Blue

CoolGrey

#8C92AC
HEX
#8C92AC
RGB
rgb(140, 146, 172)
HSL
hsl(229, 16%, 61%)

Blue family

About CoolGrey

CoolGrey (#8C92AC) is a medium, muted blue. Blue is the world's most popular favorite color, associated with trust, calm and depth, and this shade carries that steady, dependable character.

Psychology

Blue lowers stress and is associated with trust, intelligence and reliability. It is the color of stability and competence, which is why so many banks, insurers and technology companies build their brands around it.

Applications

Blue dominates corporate, financial, healthcare and technology design. Light blues feel airy and clean, while deep blues convey authority and luxury. It is also the default for links and primary buttons in countless interfaces.

History

Ultramarine was once made from ground lapis lazuli and was more expensive than gold, reserved for the robes of the Virgin Mary in Renaissance art. Prussian blue and synthetic ultramarine later made blue affordable and ubiquitous.

Meaning

Blue commonly means trust, peace, loyalty and wisdom. In some cultures it is protective, in others it signifies sadness, and it is widely used in flags and institutions to project stability.

Why use this color

Choose blue when you want to build trust, calm and professionalism. It is the safest choice for corporate and financial brands and for interfaces where clarity and reliability matter most.

Accessibility

Against white, #8C92AC has a 3.1:1 contrast ratio; against black it is 6.8:1. Black text on #8C92AC meets WCAG AA for normal text.

Fun facts

  • Blue is the most commonly cited favorite color worldwide.
  • Ultramarine was once more expensive than gold because it came from lapis lazuli.
  • Blue light has a short wavelength, which is why the sky and distant mountains look blue.

Shades, tints & tones

Variations

Ten lightness steps plus CoolGrey's tints, shades and tones — every swatch copies its hex on click.

Lightness scale

Tints (toward white)

Shades (toward black)

Tones (toward gray)

Color theory

Color harmonies

Proven schemes built around CoolGrey. Each swatch is one click from your clipboard.

Complementary

#8c91ab#aba68c

Analogous

#8ca1ab#8c91ab#968cab

Triadic

#8c91ab#ab8c91#91ab8c

Split-complementary

#8c91ab#ab968c#a1ab8c

Tetradic

#8c91ab#ab8ca1#aba68c#8cab96

Monochromatic

#20222c#45495f#6b7394#a0a5ba#d3d5df

Accessibility

Blindness simulator

See how CoolGrey is perceived with common types of color vision deficiency.

#8C92AC

Normal vision

Standard trichromatic vision, shown for reference.

#8b94ad

Protanopia

Red-blind. Reds look darker and can be confused with greens and browns.

#8992ab

Deuteranopia

Green-blind. Greens look muted and can be confused with reds and browns.

#85979a

Tritanopia

Blue-blind. Blues look greenish and yellows fade toward pink.

#939393

Achromatopsia

Complete color blindness. Everything is seen in shades of gray.

WCAG

Contrast checker

How CoolGrey performs against black and white text, with WCAG AA and AAA ratings.

AaWhite on CoolGrey
3.08:1
AAAAAAA LargeAAA Large
AaBlack on CoolGrey
6.82:1
AAAAAAA LargeAAA Large

The ratio is identical whether CoolGrey is used as the text or the background.

Open the full checker

Ready to use

Color palettes

Curated palettes that put CoolGrey to work, with copy-all support for each.

Complementary

The base color paired with its opposite on the wheel for maximum contrast, plus two neutrals and a soft tint.

Analogous

Neighboring hues on the color wheel create a calm, cohesive scheme with a light tint and a deep shade.

Triadic

Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel for a bold, balanced palette anchored by two neutrals.

Monochromatic

A single hue stepped from light to dark for a clean, elegant and foolproof palette.

CoolGrey (#8C92AC) is a blue-family color. Use its values, variations, harmonies and palettes above to put it to work in your next design.

Frequently asked questions

CoolGrey is #8C92AC — rgb(140, 146, 172) / hsl(229, 16%, 61%). CoolGrey (#8C92AC) is a medium, muted blue. Blue is the world's most popular favorite color, associated with trust, calm and depth, and this shade carries that steady, dependable character.

Good to know facts

  • CoolGrey is one of 609 named colors in the library.
  • Its complementary hue sits 180° away on the color wheel: #aba68c.

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