# PNW Select Rope — Rodeo Dust Palette

## Overview

The boldest of the three palettes — burnt clay and rust tones bring arena energy and strong shelf presence. Warm throughout, so the action color shifts to gold rather than copper to maintain visual separation on CTAs and interactive elements.

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## Color System

### Core Palette

| Swatch | Name       | Hex       | RGB             |
|--------|------------|-----------|-----------------|
| ⬛     | Night      | `#0D0D0B` | 13, 13, 11      |
| 🟫     | Barn       | `#3D1F14` | 61, 31, 20      |
| 🟫     | Burnt Clay | `#8B4A2B` | 139, 74, 43     |
| 🟧     | Rust       | `#C4713C` | 196, 113, 60    |
| 🟨     | Sand       | `#D9BF96` | 217, 191, 150   |
| ⬜     | Cream      | `#F2E8D5` | 242, 232, 213   |

### Action Color

| Swatch | Name      | Hex       | RGB             |
|--------|-----------|-----------|-----------------|
| 🟡     | Gold Dust | `#D4A04A` | 212, 160, 74    |

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## Usage Roles

### Backgrounds

| Role      | Color | Hex       | Usage                                       |
|-----------|-------|-----------|----------------------------------------------|
| Primary   | Night | `#0D0D0B` | Main site background, hero sections, headers  |
| Secondary | Barn  | `#3D1F14` | Cards, footer, secondary sections             |
| Light     | Cream | `#F2E8D5` | Light-mode backgrounds, content areas         |

### Typography

| Role    | Color | Hex       | Usage                                        |
|---------|-------|-----------|-----------------------------------------------|
| On Dark | Cream | `#F2E8D5` | Body text and headings on dark backgrounds     |
| On Light| Night | `#0D0D0B` | Body text and headings on light backgrounds    |
| Muted   | Rust  | `#C4713C` | Captions, timestamps, secondary labels         |

### Interactive Elements

| Role     | Color      | Hex       | Usage                                         |
|----------|------------|-----------|------------------------------------------------|
| CTA      | Gold Dust  | `#D4A04A` | Buttons, links, hover states, sale badges       |
| Borders  | Burnt Clay | `#8B4A2B` | Card borders, input outlines, section dividers  |
| Dividers | Sand       | `#D9BF96` | Horizontal rules, subtle separators             |

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## Contrast Ratios (WCAG)

| Pair                      | Ratio  | AA   | AAA  |
|---------------------------|--------|------|------|
| Cream on Night            | 17.4:1 | Pass | Pass |
| Night on Cream            | 17.4:1 | Pass | Pass |
| Gold Dust on Night        | 7.9:1  | Pass | Pass |
| Cream on Barn             | 13.5:1 | Pass | Pass |
| Cream on Burnt Clay       | 6.2:1  | Pass | Pass |

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## Application Notes

- **Logo placement**: Logo renders in Cream (`#F2E8D5`) on Night (`#0D0D0B`) — no modification needed.
- **CTA buttons**: Gold Dust background with Night text for maximum readability.
- **Links**: Gold Dust for inline links on both dark and light backgrounds.
- **Hover states**: Lighten Gold Dust ~10% for hover, or use Sand as a subtle background shift.
- **Badges/tags**: Gold Dust text on Gold Dust at 15% opacity background (`rgba(212, 160, 74, 0.15)`).
- **Why gold instead of copper**: This palette is already saturated with warm red-orange tones. Copper would blend into Rust and Burnt Clay, killing contrast on CTAs. Gold shifts the hue just enough to pop.
- **Photography direction**: Arena dust, warm sunset rope shots, red dirt landscapes, rodeo action photography.