Blue Contrast Color Palette – HEX, RGB & Design Inspiration
Color Details
HEX: #03396C
RGB: 3, 57, 108
HEX: #B3CDE0
RGB: 179, 205, 224
HEX: #BB3B0E
RGB: 187, 59, 14
HEX: #BBBBBB
RGB: 187, 187, 187
HEX: #AAAAAA
RGB: 170, 170, 170
Text on White/Black Backgrounds
Color Pair Combinations (10 total)
WCAG Contrast Standards:
- AAA (7:1): Enhanced contrast for maximum readability
- AA (4.5:1): Minimum for normal text (under 18pt)
- AA Large (3:1): Acceptable for large text (18pt+ or 14pt+ bold)
- Fail: Below WCAG standards, not recommended for text
Recommended Text Colors
Horizontal (Left to Right)
background: linear-gradient(to right, #03396C 0%, #B3CDE0 25%, #BB3B0E 50%, #BBBBBB 75%, #AAAAAA 100%);Vertical (Top to Bottom)
background: linear-gradient(to bottom, #03396C 0%, #B3CDE0 25%, #BB3B0E 50%, #BBBBBB 75%, #AAAAAA 100%);Diagonal (Top Left to Bottom Right)
background: linear-gradient(to bottom right, #03396C 0%, #B3CDE0 25%, #BB3B0E 50%, #BBBBBB 75%, #AAAAAA 100%);Usage Tips:
- Copy the CSS code and paste directly into your stylesheets
- Linear gradients work great for backgrounds and hero sections
- Radial gradients are perfect for spotlights and focus effects
- Conic gradients create eye-catching loading spinners and progress indicators
- Smooth transitions ensure seamless color blending
Normal Vision
No color vision deficiency
Color Swatches
#03396C
#B3CDE0
#BB3B0E
#BBBBBB
#AAAAAA
Full Palette View
How people with Normal Vision see it:
Overall Mood & Feel
Energetic, warm, and inviting
Emotional Impact
Stimulating and energetic, evoking feelings of excitement, warmth, and action. The balanced lightness creates versatility across different contexts
Psychological Effect
This 5-color palette creates a energetic, warm, and inviting. The combination works together to create memorable visual experiences that influence consumer perception, decision-making, and brand recall. The rich variety provides versatility while maintaining cohesive emotional messaging across touchpoints.
Brand Personality Traits
Perfect For These Industries
Target Audience
Business professionals and decision-makers seeking reliability and competence
Individual Color Psychology
#03396C
Professional and authoritative
Emotions Evoked
Personality Traits
Brand Traits
Ideal Industries
Marketing Use
Most popular color globally. Builds trust and reduces stress. Ideal for corporate brands, financial services, and healthcare. Can suppress appetite.
Cultural Meanings
Color Harmony Analysis
Palette Mood
Temperature
This palette combines dark & bold and balanced moods with cool and warm and neutral tones, making it versatile for various design applications.
Professional Implementation Guide
This complementary blue contrast palette features 5 carefully selected warm tones that create a balanced and versatile aesthetic. With medium contrast levels and moderate saturation, this palette is optimized for .
Web Design & Development
For web development, implement this palette with CSS variables for easy theme switching. Consider adding darker variants for better text readability.
- Apply the 60-30-10 rule for visual hierarchy
- Use accent colors for CTAs and hover states
- Maintain consistent color usage across all pages
- Test responsive behavior on multiple devices
Mobile App Interfaces
In mobile applications, these warm tones provide excellent battery efficiency on OLED screens. Use the subtle color variations to define clear touch targets.
- Design both light and dark mode variants
- Consider thumb-reach zones for color placement
- Test under direct sunlight and low light
- Use color to indicate interactive elements
Brand Identity Systems
Build a cohesive brand identity by designating specific colors for specific purposes. Establish your primary brand color from the most distinctive shade and create comprehensive brand guidelines specifying exact usage scenarios.
- Define primary, secondary, and accent colors
- Create usage rules for marketing materials
- Specify minimum sizes and clear space
- Document do's and don'ts for consistency
Frontend Development
Developers can integrate this palette efficiently using modern CSS techniques. Export as CSS variables for maximum flexibility, allowing theme switching and dynamic color updates without rewriting stylesheets.
- Use CSS custom properties for theming
- Implement semantic color naming conventions
- Create utility classes for rapid prototyping
- Consider CSS-in-JS for component-scoped colors
Print Design
For print materials, convert to CMYK using #03396C as the dominant color for headers and #AAAAAA for accents. These colors translate well to print with minimal adjustment.
- Add to your design software color library
- Create swatches for quick color access
- Use CMYK values for print production
- Request color proofs before final print
Marketing Campaigns
Marketing materials benefit from consistent color usage that reinforces brand recognition. Apply this palette across email campaigns, landing pages, advertisements, and social media for maximum impact and memorability.
- Maintain color consistency across channels
- A/B test color variations for conversion
- Consider cultural color associations
- Align colors with campaign messaging
Strategic Color Distribution
Professional designers follow the 60-30-10 rule for balanced color distribution. Here's how to apply this principle with the Blue Contrast:
Dominant Color
#03396CUse #03396C as your primary color for backgrounds, main content areas. This blue tone should occupy about 60% of your design space.
Secondary Color
#BB3B0EApply #BB3B0E as your secondary color for subtle backgrounds and card components. Allocate approximately 30% of your layout to this color.
Accent Color
#AAAAAAReserve #AAAAAA for accent elements like buttons, links, and important highlights. This gray accent should be used sparingly (10% of design) to draw attention to key actions.
Professional Best Practices
✓ Smart Usage Tips
- •Balance warm tones with neutral whites or grays to create visual breathing room
- •Test your palette across different devices and lighting conditions before finalizing
✗ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- •Don't use all colors equally—establish clear visual hierarchy through color weight
- •Avoid low-contrast text combinations that strain readability
- •Don't rely solely on color to convey meaning (use icons, text, and patterns too)
- •Avoid inconsistent color usage across different pages or screens
- •Don't assume screen colors match print output—always request physical proofs
Palette Overview & Statistics
5
Total Colors
4
Associated Tags
2
Categories
3110
Community Likes
Color Analysis & Technical Guide
Detailed breakdown of each color's role, characteristics, and optimal applications. This complementary palette creates a balanced and versatile aesthetic perfect for .
Individual Color Breakdown
Each color in this warm palette has been analyzed for its properties and ideal usage scenarios. The medium contrast and moderate saturation ensure harmonious visual relationships.
#03396C
BLUE
#03396C serves as the primary/dominant color in this palette. This dark blue (highly saturated) brings professionalism and depth Use it for headers, navigation bars, and brand elements.
Dark toneH: 209°S: 95%L: 22%#B3CDE0
BLUE
#B3CDE0 serves as the secondary/supporting color in this palette. This light blue (moderately saturated) brings trust and tranquility Use it for cards, borders, section dividers, and supporting UI components.
Light toneH: 205°S: 42%L: 79%#BB3B0E
ORANGE
#BB3B0E serves as the secondary/supporting color in this palette. This medium orange (highly saturated) brings creativity and enthusiasm Use it for cards, borders, section dividers, and supporting UI components.
Dark toneH: 16°S: 86%L: 39%#BBBBBB
GRAY
#BBBBBB serves as the secondary/supporting color in this palette. This light gray (muted) brings neutrality and balance Use it for cards, borders, section dividers, and supporting UI components.
Light toneH: 0°S: 0%L: 73%#AAAAAA
GRAY
#AAAAAA serves as the accent/highlight color in this palette. This medium gray (muted) brings neutrality and balance Use it for call-to-action buttons, links, important notifications, and interactive elements.
Light toneH: 0°S: 0%L: 67%
Palette Characteristics
This palette exhibits distinct characteristics that make it particularly suitable for specific design applications and industries.
Warm colors create energy, excitement, and approachability. Perfect for brands targeting emotional connection.
Medium contrast provides visual interest while maintaining readability with proper text color choices.
Moderate saturation balances visual interest with professional restraint.
Balanced brightness provides flexibility for both light and dark design elements.
💡 Pro Tips for This Palette
- Perfect for: . The complementary color relationship creates natural visual flow.
- Mood & Psychology: This palette evokes a balanced and versatile feeling, making it ideal for brands seeking to convey those qualities.
- Accessibility: Test text combinations carefully with contrast checkers to ensure accessibility compliance.
- Extensions: Create tints (add white) and shades (add black) to expand this 5-color palette into a comprehensive design system.
- Cultural Context: Warm colors may have different meanings across cultures—verify associations with your target market.
Export Formats
Explore Blue Contrast Palette
The Blue Contrast color palette is a masterful blend of hues that evoke a sense of balance and elegance, creating a visual experience that is both soothing and striking. At its core, this palette is about juxtaposing deep, rich tones with lighter, airy shades, resulting in a contrast that is both captivating and harmonious. The combination of these colors has a profound emotional impact, as it can inspire feelings of trust, loyalty, and wisdom, making it an ideal choice for designers seeking to convey a sense of sophistication and refinement.
Delving deeper into the palette, we find a range of colors that work together in perfect harmony. The darkest shade, a navy blue, is represented by the code 03396C, a deep, cool tone that provides a sense of stability and reliability. In contrast, the light blue shade, B3CDE0, brings a sense of airiness and freedom, adding a touch of warmth and approachability to the palette. The maroon shade, BB3B0E, adds a pop of vibrant energy, introducing a sense of passion and creativity, while the two neutral shades, BBBBBB and AAAAAA, provide a subtle background that allows the other colors to take center stage. Although the palette does not include pink as a direct hex code, the overall theme and combination of colors create a sense of softness and playfulness that is reminiscent of this hue.
In practical terms, the Blue Contrast palette is incredibly versatile, lending itself to a wide range of design applications. It would be an excellent choice for websites and apps that require a sense of sophistication and elegance, such as luxury brands, financial institutions, or high-end lifestyle products. The palette would also be well-suited for branding and marketing materials, as it can help to convey a sense of trust and reliability, while also adding a touch of creativity and flair. Additionally, the palette's balance and harmony make it an ideal choice for designers working on digital products, such as software or mobile apps, where a sense of calm and focus is essential.
From a psychological perspective, the colors in the Blue Contrast palette have a profound impact on viewer perception and behavior. The deep navy blue shade can evoke feelings of trust and loyalty, while the light blue shade can inspire a sense of freedom and creativity. The maroon shade, with its vibrant energy, can stimulate feelings of passion and excitement, while the neutral shades provide a sense of balance and stability. By combining these colors, designers can create a visual experience that is both engaging and harmonious, drawing the viewer in and encouraging them to explore further.
For designers looking to make the most of the Blue Contrast palette, there are several pro tips to keep in mind. To add an extra layer of depth and interest, consider pairing the palette with complementary colors, such as a warm beige or a deep green. When pairing the colors, it's essential to balance the bold, vibrant shades with the more subdued neutral tones, creating a sense of harmony and contrast. By following these design best practices and experimenting with different combinations, designers can unlock the full potential of the Blue Contrast palette, creating stunning visual experiences that captivate and inspire their audience.
Palette Image
Below is the generated palette image showing all colors in a vertical layout. Perfect for sharing on social media or using as a reference.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about using and implementing the blue contrast palette effectively in your projects.