Color #555AED Color / Colour Code #555AED
This page shows the hex color code for color #555aed (#555AED). The colour is a blue tone with 81% saturation and 63% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #555AED against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#555AED paired with its color wheel opposite for maximum contrast.
Analogous Colors
Hues at 208, 238, and 268 degrees for harmonious combinations.
Triadic Palette
Three colors at 238, 358, and 118 degrees.
Color Palettes Using #555AED
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 238 and saturation at 81%. Use the darkest shade for text and the lightest for backgrounds to build a cohesive single-hue design system.
Adjacent hues from 238 to 283 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 238 with its complement at 58 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 #555AED
Lightness variations at hue 238 and 81% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #555AED
Design Use Cases for #555AED
Vibrant Brand Color
#555AED has a strong 81% 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.
Soft Accent & Highlight
With 63% lightness, #555AED 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
#555AED sits in the blue range (hue 238). 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 #555AED (hue 238) to its complement at hue 58. For a subtler effect, try pairing with an analogous color at hue 268. Use CSS: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #555aed, #ede854);
CSS Code for #555AED
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #555AED based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #555AED across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #555AED (#555AED)
#555AED is a blue color (colour) with RGB channel values of 85 red, 90 green, and 237 blue. The blue channel is dominant by a ratio of 2.8:1 over the weakest channel. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 238 degrees with 81% saturation and 63% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #555AED is 105/255 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, 62% magenta, 0% yellow, and 7% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #555AED against white is 5.16:1 and against black is 4.07:1. This meets the AA requirement (4.5:1) for normal text on white. For AAA compliance, consider darkening to at least 44% lightness.
The complementary colour #EDE854 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #555AED. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #54A6ED and #9C54ED, 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 #555AED
- 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 #555AED?
- #555AED is Color #555AED, a blue color (colour) with RGB(85, 90, 237), HSL(238, 81%, 63%), and CMYK(64%, 62%, 0%, 7%). Its perceived brightness is 105/255.
- Is #555AED accessible for text?
- Against white, #555AED has a contrast ratio of 5.16:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 4.07:1 (fails AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #555AED?
- The complementary colour is #EDE854 (hue 58). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #54A6ED and #9C54ED. The triadic palette adds #ED5459 and #59ED54 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #555AED in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #555aed; or rgb(85, 90, 237); or hsl(238, 81%, 63%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 238 81% 63%; 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.