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Glowing Lánsè

#48c9fb
Notes

Glowing Lánsè (#48C9FB) is a true cyan 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 (197°, 96%, 63%) 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
#48c9fb
RGB
rgb(72, 201, 251)
HSL
hsl(197, 96%, 63%)
HWB
hwb(197 28% 2%)
OKLCH
oklch(78.6% 0.131 228.1)
HSV
hsv(197, 71%, 98%)
LAB
lab(76.14% -19.46 -34.74)
LCH
lch(76.14% 39.82 240.74)
CMYK
cmyk(71%, 20%, 0%, 2%)

Etymology

Glowing
adjective

The progressive participle of glow, to emit light — used as a color word since the medieval period for hues that read as if they were luminous from within. Glowing amber, glowing rose: the implication is moderate saturation combined with the optical impression of internal light. Sits in the bright-bucket alongside radiant.

Lánsè
noun

The Chinese word for blue — combining lán (blue) and (color). Used for the blue of Ming-dynasty porcelain underglaze, lán-bù (denim), and the deep blue of imperial banners. The color refers to fresh-painted lán-bù cotton: a saturated, slightly cool deep blue with the matte finish of indigo-and-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

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.

#48c9fb
Original
#afc6fd
Protanopia
#96b4fa
Deuteranopia
#00d7d9
Tritanopia
#b1b1b1
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
1.91:1
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
11.02:1

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Canvas