Brand gradient

Ahrefs gradient

The gradient Ahrefs's published colour tokens imply, derived by a pure function of the palette: primary → secondary in OKLab (OKLCH shorter hue when the hues are more than 140° apart; a tonal ramp when they are within ΔE 0.15), then a hero background with an ink that passes AA at the worst point along the line, a button surface with hover and active states, and the variant contact sheet. Same inputs, same gradients, forever — which is what makes them citable; the same values are served as --brand-gradient in the brand's brand.css.

#fc8c04 #fac000 #889afc

Open in the maker Ahrefs colors →Full brand page →marketing

Source: ahrefs.com
Extracted: 2 September 2026
Version: 4

Ahrefs

black text · worst 4.44:1 · AA large

white 1.30 failsblack 4.44 AA largebanding high

Hero and button

Hero background

Open in maker →

Chroma ×0.35 so it can carry text; ink black (inkFor at the midpoint). Passes AA for that ink at the worst point (4.61:1) without adjusting L.

white 1.29 failsblack 4.61 AAbanding high

css

linear-gradient(135deg in oklch shorter hue, #ede1d4 0%, #cba486 50%, #906f5b 100%)

tailwind v4

bg-linear-to-br/oklch from-[#ede1d4] via-[#cba486] to-[#906f5b]

Button / CTA

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ΔL 0.08 top→bottom in the primary's hue (a lit surface, not a rainbow); hover L +0.03, active L −0.03. Black ink passes AA on the surface and both states (worst 6.89:1).

white 2.13 failsblack 7.67 AAbanding high

Get started

hover

active

label ink passes AA on all three

css

linear-gradient(180deg in oklch shorter hue, #ff9926 0%, #ee7f00 100%)

tailwind v4

bg-linear-to-b/oklch from-[#ff9926] to-[#ee7f00]

Variants

Tonal ramp

Open in maker →

white 1.30 failsblack 4.44 AA largebanding high

css

linear-gradient(135deg in oklch shorter hue, #ffdcb7 0%, #fc8c04 50%, #b75900 100%)

tailwind v4

bg-linear-to-br/oklch from-[#ffdcb7] via-[#fc8c04] to-[#b75900]

Analogous

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Partner hue from the analogous rule at the source colour's lightness.

white 2.36 failsblack 8.74 AAbanding high

css

linear-gradient(135deg in oklab, #fc8c04 0%, #ff8373 100%)

tailwind v4

bg-linear-to-br/oklab from-[#fc8c04] to-[#ff8373]

Complementary

Open in maker →

Partner hue from the complementary rule at the source colour's lightness. ΔH 180° > 140° — interpolating in oklch (shorter hue) keeps the midpoint saturated.

white 2.21 failsblack 8.34 AAbanding medium

css

linear-gradient(135deg in oklch shorter hue, #fc8c04 0%, #3db8ff 100%)

tailwind v4

bg-linear-to-br/oklch from-[#fc8c04] to-[#3db8ff]

Triadic

Open in maker →

Partner hue from the triadic rule at the source colour's lightness.

white 2.12 failsblack 8.88 AAbanding medium

css

linear-gradient(135deg in oklab, #fc8c04 0%, #05c8ae 100%)

tailwind v4

bg-linear-to-br/oklab from-[#fc8c04] to-[#05c8ae]

Report — brand gradient

white ink: worst 1.30:1 at 0% (fails AA); black ink: worst 4.44:1 at 100% (AA-large only) → use black text.
Body text fails AA everywhere on this gradient; large text (≥24px / 19px bold) is fine. Add a scrim or lower the chroma for body copy.
Banding high: ~10px bands at 1440px — add grain 21 (≈2% soft-light noise) or shorten the ramp.

Export

The custom properties below are byte-identical to the gradient block in brand.css; the DTCG token is what tokens.json carries.

css custom properties · brand.css

:root {
  /* Brand gradient (derived) */
  /* worst-case contrast: white 1.30:1, black 4.44:1 AA-large */
  --brand-gradient: linear-gradient(135deg in oklch shorter hue, #ffdcb7 0%, #fc8c04 50%, #b75900 100%);
  /* hero — worst-case contrast: white 1.29:1, black 4.61:1 AA; ink passes AA at the worst point */
  --brand-gradient-hero: linear-gradient(135deg in oklch shorter hue, #ede1d4 0%, #cba486 50%, #906f5b 100%);
  --brand-gradient-hero-ink: #000000;
  /* button — worst-case contrast: white 2.13:1, black 7.67:1 AA */
  --brand-gradient-button: linear-gradient(180deg in oklch shorter hue, #ff9926 0%, #ee7f00 100%);
  --brand-gradient-button-hover: linear-gradient(180deg in oklch shorter hue, #ffa852 0%, #f88900 100%);
  --brand-gradient-button-active: linear-gradient(180deg in oklch shorter hue, #ff8f10 0%, #e47600 100%);
  --brand-gradient-button-ink: #000000;
}

svg · brand gradient

<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="1440" height="600" viewBox="0 0 1440 600"><defs><linearGradient id="bs-gradient" gradientUnits="userSpaceOnUse" x1="210" y1="-210" x2="1230" y2="810"><stop offset="0%" stop-color="#ffdcb7"/><stop offset="3.57%" stop-color="#ffd7ad"/><stop offset="7.14%" stop-color="#ffd2a4"/><stop offset="10.71%" stop-color="#ffcc9a"/><stop offset="14.29%" stop-color="#fec790"/><stop offset="17.86%" stop-color="#fec286"/><stop offset="21.43%" stop-color="#febc7c"/><stop offset="25%" stop-color="#feb672"/><stop offset="28.57%" stop-color="#feb167"/><stop offset="32.14%" stop-color="#feab5c"/><stop offset="35.71%" stop-color="#fda551"/><stop offset="39.29%" stop-color="#fd9f44"/><stop offset="42.86%" stop-color="#fd9936"/><stop offset="46.43%" stop-color="#fc9225"/><stop offset="50%" stop-color="#fc8c04"/><stop offset="53.57%" stop-color="#f78804"/><stop offset="57.14%" stop-color="#f28404"/><stop offset="60.71%" stop-color="#ed8104"/><stop offset="64.29%" stop-color="#e87d04"/><stop offset="67.86%" stop-color="#e37903"/><stop offset="71.43%" stop-color="#de7503"/><stop offset="75%" stop-color="#d97203"/><stop offset="78.57%" stop-color="#d46e03"/><stop offset="82.14%" stop-color="#cf6b02"/><stop offset="85.71%" stop-color="#cb6702"/><stop offset="89.29%" stop-color="#c66301"/><stop offset="92.86%" stop-color="#c16001"/><stop offset="96.43%" stop-color="#bc5c00"/><stop offset="100%" stop-color="#b75900"/></linearGradient></defs><rect width="1440" height="600" fill="url(#bs-gradient)"/></svg>

dtcg · tokens.json

{
  "gradient": {
    "brand": {
      "$type": "gradient",
      "$value": [
        {
          "color": {
            "colorSpace": "srgb",
            "components": [
              1,
              0.863,
              0.718
            ],
            "hex": "#ffdcb7"
          },
          "position": 0
        },
        {
          "color": {
            "colorSpace": "srgb",
            "components": [
              0.988,
              0.549,
              0.016
            ],
            "hex": "#fc8c04"
          },
          "position": 0.5
        },
        {
          "color": {
            "colorSpace": "srgb",
            "components": [
              0.718,
              0.349,
              0
            ],
            "hex": "#b75900"
          },
          "position": 1
        }
      ],
      "$extensions": {
        "com.brandsweets": {
          "kind": "linear",
          "css": "linear-gradient(135deg in oklch shorter hue, #ffdcb7 0%, #fc8c04 50%, #b75900 100%)",
          "interpolation": "oklch",
          "hue": "shorter",
          "angle": 135,
          "name": "brand",
          "contrast": {
            "white": {
              "ratio": 1.298,
              "at": 0,
              "passesAA": false,
              "passesAALarge": false
            },
            "black": {
              "ratio": 4.442,
              "at": 1,
              "passesAA": false,
              "passesAALarge": true
            },
            "suggestedInk": "#000000"
          }
        }
      },
      "$description": "The canonical brand gradient (--brand-gradient)."
    },
    "hero": {
      "$type": "gradient",
      "$value": [
        {
          "color": {
            "colorSpace": "srgb",
            "components": [
              0.929,
              0.882,
              0.831
            ],
            "hex": "#ede1d4"
          },
          "position": 0
        },
        {
          "color": {
            "colorSpace": "srgb",
            "components": [
              0.796,
              0.643,
              0.525
            ],
            "hex": "#cba486"
          },
          "position": 0.5
        },
        {
          "color": {
            "colorSpace": "srgb",
            "components": [
              0.565,
              0.435,
              0.357
            ],
            "hex": "#906f5b"
          },
          "position": 1
        }
      ],
      "$extensions": {
        "com.brandsweets": {
          "kind": "linear",
          "css": "linear-gradient(135deg in oklch shorter hue, #ede1d4 0%, #cba486 50%, #906f5b 100%)",
          "interpolation": "oklch",
          "hue": "shorter",
          "angle": 135,
          "name": "hero",
          "ink": "#000000",
          "contrast": {
            "white": {
              "ratio": 1.287,
              "at": 0,
              "passesAA": false,
              "passesAALarge": false
            },
            "black": {
              "ratio": 4.611,
              "at": 1,
              "passesAA": true,
              "passesAALarge": true
            },
            "suggestedInk": "#000000"
          }
        }
      },
      "$description": "Low-chroma hero background with a text-safe ink (--brand-gradient-hero)."
    },
    "button": {
      "$type": "gradient",
      "$value": [
        {
          "color": {
            "colorSpace": "srgb",
            "components": [
              1,
              0.6,
              0.149
            ],
            "hex": "#ff9926"
          },
          "position": 0
        },
        {
          "color": {
            "colorSpace": "srgb",
            "components": [
              0.933,
              0.498,
              0
            ],
            "hex": "#ee7f00"
          },
          "position": 1
        }
      ],
      "$extensions": {
        "com.brandsweets": {
          "kind": "linear",
          "css": "linear-gradient(180deg in oklch shorter hue, #ff9926 0%, #ee7f00 100%)",
          "interpolation": "oklch",
          "hue": "shorter",
          "angle": 180,
          "name": "button",
          "ink": "#000000",
          "states": {
            "hover": "linear-gradient(180deg in oklch shorter hue, #ffa852 0%, #f88900 100%)",
            "active": "linear-gradient(180deg in oklch shorter hue, #ff8f10 0%, #e47600 100%)"
          },
          "contrast": {
            "white": {
              "ratio": 2.135,
              "at": 0,
              "passesAA": false,
              "passesAALarge": false
            },
            "black": {
              "ratio": 7.671,
              "at": 1,
              "passesAA": true,
              "passesAALarge": true
            },
            "suggestedInk": "#000000"
          }
        }
      },
      "$description": "Button / CTA surface with hover and active states (--brand-gradient-button)."
    }
  }
}

Colours

#fc8c04 #fac000 #889afc

mcpConnect your agent — Ahrefs's gradients on demand

live endpoint

Point any MCP client at the shared gradients endpoint and your agent gets the same engine as this page — make_gradient returns CSS with the interpolation space, Tailwind v4, SVG, a PNG URL, a DTCG token and the contrast report in one call; brand_gradients derives the whole contact sheet from a brand or a palette. Read-only, no key. Every gradient is a /gradients/new/… link: open it, refine, paste it back.

endpointhttps://mcp.brandsweets.com/gradients/mcp

claude mcp add --transport http brandsweets-gradients https://mcp.brandsweets.com/gradients/mcp

try this prompt

›brand_gradients for ahrefs-com — give me the hero CSS and the ink that passes AA, then a version in oklch

Want the agent to remember your picks and write them into a living brand? Create a free BrandSweets workspace.

Ahrefs and its marks belong to their owner. This page uses the name nominatively to describe gradients derived from the brand's published colour values; it does not reproduce logos or other brand assets, and it is not affiliated with or endorsed by Ahrefs. Owner of this brand? Request a correction or removal → Machine-readable: gradients.md