Color #552BEE Color / Colour Code #552BEE
This page shows the hex color code for color #552bee (#552BEE). The colour is a blue tone with 85% saturation and 55% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #552BEE against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#552BEE paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 223, 253, and 283 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 253, 13, and 133 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #552BEE
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 253 and saturation at 85%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 253 to 298 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 253 with its complement at 73 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 #552BEE
Lightness variations at hue 253 and 85% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #552BEE
Design Use Cases for #552BEE
High-Impact Accent
With 85% saturation, #552BEE 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 55% lightness, #552BEE 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
#552BEE sits in the blue range (hue 253). 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 #552BEE (hue 253) to its complement at hue 73. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 283. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #552bee, #c4ee2b);
CSS Code for #552BEE
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #552BEE based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #552BEE across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #552BEE (#552BEE)
#552BEE is a blue color (colour) with RGB channel values of 85 red, 43 green, and 238 blue. The blue channel is dominant by a ratio of 5.5:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 253 degrees with 85% saturation and 55% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #552BEE is 78/255 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 64% cyan, 82% magenta, 0% yellow, and 7% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #552BEE against white is 7.08:1 and against black is 2.97:1. 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 #C4EE2B creates maximum visual tension when paired with #552BEE. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #2B62EE and #B72BEE, 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 #552BEE
- 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 #552BEE?
- #552BEE is Color #552BEE, a blue color (colour) with RGB(85, 43, 238), HSL(253, 85%, 55%), and CMYK(64%, 82%, 0%, 7%). Its perceived brightness is 78/255.
- Is #552BEE accessible for text?
- Against white, #552BEE has a contrast ratio of 7.08:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 2.97:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #552BEE?
- The complementary colour is #C4EE2B (hue 73). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #2B62EE and #B72BEE. The triadic palette adds #EE552B and #2BEE55 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #552BEE in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #552bee; or rgb(85, 43, 238); or hsl(253, 85%, 55%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 253 85% 55%; 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.