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Substantial Dianthus

#a81784
Notes

Substantial Dianthus (#A81784) is a true magenta with a jewel character. It carries the deep, saturated richness of a gemstone. Authoritative and slightly formal, it works well for type and heavy UI elements. Its HSL profile (315°, 76%, 37%) places it in the highly saturated band at a mid lightness. Best used in small doses, like logos, CTAs, focus rings, or highlight text, where its saturation becomes a feature rather than noise. For a confident two-color system, pair it with its complementary green. For something softer, pull in its analogous neighbors on either side of the wheel.

HEX
#a81784
RGB
rgb(168, 23, 132)
HSL
hsl(315, 76%, 37%)
HWB
hwb(315 9% 34%)
OKLCH
oklch(50.0% 0.202 341.3)
HSV
hsv(315, 86%, 66%)
LAB
lab(38.91% 63.76 -24.07)
LCH
lch(38.91% 68.16 339.32)
CMYK
cmyk(0%, 86%, 21%, 34%)

Etymology

Substantial
adjective

Latin substantia, substance — adjectival suffix -al, derived from sub-stāre (to stand under). As a color modifier, substantial implies a saturated-and-weighty-and-material quality where the hue carries visual mass and presence. Sits at the bold-and-weighty end of the grid, parallel to weighty and hefty in usage.

Dianthus
noun

Dianthus caryophyllus — the cultivated carnation of European florists' tradition, particularly the deep-magenta clove-pink cultivars whose spicy fragrance gave the carnation its eponymous Eugenia caryophyllata (clove tree) connection. Dianthus color refers to a fully opened Dianthus caryophyllus deep-magenta cultivar: a saturated, slightly cool deep magenta with the velvet finish of frilled petals around a calyx-throat. Greek Diós-anthos (god-flower).

Closest matches

The nearest named color in three reference sources, ranked by perceptual distance (ΔE76 in CIELAB). ΔE < 1 is imperceptible to most viewers; ΔE > 10 is clearly different. When two sources point to the same hex they’re merged into one tile; click any to open that color’s page.

Variations

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Harmonies

Accessibility

Color-vision simulation

How this color appears to viewers with the four major color-vision-deficiency types. Computed via the Machado (2009) physiologically-based model. If a tile matches the original, the color reads the same to that viewer.

#a81784
Original
#284d87
Protanopia
#586481
Deuteranopia
#b31c4f
Tritanopia
#3e3e3e
Achromatopsia
WCAG contrast

The color used as foreground text against pure white and pure black, with the contrast ratio and WCAG 2.1 grade. Aim for AA (4.5:1) for body text and AA Large (3:1) for 18 pt+ headlines; AAA (7:1) is the gold standard for long-form reading surfaces.

The quick brown foxSample body text at normal size. The wcag minimum for body contrast is 4.5:1 (AA) or 7:1 (AAA).
AAon White
6.73:1
The quick brown foxSample body text at normal size. The wcag minimum for body contrast is 4.5:1 (AA) or 7:1 (AAA).
AA Largeon Black
3.12:1

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