Color #686BC7 Color / Colour Code #686BC7
This page shows the hex color code for color #686bc7 (#686BC7). The colour is a blue tone with 46% saturation and 59% lightness. Explore its conversions, colour palettes, gradients, accessibility data, and CSS code below.
Color Conversions
Accessibility Contrast
WCAG contrast ratios for #686BC7 against common backgrounds.
Complementary Colors
#686BC7 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 #686BC7
Five shades at lightness levels 15% through 85% while keeping hue at 238 and saturation at 46%. 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 #686BC7
Lightness variations at hue 238 and 46% saturation.
CSS Gradients with #686BC7
Design Use Cases for #686BC7
Balanced UI Color
At 46% saturation, #686BC7 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.
Soft Accent & Highlight
With 59% lightness, #686BC7 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
#686BC7 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 #686BC7 (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, #686bc7, #c7c366);
CSS Code for #686BC7
Similar Colors
Colors visually similar to #686BC7 based on RGB, lightness, and hue variations.
Use This Color in Design Tools
Apply #686BC7 across image editing and color design tools.
About Color #686BC7 (#686BC7)
#686BC7 is a blue color (colour) with RGB channel values of 104 red, 107 green, and 199 blue. The blue channel is dominant with a relatively balanced channel distribution. In HSL terms, the hue sits at 238 degrees with 46% saturation and 59% lightness, placing it in the cool range of the colour spectrum.
The perceived brightness of #686BC7 is 117/255 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 48% cyan, 46% magenta, 0% yellow, and 22% key (black).
The WCAG contrast ratio of #686BC7 against white is 4.65:1 and against black is 4.52:1. This meets the AA requirement (4.5:1) for normal text on white. For AAA compliance, consider darkening to at least 41% lightness.
The complementary colour #C7C366 creates maximum visual tension when paired with #686BC7. For more harmonious color combinations, use the analogous colours #669AC7 and #9366C7, 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 #686BC7
- 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 #686BC7?
- #686BC7 is Color #686BC7, a blue color (colour) with RGB(104, 107, 199), HSL(238, 46%, 59%), and CMYK(48%, 46%, 0%, 22%). Its perceived brightness is 117/255.
- Is #686BC7 accessible for text?
- Against white, #686BC7 has a contrast ratio of 4.65:1 (passes AA for normal text). Against black, it has 4.52:1 (passes AA). Use the contrast checker tool for custom background pairings.
- What colours pair well with #686BC7?
- The complementary colour is #C7C366 (hue 58). For subtle color combinations, use analogous colours #669AC7 and #9366C7. The triadic palette adds #C7666A and #6AC766 for vibrant variety.
- How do I use #686BC7 in CSS?
- Use any format: color: #686bc7; or rgb(104, 107, 199); or hsl(238, 46%, 59%). For CSS custom properties: --color-primary: 238 46% 59%; 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.