6e6, #fafafa
- Shades (toward black): #333333, #2e2e2e, #2b2b2b, #262626, #212121, #1c1c1c, #171717, #141414, #0f0f0f, #0a0a0a

## Harmonies

- Complementary: #383838
- Analogous: #383838, #383838
- Triadic: #383838, #383838
- Split-complementary: #383838, #383838
- Tetradic: #383838, #383838, #383838

## Colors that go with #383838

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

- **Amber** #ffbf00 [pool] — Amber is paired with #383838 in 6 real palettes, including McDonald's's brand system and Beach Hut, as the lead colour. Seen in: McDonald's (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/mcdonalds-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] — 13 real palettes, including Dunkin''s brand system and Minecraft's brand system put Blue beside #383838, as the supporting colour. Seen in: Dunkin' (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/dunkindonuts-com), Minecraft (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/minecraft-net), Headspace (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/headspace-com), Jeep (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/jeep-com). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/blue
- **Blush Pink** #e8b4b8 [pool] — 5 real palettes, including Garden Wedding and Nursery put Blush Pink beside #383838, as the supporting colour. Seen in: Garden Wedding (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/light#garden-wedding), Nursery (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/light#nursery), Blush (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/light#blush), Rain Garden (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/cool#rain-garden). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/blush-pink
- **Burlywood** #deb887 [pool] — Burlywood is paired with #383838 in 5 real palettes, including Polaroid and Coastal, as the accent. Seen in: Polaroid (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/light#polaroid), Coastal (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/cool#coastal), Chalkboard (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/dark#chalkboard), Kiln (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/dark#kiln). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/burlywood
- **Cadet Blue** #5f9ea0 [pool] — Designers have shipped Cadet Blue with #383838: 8 real palettes, including Clean Beauty and Coastal, as the lead colour. Seen in: Clean Beauty (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/minimal#clean-beauty), Coastal (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/cool#coastal), Paper & Pine (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/minimal#paper-and-pine), Open House (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/clean#open-house). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/cadetblue
- **Champagne** #f7e7ce [pool] — 7 real palettes, including Sweetgreen's brand system and Darkroom put Champagne beside #383838, as the supporting colour. Seen in: Sweetgreen (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/sweetgreen-com), Darkroom (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/muted#darkroom), Forest Floor (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/dark#forest-floor), Bramble (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/muted#bramble). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/champagne
- **Chocolate** #d2691e [pool] — Chocolate shows up next to #383838 in 4 real palettes, including Homestead and Wellness, as the accent. Seen in: Homestead (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/warm#homestead), Wellness (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/warm#wellness), Postman (https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/postman-com), Farmers Market (https://brandsweets.com/palettes/warm#farmers-market). — https://brandsweets.com/colors/chocolate
- **White Smoke** #f5f5f5 [role] — White Smoke is the near-white surface #383838 was made for — maximum legibility with no colour cast to argue with. — https://brandsweets.com/colors/whitesmoke

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

- On white (#ffffff): 11.73:1 — AA pass, AA-large pass, AAA pass
- On black (#000000): 1.79:1 — AA fail, AA-large fail, AAA fail. Fix: AA: text → #757575 (4.56:1); AA: background → #a1a1a1 (4.54:1); AAA: text → #969696 (7.1:1); AAA: background → #c9c9c9 (7.08:1)

## Brands using this color

- **Notion** — text #37352f (Δ 1.588) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/notion
- **Dunkin'** — primary #3e342f (Δ 1.804) — https://brandsweets.com/colors/brands/dunkindonuts-com

## Curated palettes containing it

- **Garden Wedding** (wedding, pastel, light, elegant) — #9caf88, #e8b4b8, #c9a96e, #fdfbf7, #3b3a33 — Sage green, blush and a soft gold on ivory — the wedding palette of the decade, with text dark enough for an actual invitation. — tool: https://brandsweets.com/palettes/new/9caf88-e8b4b8-c9a96e-fdfbf7-3b3a33 — collection: https://brandsweets.com/palettes/wedding

## Fonts for this mood

- neutral: https://brandsweets.com/fonts/mood/neutral
- 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/383838-a2beb0-c859d4-1f2d2b-eaf1e9?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: "#383838" })`), `check_contrast` (with fixes), `generate_palette` (explore around locks), `suggest_palette` (mood/industry → curated-first), `list_palettes`.