What color is #281E71?

#281E71 is a dark indigo. In RGB it is rgb(40, 30, 113), and in HSL hsl(247, 58%, 28%).

Is #281E71 accessible as text?

On white, #281E71 has a contrast ratio of 13.87:1 (passes WCAG AA for body text); on black it is 1.51:1 (fails). For text placed on #281E71, use white for the best readability.

What is the closest Tailwind color to #281E71?

The nearest Tailwind CSS token is violet-950 (#2F0D68).

What colors go well with #281E71?

#281E71 pairs cleanly with neutrals — cream, taupe, charcoal and cool grays — and with its complementary #67711E. In UI, a softer accent is often easier to use than the exact complement. Explore the harmonies, shades, tints and ready-made palettes for #281E71 below.

Is #281E71 good for buttons?

#281E71 works well for buttons and highlights, but use white text on #281E71 — black text only reaches 1.51:1, below the 4.5:1 needed for normal-size labels.

Is #281E71 the same as CSS midnightblue?

No — #281E71 is not the CSS named color midnightblue, but midnightblue (#191970) is the closest CSS named color.

#281E71 Color — HEX, RGB, HSL, Palette & Shades

Palettes built on #281E71

Not just a swatch — here's how #281E71 works with other colors. Named schemes with #281E71 in its natural role, and a note on why the supporting colors balance it.

Luxury Packaging Feature · 5 colors

Feature #281E71 Anchor #141210 Accent #DB9758 Secondary #272833 Surface #F3ECE3

Midnight 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 #281E71 Anchor #2A2A2E Secondary #6E6E74 Surface #EEE5DA Accent #1A0237

Midnight 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 Midnight Blue.

Coastal Morning Lead · 5 colors

Lead #281E71 Accent #A5C4C3 Surface #EAD5BF Secondary #9AA0A1 Anchor #22334A

Midnight 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 #281E71 Secondary #7F4534 Surface #EDD7C2 Accent #365247 Anchor #582238

Midnight 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 #281E71 Secondary #50526F Support #9D9088 Ink #18140F

Midnight 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 Midnight Blue carrying the quiet middle.

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Color Lab

How #281E71 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 24/100

Cool

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

Softness 25/100

Low

Firm and assertive — carries weight and contrast.

Depth 71/100

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 32/100

Low

A faint retro warmth without tipping into sepia.

Luxury 72/100

High

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

Brand distinctiveness 52/100

Moderate

Recognisable but shares space with nearby hues.

UI accent fit 43/100

Moderate

Workable accent with care around contrast.

Surface fit 24/100

Low

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

Print safety 80/100

High

Reproduces faithfully in CMYK — safe for packaging and print.

Pairs with #281E71

For UI

For branding

For interior

For fashion

People also use #281E71 with

Lapis Lazuli Indigo Dark Olive Green Gainsboro Prussian Blue

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 #CFCBEA for cards and hover fills. Tint 80

Avoid beside #431E71 — 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 #281E71 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: #281E71;
  --color-base-rgb: 40 30 113;
  --color-base-oklch: oklch(30.8% 0.136 280.3);
  --color-50: #F4F2FC;
  --color-100: #E1DEF7;
  --color-200: #C4BFEE;
  --color-300: #9B92DD;
  --color-400: #7469C9;
  --color-500: #5347AD;
  --color-600: #453D85;
  --color-700: #35305F;
  --color-800: #26233E;
  --color-900: #191726;
  --color-on-base: #FFFFFF;
}

// tailwind.config.js
colors: {
  midnight-blue: {
    50: '#F4F2FC',
    100: '#E1DEF7',
    200: '#C4BFEE',
    300: '#9B92DD',
    400: '#7469C9',
    500: '#5347AD',
    600: '#453D85',
    700: '#35305F',
    800: '#26233E',
    900: '#191726',
  },
}

$base: #281E71;
$base-ink: #FFFFFF;
$base-50: #F4F2FC;
$base-100: #E1DEF7;
$base-200: #C4BFEE;
$base-300: #9B92DD;
$base-400: #7469C9;
$base-500: #5347AD;
$base-600: #453D85;
$base-700: #35305F;
$base-800: #26233E;
$base-900: #191726;
$base-hover: #20185A;
$base-subtle: #B5B0E0;

{
    "color": {
        "base": {
            "value": "#281E71",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "onBase": {
            "value": "#FFFFFF",
            "type": "color"
        },
        "scale": {
            "50": {
                "value": "#F4F2FC",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "100": {
                "value": "#E1DEF7",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "200": {
                "value": "#C4BFEE",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "300": {
                "value": "#9B92DD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "400": {
                "value": "#7469C9",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "500": {
                "value": "#5347AD",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "600": {
                "value": "#453D85",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "700": {
                "value": "#35305F",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "800": {
                "value": "#26233E",
                "type": "color"
            },
            "900": {
                "value": "#191726",
                "type": "color"
            }
        }
    }
}

Palettes built on #281E71

Color Lab

Pairs with #281E71

UI roles & guardrails

In real applications

Scales

Every model

Export