#5C5C8E
#8E8EC8
#C8C8E8
#1E1E3A
Background
Primary Accent
Secondary
Body Text

Earthshine Color Palette

#5C5C8E · #8E8EC8 · #C8C8E8 · #1E1E3A

Fail
WCAG Grade
2.6:1
Contrast Ratio
870
Saves
2,310
AI Copies
AI Prompt

Use #5C5C8E as the background. Use #8E8EC8 as the primary accent. Use #C8C8E8 as secondary. Use #1E1E3A as body text/supporting color. Palette mood: Earthshine — earthshine, moon, glow.

Hex Codes, RGB & CMYK Color Values

Technical breakdown for the Earthshine color scheme. Use these values for web design (HEX/RGB), print projects (CMYK), or specialized design software (HSL).

Swatch Design Role HEX RGB CMYK HSL
Background
Luminance: 11.9%
92, 92, 142 35%, 35%, 0%, 44% 240°, 21%, 46%
Primary Accent
Luminance: 29.3%
142, 142, 200 29%, 29%, 0%, 22% 240°, 35%, 67%
Secondary
Luminance: 59.4%
200, 200, 232 14%, 14%, 0%, 9% 240°, 41%, 85%
Body Text
Luminance: 1.5%
30, 30, 58 48%, 48%, 0%, 77% 240°, 32%, 17%

Earthshine Tints & Shades

Hover states, borders and elevation need lighter and darker steps of your base colors. Here are computed tints and shades for every color in the Earthshine palette — click any swatch to copy its hex.

#5C5C8E muted blue
#8E8EC8 gently saturated blue
#C8C8E8 gently saturated blue
#1E1E3A gently saturated blue

Earthshine Palette Contrast Matrix (WCAG 2.1)

Every color tested as text on every other color as background. Body copy needs 4.5:1 (AA), large text and UI components 3:1. AAA requires 7:1.

Text on Background Preview Ratio Grade Safe For
#1E1E3A on #C8C8E8
Aa Sample Text
9.89:1 AAA Body text, headings, UI
#C8C8E8 on #1E1E3A
Aa Sample Text
9.89:1 AAA Body text, headings, UI
#1E1E3A on #8E8EC8
Aa Sample Text
5.26:1 AA Body text, UI
#8E8EC8 on #1E1E3A
Aa Sample Text
5.26:1 AA Body text, UI
#C8C8E8 on #5C5C8E
Aa Sample Text
3.82:1 Fail Large headings, UI components
#5C5C8E on #C8C8E8
Aa Sample Text
3.82:1 Fail Large headings, UI components
#1E1E3A on #5C5C8E
Aa Sample Text
2.59:1 Fail Decorative use only
#5C5C8E on #1E1E3A
Aa Sample Text
2.59:1 Fail Decorative use only
#8E8EC8 on #5C5C8E
Aa Sample Text
2.03:1 Fail Decorative use only
#5C5C8E on #8E8EC8
Aa Sample Text
2.03:1 Fail Decorative use only
#C8C8E8 on #8E8EC8
Aa Sample Text
1.88:1 Fail Decorative use only
#8E8EC8 on #C8C8E8
Aa Sample Text
1.88:1 Fail Decorative use only

Earthshine Color Psychology & Meaning

Earthshine is the faint glow that lights the dark side of the new moon, sunlight reflected off the earth, and this palette is space indigo with moon glow. It feels quiet and strange, the color of a moon lit by our own planet.

Color Harmony: Analogous Scheme

The Earthshine palette is built using a analogous relationship between its hues. This ensures that even with high-contrast accents, the overall scheme feels balanced and intentional.

Hue Wheel

A analogous palette is often preferred by professional designers because it creates a calm, serene atmosphere by using neighboring colors.

History & Design Context

Earthshine, first explained by Leonardo da Vinci, is caused by sunlight bouncing off the earths oceans and clouds onto the lunar surface; it is brightest in spring, when the earths reflective ice faces the moon.

Best Design Use Cases

Use the space indigo for the sky, moon glow for the lit crescent, pale indigo for the earthshine, and the darkest for the base.

Industries This Palette Suits

Astronomy, photography, education, space science.

Colors That Pair Well With Earthshine

Need a fifth color? These three companions are computed from the palette's own hue positions on the color wheel, so they extend the scheme without breaking its harmony.

yellow

directly opposite #8E8EC8 on the wheel — the strongest accent for CTAs and highlights when you need maximum energy

violet

30° beside #8E8EC8 — a calm secondary that extends the palette without adding tension

tinted neutral

a paper-white carrying the palette's own hue — perfect for surfaces and dividers

Using Earthshine Without Breaking Accessibility

  • Avoid #8E8EC8 for small UI elements on #5C5C8E — at 2.0:1 it misses the 3:1 WCAG threshold; darken it with a shade from the ramp below.
  • Don't set body copy in #1E1E3A on #5C5C8E — 2.6:1 fails WCAG AA; keep it for large decorative headings only.
  • Don't use #C8C8E8 behind body text — this light tone works better for surfaces, badges and dividers than for reading areas.

How to Implement the Earthshine Color Scheme

To use this Earthshine color palette in your web project, you can copy the following CSS variables or Tailwind CSS configuration. These roles ensure your UI maintains accessibility and visual hierarchy.

Option 1: CSS Variables

:root { 
  /* {name} Palette - ihatecolors.com */{'
'}  --color-bg: {colors[0]};{'
'}  --color-primary: {colors[1]};{'
'}  --color-secondary: {colors[2]};{'
'}  --color-text: {colors[3]};{'
'} {'}'}

Web Design Tip

Use #5C5C8E for the main background and #8E8EC8 for primary buttons. This creates a high-contrast focal point.

Accessibility Note

The contrast ratio between #1E1E3A and #5C5C8E is 2.59:1 (Fail). Ensure your body text remains legible.

Earthshine Palette — Frequently Asked Questions

What are the hex codes in the Earthshine color palette?

The Earthshine palette contains #5C5C8E, #8E8EC8, #C8C8E8, #1E1E3A. Click any swatch on this page to copy its value, or export all four at once as CSS variables, Tailwind config, SCSS or a Figma-ready list.

Is the Earthshine color palette accessible (WCAG)?

Yes for its strongest pairings: #1E1E3A on #C8C8E8 reaches 9.9:1 (AAA). For body text always keep a 4.5:1 ratio and for large UI elements 3:1 — the full contrast matrix above shows the exact score for every color-on-color combination in this palette.

What colors go well with the Earthshine palette?

Beyond its own four colors, #C8C88D, #AB96C0, #ECECEE extend it naturally: the complementary hue for high-energy accents, an analogous neighbor for calm transitions, and a tinted neutral for surfaces. All three are computed from this palette's hues on the color wheel.

What mood does the Earthshine palette create?

Earthshine reads as earthshine, moon, glow. Gently saturated blue drives the personality, grounded by muted blue — a combination that works best when the mid-tone base gets most of the canvas.

Can I use the Earthshine color palette commercially?

Yes. Individual color values can't be copyrighted, so the Earthshine palette is free for personal, client and commercial work — websites, branding, apps, print and social content, with no attribution required.

How do I add the Earthshine palette to Tailwind or CSS?

Use the export panel on this page: CSS variables, a Tailwind config block, SCSS variables, or a Figma copy list are generated from Earthshine's exact values, including the tint and shade ramps shown above.

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