Color #280F2F Color / Colour Code #280F2F
This page shows the hex color code for color #280f2f (#280F2F). The colour is a purple tone with 52% saturation and 12% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #280F2F against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#280F2F paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 257, 287, and 317 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 287, 47, and 167 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #280F2F
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 287 and saturation at 52%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 287 to 332 degrees create a warm, unified palette. This analogous scheme works for marketing materials, seasonal campaigns, and any design that needs visual warmth without clashing colors.
Combines the base color at hue 287 with its complement at 107 and two adjacent cool tones. This split-complementary approach provides strong visual contrast while remaining more balanced than a pure complementary scheme.
Five evenly spaced hues at 40% saturation and 80% lightness. Pastels are gentle on the eyes and work well for dashboards, onboarding screens, category tags, and any interface where multiple distinct colors are needed without visual aggression.
Shades & Tints of #280F2F
Lightness variations at hue 287 and 52% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #280F2F
Design Use Cases for #280F2F
Balanced UI Color
At 52% saturation, #280F2F strikes a balance between vibrancy and restraint. This makes it versatile for primary UI elements like navigation bars, card headers, and form accents. It draws attention without overwhelming adjacent content.
Dark Mode Background
At just 12% lightness, #280F2F works as a dark mode background or overlay color. Dark backgrounds reduce eye strain in low-light environments and make bright accent colors pop. Pair with light text (minimum 4.5:1 contrast ratio) for readability.
Creativity & Premium Positioning
#280F2F falls in the purple spectrum (hue 287). Purple communicates creativity, wisdom, and luxury. It is effective for premium product highlights, creative portfolio accents, meditation app interfaces, and rewards program branding. Purple occupies a unique space between the energy of red and the calm of blue.
Gradient Pairing
Create a gradient from #280F2F (hue 287) to its complement at hue 107. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 317. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #280f2f, #162f0f);
CSS Code for #280F2F
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #280F2F based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #280F2F across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #280F2F (#280F2F)
#280F2F is a purple color (colour) with RGB channel values of 40 red, 15 green, and 47 blue. The blue channel is dominant by a ratio of 3.1:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 287 degrees with 52% saturation and 12% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #280F2F is 26/255 using the ITU-R BT.601 luma formula (0.299R + 0.587G + 0.114B). This appears dark to the human eye, so pair it with light text for adequate readability. For print production, the CMYK equivalent is 15% cyan, 68% magenta, 0% yellow, and 82% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #280F2F against white is 17.51:1 and against black is 1.20:1. This exceeds the AAA requirement (7:1) for normal text on white, making it excellent for body text and small UI labels on light backgrounds.
The complementary colour #162F0F creates maximum visual tension when paired with #280F2F. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #180F2F and #2F0F25, which sit 30 degrees on either side of the hue wheel. To build a complete design system, start with the monochromatic scale above for consistent shade variations, then add one complementary or triadic accent for interactive elements.
How to Explore Color #280F2F
- Enter your color value in HEX format.
- The tool converts it to RGB, HSL, CMYK format in real time.
- Copy the converted value to your clipboard.
What is HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK color conversion
Converting from HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK translates a color value between two different color models. Different color models are used in web design (HEX, RGB), print (CMYK), and color theory (HSL, HSV).
Related Tools & Colors
Frequently Asked Questions
- What color / colour is #280F2F?
- #280F2F is Color #280F2F, a purple color (colour) with RGB(40, 15, 47), HSL(287, 52%, 12%), and CMYK(15%, 68%, 0%, 82%). Its perceived brightness is 26/255.
- Is #280F2F accessible for text?
- Against white, #280F2F has a contrast ratio of 17.51:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 1.20:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #280F2F?
- The complementary colour is #162F0F (hue 107). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #180F2F and #2F0F25. The triadic palette adds #2F280F and #0F2F28 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #280F2F in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #280f2f; or rgb(40, 15, 47); or hsl(287, 52%, 12%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 287 52% 12%; then use it as hsl(var(--color-primary)).
- Is this color / colour explorer free?
- Yes, completely free with no signup required. All colour calculations run in your browser. You can explore any valid hex color code, not just the pre-generated palette.