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Sinewy Marlin

#3e8cfa
Notes

Sinewy Marlin (#3E8CFA) is a true azure with a neon character. It sits at the high-saturation edge of its family. Use it sparingly, as signage, accent, or highlight against darker surfaces. Its HSL profile (215°, 95%, 61%) 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 amber. For something softer, pull in its analogous neighbors on either side of the wheel.

HEX
#3e8cfa
RGB
rgb(62, 140, 250)
HSL
hsl(215, 95%, 61%)
HWB
hwb(215 24% 2%)
OKLCH
oklch(64.8% 0.181 257.7)
HSV
hsv(215, 75%, 98%)
LAB
lab(58.68% 13.23 -61.73)
LCH
lch(58.68% 63.13 282.09)
CMYK
cmyk(75%, 44%, 0%, 2%)

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.

Marlin
noun

The genus Makaira — particularly M. nigricans (blue marlin), the saltwater sport-fish whose iridescent blue back distinguishes it from other billfish. The color refers to a freshly caught Pacific blue marlin: a saturated, slightly cool deep blue with the iridescent satin finish of fish skin reflecting sunlight through ocean water.

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.

#3e8cfa
Original
#5396fe
Protanopia
#2c85f8
Deuteranopia
#00a6b7
Tritanopia
#838383
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
3.31:1
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
6.34:1

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