Color Palettes

Cool Tones Color Palette – HEX, RGB & Design Inspiration

Color Details

HEX: #1C3464

RGB: 28, 52, 100

HEX: #034569

RGB: 3, 69, 105

HEX: #235B79

RGB: 35, 91, 121

HEX: #086CA2

RGB: 8, 108, 162

HEX: #3C9DD0

RGB: 60, 157, 208

WCAG Accessibility Checker
Contrast ratios and WCAG compliance for text readability. AAA is enhanced conformance, AA is standard, and 4.5:1 minimum for normal text.

Text on White/Black Backgrounds

#1C3464
On White
12.18:1
AAA (Enhanced)
On Black
1.72:1
Fail
#034569
On White
10.2:1
AAA (Enhanced)
On Black
2.06:1
Fail
#235B79
On White
7.38:1
AAA (Enhanced)
On Black
2.84:1
Fail
#086CA2
On White
5.71:1
AA (Standard)
On Black
3.68:1
AA (Large Text)
#3C9DD0
On White
3.03:1
AA (Large Text)
On Black
6.93:1
AA (Standard)

Color Pair Combinations (10 total)

#1C3464 / #3C9DD0
4.02:1
AA (Large Text)
#034569 / #3C9DD0
3.36:1
AA (Large Text)
#235B79 / #3C9DD0
2.44:1
Fail
#1C3464 / #086CA2
2.13:1
Fail
#086CA2 / #3C9DD0
1.88:1
Fail
#034569 / #086CA2
1.79:1
Fail
#1C3464 / #235B79
1.65:1
Fail
#034569 / #235B79
1.38:1
Fail
#235B79 / #086CA2
1.29:1
Fail
#1C3464 / #034569
1.19:1
Fail

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
Live UI Preview
See your palette applied to real components with optimized text colors for accessibility
WCAG Guidelines

Recommended Text Colors

Aa
Primary
12.18:1 (AAA)
Aa
Secondary
10.2:1 (AAA)
Aa
Accent
7.38:1 (AAA)
Aa
Background
5.71:1 (AA)
Aa
Neutral
6.93:1 (AA)

Buttons

Optimized for readability
Primary: 12.18:1 AAA
Secondary: 10.2:1 AAA
Accent: 7.38:1 AAA

Form Elements

Don't have an account? Sign up

Badges & Tags

PrimarySecondaryAccentNeutralOutline

Alerts & Notifications

Information

This is an informational message using your primary color

Gradient Generator
Create beautiful gradients from your palette colors. Copy the CSS code and use directly in your projects.

Horizontal (Left to Right)

background: linear-gradient(to right, #1C3464 0%, #034569 25%, #235B79 50%, #086CA2 75%, #3C9DD0 100%);

Vertical (Top to Bottom)

background: linear-gradient(to bottom, #1C3464 0%, #034569 25%, #235B79 50%, #086CA2 75%, #3C9DD0 100%);

Diagonal (Top Left to Bottom Right)

background: linear-gradient(to bottom right, #1C3464 0%, #034569 25%, #235B79 50%, #086CA2 75%, #3C9DD0 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
Color Blindness Simulator
See how your palette appears to people with different types of color vision deficiency (CVD). Approximately 8% of males and 0.5% of females have some form of color blindness.

Normal Vision

No color vision deficiency

Color Swatches

#1C3464

#034569

#235B79

#086CA2

#3C9DD0

Full Palette View

How people with Normal Vision see it:

Color Psychology & Brand Analysis
Understand the emotional impact, brand personality, and psychological effects of your color palette

Overall Mood & Feel

Calm, professional, and trustworthy, with a sophisticated and dramatic atmosphere

Emotional Impact

Calming and contemplative, promoting feelings of trust, stability, and peace. The dark tones establish a premium, sophisticated feel ideal for luxury positioning

Psychological Effect

This 5-color palette creates a calm, professional, and trustworthy, with a sophisticated and dramatic atmosphere. 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

Reliable
Professional
Secure
Stable
Trustworthy

Perfect For These Industries

Finance & Banking
Technology
Healthcare
Corporate

Target Audience

Business professionals and decision-makers seeking reliability and competence

Individual Color Psychology

#1C3464

Professional and authoritative

Emotions Evoked

Authority
Confidence
Stability
Power

Personality Traits

Trustworthy
Dependable
Intelligent
Professional
Calm

Brand Traits

Reliable
Professional
Secure
Stable
Trustworthy

Ideal Industries

Finance & Banking
Technology
Healthcare
Corporate
Insurance
Social Media
Aviation

Marketing Use

Most popular color globally. Builds trust and reduces stress. Ideal for corporate brands, financial services, and healthcare. Can suppress appetite.

Cultural Meanings

Western: Trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence
Eastern: Immortality, spirituality, depth, stability
Global: Most universally liked color, depth, stability

Color Harmony Analysis

Palette Mood

Balanced

Temperature

Cool

This palette combines balanced moods with cool tones, making it versatile for various design applications.

Professional Implementation Guide

This monochromatic cool tones palette features 5 carefully selected cool tones that create a balanced and versatile aesthetic. With medium contrast levels and vibrant 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 cool 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 #1C3464 as the dominant color for headers and #3C9DD0 for accents. These vibrant colors may appear slightly muted in print; request color proofs.

  • 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 Cool Tones:

60%

Dominant Color

#1C3464

Use #1C3464 as your primary color for backgrounds, main content areas. This blue tone should occupy about 60% of your design space.

30%

Secondary Color

#235B79

Apply #235B79 as your secondary color for subtle backgrounds and card components. Allocate approximately 30% of your layout to this color.

10%

Accent Color

#3C9DD0

Reserve #3C9DD0 for accent elements like buttons, links, and important highlights. This blue accent should be used sparingly (10% of design) to draw attention to key actions.

Professional Best Practices

Smart Usage Tips

  • Use desaturated versions (reduce saturation by 20-30%) for large background areas to prevent visual fatigue
  • Add warm accent colors to create focal points and prevent designs from feeling too cold
  • 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

2

Associated Tags

6

Categories

3941

Community Likes

Color Analysis & Technical Guide

Detailed breakdown of each color's role, characteristics, and optimal applications. This monochromatic palette creates a balanced and versatile aesthetic perfect for .

Individual Color Breakdown

Each color in this cool palette has been analyzed for its properties and ideal usage scenarios. The medium contrast and vibrant saturation ensure harmonious visual relationships.

  • #1C3464

    BLUE

    #1C3464 serves as the primary/dominant color in this palette. This dark blue (moderately saturated) brings professionalism and depth Use it for headers, navigation bars, and brand elements.

    Dark toneH: 220°S: 56%L: 25%
  • #034569

    BLUE

    #034569 serves as the secondary/supporting color in this palette. This dark blue (highly saturated) brings professionalism and depth Use it for cards, borders, section dividers, and supporting UI components.

    Dark toneH: 201°S: 94%L: 21%
  • #235B79

    BLUE

    #235B79 serves as the secondary/supporting color in this palette. This medium blue (moderately saturated) brings professionalism and depth Use it for cards, borders, section dividers, and supporting UI components.

    Dark toneH: 201°S: 55%L: 31%
  • #086CA2

    BLUE

    #086CA2 serves as the secondary/supporting color in this palette. This medium blue (highly saturated) brings professionalism and depth Use it for cards, borders, section dividers, and supporting UI components.

    Dark toneH: 201°S: 91%L: 33%
  • #3C9DD0

    BLUE

    #3C9DD0 serves as the accent/highlight color in this palette. This medium blue (highly saturated) brings trust and tranquility Use it for call-to-action buttons, links, important notifications, and interactive elements.

    Light toneH: 201°S: 61%L: 53%

Palette Characteristics

This palette exhibits distinct characteristics that make it particularly suitable for specific design applications and industries.

Color Temperaturecool

Cool tones convey professionalism, trust, and calmness. Ideal for corporate and tech applications.

Contrast Levelmedium

Medium contrast provides visual interest while maintaining readability with proper text color choices.

Saturationvibrant

Vibrant saturation creates bold, attention-grabbing designs perfect for youth brands and creative projects.

Brightness Rangebalanced

Balanced brightness provides flexibility for both light and dark design elements.

💡 Pro Tips for This Palette

  • Perfect for: . The monochromatic 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: Cool tones are generally perceived as professional worldwide but always research cultural color meanings.

Export Formats

JSON
CSS Variables
Tailwind Config
SCSS Variables
Android XML

Explore Cool Tones Palette

The Cool Tones palette is a masterful blend of soothing blues that evoke a sense of serenity and professionalism, making it an ideal choice for designers seeking to create a calming yet authoritative visual identity. At its core, this palette is about harnessing the emotional impact of cool tones to convey trust, loyalty, and wisdom, drawing the viewer into a world of reassurance and stability. As the eye moves through the palette, it becomes clear that each shade has been carefully selected to work in harmony, creating a sense of depth and nuance that invites exploration and engagement.

Delving deeper into the palette, we find a range of blues that work together to create a sense of continuity and flow, from the deep, rich tone of 1C3464, which provides a dramatic and intense foundation, to the softer, more muted 034569, which adds a touch of subtlety and restraint. The 235B79 shade brings a sense of balance and equilibrium to the palette, its gentle, soothing quality helping to offset the more dramatic notes of the other colors, while 086CA2 introduces a sense of freshness and vitality, its brighter, more vibrant tone injecting a sense of energy and dynamism into the mix. Finally, 3C9DD0 provides a sense of lift and aspiration, its lighter, more ethereal quality helping to create a sense of airiness and freedom.

In practical terms, the Cool Tones palette is a versatile and highly effective tool for designers working on a wide range of projects, from websites and apps to branding and marketing campaigns. Its soothing, professional quality makes it an ideal choice for corporate and financial institutions, where trust and authority are paramount, while its calming, reassuring tone also makes it suitable for healthcare and wellness applications, where a sense of serenity and tranquility is essential. Whether used as a primary color scheme or as an accent palette, Cool Tones is sure to add a sense of depth, nuance, and sophistication to any design project.

The psychology of the Cool Tones palette is deeply rooted in the emotional impact of blue, a color long associated with feelings of trust, loyalty, and wisdom. As the viewer engages with the palette, they are likely to experience a sense of calmness and reassurance, as the soothing tones work to reduce stress and anxiety, creating a sense of balance and equilibrium. This, in turn, can have a profound impact on behavior, as the viewer becomes more receptive and open to the message or brand being communicated, making the Cool Tones palette an invaluable tool for designers seeking to build trust and engagement with their audience.

For designers seeking to get the most out of the Cool Tones palette, there are a number of pro tips and pairing suggestions to keep in mind. To add a touch of warmth and contrast to the design, consider introducing complementary colors such as oranges or yellows, which will help to create a sense of visual interest and tension. Alternatively, try pairing Cool Tones with neutral shades such as grays or beiges, which will help to ground the design and add a sense of stability and balance. When it comes to design best practices, remember to use the palette thoughtfully and with restraint, allowing each shade to breathe and contribute to the overall visual narrative, and always consider the emotional impact of the colors on the viewer, using them to create a sense of connection and engagement that will leave a lasting impression.

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.

Cool Tones image

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about using and implementing the cool tones palette effectively in your projects.