Dark Mode UI Palette
A layered dark UI system: deep surface blues-gray, stepped elevations, muted text grays and a single sky-blue accent. All text levels meet WCAG AA on their intended surfaces.
Semantic roles
Assigned deterministically: lightest = background, darkest = text, most saturated = primary.
| background | #38BDF8 | |
| surface | #94A3B8 | |
| text | #0F172A | |
| text-muted | #1E293B | |
| primary | #1E293B | |
| secondary | #334155 | |
| accent | #64748B |
CSS variables
:root {
--background: #38bdf8;
--surface: #94a3b8;
--text: #0f172a;
--text-muted: #1e293b;
--primary: #1e293b;
--secondary: #334155;
--accent: #64748b;
}Accessibility matrix
Text color (rows) on background (columns). Green = WCAG AA pass for normal text (≥4.5:1).
| Text \ BG | #0F172A | #1E293B | #334155 | #64748B | #94A3B8 | #38BDF8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #0F172A | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 3.8 | 7.0 | 8.3 |
| #1E293B | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 3.1 | 5.7 | 6.8 |
| #334155 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 4.0 | 4.8 |
| #64748B | 3.8 | 3.1 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 2.2 |
| #94A3B8 | 7.0 | 5.7 | 4.0 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 1.2 |
| #38BDF8 | 8.3 | 6.8 | 4.8 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 1.0 |
Under deuteranopia
Machado et al. (2009) simulation, severity 1.0 — approximation, not a medical tool.
Colors in this palette
Similar palettes
FAQ
How do I use the dark mode ui palette in CSS?
Copy the CSS variables below into :root and use var(--primary), var(--background) etc. Full palette: #0F172A, #1E293B, #334155, #64748B, #94A3B8, #38BDF8.
Do these colors pass accessibility checks?
See the WCAG matrix on this page: every text-on-background pairing with ratio ≥ 4.5 passes AA for normal text; ≥ 3 passes AA for large text and UI components.