Color #550BDA Color / Colour Code #550BDA
This page shows the hex color code for color #550bda (#550BDA). The colour is a purple tone with 90% saturation and 45% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #550BDA against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#550BDA paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 231, 261, and 291 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 261, 21, and 141 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #550BDA
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 261 and saturation at 90%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 261 to 306 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 261 with its complement at 81 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 #550BDA
Lightness variations at hue 261 and 90% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #550BDA
Design Use Cases for #550BDA
High-Impact Accent
With 90% saturation, #550BDA 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.
Primary Interface Color
At 45% lightness, #550BDA 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.
Creativity & Premium Positioning
#550BDA falls in the purple spectrum (hue 261). 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 #550BDA (hue 261) to its complement at hue 81. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 291. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #550bda, #92da0b);
CSS Code for #550BDA
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #550BDA based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #550BDA across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #550BDA (#550BDA)
#550BDA is a purple color (colour) with RGB channel values of 85 red, 11 green, and 218 blue. The blue channel is dominant by a ratio of 19.8:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 261 degrees with 90% saturation and 45% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #550BDA is 57/255 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 61% cyan, 95% magenta, 0% yellow, and 15% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #550BDA against white is 8.58:1 and against black is 2.45:1. 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 #92DA0B creates maximum visual tension when paired with #550BDA. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #0B2ADA and #BB0BDA, 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 #550BDA
- 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 #550BDA?
- #550BDA is Color #550BDA, a purple color (colour) with RGB(85, 11, 218), HSL(261, 90%, 45%), and CMYK(61%, 95%, 0%, 15%). Its perceived brightness is 57/255.
- Is #550BDA accessible for text?
- Against white, #550BDA has a contrast ratio of 8.58:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 2.45:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #550BDA?
- The complementary colour is #92DA0B (hue 81). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #0B2ADA and #BB0BDA. The triadic palette adds #DA540B and #0BDA54 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #550BDA in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #550bda; or rgb(85, 11, 218); or hsl(261, 90%, 45%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 261 90% 45%; 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.