colors
Back to gallery

Stalwart Cynoglossum

#5a81e6
Notes

Stalwart Cynoglossum (#5A81E6) is a true azure with a vibrant character. It holds its own as a focal accent, carrying visual weight without tipping into neon territory. Its HSL profile (223°, 74%, 63%) 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 amber. For something softer, pull in its analogous neighbors on either side of the wheel.

HEX
#5a81e6
RGB
rgb(90, 129, 230)
HSL
hsl(223, 74%, 63%)
HWB
hwb(223 35% 10%)
OKLCH
oklch(62.4% 0.158 266.1)
HSV
hsv(223, 61%, 90%)
LAB
lab(55.67% 17.08 -55.39)
LCH
lch(55.67% 57.97 287.14)
CMYK
cmyk(61%, 44%, 0%, 10%)

Etymology

Stalwart
adjective

Old English stǣl-wyrðe, stable-and-worthy. As a color modifier, stalwart implies a saturated-and-loyal-and-firm quality where the hue carries the dependable-and-trustworthy visual presence of a Knight-Templar guard. Sits at the bold-and-firm end of the grid, parallel to steadfast and firm in usage.

Cynoglossum
noun

The genus CynoglossumChinese forget-me-not or hound's-tongue, biennial members of the borage family with deep-blue forget-me-not-style flowers in early summer. The color refers to a fresh C. amabile in May: a saturated, slightly cool deep blue with the matte finish of small five-petaled flowers.

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.

#5a81e6
Original
#528cea
Protanopia
#3d7fe4
Deuteranopia
#0098a8
Tritanopia
#808080
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
3.67:1
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
5.72:1

Related Colors

Canvas