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Dependable Morningglory

#21a8b1
Notes

Dependable Morningglory (#21A8B1) is a true cyan with a vibrant character. It holds its own as a focal accent, carrying visual weight without tipping into neon territory. Its HSL profile (184°, 69%, 41%) 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 red. For something softer, pull in its analogous neighbors on either side of the wheel.

HEX
#21a8b1
RGB
rgb(33, 168, 177)
HSL
hsl(184, 69%, 41%)
HWB
hwb(184 13% 31%)
OKLCH
oklch(66.9% 0.108 202.0)
HSV
hsv(184, 81%, 69%)
LAB
lab(62.93% -30.62 -14.51)
LCH
lch(62.93% 33.88 205.35)
CMYK
cmyk(81%, 5%, 0%, 31%)

Etymology

Dependable
adjective

Latin dē-pendere, to hang from — adjectival suffix -able. As a color modifier, dependable implies a clear-and-trustworthy-and-consistent quality where the hue carries the visual register of consistently-performing-and-counted-on design-element. Sits at the crisp-and-honest end of the grid, parallel to reliable and trustworthy in usage.

Morningglory
noun

The family Convolvulaceae — particularly Ipomoea purpurea, the climbing annual whose blue-purple morning-blooming trumpet flowers close by midday. The color refers to a fresh Ipomoea flower in early morning: a saturated, slightly cool deep blue-violet with the satin finish of single-day trumpet bloom.

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.

#21a8b1
Original
#9aa0b2
Protanopia
#8792b2
Deuteranopia
#00afaa
Tritanopia
#8c8c8c
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
2.88:1
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
7.30:1

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