colors
Back to gallery
Earthycyan

Quiet Aqua Fold

#3bb9bc
Notes

Quiet Aqua Fold (#3BB9BC) is a true cyan with an earthy character. It leans grounded and natural, the kind of color that plays well with wood, clay, linen, and warm neutrals. Its HSL profile (181°, 52%, 48%) 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
#3bb9bc
RGB
rgb(59, 185, 188)
HSL
hsl(181, 52%, 48%)
HWB
hwb(181 23% 26%)
OKLCH
oklch(72.0% 0.107 197.4)
HSV
hsv(181, 69%, 74%)
LAB
lab(68.94% -32.52 -11.53)
LCH
lch(68.94% 34.50 199.53)
CMYK
cmyk(69%, 2%, 0%, 26%)

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

Click any swatch to explore

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.

#3bb9bc
Original
#acb0bc
Protanopia
#99a2bd
Deuteranopia
#00bfba
Tritanopia
#9e9e9e
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
2.37:1
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
8.85:1

Related Colors

Canvas