#1E3442Blue Whale (#1E3442) is a very dark, muted sky blue with an OKLCH hue of 238°, lightness 0.31 and chroma 0.038. It sits on the cool side of the color wheel. In practice it behaves as a grounding tone — suited to text, outlines, and shadowed surfaces.
| HEX | #1E3442 |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(30, 52, 66) |
| HSL | hsl(203, 38%, 19%) |
| HSV | hsv(203, 55%, 26%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(55%, 21%, 0%, 74%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(20.5 -4.1 -11.4) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.313 0.038 238) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Blue Whale shifts subtly: leans toward blue-green; in north-facing or shaded light it shifts subtly: leans toward blue. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 0.9), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#22333d — ΔE 0.9, shifts subtly: leans toward blue-green#213441 — ΔE 0.4, shifts subtly: leans toward blue#1e3442 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#1e3443 — ΔE 0.2, shifts subtly: leans toward blueTest Blue Whale in the color lighting simulator — sweep it through daylight, warm 2700K light, 4000K LED, and shade alongside the rest of your palette.
Against white it measures 12.92:1 and against black 1.63:1, so white text is the stronger pairing. That pairing passes WCAG AA for body text. Avoid black text on this color entirely.
One color explored: close hues with real lightness and chroma structure, so the palette is the anchor through value rather than a set of colors.
#99a9b4 · #718390 · #4c606d · #1e3442 · #0a1f2b · #00050d
The anchor's neighbours on the wheel — everything shares an undertone, so the chord carries color without anything having to be muted to get along.
#225a60 · #05485a · #1e3442 · #072545 · #0d1535 · #0c0724
The mid-gap pairing — sage and mustard, terracotta and olive. A foil rotated 40–65° toward warm or cool: too far to be kin, too near to argue, carried by temperature and a deliberate value offset.
#a19fbb · #618aa4 · #66608f · #4a485f · #1e3442 · #001c2d
One deliberately opposed voice — a single restrained counterpoint across the wheel, or temperature against temperature where the anchor is too muted to carry a loud opposite.
#d2a27e · #597080 · #435059 · #1e3442 · #021927 · #000308
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#f8f0eb · #adb7be · #817c78 · #404a51 · #1e3442 · #201a16
This color as a ground rather than a subject — its own restraint held across a narrow value band, carrying one saturated voice from the opposite temperature.
#e9f3fa · #c1ccd4 · #95a2ab · #1e3442 · #000a15 · #f29343
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#d3d5b0 · #91c5be · #d9614e · #6e475a · #1e3442 · #02082f
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#feeee3 · #daa8a1 · #907a47 · #673b35 · #1e3442 · #231a05
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#ffecf2 · #d6a6b6 · #79834f · #464d23 · #1e3442 · #29141b
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#fbedfa · #cba9ca · #9f7250 · #305234 · #1e3442 · #281709
#3D515E · #5D6F7B · #808F9A · #A3B0B9 · #C8D3DA
#182C39 · #132430 · #0D1D27 · #08161E · #040F16
#23333E · #27333B · #2B3237
As a deep tone it works for grounding elements — text, outlines, and shadowed surfaces — rather than open fields. In palettes it pairs most predictably with its tonal ramp and analogous neighbors; reserve the complementary hue for small, deliberate contrast.