Shade
A color mixed with black — darker than the original while preserving the underlying hue.
What it means
A shade is created by adding black to a color. The result is darker and more subdued, but the hue remains identifiable. Navy is a shade of blue. Maroon is a shade of red. Forest green is a shade of green.
Shades occupy the dark end of color scales (steps 700–950). They're the counterpart to tints, and together they span the full lightness range of a hue.
Why it matters in palette design
Shades provide weight and depth. Dark text, pressed button states, borders on light backgrounds, and dark-mode surfaces all rely on shades. A well-chosen shade of your primary color can replace generic black or dark gray text, maintaining brand cohesion even in body copy.
Example
An e-commerce site uses green (#16A34A) for success states. A shade of that green (#14532D) serves as the text color on light green tint backgrounds, creating monochromatic contrast that feels intentional rather than generic.
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Apply this to your palette
Open PerfectPalette and put these concepts into practice with your own colors.