colors
Back to gallery
Earthycyan

Crisp Aqua Whisper

#3bbcbd
Notes

Crisp Aqua Whisper (#3BBCBD) 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 (180°, 52%, 49%) 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
#3bbcbd
RGB
rgb(59, 188, 189)
HSL
hsl(180, 52%, 49%)
HWB
hwb(180 23% 26%)
OKLCH
oklch(72.8% 0.109 195.8)
HSV
hsv(180, 69%, 74%)
LAB
lab(69.87% -33.65 -10.68)
LCH
lch(69.87% 35.31 197.61)
CMYK
cmyk(69%, 1%, 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.

#3bbcbd
Original
#b0b3bd
Protanopia
#9ca5be
Deuteranopia
#00c2bc
Tritanopia
#a1a1a1
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
2.30:1
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
9.11:1

Related Colors

Canvas