Brand gradient

Wendy's gradient

The gradient Wendy's'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.

#dd1438 #b0161f #0077a3

Open in the maker Wendy's colors →Full brand page →Quick-service restaurants

Source: wendys.com
Extracted: 2 September 2026
Version: 3

Wendy's

white text · worst 2.51:1 · fails

white 2.51 failsblack 2.14 failsbanding high

Hero and button

Hero background

Open in maker →

Chroma ×0.35 so it can carry text; ink white (inkFor at the midpoint). L shifted −0.17 until the ink passes AA at the worst point (4.61:1).

white 4.61 AAblack 1.19 failsbanding high

css

linear-gradient(135deg in oklch shorter hue, #986968 0%, #6e3231 50%, #320a13 100%)

tailwind v4

bg-linear-to-br/oklch from-[#986968] via-[#6e3231] to-[#320a13]

Button / CTA

Open in maker →

ΔL 0.08 top→bottom in the primary's hue (a lit surface, not a rainbow); hover L +0.03, active L −0.03. L shifted −0.05 so white ink passes AA on the surface and both states (worst 4.58:1).

white 5.19 AAblack 3.08 AA largebanding high

Get started

hover

active

label ink passes AA on all three

css

linear-gradient(180deg in oklch shorter hue, #d90a35 0%, #b90021 100%)

tailwind v4

bg-linear-to-b/oklch from-[#d90a35] to-[#b90021]

Variants

Tonal ramp

Open in maker →

white 2.51 failsblack 2.14 failsbanding high

css

linear-gradient(135deg in oklch shorter hue, #ff7b7d 0%, #dd1438 50%, #8d0015 100%)

tailwind v4

bg-linear-to-br/oklch from-[#ff7b7d] via-[#dd1438] to-[#8d0015]

Analogous

Open in maker →

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

white 4.94 AAblack 4.18 AA largebanding high

css

linear-gradient(135deg in oklab, #dd1438 0%, #d21388 100%)

tailwind v4

bg-linear-to-br/oklab from-[#dd1438] to-[#d21388]

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 4.23 AA largeblack 4.21 AA largebanding medium

css

linear-gradient(135deg in oklch shorter hue, #dd1438 0%, #11888f 100%)

tailwind v4

bg-linear-to-br/oklch from-[#dd1438] to-[#11888f]

Triadic

Open in maker →

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

white 4.08 AA largeblack 4.23 AA largebanding medium

css

linear-gradient(135deg in oklab, #dd1438 0%, #23910e 100%)

tailwind v4

bg-linear-to-br/oklab from-[#dd1438] to-[#23910e]

Report — brand gradient

white ink: worst 2.51:1 at 0% (fails AA); black ink: worst 2.14:1 at 100% (fails AA) → use white text.
Neither ink passes AA at the worst point — treat as decorative or add a scrim (rgba(0,0,0,.35) typically lifts white ink past 4:1).
Banding high: ~9px bands at 1440px — add grain 18 (≈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 2.51:1, black 2.14:1 */
  --brand-gradient: linear-gradient(135deg in oklch shorter hue, #ff7b7d 0%, #dd1438 50%, #8d0015 100%);
  /* hero — worst-case contrast: white 4.61:1 AA, black 1.19:1; ink passes AA at the worst point */
  --brand-gradient-hero: linear-gradient(135deg in oklch shorter hue, #986968 0%, #6e3231 50%, #320a13 100%);
  --brand-gradient-hero-ink: #ffffff;
  /* button — worst-case contrast: white 5.19:1 AA, black 3.08:1 AA-large */
  --brand-gradient-button: linear-gradient(180deg in oklch shorter hue, #d90a35 0%, #b90021 100%);
  --brand-gradient-button-hover: linear-gradient(180deg in oklch shorter hue, #e4213e 0%, #c70026 100%);
  --brand-gradient-button-active: linear-gradient(180deg in oklch shorter hue, #ce002c 0%, #aa001d 100%);
  --brand-gradient-button-ink: #ffffff;
}

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="#ff7b7d"/><stop offset="3.57%" stop-color="#fd7578"/><stop offset="7.14%" stop-color="#fb7073"/><stop offset="10.71%" stop-color="#f86a6e"/><stop offset="14.29%" stop-color="#f66469"/><stop offset="17.86%" stop-color="#f45f65"/><stop offset="21.43%" stop-color="#f15860"/><stop offset="25%" stop-color="#ef525b"/><stop offset="28.57%" stop-color="#ec4c56"/><stop offset="32.14%" stop-color="#ea4551"/><stop offset="35.71%" stop-color="#e73e4c"/><stop offset="39.29%" stop-color="#e53647"/><stop offset="42.86%" stop-color="#e22d42"/><stop offset="46.43%" stop-color="#e0223d"/><stop offset="50%" stop-color="#dd1438"/><stop offset="53.57%" stop-color="#d71235"/><stop offset="57.14%" stop-color="#d11133"/><stop offset="60.71%" stop-color="#cb0f30"/><stop offset="64.29%" stop-color="#c60e2d"/><stop offset="67.86%" stop-color="#c00c2b"/><stop offset="71.43%" stop-color="#ba0a28"/><stop offset="75%" stop-color="#b40926"/><stop offset="78.57%" stop-color="#af0723"/><stop offset="82.14%" stop-color="#a90621"/><stop offset="85.71%" stop-color="#a3041e"/><stop offset="89.29%" stop-color="#9e031c"/><stop offset="92.86%" stop-color="#98021a"/><stop offset="96.43%" stop-color="#920117"/><stop offset="100%" stop-color="#8d0015"/></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,
              0.482,
              0.49
            ],
            "hex": "#ff7b7d"
          },
          "position": 0
        },
        {
          "color": {
            "colorSpace": "srgb",
            "components": [
              0.867,
              0.078,
              0.22
            ],
            "hex": "#dd1438"
          },
          "position": 0.5
        },
        {
          "color": {
            "colorSpace": "srgb",
            "components": [
              0.553,
              0,
              0.082
            ],
            "hex": "#8d0015"
          },
          "position": 1
        }
      ],
      "$extensions": {
        "com.brandsweets": {
          "kind": "linear",
          "css": "linear-gradient(135deg in oklch shorter hue, #ff7b7d 0%, #dd1438 50%, #8d0015 100%)",
          "interpolation": "oklch",
          "hue": "shorter",
          "angle": 135,
          "name": "brand",
          "contrast": {
            "white": {
              "ratio": 2.506,
              "at": 0,
              "passesAA": false,
              "passesAALarge": false
            },
            "black": {
              "ratio": 2.143,
              "at": 1,
              "passesAA": false,
              "passesAALarge": false
            },
            "suggestedInk": "#ffffff"
          }
        }
      },
      "$description": "The canonical brand gradient (--brand-gradient)."
    },
    "hero": {
      "$type": "gradient",
      "$value": [
        {
          "color": {
            "colorSpace": "srgb",
            "components": [
              0.596,
              0.412,
              0.408
            ],
            "hex": "#986968"
          },
          "position": 0
        },
        {
          "color": {
            "colorSpace": "srgb",
            "components": [
              0.431,
              0.196,
              0.192
            ],
            "hex": "#6e3231"
          },
          "position": 0.5
        },
        {
          "color": {
            "colorSpace": "srgb",
            "components": [
              0.196,
              0.039,
              0.075
            ],
            "hex": "#320a13"
          },
          "position": 1
        }
      ],
      "$extensions": {
        "com.brandsweets": {
          "kind": "linear",
          "css": "linear-gradient(135deg in oklch shorter hue, #986968 0%, #6e3231 50%, #320a13 100%)",
          "interpolation": "oklch",
          "hue": "shorter",
          "angle": 135,
          "name": "hero",
          "ink": "#ffffff",
          "contrast": {
            "white": {
              "ratio": 4.61,
              "at": 0,
              "passesAA": true,
              "passesAALarge": true
            },
            "black": {
              "ratio": 1.188,
              "at": 1,
              "passesAA": false,
              "passesAALarge": false
            },
            "suggestedInk": "#ffffff"
          }
        }
      },
      "$description": "Low-chroma hero background with a text-safe ink (--brand-gradient-hero)."
    },
    "button": {
      "$type": "gradient",
      "$value": [
        {
          "color": {
            "colorSpace": "srgb",
            "components": [
              0.851,
              0.039,
              0.208
            ],
            "hex": "#d90a35"
          },
          "position": 0
        },
        {
          "color": {
            "colorSpace": "srgb",
            "components": [
              0.725,
              0,
              0.129
            ],
            "hex": "#b90021"
          },
          "position": 1
        }
      ],
      "$extensions": {
        "com.brandsweets": {
          "kind": "linear",
          "css": "linear-gradient(180deg in oklch shorter hue, #d90a35 0%, #b90021 100%)",
          "interpolation": "oklch",
          "hue": "shorter",
          "angle": 180,
          "name": "button",
          "ink": "#ffffff",
          "states": {
            "hover": "linear-gradient(180deg in oklch shorter hue, #e4213e 0%, #c70026 100%)",
            "active": "linear-gradient(180deg in oklch shorter hue, #ce002c 0%, #aa001d 100%)"
          },
          "contrast": {
            "white": {
              "ratio": 5.191,
              "at": 0,
              "passesAA": true,
              "passesAALarge": true
            },
            "black": {
              "ratio": 3.085,
              "at": 1,
              "passesAA": false,
              "passesAALarge": true
            },
            "suggestedInk": "#ffffff"
          }
        }
      },
      "$description": "Button / CTA surface with hover and active states (--brand-gradient-button)."
    }
  }
}

Colours

#dd1438 #b0161f #0077a3

mcpConnect your agent — Wendy's'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 wendys-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.

Wendy's 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 Wendy's. Owner of this brand? Request a correction or removal → Machine-readable: gradients.md