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Spartan Brunnera

#1a5bce
Notes

Spartan Brunnera (#1A5BCE) is a true azure with a vibrant character. It holds its own as a focal accent, carrying visual weight without tipping into neon territory. Its HSL profile (218°, 78%, 45%) 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 amber. For something softer, pull in its analogous neighbors on either side of the wheel.

HEX
#1a5bce
RGB
rgb(26, 91, 206)
HSL
hsl(218, 78%, 45%)
HWB
hwb(218 10% 19%)
OKLCH
oklch(50.4% 0.190 261.0)
HSV
hsv(218, 87%, 81%)
LAB
lab(41.46% 24.33 -64.82)
LCH
lch(41.46% 69.24 290.57)
CMYK
cmyk(87%, 56%, 0%, 19%)

Etymology

Spartan
adjective

Greek Spartiátēs, of Sparta — adjectival suffix referring to the Lacedaemonian warrior city. As a color modifier, spartan implies a saturated-and-disciplined-and-formal quality, the deep-rich color of Spartan-hoplite military-class crimson-and-bronze armor-and-cloak. Sits at the bold-and-formal end of the grid, parallel to austere and stern in tone.

Brunnera
noun

The genus BrunneraSiberian bugloss, the shade-garden perennial whose forget-me-not-style flowers appear in early spring. B. macrophylla 'Jack Frost' has silver-marbled foliage prized in shade gardens. The color refers to a fresh brunnera flower spike: a saturated, slightly cool deep blue with the matte finish of small five-petaled flower.

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.

#1a5bce
Original
#006ad2
Protanopia
#005acc
Deuteranopia
#00788b
Tritanopia
#555555
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).
AAon White
6.12:1
The quick brown foxSample body text at normal size. The wcag minimum for body contrast is 4.5:1 (AA) or 7:1 (AAA).
AA Largeon Black
3.43:1

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