#78A7C3Serene Sea (#78A7C3) is a light, muted sky blue with an OKLCH hue of 235°, lightness 0.71 and chroma 0.065. 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 | #78A7C3 |
|---|---|
| RGB | rgb(120, 167, 195) |
| HSL | hsl(202, 38%, 62%) |
| HSV | hsv(202, 38%, 76%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(38%, 14%, 0%, 24%) |
| CIE Lab | lab(66.2 -8.6 -19.3) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.705 0.065 235) |
Under warm 2700K interior light Serene Sea shifts subtly: 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.
#83a3b7 — ΔE 2.0, shifts subtly: loses intensity#7fa8bf — ΔE 1.1, shifts subtly: leans toward blue-green#78a7c3 — ΔE 0.0, is virtually unchanged#77a8c6 — ΔE 0.4, is virtually unchangedTest Serene Sea 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 2.59:1 and against black 8.11:1, 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 · #a6d0ea · #78a7c3 · #58839c · #385e74 · #1a3c4f
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.
#99d1d7 · #82bdd0 · #78a7c3 · #6e91b7 · #6b7ba3 · #65668c
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.
#bdbcd7 · #78a7c3 · #5b88a3 · #625e8e · #254e65 · #2e2c43
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.
#cdebfe · #b5c5cf · #78a7c3 · #a27353 · #4a6371 · #34444d
The anchor as the only color in the room. True neutrals or complement-warmed near-neutrals let it stay dominant.
#f8f0eb · #78a7c3 · #7c868d · #544f4c · #182228 · #040201
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.
#e4f5ff · #b9cedb · #78a7c3 · #0b2e3f · #000b15 · #f18e42
The opposite hue on the perceptual wheel, tempered to field strength — warm/cool tension without vibration.
#ffeee4 · #78a7c3 · #a17b62 · #6f4425 · #371600 · #00050d
The complement's two neighbours instead of the complement itself — strong contrast with a lower clash risk.
#ffeee4 · #78a7c3 · #a67772 · #634c17 · #391210 · #0e0600
Three hues spaced evenly around the wheel; the anchor leads and the other two are held at supporting strength.
#ffecf2 · #78a7c3 · #a27686 · #4e5420 · #202300 · #040001
Two complementary pairs offset by 90° — the richest chord, kept usable by a strict lightness hierarchy.
#faedfa · #78a7c3 · #987999 · #6f4425 · #08280b · #110300
#8BB4CD · #9EC1D7 · #B1CFE1 · #C4DCEC · #D7EAF6
#5F89A2 · #476C82 · #305164 · #1A3747 · #051F2C
#81A6BC · #8AA4B4 · #93A3AD
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.