Color #280FA3 Color / Colour Code #280FA3
This page shows the hex color code for color #280fa3 (#280FA3). The colour is a blue tone with 83% saturation and 35% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #280FA3 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#280FA3 paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 220, 250, and 280 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 250, 10, and 130 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #280FA3
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 250 and saturation at 83%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 250 to 295 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 250 with its complement at 70 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 #280FA3
Lightness variations at hue 250 and 83% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #280FA3
Design Use Cases for #280FA3
Vibrant Brand Color
#280FA3 has a strong 83% saturation that makes it ideal for brand identity elements. Use it for logos, primary call-to-action buttons, hero section accents, and marketing materials where visual impact matters. This saturation level is eye-catching without being harsh.
Primary Interface Color
At 35% lightness, #280FA3 is in the mid-range, making it ideal for interactive elements like buttons, links, and selected states. This lightness level ensures good contrast against both light and dark adjacent elements in most layouts.
Trust & Professional Identity
#280FA3 sits in the blue range (hue 250). 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 #280FA3 (hue 250) to its complement at hue 70. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 280. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #280fa3, #8ba30f);
CSS Code for #280FA3
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #280FA3 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #280FA3 across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #280FA3 (#280FA3)
#280FA3 is a blue color (colour) with RGB channel values of 40 red, 15 green, and 163 blue. The blue channel is dominant by a ratio of 10.9:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 250 degrees with 83% saturation and 35% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #280FA3 is 39/255 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 75% cyan, 91% magenta, 0% yellow, and 36% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #280FA3 against white is 12.45:1 and against black is 1.69:1. 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 #8BA30F creates maximum visual tension when paired with #280FA3. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #0F41A3 and #720FA3, 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 #280FA3
- 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 #280FA3?
- #280FA3 is Color #280FA3, a blue color (colour) with RGB(40, 15, 163), HSL(250, 83%, 35%), and CMYK(75%, 91%, 0%, 36%). Its perceived brightness is 39/255.
- Is #280FA3 accessible for text?
- Against white, #280FA3 has a contrast ratio of 12.45:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 1.69:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #280FA3?
- The complementary colour is #8BA30F (hue 70). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #0F41A3 and #720FA3. The triadic palette adds #A3280F and #0FA328 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #280FA3 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #280fa3; or rgb(40, 15, 163); or hsl(250, 83%, 35%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 250 83% 35%; 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.