Color #552CAB Color / Colour Code #552CAB
This page shows the hex color code for color #552cab (#552CAB). The colour is a purple tone with 59% saturation and 42% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #552CAB against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#552CAB paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 229, 259, and 289 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 259, 19, and 139 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #552CAB
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 259 and saturation at 59%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 259 to 304 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 259 with its complement at 79 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 #552CAB
Lightness variations at hue 259 and 59% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #552CAB
Design Use Cases for #552CAB
Balanced UI Color
At 59% saturation, #552CAB 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.
Primary Interface Color
At 42% lightness, #552CAB 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
#552CAB falls in the purple spectrum (hue 259). 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 #552CAB (hue 259) to its complement at hue 79. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 289. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #552cab, #82aa2c);
CSS Code for #552CAB
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #552CAB based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #552CAB across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #552CAB (#552CAB)
#552CAB is a purple color (colour) with RGB channel values of 85 red, 44 green, and 171 blue. The blue channel is dominant by a ratio of 3.9:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 259 degrees with 59% saturation and 42% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #552CAB is 71/255 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 50% cyan, 74% magenta, 0% yellow, and 33% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #552CAB against white is 9.00:1 and against black is 2.33:1. 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 #82AA2C creates maximum visual tension when paired with #552CAB. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #2C43AA and #932CAA, 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 #552CAB
- 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 #552CAB?
- #552CAB is Color #552CAB, a purple color (colour) with RGB(85, 44, 171), HSL(259, 59%, 42%), and CMYK(50%, 74%, 0%, 33%). Its perceived brightness is 71/255.
- Is #552CAB accessible for text?
- Against white, #552CAB has a contrast ratio of 9.00:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 2.33:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #552CAB?
- The complementary colour is #82AA2C (hue 79). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #2C43AA and #932CAA. The triadic palette adds #AA542C and #2CAA54 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #552CAB in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #552cab; or rgb(85, 44, 171); or hsl(259, 59%, 42%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 259 59% 42%; 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.