Color #120B23 Color / Colour Code #120B23
This page shows the hex color code for color #120b23 (#120B23). The colour is a purple tone with 52% saturation and 9% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #120B23 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#120B23 paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 228, 258, and 288 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 258, 18, and 138 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #120B23
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 258 and saturation at 52%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 258 to 303 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 258 with its complement at 78 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 #120B23
Lightness variations at hue 258 and 52% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #120B23
Design Use Cases for #120B23
Balanced UI Color
At 52% saturation, #120B23 strikes a balance between vibrancy and restraint. This makes it versatile for primary UI elements like navigation bars, card headers, and form accents. It draws attention without overwhelming adjacent content.
Dark Mode Background
At just 9% lightness, #120B23 works as a dark mode background or overlay color. Dark backgrounds reduce eye strain in low-light environments and make bright accent colors pop. Pair with light text (minimum 4.5:1 contrast ratio) for readability.
Creativity & Premium Positioning
#120B23 falls in the purple spectrum (hue 258). Purple communicates creativity, wisdom, and luxury. It is effective for premium product highlights, creative portfolio accents, meditation app interfaces, and rewards program branding. Purple occupies a unique space between the energy of red and the calm of blue.
Gradient Pairing
Create a gradient from #120B23 (hue 258) to its complement at hue 78. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 288. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #120b23, #1c230b);
CSS Code for #120B23
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #120B23 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #120B23 across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #120B23 (#120B23)
#120B23 is a purple color (colour) with RGB channel values of 18 red, 11 green, and 35 blue. The blue channel is dominant by a ratio of 3.2:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 258 degrees with 52% saturation and 9% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #120B23 is 16/255 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 49% cyan, 69% magenta, 0% yellow, and 86% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #120B23 against white is 19.13:1 and against black is 1.10:1. This exceeds the AAA requirement (7:1) for normal text on white, making it excellent for body text and small UI labels on light backgrounds.
The complementary colour #1C230B creates maximum visual tension when paired with #120B23. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #0B1023 and #1E0B23, 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 #120B23
- 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 #120B23?
- #120B23 is Color #120B23, a purple color (colour) with RGB(18, 11, 35), HSL(258, 52%, 9%), and CMYK(49%, 69%, 0%, 86%). Its perceived brightness is 16/255.
- Is #120B23 accessible for text?
- Against white, #120B23 has a contrast ratio of 19.13:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 1.10:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #120B23?
- The complementary colour is #1C230B (hue 78). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #0B1023 and #1E0B23. The triadic palette adds #23120B and #0B2312 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #120B23 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #120b23; or rgb(18, 11, 35); or hsl(258, 52%, 9%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 258 52% 9%; 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.