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Glittering Mariner

#03bae7
Notes

Glittering Mariner (#03BAE7) is a true cyan with a neon character. It sits at the high-saturation edge of its family. Use it sparingly, as signage, accent, or highlight against darker surfaces. Its HSL profile (192°, 97%, 46%) places it in the highly saturated band at a mid lightness. Best used in small doses, like logos, CTAs, focus rings, or highlight text, where its saturation becomes a feature rather than noise. For a confident two-color system, pair it with its complementary red. For something softer, pull in its analogous neighbors on either side of the wheel.

HEX
#03bae7
RGB
rgb(3, 186, 231)
HSL
hsl(192, 97%, 46%)
HWB
hwb(192 1% 9%)
OKLCH
oklch(73.3% 0.137 223.4)
HSV
hsv(192, 99%, 91%)
LAB
lab(70.11% -23.27 -33.35)
LCH
lch(70.11% 40.66 235.10)
CMYK
cmyk(99%, 19%, 0%, 9%)

Etymology

Glittering
adjective

Old Norse glitra, to shine — present-participle of glitter. As a color modifier, glittering implies a saturated-and-multi-point-reflective quality, the bright color of sequined-and-rhinestone fabric-and-gem-decoration surfaces. Sits at the bright-and-reflective end of the grid, parallel to sparkling and glistening in usage.

Mariner
noun

One who sails the sea — from the Latin mare. As a color name, mariner refers to the deep navy-and-cyan of traditional naval and merchant-marine uniforms: a saturated, slightly muted blue with the matte finish of dyed wool. Cooler than navy, warmer than ocean, with the maritime-uniform association of a word that always implies a working boat rather than a recreational one.

Closest matches

The nearest named color in three reference sources, ranked by perceptual distance (ΔE76 in CIELAB). ΔE < 1 is imperceptible to most viewers; ΔE > 10 is clearly different. When two sources point to the same hex they’re merged into one tile; click any to open that color’s page.

Variations

Click any swatch to explore

Harmonies

Accessibility

Color-vision simulation

How this color appears to viewers with the four major color-vision-deficiency types. Computed via the Machado (2009) physiologically-based model. If a tile matches the original, the color reads the same to that viewer.

#03bae7
Original
#a0b6e9
Protanopia
#87a3e7
Deuteranopia
#00c8c9
Tritanopia
#969696
Achromatopsia
WCAG contrast

The color used as foreground text against pure white and pure black, with the contrast ratio and WCAG 2.1 grade. Aim for AA (4.5:1) for body text and AA Large (3:1) for 18 pt+ headlines; AAA (7:1) is the gold standard for long-form reading surfaces.

The quick brown foxSample body text at normal size. The wcag minimum for body contrast is 4.5:1 (AA) or 7:1 (AAA).
Failon White
2.29:1
The quick brown foxSample body text at normal size. The wcag minimum for body contrast is 4.5:1 (AA) or 7:1 (AAA).
AAAon Black
9.18:1

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