Cerulean

A deep cerulean sky blue, full-bodied and serene

HEX#2A52BE

RGBrgb(42, 82, 190)

HSLhsl(224, 64%, 45%)

HSVhsv(224, 78%, 75%)

CMYKcmyk(78%, 57%, 0%, 25%)

HEXA#2A52BEFF

RGBArgba(42, 82, 190, 1)

HSLAhsla(224, 64%, 45%, 1)

OKLCHoklch(68.5%, 0.114, 261)

LCHlch(63.2%, 45.1, 269)

🎨 Color Palettes

Analogous2-3 adjacent hues (≤60°)

Triadic3 hues spaced 120° apart

Split ComplementaryMain color + colors adjacent to its complement

Complementary2 hues spaced 180° apart

Tetradic (Rectangle)4 hues forming a rectangle

MonochromaticSingle hue with varying saturation and lightness

♿ WCAG Contrast Colors

Learn More →

Aa14px Body

High Contrast Text

#FFFFFFRatio 6.9:1AA

Suitable for body text, headings, and primary content, ensuring readability for all users

Aa14px Body

Standard Text

#D3C9F3Ratio 4.4:1AA Large

Suitable for regular body content, meeting WCAG AA standards

Aa14px Body

Large Text / UI Components

#D296E8Ratio 3:1AA Large

Suitable for large text (≥18px bold or ≥24px), icons, UI component boundaries

Aa14px Body

Decorative / Dividers

#DC6081Ratio 2:1Fail

Suitable for decorative elements, dividers, non-essential text

📊 Color Scales

Online Color Picker → Gradient Generator →

Lightness VariationFixed hue and saturation, proportional lightness scaling 30%→100%

#0D193B

#11224F

#162B64

#1B3479

#203F92

#2548A7

#2950BC

Saturation VariationFixed hue and lightness, proportional saturation scaling 40%→100%

#556591

#4E6297

#475E9E

#3F5BA6

#3857AD

#3054B5

#2950BC

Lightness + Saturation Mixed VariationSimultaneous lightness and saturation proportional scaling

#1D212A

#232A3E

#283352

#2B3B69

#2E4585

#2C4BA0

#2950BC

Hue Fine-TuningFixed saturation and lightness, stepwise hue fine-tuning ±15°

#2975BC

#2969BC

#295DBC

#2950BC

#2944BC

#2938BC

#292CBC

💡 Use Cases

✈️

Airport Lounges

Seating and carpet colors—calming delayed passengers with sky-like companionship.

🎨

Artist-Grade Paint

Cerulean oil paint tubes—tools for expressing despair or deep emotion, rich in feeling.

🗳️

Political Branding

Center-right party colors in international organizations—vast cerulean signaling order.

🖼️

Gallery Walls

Sotheby's pre-exhibition backgrounds—cerulean as a cool benchmark comparing artwork whiteness.

📜 Origin & History

Cerulean derives from the Latin word for sky. In the Renaissance, Da Vinci discovered that atmospheric perspective gave distant sky an unnameable depth. He used multiple thin glazes to create the boundless landscape behind the Mona Lisa.

18th-century English landscape painter Constable despised academic 'sauce' tones. He painted Salisbury skies directly outdoors in cerulean—this direct observation inspired the Barbizon school.

The 19th-century invention of synthetic ultramarine freed painters to use a stable, similar deep blue. Van Gogh used short cerulean strokes for Starry Night's agitated, mysterious sky during his Arles period.

In the mid-20th century, this intense yet bright blue was widely used for commercial aviation and airport signage. Psychologists found people in large cerulean environments had higher tolerance for delays—leading to extensive airport applications.

🧠 Color Psychology

VastLike a visual hallucinogen—pushing open ceilings, infinitely extending limited physical space psychologically.

SteadfastImmovable as rock—any restless emotion meeting this solidified blue sinks like a stone into the sea.

ObservantLike an eye overlooking the earth—detaching from petty attachments, reflecting on concerns from a larger perspective.

FlowingClouds rising and falling in this hue—reminding that though impermanent, the underlying color is eternal tranquility.

DignifiedA God's-eye view—symbolizing justice and law, often used to convey inviolable rules.

SilentWashing away worldly noise—absolute silence like vacuum, the brief respite before nightfall.

← Back to Explore Colors