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Prismatic Indicolite

#36b8ed
Notes

Prismatic Indicolite (#36B8ED) 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 (197°, 84%, 57%) 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 orange. For something softer, pull in its analogous neighbors on either side of the wheel.

HEX
#36b8ed
RGB
rgb(54, 184, 237)
HSL
hsl(197, 84%, 57%)
HWB
hwb(197 21% 7%)
OKLCH
oklch(73.6% 0.132 230.4)
HSV
hsv(197, 77%, 93%)
LAB
lab(70.30% -17.24 -36.27)
LCH
lch(70.30% 40.16 244.57)
CMYK
cmyk(77%, 22%, 0%, 7%)

Etymology

Prismatic
adjective

Greek prísma, prism — adjectival suffix -ic. As a color modifier, prismatic implies a saturated-and-multi-spectrum-decomposed quality, the bright color of crystal-prism and cut-glass-chandelier light-refraction-spectrum decomposition. Sits at the bright-and-shifting end of the grid, parallel to iridescent and spectral in usage.

Indicolite
noun

A blue variety of tourmaline — colored by trace iron, mined principally in Brazil, Mozambique, and Pakistan. The color refers to a faceted Brazilian indicolite: a saturated, slightly cool deep blue-green with the gem's signature internal warmth. Cooler than aquamarine.

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.

#36b8ed
Original
#9db6f0
Protanopia
#85a4ec
Deuteranopia
#00c7ca
Tritanopia
#a0a0a0
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
2.27:1
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
9.24:1

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