Color #1178EE Color / Colour Code #1178EE
This page shows the hex color code for color #1178ee (#1178EE). The colour is a blue tone with 87% saturation and 50% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #1178EE against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#1178EE paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 182, 212, and 242 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 212, 332, and 92 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #1178EE
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 212 and saturation at 87%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 212 to 257 degrees create a warm, unified palette. This analogous scheme works for marketing materials, seasonal campaigns, and any design that needs visual warmth without clashing colors.
Combines the base color at hue 212 with its complement at 32 and two adjacent cool tones. This split-complementary approach provides strong visual contrast while remaining more balanced than a pure complementary scheme.
Five evenly spaced hues at 40% saturation and 80% lightness. Pastels are gentle on the eyes and work well for dashboards, onboarding screens, category tags, and any interface where multiple distinct colors are needed without visual aggression.
Shades & Tints of #1178EE
Lightness variations at hue 212 and 87% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #1178EE
Design Use Cases for #1178EE
High-Impact Accent
With 87% saturation, #1178EE is highly vivid. Reserve this for elements that need maximum attention: primary action buttons, notification badges, error states, or promotional banners. Use sparingly alongside neutral tones to avoid visual fatigue.
Soft Accent & Highlight
With 50% lightness, #1178EE has a softer, more approachable quality. It works well for hover states, subtle highlights, progress indicators, and secondary UI elements. This lightness range is particularly effective for tag backgrounds and status indicators.
Trust & Professional Identity
#1178EE sits in the blue range (hue 212). Blue is the world's most popular color for corporate identities because it conveys trust, stability, and competence. Use it for navigation bars, link text, form focus states, and any element where user confidence matters. Financial, healthcare, and technology brands rely heavily on this hue range.
Gradient Pairing
Create a gradient from #1178EE (hue 212) to its complement at hue 32. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 242. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #1178ee, #ee8711);
CSS Code for #1178EE
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #1178EE based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #1178EE across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #1178EE (#1178EE)
#1178EE is a blue color (colour) with RGB channel values of 17 red, 120 green, and 238 blue. The blue channel is dominant by a ratio of 14.0:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 212 degrees with 87% saturation and 50% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #1178EE is 103/255 using the ITU-R BT.601 luma formula (0.299R + 0.587G + 0.114B). This appears dark to the human eye, so pair it with light text for adequate readability. For print production, the CMYK equivalent is 93% cyan, 50% magenta, 0% yellow, and 7% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #1178EE against white is 4.25:1 and against black is 4.95:1. This only passes AA for large text (18pt+) on white. For normal body text on white, darken the color or use it on a dark background where it achieves 4.95:1.
The complementary colour #EE8711 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #1178EE. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #11E7EE and #1811EE, which sit 30 degrees on either side of the hue wheel. To build a complete design system, start with the monochromatic scale above for consistent shade variations, then add one complementary or triadic accent for interactive elements.
How to Explore Color #1178EE
- Enter your color value in HEX format.
- The tool converts it to RGB, HSL, CMYK format in real time.
- Copy the converted value to your clipboard.
What is HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK color conversion
Converting from HEX to RGB, HSL, CMYK translates a color value between two different color models. Different color models are used in web design (HEX, RGB), print (CMYK), and color theory (HSL, HSV).
Related Tools & Colors
Frequently Asked Questions
- What color / colour is #1178EE?
- #1178EE is Color #1178EE, a blue color (colour) with RGB(17, 120, 238), HSL(212, 87%, 50%), and CMYK(93%, 50%, 0%, 7%). Its perceived brightness is 103/255.
- Is #1178EE accessible for text?
- Against white, #1178EE has a contrast ratio of 4.25:1 (fails AA for normal text). Against black, it has 4.95:1 (passes AA). It passes AA for large text (18pt+) on white. Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #1178EE?
- The complementary colour is #EE8711 (hue 32). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #11E7EE and #1811EE. The triadic palette adds #EE1178 and #78EE11 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #1178EE in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #1178ee; or rgb(17, 120, 238); or hsl(212, 87%, 50%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 212 87% 50%; then use it as hsl(var(--color-primary)).
- Is this color / colour explorer free?
- Yes, completely free with no signup required. All colour calculations run in your browser. You can explore any valid hex color code, not just the pre-generated palette.