Tints & Shades
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Scale from white (50) through Licorice (500) to black (900), interpolated in Lab color space.
Color Values
- HEX
- #1A1110
- RGB
- rgb(26, 17, 16)
- HSL
- hsl(6, 24%, 8%)
- OKLCH
- oklch(0.189 0.015 26)
- CMYK
- cmyk(0%, 35%, 38%, 90%)
--color-licoricebg-[#1A1110]Accessibility
Score: 96/100On White (#FFF)
18.56:1
On Black (#000)
1.13:1
On Light Gray (#F5F5F5)
17.02:1
Best text color on this background:
Design Applications
background-color: #1A1110
color: #1A1110
bg-[#1A1110] text-[#FFFFFF]
border-left: 4px solid #1A1110
Color Harmonies
Complementary
Arctic Blue
#79D4DE
Split-Complementary
Similar Colors
Color Meaning & Psychology
Black absorbs all light and reflects none. It is the ultimate authority color — the color of formality, power, and sophisticated elegance. Black creates maximum contrast with other colors, making it a universal text and typography choice. In luxury branding, black signals exclusivity, restraint, and quality. In tech, matte black finishes convey premium build. Black clothing was historically mourning dress, then the Chanel "little black dress" made it the epitome of timeless style. In interface design, dark mode has made black backgrounds mainstream, valued for reduced eye strain and OLED power efficiency. Black's psychological weight means it should be deployed with intentionality — it commands the eye and the room. Its very dark, near-black depth creates dramatic intensity — maximally contrastive, powerful, and reserved for focal design elements where other dark colors would disappear.
Industry Usage
Common contexts and industries where Licorice is applied in professional design.
- Luxury fashion and premium apparel
- Prestige automotive brands
- High-end watches and jewelry
- Premium spirits and beverage brands
- Professional photography and videography
- Technology brands emphasizing premium tiers
- Music and entertainment industry branding
- Sophisticated cosmetics and fragrance
Accessibility Considerations
Normal Text
Passes AA
4.5:1 minimum required
Large Text
Passes AA Large
3:1 minimum required
UI Components
Meets 1.4.11
3:1 for non-text UI
Licorice is a dark color. Use white (#FFFFFF) text on top of it for maximum readability (18.56:1). Avoid small black text on this background.
CSS & Code Examples
Background
background-color: #1A1110;Text
color: #1A1110;Border
border: 2px solid #1A1110;Box Shadow
box-shadow: 0 4px 20px #1A111040;Gradient
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #1A1110, #403736);Tailwind-style
--color-licorice: #1A1110;Tailwind CSS Utilities
Use arbitrary value syntax in Tailwind CSS to apply Licorice without a custom config.
Background
bg-[#1A1110]Text
text-[#1A1110]Border
border-[#1A1110]Ring
ring-[#1A1110]Fill
fill-[#1A1110]From (gradient)
from-[#1A1110]Via (gradient)
via-[#1A1110]To (gradient)
to-[#1A1110]Design Tokens
Ready-to-use Licorice design token in CSS custom properties, SCSS, Tailwind v3/v4, and JSON formats.
CSS Custom Properties
:root {
--color-licorice: #1A1110;
--color-licorice-rgb: 26, 17, 16;
--color-licorice-hsl: 6, 24%, 8%;
}SCSS Variables
$color-licorice: #1A1110; $color-licorice-rgb: 26, 17, 16; $color-licorice-hsl: 6, 24%, 8%;
Tailwind v3 Config
// tailwind.config.js
module.exports = {
theme: {
extend: {
colors: {
'licorice': '#1A1110',
},
},
},
};Tailwind v4 (@theme)
/* tailwind.css */
@theme {
--color-licorice: #1A1110;
}JSON Design Token (W3C format)
{
"licorice": {
"value": "#1A1110",
"type": "color",
"description": "Licorice — #1A1110"
}
}More black colors
View all →What Does Licorice Mean? Color Psychology & Cultural Symbolism
No color in the spectrum carries as much compressed meaning as black. At #1A1110, Licorice is a dark interpretation of this absolute—carrying the family's full psychological weight into timelessness: the sense that what's here is serious, intentional, and not to be questioned.
- Across color psychology research, black consistently tests high for "luxury" associations, making Licorice a reliable vehicle for timelessness in cross-demographic audiences.
- Brand designers draw on black-family tones to project precision and power—values that Licorice communicates in a dark key.
- At 24% saturation, Licorice reads as muted—Warm near-blacks (very dark browns, dark charcoal) soften pure black's coldness while retaining its authority—increasingly used in luxury and contemporary design as alternatives.
- Licorice's dark lightness (8%) shifts its psychological register: Pure and near-black tones are maximum design authority—the most contrast-giving background in all of design, and the foundation of luxury aesthetics worldwide.
Licorice is the most serious design choice. Make it when you mean it.
How to Use Licorice in Design: Applications, Pairings & Best Practices
Licorice is the designer's most powerful tool and most dangerous one. Its absolute authority concentrates attention perfectly—but used carelessly, it smothers what it should highlight.
- Avoid: children's products, healthcare spaces (clinical coldness without warmth), and brands that need to communicate friendliness or approachability as primary values.
- Color harmonies: Licorice's complementary color creates a high-energy split ideal for promotional design; its analogous palette (±30° hue) builds cohesive, monochromatic sophistication.
- Proportional use: Licorice's muted quality means it scales well across proportions—from full-bleed backgrounds to single-pixel borders—making it an unusually versatile palette component.
- As a dark tone, Licorice creates maximum contrast with white and light neutrals—excellent for creating premium dark-mode sections, bold headers, and high-drama brand moments
- Typography: Licorice works as a background behind white text but requires careful sizing—test at intended heading and body sizes before finalizing.
Licorice is the most serious design choice. Make it when you mean it.
Licorice Accessibility: WCAG Contrast Ratios, Color Blindness & Inclusive Design
Licorice (#1A1110) achieves a 18.56:1 contrast ratio with white text, surpassing the WCAG 2.1 AAA threshold of 7:1. This exceptional contrast qualifies it for body text, UI components at any size, and all accessibility-sensitive interface contexts. Relative luminance: 0.7%.
- As text on white (#FFFFFF): 18.56:1 — AAA ✓
- As text on black (#000000): 1.13:1 — Fail
- Best text color on Licorice background: White (#FFFFFF) at 18.56:1
- WCAG 2.1 luminance: 0.7% — low luminance (dark)—it provides strong contrast for white and light overlaid text, functioning well as a background in dark-mode and header contexts
- Licorice qualifies for all text sizes including small body copy (AAA).
Always verify Licorice at its final intended size and weight using a real contrast checker—font weight and rendering environment affect perceived legibility beyond what raw ratios capture.
Licorice in Industry: Branding, Design & Market Applications
Across industry research, black-family tones consistently outperform competitors in categories built on power, sophistication, authority, and elegance. Licorice is a dark expression of this advantage—best positioned in Luxury & Fashion and adjacent markets.
- Luxury & Fashion: Black is luxury's default language—from Chanel's packaging to Apple's product photography, it signals premium, exclusive, and uncompromising quality. In fashion, it's simultaneously the most versatile and the most authoritative choice. Matte black signals premium restraint; glossy black signals dramatic luxury. The finish matters as much as the color.
- Technology: Dark mode interfaces and premium device aesthetics have made black a technology color as much as a luxury one. Apple's product line, premium audio equipment, and high-end consumer electronics all use black to signal technical precision and premium positioning. (examples: Notion, Slack, Salesforce) Black in tech interfaces benefits from accent colors that pop against it—cyan, neon, and pure white are classic pairings.
- Media & Entertainment: Movie credits, music packaging, editorial magazine design, and streaming platforms use black to focus attention and signal cultural seriousness. It's the color of concentrated attention—everything unnecessary falls away in a black-dominated design. (examples: Disney+, Hulu, Netflix) The black-and-white combination is the most timeless in editorial design for its ability to focus on content without visual noise.
- Brand positioning: Licorice is best suited for brands projecting precision, power, sophistication. Categories outside this positioning—children's products—tend to see weaker results.
- Adjacent applications: Beyond primary industries, Licorice works effectively in editorial design, high-end brand identities, dark-mode interfaces—contexts where authority serves a secondary but reinforcing role.
Licorice earns its strongest ROI in industries where trust and recognition compound over time: Luxury & Fashion, Technology, Media & Entertainment. Use it to build the kind of brand recognition that decades reinforce.
Accessibility & Design Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the hex code for Licorice? ▾
- The hex code for Licorice is #1A1110. Its RGB values are rgb(26, 17, 16) and its HSL values are hsl(6, 24%, 8%).
- What does Licorice mean in design? ▾
- Black absorbs all light and reflects none. It is the ultimate authority color — the color of formality, power, and sophisticated elegance. Black creates maximum contrast with other colors, making it a universal text and typography choice. In luxury branding, black signals exclusivity, restraint, and quality. In tech, matte black finishes convey premium build. Black clothing was historically mourning dress, then the Chanel "little black dress" made it the epitome of timeless style. In interface design, dark mode has made black backgrounds mainstream, valued for reduced eye strain and OLED power efficiency. Black's psychological weight means it should be deployed with intentionality — it commands the eye and the room. Its very dark, near-black depth creates dramatic intensity — maximally contrastive, powerful, and reserved for focal design elements where other dark colors would disappear.
- Is Licorice WCAG accessible? ▾
- Licorice (#1A1110) passes WCAG AAA on white with a 18.56:1 contrast ratio. Its overall accessibility score is 96/100.
- What colors go well with Licorice? ▾
- Licorice pairs well with its complementary color Arctic Blue (#79D4DE). Analogous colors like Carnation Pink and Light Pink also work harmoniously. Check the Color Harmonies section above for the full palette.
- What is Licorice used for? ▾
- Licorice is commonly used for: Luxury fashion and premium apparel; Prestige automotive brands; High-end watches and jewelry; Premium spirits and beverage brands; Professional photography and videography.
- What are the CSS and Tailwind values for Licorice? ▾
- In CSS, use `color: #1A1110` or `background-color: #1A1110`. The CSS custom property is `--color-licorice: #1A1110`. In Tailwind CSS, use the arbitrary value class `bg-[#1A1110]` for backgrounds or `text-[#1A1110]` for text.