What color is #280D8A?

#280D8A is a dark, vivid indigo. In RGB it is rgb(40, 13, 138), and in HSL hsl(253, 83%, 30%).

Is #280D8A accessible as text?

On white, #280D8A has a contrast ratio of 13.86:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.51:1 (fails). For text placed on #280D8A, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #280D8A?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is indigo-900 (#312C85).

What colors go well with #280D8A?

#280D8A pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #708C0D. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #280D8A below.

Is #280D8A good for buttons?

#280D8A works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #280D8A — black text only reaches 1.51:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #280D8A the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #280D8A is not the CSS named color midnightblue, but midnightblue (#191970) is the closest CSS named color.

#280D8A Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #280D8A

Not just a swatch — here's how #280D8A works with other colors. Named schemes with #280D8A in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Luxury Packaging Feature · 5 colors

Feature #280D8A Anchor #141210 Accent #DC9758 Secondary #262833 Surface #F3ECE3

Phthalo Blue carries the depth in this luxury scheme, offset by a brass accent and near-black and held together by a deep neutral and an off-white surface.

Moody Editorial Color · 5 colors

Color #280D8A Anchor #2A2A2E Secondary #6E6E74 Surface #EEE5DB Accent #1E0046

Phthalo Blue adds the colour to this moody editorial scheme — charcoal and a mid-grey around it, a bone highlight, and a muted jewel accent drawn from Phthalo Blue.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #280D8A Accent #A5C4C2 Surface #EAD5BF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #22344A

Phthalo Blue opens this coastal palette with sea-glass and warm sand alongside it, grounded by driftwood grey and a deep-navy anchor.

Vintage Leather Lead · 5 colors

Lead #280D8A Secondary #7F4534 Surface #EED7C2 Accent #365247 Anchor #582239

Phthalo Blue plays the worn-leather lead, deepened by saddle brown and an oxblood anchor, softened by aged cream and cooled by a muted forest green.

Minimal Editorial Surface · 5 colors

Surface #F8F4EF Accent #280D8A Secondary #4F547A Support #9D9088 Ink #18140F

Phthalo Blue is the single accent in this high-contrast editorial system — set on near-white paper against near-black ink, with a warm grey and a desaturated tint of Phthalo Blue carrying the quiet middle.

Build a working theme in the generator →

Color Lab

How #280D8A actually behaves in design work — read from its OKLCH lightness, chroma and hue, not just its raw numbers. Ten signals to help you decide where this color earns its place.

Warmth 17/100

Cool

Reads cool and recessive — calming, technical, good for trust-led UI.

Softness 22/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 72/100

High

Deep and grounding — anchors a layout, strong dark-mode base.

Naturalness 0/100

Very low

Reads engineered rather than organic — synthetic, digital.

Vintage feel 22/100

Low

Clean and current — no dusty, aged cast.

Luxury 67/100

High

Restrained and premium — deep, quiet, high-end packaging and fashion.

Brand distinctiveness 70/100

High

Bold and ownable — memorable as a primary brand color.

UI accent fit 43/100

Moderate

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 19/100

Very low

Too saturated or mid-toned for big areas — keep it to accents.

Print safety 72/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #280D8A

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #280D8A with

Cobalt Blue Purple Olive Green Gainsboro Russian Violet

UI roles & guardrails

Primary action Safe as a filled button with white label. AAA

Body text Passes on white at 16px and above. Pass

Large display Fine for headings 24px+ on white. Pass

Background Pair with white text at 13.9:1. Use

Subtle surface Use #CFC6F1 for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #530D8C — the hue gap is too small to read as intentional. Clash

In real applications

Not a swatch to memorise — a color to build with. Here is #280D8A at work across the surfaces designers actually ship.

Website / UI

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Dashboard

Revenue

$48.2k ▲ 12%

Brand

AVELINE

Studio

Poster

Nov 14 · 8PM

NIGHT
MARKET

Packaging

BLOOM

Botanical Wash

250 ml

Interior

Every model

Export

:root {
  --color-base: #280D8A;
  --color-base-rgb: 40 13 138;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(31.7% 0.181 278.2);
  --color-50: #F3F0FE;
  --color-100: #E0D9FD;
  --color-200: #C3B4F8;
  --color-300: #9982ED;
  --color-400: #7254DE;
  --color-500: #5131C3;
  --color-600: #442D95;
  --color-700: #342669;
  --color-800: #251C44;
  --color-900: #18132A;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  phthalo-blue: {
    50: '#F3F0FE',
    100: '#E0D9FD',
    200: '#C3B4F8',
    300: '#9982ED',
    400: '#7254DE',
    500: '#5131C3',
    600: '#442D95',
    700: '#342669',
    800: '#251C44',
    900: '#18132A',
  },
}

$base: #280D8A;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F3F0FE;
$base-100: #E0D9FD;
$base-200: #C3B4F8;
$base-300: #9982ED;
$base-400: #7254DE;
$base-500: #5131C3;
$base-600: #442D95;
$base-700: #342669;
$base-800: #251C44;
$base-900: #18132A;
$base-hover: #200A70;
$base-subtle: #B6A8EB;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#280D8A",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F3F0FE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E0D9FD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C3B4F8",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#9982ED",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#7254DE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#5131C3",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#442D95",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#342669",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#251C44",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#18132A",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #280D8A

Color Lab

Pairs with #280D8A

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export