#55A9D6Cousteau (#55A9D6) is a light, soft sky blue with an OKLCH hue of 234°, lightness 0.7 and chroma 0.105. It sits on the cool side of the color wheel. In practice it behaves as a mid-weight working color for secondary surfaces and editorial blocks.
| HEX | #55A9D6 |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(85, 169, 214) |
| HSL | hsl(201, 61%, 59%) |
| HSV | hsv(201, 60%, 84%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(60%, 21%, 0%, 16%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(65.9 -12.2 -30.5) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.701 0.105 234) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Cousteau shifts subtly: loses intensity; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 2.1), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#65a6c9 — ΔE 2.1, shifts subtly: loses intensity#5faad2 — ΔE 1.1, shifts only faintly, with no single dominant change#55a9d6 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#54aad9 — ΔE 0.5, is virtually unchangedTest Cousteau 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 2.61:1 and against black 8.03:1, so black text is the stronger pairing. That pairing passes WCAG AA for body text. Avoid white 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.
#e4f5ff · #8cd4fd · #55a9d6 · #3786ae · #126184 · #003d58
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.
#81d4db · #66c0d9 · #55a9d6 · #5d90c5 · #6279b0 · #626397
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.
#bbbadf · #55a9d6 · #4489ae · #5f599c · #014e6e · #2c2949
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.
#c8ebff · #aec5d3 · #55a9d6 · #ad6b3c · #3f6377 · #2c4351
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#faefe9 · #55a9d6 · #78868e · #544d49 · #14222a · #030100
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.
#fbefe8 · #d6c9c1 · #ae9f96 · #3d2c20 · #1b0a02 · #55a9d6
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#e8f0cb · #f1c751 · #55a9d6 · #4b588d · #462e28 · #041011
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#ffeee3 · #55a9d6 · #b06f6a · #654a00 · #410508 · #0e0600
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#ffecf3 · #55a9d6 · #ab6e86 · #4e5400 · #202300 · #080002
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#fdebfe · #55a9d6 · #9d72a0 · #793c03 · #002902 · #1d0700
#6FB6DE · #87C4E7 · #9ED1EF · #B5DEF7 · #CCECFF
#3E8BB3 · #276E91 · #0E5271 · #003850 · #001F2F
#69A7CA · #7AA5BF · #88A3B3
Its moderate chroma lets it work in mid-size areas — upholstery, secondary UI surfaces, editorial blocks — without overwhelming neighbors. In palettes it pairs most predictably with its tonal ramp and analogous neighbors; reserve the complementary hue for small, deliberate contrast.