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Sinewy Tetsukon

#3278d4
Notes

Sinewy Tetsukon (#3278D4) 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 (214°, 65%, 51%) 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 orange. For something softer, pull in its analogous neighbors on either side of the wheel.

HEX
#3278d4
RGB
rgb(50, 120, 212)
HSL
hsl(214, 65%, 51%)
HWB
hwb(214 20% 17%)
OKLCH
oklch(57.6% 0.158 256.6)
HSV
hsv(214, 76%, 83%)
LAB
lab(50.53% 10.21 -53.59)
LCH
lch(50.53% 54.55 280.78)
CMYK
cmyk(76%, 43%, 0%, 17%)

Etymology

Sinewy
adjective

Old English sinu, sinew — adjectival suffix -y. As a color modifier, sinewy implies a saturated-and-muscular-and-firm quality where the hue carries the lean-and-strong visual presence of a Roman-statue athletic figure. Sits at the bold-and-firm end of the grid, parallel to stalwart and rugged in usage.

Tetsukon
noun

Japanese tetsukon (鉄紺) — iron navy, the saturated dark blue of Meiji-period samurai ceremonial robes and the kasuri (ikat) textiles of pre-modern rural Japan. The color refers to a tetsukon-dyed kasuri cotton: a deep, slightly cool dark blue with the matte finish of multi-bath dyed cotton.

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.

#3278d4
Original
#4a80d8
Protanopia
#2a71d2
Deuteranopia
#008e9b
Tritanopia
#707070
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).
AA Largeon White
4.40:1
The quick brown foxSample body text at normal size. The wcag minimum for body contrast is 4.5:1 (AA) or 7:1 (AAA).
AAon Black
4.77:1

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