#183E56 · #532C39
Four independent scores (read the one that fits your goal): Readability 1/100 (fail) · Harmony 83/100 (split-complementary) · Distinguishable 75/100 (easy to tell apart) · Match 33/100 (different). There is no single “good/bad” — a pair can clash for text yet be great for an outfit.
Charcoal and Dark Dusty Red are very different (ΔE 30). They have distinctly different hues (137° apart) and their lightness is similar, so they read as two same-weight colours.
Charcoal text on Dark Dusty Red: 1.04:1 (Fail); Dark Dusty Red text on Charcoal: 1.04:1 (Fail). Neither meets AA at body size — nudging one color to #7EA5C2 clears it.
Split-complementary — split-complementary — a recognised, balanced pairing (harmony 83/100). This is about how they look together (clothing, interiors, branding), independent of text contrast.
Not at body size — the best direction is only 1.0:1, below the 4.5:1 minimum. Nudging one colour to #7EA5C2 clears AA.
Their CIE76 ΔE is about 30 — very different.
clearly different colours (ΔE 30).
Explore each color: Charcoal #183E56 · Dark Dusty Red #532C39 · Shades: Charcoal shades · Dark Dusty Red shades · Contrast checker →