#0072BBFrench Blue (#0072BB) is a mid-tone, saturated blue with an OKLCH hue of 247°, lightness 0.54 and chroma 0.142. It sits on the cool side of the color wheel. In practice it behaves as an accent color: strong in focal moments, dominant over large fields.
| HEX | #0072BB |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(0, 114, 187) |
| HSL | hsl(203, 100%, 37%) |
| HSV | hsv(203, 100%, 73%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(100%, 39%, 0%, 27%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(46.5 0.8 -45.8) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.538 0.142 247) |
Under warm 2700K interior light French Blue shifts subtly: leans toward purple, loses intensity; in north-facing or shaded light it is virtually unchanged. Overall drift across common illuminants is small (max ΔE ≈ 2), so it is a lighting-stable choice.
#2670b0 — ΔE 2.0, shifts subtly: leans toward purple, loses intensity#1973b8 — ΔE 0.9, is virtually unchanged#0072bb — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#0072bd — ΔE 0.3, is virtually unchangedTest French Blue 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 5.09:1 and against black 4.12:1, so white text is the stronger pairing. That pairing passes WCAG AA for body text.
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.
#90c9ff · #58a2e4 · #0072bb · #005791 · #00355c · #00172d
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.
#1da2bc · #008bba · #0072bb · #3459a6 · #40418c · #422c6f
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.
#b794f6 · #9182b1 · #0072bb · #00558e · #003a63 · #25133e
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.
#f3a446 · #7a91a8 · #0072bb · #285278 · #0d3454 · #02192d
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#fbf0e4 · #7b8a99 · #0072bb · #5b534c · #152432 · #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.
#f9f0e7 · #d5cbc0 · #ada196 · #3e3021 · #1c0f02 · #0072bb
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#ffefdf · #b67a33 · #0072bb · #784800 · #351c00 · #000615
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#ffefdf · #c26e55 · #0072bb · #635400 · #430b00 · #080400
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#ffecef · #c2697c · #0072bb · #436000 · #192800 · #140003
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#ffebf9 · #b46ca1 · #0072bb · #784800 · #002b16 · #160700
#3B88CA · #5F9ED8 · #7FB5E6 · #A0CBF4 · #C2E1FF
#005E9C · #004B7E · #003961 · #002746 · #00172D
#2F72AB · #45729B · #56718B
Its chroma is high enough to carry accents, calls to action, and focal moments; large fields of it will dominate a composition. In palettes it pairs most predictably with its tonal ramp and analogous neighbors; reserve the complementary hue for small, deliberate contrast.