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Unwavering Yosemite

#173ea0
Notes

Unwavering Yosemite (#173EA0) is a true azure with a jewel character. It carries the deep, saturated richness of a gemstone. Authoritative and slightly formal, it works well for type and heavy UI elements. Its HSL profile (223°, 75%, 36%) places it in the balanced band at a mid lightness. It works across type, buttons, and borders, saturated enough to feel deliberate but balanced enough to not fight the rest of the palette. For a confident two-color system, pair it with its complementary amber. For something softer, pull in its analogous neighbors on either side of the wheel.

HEX
#173ea0
RGB
rgb(23, 62, 160)
HSL
hsl(223, 75%, 36%)
HWB
hwb(223 9% 37%)
OKLCH
oklch(40.4% 0.165 263.9)
HSV
hsv(223, 86%, 63%)
LAB
lab(29.82% 25.37 -56.68)
LCH
lch(29.82% 62.09 294.11)
CMYK
cmyk(86%, 61%, 0%, 37%)

Etymology

Unwavering
adjective

Old English un- (negation) plus wafrian (to flicker). As a color modifier, unwavering implies a saturated-and-constant quality where the hue maintains its full strength without flicker or shift. Sits at the bold-and-firm end of the grid, parallel to steadfast and firm in usage.

Yosemite
noun

The California national park in the Sierra Nevada — and the saturated deep blue of Half Dome's eastern shadow at sunset and the Yosemite Valley sky framed by El Capitan. Yosemite refers to the Yosemite Valley sky at sunset: a saturated, slightly cool deep blue with the optical depth of high-altitude desert sky.

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

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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.

#173ea0
Original
#004da3
Protanopia
#00409e
Deuteranopia
#005769
Tritanopia
#3d3d3d
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).
AAAon White
9.40:1
The quick brown foxSample body text at normal size. The wcag minimum for body contrast is 4.5:1 (AA) or 7:1 (AAA).
Failon Black
2.23:1

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