← Shades of blue

True Blue

True Blue (#010FCC) is a dark, vivid blue with a cool feel. It has a hue angle of 236° and a lightness of 39%. Its strong saturation makes it eye-catching, so use it with intent and let neutrals do the rest.

#010FCCTrue Blue
Conversion

What True Blue looks like, feels like and where it works.

Description

True Blue (#010FCC) is a dark, vivid blue with a cool feel. It has a hue angle of 236° and a lightness of 39%. Its strong saturation makes it eye-catching, so use it with intent and let neutrals do the rest.

Psychology

Blue is the most widely liked color and the default for trust. It lowers the sense of urgency, so it suits products that ask for confidence: money, health and software. As a dark shade, True Blue feels weighty and serious.

Meaning

Blue stands for calm, stability, loyalty and the sky and sea. It is also the color of sadness in English (feeling blue) and, in some cultures, of protection.

Why use this color

True Blue is a confident accent. It carries white text well, so it works as a button, header or badge background. Pair it with its tints and shades for a complete scale.

Applications
  • Finance, banking and insurance
  • Technology and software
  • Healthcare and corporate identity
  • Links and primary actions in interfaces
History

Egyptian blue, from about 2500 BC, is often called the first synthetic pigment. Ultramarine from lapis lazuli cost as much as gold; Prussian blue (about 1706) made deep blue affordable.

Accessibility

White text on True Blue has a contrast ratio of 10.81:1 (AAA); black text has 1.94:1 (fails). WCAG AA needs 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text and interface parts. Do not rely on color alone to carry meaning: pair it with text, an icon or a pattern.

ShadesMixed with black: darker and richer.
TintsMixed with white: lighter and softer.
TonesMixed with gray: quieter and less saturated.
HuesThe same lightness and strength, turned around the wheel.
TemperaturesPushed cooler on the left, warmer on the right.
50#F3F7FE100#E2EBFF200#CADBFD300#A5C1FA400#759FF7500#4A7EF6600#2059FB700#1344D0800#010FCC900#05227D950#01104F
Analogous
Complementary
Split complementary
Triadic
Tetradic
Square

Want to explore these on a wheel? Open the color wheel.

#010FCC
Typical visionAs most people see it
#0047D1
ProtanopiaReduced sensitivity to red
#0032C9
DeuteranopiaReduced sensitivity to green
#005678
TritanopiaReduced sensitivity to blue
#3D3D3D
AchromatopsiaNo color, only light and dark

These are approximations to help you check that meaning never depends on color alone. Real vision varies from person to person.

White textQuote n. 31: there is no such thing as a bad color.
10.81:1
AAAAA
Normal textAAAAA
Large textAAAAA
Black textQuote n. 31: there is no such thing as a bad color.
1.94:1
AAAAA
Normal textFailFail
Large textFailFail
Open the contrast checker