Espresso Color Palette
Espresso Color Palette built around #4B382A, a dark warm brown anchor (WCAG contrast 1.9:1 against black). The set combines a light tint + a deep shade + a softened complement + a neutral ground so any palette position has a text-safe pairing.
Semantic roles
Assigned deterministically: lightest = background, darkest = text, most saturated = primary.
| background | #BDB1A9 | |
| surface | #5C493C | |
| text | #2C1F16 | |
| text-muted | #313C44 | |
| primary | #4B382A | |
| secondary | #313C44 | |
| accent | #5C493C |
CSS variables
:root {
--background: #bdb1a9;
--surface: #5c493c;
--text: #2c1f16;
--text-muted: #313c44;
--primary: #4b382a;
--secondary: #313c44;
--accent: #5c493c;
}Accessibility matrix
Text color (rows) on background (columns). Green = WCAG AA pass for normal text (≥4.5:1).
| Text \ BG | #4B382A | #BDB1A9 | #2C1F16 | #313C44 | #5C493C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #4B382A | 1.0 | 5.3 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 1.3 |
| #BDB1A9 | 5.3 | 1.0 | 7.6 | 5.4 | 4.0 |
| #2C1F16 | 1.4 | 7.6 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 1.9 |
| #313C44 | 1.0 | 5.4 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 1.3 |
| #5C493C | 1.3 | 4.0 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 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 espresso color palette in CSS?
Copy the CSS variables below into :root and use var(--primary), var(--background) etc. Full palette: #4B382A, #BDB1A9, #2C1F16, #313C44, #5C493C.
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.