Back to gallery
Vibrantcyan

Dusky Aqua Gleam

#53d1e5
Notes

Dusky Aqua Gleam (#53D1E5) 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 (188°, 74%, 61%) 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
#53d1e5
RGB
rgb(83, 209, 229)
HSL
hsl(188, 74%, 61%)
HWB
hwb(188 33% 10%)
OKLCH
oklch(79.9% 0.113 209.7)
HSV
hsv(188, 64%, 90%)
LAB
lab(77.93% -28.61 -20.18)
LCH
lch(77.93% 35.01 215.20)
CMYK
cmyk(64%, 9%, 0%, 10%)

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.

#53d1e5
Original
#bfcae6
Protanopia
#aabae5
Deuteranopia
#00dad7
Tritanopia
#b8b8b8
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
1.81:1
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
11.62:1

Related Colors

Canvas