colors
Back to gallery

Resounding Trafalgar

#557aef
Notes

Resounding Trafalgar (#557AEF) is a true blue with a vibrant character. It holds its own as a focal accent, carrying visual weight without tipping into neon territory. Its HSL profile (226°, 83%, 64%) 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
#557aef
RGB
rgb(85, 122, 239)
HSL
hsl(226, 83%, 64%)
HWB
hwb(226 33% 6%)
OKLCH
oklch(61.3% 0.181 267.6)
HSV
hsv(226, 64%, 94%)
LAB
lab(54.11% 23.53 -62.93)
LCH
lch(54.11% 67.18 290.50)
CMYK
cmyk(64%, 49%, 0%, 6%)

Etymology

Resounding
adjective

Latin resonāre, to echo back — present-participle of resound. As a color modifier, resounding implies a saturated-and-echoing-and-imposing quality where the hue reverberates visually like a cathedral-bell ring. Sits at the bold-and-resonant end of the grid, parallel to resonant and booming in usage.

Trafalgar
noun

The Cape Trafalgar headland off southern Spain — site of the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar (Nelson's decisive naval victory over Napoleon's fleet). Trafalgar color refers to the deep blue of HMS Victory's preserved hull paint at Portsmouth: a saturated, slightly cool deep blue with the matte finish of period-correct marine paint.

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.

#557aef
Original
#3a89f3
Protanopia
#0d7bed
Deuteranopia
#0095a9
Tritanopia
#7b7b7b
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
3.88:1
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
5.42:1

Related Colors

Canvas